OWNER LWB250 (E420)

[Jlaa]

OK, so here we go with the headliner install...

The newly recovered headliner. nice. Make sure your hands are clean and stay clean. You don't want to get any dirt on the fabric.

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New courtesy light for the rear. Old one was yellowed and brittle. New one even came with a new bulb!

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First things first. I had a broken mount for the retaining clip on the right rear "C" pillar panel that needed to be glued up, so I did that right off. I should have done this a week ago while Iw as waiting on the headliner to be done. While I was reassembling things I found the other piece that was missing, too, so I'll be gluing that back in, too. Hooray for JB Weld!

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Before I start putting everything together, I need to tape down the wires going to the rear courtesy light. The original tape was torn or removed on a previous repair, so I'll tape the wires back up with new tape. You might not think this is important, but the wires need to run in a channel in the roof or they'll get trapped between the headliner and a roof gusset and make the headliner bulge.

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Now comes the fun! Lower the front seat backs al the way and put the headliner back into the car carefully without cracking or breaking the panel. And yes, Dave, I got it in and out through the rear door.

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Next job is to carefully lift the headliner into place just ahead of the sunroof opening. There is a metal channel that's glued to the headliner panel that hooks into a similarly shaped channel at the rear of the sunroof opening. This will pretty well hold the headliner up in place without issue, just be careful not to put any weight or stress on the panel.

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With the headliner in place, I start from the rear and move my way forward. First thing is the courtesy light frame that is screwed into place with a "U" shaped bracket. Note that the light frame will often come out when the old headliner comes off because the fabric has shrunk and as a result the metal wings on the frame no longer hold tight to the headliner. While I didn't photograph this, if your frame did come out and your headliner person didn't reinstall it, you'll need to straighten out the "wings" around the edges of it, insert it into the opening, and bend them down to clamp the frame in place. I did this on mine before installing the headliner in the car.

View attachment 109963

Next come the grab handles. I cleaned mine up with some 303 Protectant before installing them. If your headliner person did a good job, they will have slit the fabric in the openings for the grab handles. Run down the screws and snap the trim pieces back in place.

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Next, the "B" pillar covers. These can be tricky, so take your time and be patient. The clip or hook on the top has to go into the opening and then up to secure it. The tough part is being able to coordinate this with the seat belt adjustment mechanism. When you look at the adjusting handle and the sliding panel below it, you'll notice the handle has an open slot in the bottom part. Just below that you'll see a plastic cylinder projecting out from the sliding panel. Both of these have to fit over corresponding parts on the adjuster. The adjuster fits over a metal tab that looks like a lollypop and the cylinder fits over a metal pin below it. It's trial and error, but can be done. I like to take a piece of masking tape and tape the adjuster handle so it's all the way "up", as otherwise it drops down and makes it even harder to get everything indexed. Get the top clip in place, keep the trim panel leaning out fro the bottom so you can see behind it to line everything up, then carefully move the panel into place and get everything connected. Again, it will take several tries, but you'll know it's there when the adjuster handle has spring resistance and you can move the adjuster up and down.

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About 2/3 of the way down the "B" pillar there should be a metal clip on both sides of the pillar. The edge of the panel will clip into this. If these are missing, order new ones. They're the only thing holding the panel in place between the top and bottom.

View attachment 109970

Slip the bottom trim panel in place and insert the philips head screws into the holes. I guarantee you'll struggle with getting these lined up. Use the outline in the carpet to get close and you'll eventually get one started.

Gotta put that new light assembly in. Old one was not bad, but a new one is cheap and looks so much nicer.

View attachment 109971 View attachment 109972 View attachment 109973

Move up to the front seats and install the grab handles there.

View attachment 109974

If your headliner person did things right, they left a lot of margin on the fabric around the sunroof opening. Take the stainless pieces out like we did for the removal.

View attachment 109977

Have a sharp razor blade or carpet knife handy. Fold the fabric over tightly and cut it along the inside edge of the sunroof slide, which will leave you about 1/2"-3/4" to wrap around. Once you've cut the areas you can see from above, move to the inside of the car and complete the cuts on the inside.

View attachment 109978 View attachment 109979 View attachment 109980

Take your stainless steel pieces and put them back into place, checking on the inside that everything is located correctly and the fabric is snug. Screw the stainless pieces back down.

Now back to the front of the interior.

Take the front trim panel and get it positioned to go into place. There are metal tabs at each front corner that connect to the tops of the "A" pillar trim. You can get one in place on one side, then get the other one. You'll "lever up" the panel from the front to the back.

View attachment 109981

Next, you'll want to get the trailing edge of the panel's material wrapped around the front of the sunroof opening. You'll probably have to hold the panel up to get the material in place so the screw holes line up. Once you get everything lined up, the aluminum channel that goes into this can be screwed down with the small philips head screws that hold it down.

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Next, install the sun virus clips. Be sure not to over tighten as you can pull the screw head through the plastic and damage the clip.

View attachment 109985

Now install the rear view mirror mounting plate.

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And now for a free trick that will help you install rear view mirrors without stress:

Here's the spring loaded pins that hold the mirror in place. These are what makes it difficult to install a mirror without seriously beating on the base.

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Get a binder clip and disassemble it. Bend the metal clip parts like this:

View attachment 109993

Take a pair of slip joint pliers and compress the pins.

View attachment 109994

Wit the pins compressed, push the end of each wire under the shoulder of each pin. This will hold the pins back.

View attachment 109995 View attachment 109996

Hold the mirror base in place, pressing on one side at a time, and carefully pull the pin out. Do the same on the other side and now the mirror is in place.

Next you can install the sun visors. Pretty straightforward.

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And now for the sunroof panel. Make sure the sunroof is all the way open. Place the panel into the sunroof tracks and carefully slide it back as far as it will go.

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Move the sunroof forward about halfway closed. Slide the panel back to match the leading edge and then press the trim pins into the sunroof. Tough to describe, but you can see these on the leading edge of the headliner panel. They line up with sockets in the sunroof panel. With the sunroof partially open you can look into the area between the headliner and sunroof panel and see where they are located.

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And done. Not bad looking, if I do say so.

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Dan

There are literally dozens of HOW-TOs embedded inside your owner's thread @LWB250 !!!!!

 

[LWB250]

There are literally dozens of HOW-TOs embedded inside your owner's thread @LWB250 !!!!!

A virtual plethora?

Dan

 

[nocfn]

"Karl, Don't be a GOOF!"

Principle Vern, The Breakfast Club

 

[LWB250]

I'm not dead, just working far too much and not keen to be in the garage when the heat index is 100+

With the vestiges of the tropical depression flinging around here it's actually a decent day, if you don't mind the occasional rain as the rain bands pass through. I took advantage of the conditions to fire up the E420 since it's been sitting for several weeks and look through the "pile 'o' parts" on the front seat I had picked up for it the last time I drove it. Mostly things I need for paint prep, like new below headlight valance panels, some trim "bullets" to replenish my supply, and one of the sexy, much desired gray colored pin switches.

Sitting there in the front seat with nowhere to go, I figured the least I could do was swap out the driver's door pin switch, so I did. Bring it on, ladies!

I'm going to pull it in the garage a little later and toss the SDS on it to clear the CEL, ASR and ABS lights. Pretty sure my accelerator microswitch has permanently failed. Got one on the shelf waiting to be installed.

More as I know it...

Dan

 

[LWB250]

Now I know things.

Ran the SDS. Got an error for the neutral safety switch and a couple of valve errors on ASR. I've seen the NSS error before so I've got to address that. Cleared everything but still have a CEL. Hmm. May have to go at it with the blinker box.

After I installed the new headliner several weeks ago, I found that the sunroof headliner didn't want to play nice. That is, when I closed the sunroof all of the way the left rear went "up" in that what you would see if you raised the rear of the sunroof. The right side didn't so this. I attributed this to not having the sunroof headliner properly installed, so I consulted who else, but the @gsxr. He gave me some great insight about the little "wings" on the mechanism that the metal tabs on the headliner slide into. OK, that sounds like the culprit, so equipped with his information I had at it.

No joy.

I could clearly see the tabs above the wings, but I was getting the same action. Back to the beginning, pull the headliner off/out and have a look.

I discovered that the lever that the left side wing is attached to did not appear to be in the correct position. That is, when the sunroof was closed, the wing was raised up to the sunroof panel, like this:



You'll also note that there is a nylon bushing that the edge of the lever appears to be riding on, that's forcing it up when the sunroof is completely closed. It was clear this was not correct, but I couldn't figure out how the lever should be oriented. Here is the right side in the closed position for comparison:



Yeah, something's not right here....

So I went inside and started looking at Google images of the mechanism. Tough to really see anything that gave me an understanding of what was going on. One thing to note - the left side wing and lever were 1-2 cm aft of where they appeared they should be. Comparing to the right side confirmed this.

So here's what I did:

Knowing that the plastic bits of the sunroof mechanism are delicate and can be easily damaged, I opened the sunroof the full amount and then proceeded to remove the retention rail on the left side. I figured with it out of the way and the sunroof closed it would allow me to move things around without damage, or at least minimize the potential for it.

Once this was done, I got the sunroof just to the point at where the lever would start to move upward and carefully pulled and twisted. I was able to move it forward and get the pin with the nylon bushing indexed into the back side of the lever, where there appeared to be a channel or slot that the bushing would fit in. It did.

This now caused the lever and wing to be in the proper position, as well as restoring the "pop up" function of the sunroof as well. Whoopee!

I installed the headliner, whose metal tabs slid right into the wings or "sleds" on both sides. A functional test confirmed proper operation. Nice.

I'm pondering how the mechanism could have gotten goofed up from the start, but there were no bits, pieces or broken parts visible that would have indicated someone was being ham-handed about repairs or operation. If things are worn or broken I guess I'll have to wait until it acts up again.

With that, I figured I was pressing my luck, so I buttoned everything up and took the car for a spin over to my storage locker to pick up some things. Despite the lousy weather it was an enjoyable drive.

Dan

 

[LWB250]

Again, I'm not dead - yet. Been busy with a promotion at work that has me spending my days in endless meetings, etc., as well as getting a new house in Indiana ready for occupancy in the summer.

As a part of the Indiana house preparation, I picked up a two owner 1999 E320 4Matic with 142k for $2600 that needed a little bit of love - not much. Of course that's impossible as Mercedes Martha Stewart, but just so everyone knows I haven't abandoned this place I figured I would post a few things that I'm doing to prepare the car for life in the Great White North, even though it won't be driven much, if any, in the winter.



I've done the usual fluid and filter change on everything, of course, including things like the charcoal cabin filters, power steering fluid, brake fluid flush, and drain and refill the differentials. Some bulbs in the instrument cluster needed replacement. New M/S tires and alignment. Trunk lid buffers, etc. Big job right now is R&R'ing the drive shaft as it was a little noisy and definitely needed a new center bearing and carrier, gently and professionally installed on the drive shaft by my local trusted driveshaft guru. He also ran it to make sure it was balanced at the factory marks (and it was) as well as injecting some grease as he said the U joint felt a little "notchy", which he said isn't uncommon at 140k.

With the drive shaft out I topped off the fluid in the transfer case and replaced a missing shift lever bushing.

The paint on the rocker panels was wearing through for some reason, so I removed the trim around the sills and painted the rockers. Trim has been cleaned, treated and reinstalled with new trim sockets in all the holes so it's tight. I'm waiting on the grommets for the jack points but those should be showing up tomorrow.

Rocker panel before:



Rocker panel after:



Very nice, I think. A little glossier that I prefer, but it's definitely an improvement.

I got the driveshaft back today, so I'll probably start in on it tonight so I have a jump on the weekend to allow other stuff to get done. Fun!

Dan

 

[LWB250]

I got the E420 out today to replace the front bumper cover. While the bumper cover is primered, since I'm up in the air on whether or not I'll cash out on the car or drop the coin to paint it, I at least want the front bumper to be complete and not missing the right corner like a five year old with a missing tooth.

Replacing a bumper cover isn't a difficult job on a W124, but dealing with all the related stuff can be. I'll have to transfer the trim strip over from the old bumper along with the license plate mounting piece as well. Both have very rusty fasteners on them, meaning removal could be a challenge.

As I start this I've already got the cover off and the trim strip as well, photos to follow. Rusted fasteners have been removed and I'm about to head over to my friendly Ace hardware to get stainless replacement hardware (and pick up some mower blades I dropped off for sharpening, too - this is Florida and the grass grows year 'round, folks.)

I'll commence reassembly when I return and then post some photos for a DIY. Tomorrow I might replace the driver's seat leather with the new set I got recently. That won't be fun...

Dan

 

[LWB250]

Got the bumper cover on, easy job. I decided to clean up and paint the bumper strip. Rather than just primer it, I had a can of Astral Silver, which I figured is closer to the correct color than primer gray. It's cool (low 60s) and windy, not good painting conditions, but things are turning out OK. I may have to wait until tomorrow for the pieces to be dry enough to handle, however.

Pictures and detailed description to come...

Dan

 

[LWB250]

Here's the low down on bumper cover replacement on a W124:

1.) Remove the temperature probe that's located behind the license plate. These are held on in different ways over the years, some with a screw that goes through a plate that's attached to the probe, others held in place with a "C" shaped clamp. Once the probe is free, pull out any excess cable with the probe if possible.



2.) There are four nuts and two bolts that hold the bumper on, possibly another nut if you have the top center stud (identified later). One 10mm bolt at each side of the bumper goes into a captive nut on as shown:


You can reach these from under the car or the wheel well without raising the car off the ground.

3.) There are four 13mm nuts on the bumper support at the front of the car, two on each side. You can get to these in the same area the side bolts are located in, that is, they're outboard enough that you can see them when looking in from the wheel well. Once these are removed, the bumper will come off by pulling it forward away from the car. If you don't want to damage the cover if you're reinstalling it, have a helper assist with removal so it doesn't fall on the ground and damage the finish.



NOTE: There could be a center stud on your bumper that would prevent removal. Check the top center of the bumper inboard and look for a 10mm nut. If you see one, remove it and the bumper cover should come free. Here's a picture of the hole it goes through on the body for reference.



4.) As I am replacing the bumper cover, I'll continue with the teardown. You'll want to remove the chrome strips on the top of the bumper, which is easy to do. There are five studs on each piece of trim, held in place with a metal clip. Pry the clip up to clear the tab from the stud and press it off the stud. Once all five are removed the trim piece will come off easily.



5.) If you're removing the bumper strip, you'll need to take out four self tapping screws, two at each end of the bumper holding the ends of the strip in place. Here's a picture of their location on the inside of the bumper cover.



The rest of the bumper strip is held on with plastic clips that are a part of the strip. I just sat down, put the bumper cover on my lap, and methodically worked from one side to the other with a flat bladed screwdriver releasing the clips on each side at a time. Work from one side to the other and the strip will come off without a lot of effort.

I found that there were self tapping screws that projected through the license plate panel into the bumper strip that had to be removed to get the bumper strip off. Because mine were severely rusted, I worked them out from behind using a pair of ViceGrip pliers to turn them.

There is also a metal strip behind the license plate panel that holds it in place. With the screws holding the license plate panel on removed, lift the panel up to disengage it from this metal "J"-shaped strip. In my case the metal strip was pretty ugly as were the fasteners on it. Remove these and the bumper strip should come away from the bumper.



6.) At this point it's a matter of cleaning and prep. Clean the chrome trim with some chrome polish and get the fasteners cleaned up. If you're reusing any parts and they need cleaning or painting now is the time. You don't have to put the bumper strip back on before assembly, as the fastens for it are easily reached through the wheel well openings. As my bumper strip was getting painted, I opted to leave this for a later time and install the bumper cover without it so the paint would have some time to cure.

7.) With the bumper cover ready to reinstall, position the chrome trim on each side and secure it using the clips. Make sure each is seated properly, with the tab on the clip over the pin projecting out of the trim panel. Remove any protective covers (my new bumper cover had plastic caps over the mounting studs to protect the threads.)



The last picture is of the center stud at the top center of the bumper that my original bumper did not have.

8.) This step is best done with a helper, if possible. Assemble all of your fasteners so they're ready for use, and lift the bumper cover into position. Make sure any air ducts are in place, as they're difficult to install with the bumper in place. It must go directly straight on to the car or the studs won't line up with the mounting holes in the chassis. You may have to push or pull a little on one side or the other to get them lined up, but once they are, run the 13mm nuts with the large flat washers under them down finger tight and check the alignment. Don't worry about the ends of the bumper at this time, as the are supported with the 10mm bolts in each end. Look for alignment relative to the bottom of the headlight panels to assure the gaps are symmetrical. If not, you can push up or pull down to correct the alignment. once you're satisfied, tighten the nuts down.



9.) One each side of the car there is an "L shaped bracket where the sides of the bumper are secured. The sides will most likely be "drooping" somewhat, which is normal. Get under the side of the bumper with a 10mm bolt ready, and lift or push upward to get the bumper in alignment with the bottom fender edge while starting the bolt in the captive nut on the bumper. If you're unable to get the bolt aligned with the captive nut, you can loosen the10mm bolt on the top of the "L" shaped bracket to allow it to pivot. In my case, the right side of the old bumper cover was completely missing due to damage, so the bracket had been tweaked as a result, I had to loosen the top bolt so it could be moved back into alignment. With the bumper side aligned, tighten the bolt and repeat on the remaining side.



10.) At this point, move to the top center of the bumper and install the nut on the center stud. How does it look?



You're done! At least with the bumper. Tomorrow I'll install the bumper strip, license plate panel and temperature probe.

Dan

 

[TerryA]

Been there Done That, Shortly after I bought my 500E I pulled to close to a face in high curb and put a small crack in the right side by the corner. The cover also had a lot of stone chips and looked a little tired so I removed the cover and gave it to a painter to fix and re-paint. It cost me $300.00 While I was at it I replaced the Fog Light Lenses with a new set off of e-Bay. I don’t remember the price I paid for the lenses. I also had the new (hole less) small sheet metal strips under my e-Code headlights painted.

After I put everything back together I went and spent another $300.00 and had “Clear Bra” installed over it.

It was a rewarding project for me and still looks like new after many years.

I recommend the “Clear Bra Film” wholeheartedly to protect the paint.

Take Care

 

[Kyiv]

@LWB250, Dan, could you please clarify if and during which of the two steps the sunroof shade needs to be removed

Open the sunroof and run the sunroof about 2/3 of the way open. Grasp the leading edge of the headliner on the sunroof and pull down. There are 3-4 "Christmas tree" nylon pins on the leading edge of the sunroof headliner that hold in place. With the headliner disconnected from the sunroof move the sunroof all the way to the rear. Now you can slide the sunroof headliner up and out of the sunroof opening.

***Is sunroof headliner same as sunroof shade?

Go outside of the car and look down into the sunroof opening. On each side of the sunroof are some chrome strips with philips head screws in them. One side at a time, remove the screws. Note that the front one is a machine screw and the remaining four are sheet metal screws. With the screws removed, the metal strip will come out. Below that are two more metal strips, both of which should be removed. The last one is long and will take a little moving around to remove. Set these aside. You'll be able to see the edges of the headliner material. Carefully lift it up to release it from the panel. You'll probably have a fair amount of old powdered glue left, which needs to be cleaned off before the new headliner is installed. Do the other side. DO be aware you'll need to reinstall these if you need to close the sunroof while you're waiting for your headliner to be done.

This is as far my shade will go:

 

[LWB250]

@LWB250, Dan, could you please clarify if and during which of the two steps the sunroof shade needs to be removed


***Is sunroof headliner same as sunroof shade?




This is as far my shade will go:
View attachment 126716

Your sunroof headliner is catching on the cable assembly. You have to put your hand into the center of the opening between the headliner panel and the roof and gently press the panel down while pulling it forward to clear the cable assembly.

The trailing edge of the sunroof headliner panel will catch on some of the cable bits/brackets which prevent it from being pulled forward. By pushing down on the center rear of the panel, as far as you can reach into the gap between the panel and the roof, you'll disengage the panel from whatever is causing the interference and be able to pull it forward.

W124s don't have a sunroof "shade". Only the later models with a glass sunroof have a shade that can be moved forward or retracted with the sunroof closed. My bad for mixing terms.

Dan

 

[Kyiv]

Dan, many thanks for your write up! Couldn't do it without it. What a nasty mess old headliner is.

 

[Blackfin]

Thank you for this thread, has been helpful for me getting my front end back together

 

[LWB250]

Always glad to be of assistance. Plenty have gone before me and shared their knowledge, this is my chance to return the favor.

Dan

 

[LWB250]

Just touching base. Life has been very busy with the acquisition of a second house in Flagstaff, AZ and some job changes to boot.

No new W124s to add to the garage, in fact, doing some divesting of late in order to freshen up the fleet, relatively speaking, and modernize things. The 1997 SL500 went to a new owner a few days ago and the S210 wagon will be doing the same in the near future as soon as the cluster returns from the rebuilder to resolve an LCD pixellation issue. Mileage (odometer) is a function of the cluster in the first generation W210s, so rather than replace the cluster I'm having it rebuilt so I don't have to do a mileage statement.

In their place I've added a 2003 E320 (W211) for Mrs. Dan to thrash, although I will say in the short time she's been driving it the computer is showing mileage to be around 23 mpg, if that's possible. Her "binary throttle control" driving method seems to have softened a bit with this car. This is a Good Thing. The E320 was a great find, a single owner car that was dealer maintained from day one up until late last year when it entered the wholesale market.

In anticipation of replacing the S210 wagon I bought a 2008 ML550, a bit more of a vehicle than I was looking for, but it was a good deal and solid car, so I went for it. I will say I do prefer the W164 over the W163, one of which we have at the Flagstaff house as a daily driver (2003 ML350). It's got more creature comforts yet still has the oomph of a truck.

Both are linked to in my signature of you want to see pictures. Needless to say it's been "Marthamania" around here the last couple of weeks. Heading to Flagstaff next week to cool off and get some rest - but I do need to replace the motor mounts on the ML350 while I'm there...

Dan

 

[LWB250]

New addition to the fleet!

Bought a 2001 CL600 as a "fun" car. Excellent provenance, needs a little bit of minor stuff done, but otherwise well cared for. More as I get into it.

Dan

 

[dionphaneuf]

Ooooooh. I love these, especially the wheels. Has the trick cylinder deactivation too. Looking forward to hearing about this more!

 

[LWB250]

Thanks!

I'm trying to find a set of the "sport" wheels that were optional. Staggered 18" five spoke wheels that don't seem to be that common. Nothing wrong with what's on it now (stock 18" unstaggered) but after experiencing the difference of staggered over stock on the SL500 I think they would be even more important on a high performance car like this. Especially if Mrs. Dan is driving it.

Dan

 

[LWB250]

Updated my signature links so they point at my crude yet effective web pages for the car.

I actually got it out on the road last weekend and tried out the go pedal. OMG! Subtle power, but LOTS of it, for sure.

I've got a pile 'o' stuff to go on it this weekend, and the work on the headlights I had planned for last weekend I'll try to do then. That will be the majority of things to do. I've got a left side coil pack coming from the V12 coil pack rebuilder guy in CA shortly, but that's a bit of a job for this car, so it will probably get pushed to the next weekend.

Some minor stuff this weekend:
Replace RF SAM module
Replace broken glove compartment light assembly w/new
Install intake screens on air cleaner housing inlets at the "zoom tubes" (originals are AWOL)
Run tests on RR top LED taillight for brakes, remove if found to be failed

I need to wax the 2003 E320, too.

Dan

 

[LWB250]

Got some more work done on the CL600 yesterday.

Found that the RF SAM was not defective, but that the "clip" arrangement that is used to secure one of the main B+ lines coming into the fuse block/SAM was loose and the wore was not making contact. Nice! So I've got a spare SAM for the shelf, which isn't a bad thing.

Glove compartment light assembly was an easy swap, surprising that all of them were in Germany and I had to wait a couple of weeks to get one.

Installed the screens on the inlet of the air cleaner assembly. Makes getting the ZoomTubes™ on a lot easier.

Using my DAS, I powered up the brake lights from the rear SAM. Left side works just fine, right side is out. I'm not getting any power at the right side, but I'm not sure if that's due to a break in the wiring, a possible bad fuse if one exists, or the LED assembly being shorted out and dragging the circuit down. I've got to do some more research on this, but at least the LED assembly is still available if I need one.

I replaced the telematics switches in the steering wheel as well. The originals were all worn and sticky, as a lot of plastic bits from this time frame tend to get. Using my handy 126589001000 Mercedes Torx bit for removing airbag screws I was done in about five minutes. If you don't have one of these tools, be sure to get one. It's indispensable when removing and installing airbags in all vintages of Mercedes.

My coil pack for the left bank cylinders should ship early this week according to the vendor, so hopefully I'll have it before the weekend so I can get it installed next weekend. That's about the last thing of substance I need to do before releasing the car to the roads and Mrs. Dan.

Dan

 

[LWB250]

Just a follow-up on what I've done with the CL600 of late...

To be honest, I became scared of the car. I let all the negative Nellies get into my head over concerns with the ABC system that I wasn't experiencing. As a result, I didn't drive it much, if any, and while I did do some work on it, I was more or less avoiding it.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to confront my fears and tear into things. Most of the issues it had were solvable with minimal effort:

1.) Right rear brake light was out. These are LEDs in this car, with all the other lighting bits in the taillights being standard incandescent lamps. They consist of three "panels" with LEDs on them that are mounted at the very top of the taillight assembly. Easy swap, took maybe 30 minutes, start to finish. Verified that the taillight assembly seal was in good shape, which is critical for this car and it's cousin, the W220.

2.) The right rear ABS sensor was throwing a code, so I replaced it. Still getting no signal at the ABS unit, or so it appeared. I "rang out" the wiring harness between the sensor connector and the plug at the ABS module and found the circuit was intact, so I found a used ABS module and swapped it out with mine. Problem solved!

3.) ABC issues. Yes, I had some, but they were minor. I was getting a low-pressure alert from the ABC system on startup, but it was random. I ran a complete test on the system and it passed with everything in spec, which was a Good Thing. However, the low-pressure alert was becoming consistent the more I drove the car, so I knew there was an issue. Understand that this only occurred at startup, and if it didn't appear, I could drive all day long without issues and the ABC system worked flawlessly. More on this...

I decided to drive the car to work on Wednesday, the first "long" trip for the car, a round trip of about 40 miles, 20 of those on the highway, the remaining on surface streets. The car ran flawlessly with no issues and performed quite well at, uh, shall we say, speeds in excess of the posted limits. This is where the ABC really shines. You put it in "Sport" and go nuts, and that nearly 5,000-pound car rides like it's on rails. No body roll in turns, and wheels are planted firmly on the road surface at all times. Amazing. It's a heavy car, but with ABC it's a real joy to drive aggressively and requires little effort to do so.

On my return trip, I noticed that if I hit a bump, like an expansion joint on the highway, I would hear the IC chime, but see nothing in the way of alerts or warnings. On one of the last chimes I heard I noticed that for just a split second when the chime sounded, the ABC warning was popping up in the cluster display. Not even long enough to really see it unless you were watching closely.

This is an indicator that one or more of the accumulators in the system are failing. This was great, in that it played right into my plan of replacing all four of the accumulators as preventative maintenance. I've got all four new accumulators from Mercedes, waiting to go onto the car this weekend along with 10 liters of fresh Pentosin hydraulic fluid for a complete system flush and filter change.

Last weekend I concentrated on detailing and wet sanding the car in numerous areas where there were scratches in the finish. 040 black is a wonderful finish, being single-stage, making it fairly easy to recover and look nice despite wear. The interior is solid, so it really needs nothing other than the set of OE carpeted mats I've yet to install.

All in all, I'm really pleased with the car now that I'm over my paranoia about it. I had a similar experience when I got my first W140. I let all the negative comments about the car that I had seen and read get into my head before I sat down and took the time to really understand the car and its systems. Once I did that and got comfortable with things my comfort level improved massively.

I'll report back after I get the accumulators and fluid flush done. At that point, barring any difficulties, I should have a W215 that's pretty much sorted.

Dan

 

[nocfn]

Looking forward to a pictorial of your fine work at some point.

 

[LWB250]

Thanks!

I just realized I hadn't posted any pictures of late. Here are a few:



Dan

 

[LWB250]

Sunday I got everything together to replace accumulators and perform a fluid flush.

It was relatively successful in some respects because I was able to replace three of the four accumulators, but not the rear accumulator, as the line nut is corroded at the fitting on the accumulator.

I had previously soaked the fittings of all of them with Kroil. There was obvious corrosion at the fitting on the rear accumulator, but the rest were clean and came off with some effort, but they came off. I used a crowsfoot flarenut wrench, which despite fitting the line nut tightly, rounded it off. Grrr.

Next was to go at it with a pair of ViceGrips, however, it is located "up" in a narrow area between the spare tire well and the body. Even if I unbolted the accumulator from the body, there wasn't enough slack in the line to let it drop down to where I could get more room to move the wrench. As a result, I could get some purchase on the fitting, but could only move the vise grips about 5-8 degrees, if that. As a result, I chewed the line nut up pretty well.

I put everything else back together, soaked the fitting again, and tomorrow I'm going to drive the car to work so when I get home it will be good and warm. Then I'll go ahead and perform a hydraulic fluid flush and multiple filter changes. I'm not sure I"ll do anything else for now, as I'm heading out to Flagstaff shortly and I don't want the car sitting for several weeks in a disassembled state. I'll just make sure the fitting is soaked well before I go, then take another stab at it when I return.

I could replace the whole line between the accumulator and the rear valve block, but it's really convoluted and would probably require dropping the rear subframe to get the new one in. I'm not at that point just yet, but if I get there, I may take an old accumulator to the hydraulic hose shop in Tampa and have them make up a flexible hose to replace the hard line. I could snake it around everything and get the accumulator mounted where it belongs.

More as I know it...

Dan

 

[LWB250]

Drove the car to work and back yesterday to get it good and warmed up. Did the fluid flush, filter, a "rodeo" test, and then another filter, all last night. Old fluid was clearly exhausted. I plan on cutting open the first replacement filter today to see what, if anything, it picked up. There's a small leak or seepage of some sort in the area around the reservoir or underneath, I think. I get a slight drip under this area when the car is parked, but whatever is leaking isn't significant as I've never seen a drop in hydraulic fluid. Some of it is fluid that's been spilled around the reservoir from what I can see. Some small bubbles in the return fluid, so I'll be looking closely at that line for potential leaks.

Soaked the "bad" accumulator again, but I'm going to let it sit for now.

Been chatting back and forth with some other W215 owners on BanzWhirled who are very well-versed in ABC, and they've had some good information relative to the stuck accumulator that I may look into when I'm back from AZ in mid-November.

Dan