OWNER outrbnks

outrbnks · May 23, 2016

I guess I should have started here a few weeks back, it doesn't seem like much has happened since I bought the 92 500E, other than making the purchase.

So far I've:

Purchased the car in April
Made final arrangements for shipping
Ordered Euro headlights
Purchased Mirror Rubber Caps
Purchased a spare ETA
Purchased a front bumper Lic plate holder
Arranged for Victor to go through the electricals

Activity going forward:

The 500 should be picked up today in Texas, with delivery tentative on May 30th
The 500 will be delivered to Victor in Brooklyn, for him to sort out all the harnesses, electrics etc.
I'm only 70 miles north of Victor, and can take a train down when it's time to drive it home
Title and Bill of sale sent by FedEx today, here on Wen.
Made Payment on the Euro Headlights today, should be shipped tomorrow
Need to start shopping for headliner replacement and new paint vendors
Need to decide on paint color(s), 199 now, probably the best thing is to stay with 199, should cladding stay grey or be 199 also?
If I could have ordered a 500E brand new, I would have chosen one of the Med - Darker blues, or Brilliant Silver colors
Nearing a decision on which car to sell to make room for the 500E, (the 300CE appears to be drawing that short straw, my first benz... )

Question for E500E owners who have repainted,

has anyone painted the cladding 199 as well
if you did paint the cladding, was it a mat finish or same as top side finish
Does anyone have pictures of a 199 painted E500E, with the cladding painted 199?

Thanks..

JC220 · May 23, 2016

outrbnks said:
Question for E500E owners who have repainted,

has anyone painted the cladding 199 as well

if you did paint the cladding, was it a mat finish or same as top side finish

Does anyone have pictures of a 199 painted E500E, with the cladding painted 199?

Thanks..

Welcome & congrats on your 500E Purchase! :nobmw:

Here is a pic of my 1992 500E (E500 updated) which is 199 Paint code and has the lower claddings colour matched now with the same clearcoat etc. I like w124's with the matched lower cladding- the Matt colours make the car look very dated IMO. Lots more pics of this car on my owner thread on here also.

Glen · May 23, 2016

I did the lower cladding and bumpers in 199, same as the upper. Here's some pix as I put the car back together: http://www.500eboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3817&page=7&p=89503&viewfull=1#post89503

gsxr · May 23, 2016

My $0.02... the 199 cars look a lot better with the lowers/bumpers painted 199. The Alto Gray two-tone thing was a poor choice by MB, IMO. But, it's whatever looks good to your eyes, since you have to look at the car every day.

I remember a forum member who bought a 199 car a few years ago that had the monochrome treatment, and the first thing he did was spend $$$$ to have the lowers re-painted to the stock Alto Gray!!

:seesaw:

outrbnks · May 23, 2016

Thanks for the feedback, and thanks for the pictures J & G, I'm convinced the grey cladding needs to be changed.

The cladding will get the exact same paint treatment as the top side, and I like the painted mirrors as well.

Appreciate the input... O

PS: :update:

just got word the 500 was loaded on the trailer a few minutes ago, Hallelujah, let the spending begin :spend:

vatc5637 · May 23, 2016

FYI, some additional pics and ideas on my owner's thread.

outrbnks · May 26, 2016

Xmas in May

Hey-Hey, the euro headlight package just arrived from Germany.

I had been passing emails back and forth with Christian at Speed Autoteile on Monday and Tuesday of this week getting the payment and shipping details finalized.

UPS picked up the package at Speed Autoteile on Tuesday morning, and UPS just dropped off the package at my office about 10 minutes ago.

Got to run to a meeting or two, I'll open up the packages later today.. Well done Speed Autoteile... :applause:

outrbnks · May 27, 2016

Well, finally opened the boxes, perfect packaging from Speed Autoteile, not a scratch or defect anywhere, and I have enough bubble wrap and such now to ship several items...

I'm looking at these lights & lenses and wondering what to do, buy a facelift hood & leave the lights as is, or keep the pre-face look and swap lenes..

I see some 500E owners made the hood swap, other not, I've got plenty of time to sort out that idea.

Which ever way I go, I'll have a set of brand new E500E lenses to sell, I'll make sure to post them here on the 500Eboard for the members first, if anyone needs new ones.

Here is a couple of pictures of the new lights... :jono:

My 500E is in route to NY, tentative eta is on the 30th, don't know why they would choose a holiday for delivery...

And thanks again to everyone you helped with the partnumbers and special thanks to Dave for the tip on Speed Autoteile

For everyone in the US, have a great memorial day week-end... shorts, short sleeve shirts, and flip-flop weather has finally arrived here, it was 93 yesterday.

leadphut · May 27, 2016

those are purdy. you're gonna be a happy guy.

gsxr · May 27, 2016

Serious bling there!

BTW, I'd vote to keep the hood original, unless you REALLY like the facelift appearance, and are willing to do the complete facelift including trunk lid / wipers / tails / etc... AND plan to keep the car for a very long time.

:seesaw:

outrbnks · May 27, 2016

Just by chance I have a set of facelift wipers and recently purchased the filler plates for them, (as well as blanks).

Hadn't thought about the trunk. Anyway, just was looking at the overall appearance of pre-VS post and both looks have their strong points.

I like the facelift with the evo II wheels, but I'm going with 3 piece OZ's, more old-school, and that isn't going to change, so maybe I will stay with the old school look...

I'm such a wheel whore, an addiction, I have acquired 3 different sets of wheels over time while planning for a E500E.

Mono II - 18" SL, (E55) sized
OZ Opera II - 2 piece - 18"
OZ 3 piece Aero I's - 17" of course

Anyway, thanks for your insights...O

sheward · May 27, 2016

Way to go with the new lights! I bought mine from the same source years ago. I would be interested in whichever set of lenses you decide to sell. I also have Operas and E55 Monoblocks. Good taste...you can't buy it!

drew

outrbnks · May 28, 2016

Great news, my 500E was delivered to Victor today. Not a bad wait, they picked it up near Dallas on Monday, and got to Victors shop around noon today. He did a real quick look over and sent this message:

"Car starts but runs rough, feels like misfire. I didnt look over it yet just drove it into shop. It smelled like gas out of the exhaust. A/C doesn't work, compressor engaged for half a second and stopped. Windows seem to work and car seem to sit level. Doesnt seem to be in accidents. Interior is in pretty good shape, even have rear foot rests

"

I can't get down to see it until Wed., I'll get it registered on Tuesday and bring the plates down to NY with me.

Getting excited, can't wait to see it, a dream of several years is finally coming true.

Still thinking about finishing the car out, decided to stay with the pre-face look for the hood- headlights, and really thinking about the paint job, all monotone but still wondering about the color.

Just repaint 199 is the easiest i know, but how far off from 199 is 009, the few pictures of 009 I've seen look great. Any thoughts/comments on 009 over a factory 199?

gsxr · May 29, 2016

1) The rough running is VERY likely to be shot motor mounts. If there is actually a misfire, first check is all the usual ignition system components. Remember, only F8DC4 plugs, gapped at 1.0mm. If there is any smell of gas out the exhaust, fix it soon... that can hurt the catalysts.

2) AC compressor has a safety which compares engine RPM to compressor RPM. Check belt tension first, check for codes on the BM (GM) to confirm if this is actually the problem or if it's something else.

3) 009 looks fantastic... but will cost a fortune to properly do a color change, and could hurt resale unless you find a buyer who also loves 009. The two colors are completely different; 199 is more of a medium-dark charcoal metallic. 009 Sapphire Black has a fair amount of blue metallic flake and in some light kinda looks like a very dark Midnight Blue metallic (normal Midnight Blue is non-metallic).

:seesaw:

outrbnks · May 29, 2016

Thanks for the in-site Dave, I'm going to have Victor fix everything electrical and mechanical before I start driving it. The car has only had around 5000 miles put on it since 2009. The seller said it started running rough about a month ago when he was coming back from the store, I really hope the Cats are OK myself.

As far a paint, I guess 199 top & bottom it is...

Thanks...O

JC220 · May 29, 2016

gsxr said:
1) The rough running is VERY likely to be shot motor mounts. If there is actually a misfire, first check is all the usual ignition system components. Remember, only F8DC4 plugs, gapped at 1.0mm.

Nice looking car! It's on good hands with Victor.

Sorry to hi jack- but the plug gap of 1mm, I set mine at 0.8mm gap was this wrong? I didn't actually set them but just double checked the F8DC4's and they were at 0.8mm which appeared correct from specs I looked up.

lowman · May 29, 2016

JC220 said:
Nice looking car! It's on good hands with Victor.

Sorry to hi jack- but the plug gap of 1mm, I set mine at 0.8mm gap was this wrong? I didn't actually set them but just double checked the F8DC4's and they were at 0.8mm which appeared correct from specs I looked up.

yes ..the plug gap should be 1-1.1...1,2....when lesser gap you can experience dipping in the idle speed..like..blips..
i have some videos on the subject,done after suggestions from the forum

JC220 · May 29, 2016

lowman said:
yes ..the plug gap should be 1-1.1...1,2....when lesser gap you can experience dipping in the idle speed..like..blips..
i have some videos on the subject,done after suggestions from the forum

Thanks Norge, she's running OK on the 0.8 Bosch F8DC4's but when fitting the new caps etc that I plan to do soon I might get another new set of MB plugs this time & increase the gap to 1mm

outrbnks- I like the pre facelift look too. I think with the 199 top & bottom your car will look great!

outrbnks · May 29, 2016

Thanks Joe, I wish I had the time and resources to do all the mod's and upgrades like you do with both your 124's.

Funny, while following your E36 thread on BW early on, I was thinking , (and kept to myself), why all this work on a 6 cylinder version, they make 400's and 500's with 90% of the work already done.

I was not surprised at all when you showed up with a 500E...!

Too bad I'm not closer to the Keys, I would have liked to share a pint or 2 with you when your down that way soon.

If I ever get over to Ireland, I'll look you up.

Here's a thought, my oldest daughter lives in Australia now, and on our visits down there in Perth, I've noticed a lot of American muscle cars with RHD.

My son-in-law tells me there are businesses that will take any LHD and convert it to RHD. I've seen vintage Mustang's, Corvettes, GTO's etc that looked like they came from the factory with RHD, really incredible.

Are there shops in the UK-Ireland that can do that as well? Just wondering...

Your energy and abilities are to be applauded...O

JC220 · May 30, 2016

outrbnks said:
Thanks Joe, I wish I had the time and resources to do all the mod's and upgrades like you do with both your 124's.

Funny, while following your E36 thread on BW early on, I was thinking , (and kept to myself), why all this work on a 6 cylinder version, they make 400's and 500's with 90% of the work already done.

I was not surprised at all when you showed up with a 500E...!

Too bad I'm not closer to the Keys, I would have liked to share a pint or 2 with you when your down that way soon.

If I ever get over to Ireland, I'll look you up.

Here's a thought, my oldest daughter lives in Australia now, and on our visits down there in Perth, I've noticed a lot of American muscle cars with RHD.

My son-in-law tells me there are businesses that will take any LHD and convert it to RHD. I've seen vintage Mustang's, Corvettes, GTO's etc that looked like they came from the factory with RHD, really incredible.

Are there shops in the UK-Ireland that can do that as well? Just wondering...

Your energy and abilities are to be applauded...O

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ontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> Thanks Oscar, yes the E36 build got out of hand, but it’s about as close to a new car as a w124 can get now and with the 3.6 AMG it’ll be no slouch. I guess I have a soft spot for m104’s! Eventually I’ll Turbo that car too for some serious HP

A 500E is a rare unicorn here indeed I’d say there are max 1 – 2 other 500E’s in Ireland. I’ve never seen one until I went to view some for sale in England and never thought I’d own one myself but suddenly my daily driver was paid for and the time was right to get one! It was a case of now or never as the 500E values are climbing steadily every year.

The LHD doesn’t bother me- I used to drive LHD stretch limos here (Lincolns etc) as a part time job! The only time where it’s maybe not great is when stuck behind someone but that’s where the V8 comes in handy! I’m not sure if anyone converts LHD cars here, but it wouldn’t surprise me if someone did. It's surprising though just how many USA Muscle cars are here too- hundreds. There is a big USA car show down south every April. I missed this year (Totally forgot the date :doh:

) but muscle cars turn up in droves

For sure if you holiday to Ireland Oscar we'll get a pint (or 6 :drink:

) I'd sure like to meet you! We are planning a holiday to New York some Christmas soon so who knows we may share a beer yet!

Also- thanks for all your help on sourcing part numbers for the E36 build

It'll be back on track soon enough hopefully

outrbnks · Jun 1, 2016

Made it down to Brooklyn today, met Victor and saw the 500 in person finally. The paint is as cooked as I've seen on any car, but at least the body panels are all original and straight, no evidence of impacts anywhere.

The engine was running very rich, dumping too much gas in the engine, Victor stopped most of that temporarily, but there is a lot of diags that need to be gone through.

I'll throw up a few pictures from today, and also a Dealers maintenance invoice the PO was able to locate.

This invoice details tracing a short that was draining the battery, something others may be interested in reading.

More to follow as time goes on.

PS: just added a new pic he just sent, a broken board that needs to be replaced

outrbnks · Jun 14, 2017

It's been a very long time since I've updated this thread, probably could have done so all along with updates from Victors videos, but others have posted them from time to time, and Gerry recently posted all but the last one I believe. I have the car back now and I'm driving it daily.

Everything mechanically (that was previously identified), has been fixed except for the rear window shade, which is retracted and will be left that way for now. The engine is running great and it's a pleasure to drive. The only annoyance so far is a whine in the differential between 40 - 60 mph. It gets the loudest around 55 and over 60 it mostly quiets down. All the fluids in the car are fresh and the whining noise is just at the edge of tolerance. So I'm sourcing a used rear end to swap in and hopefully that will be the end of mechanical stuff for a while. In the mean time it's getting a good shake down cruise. It was off the road for many years, so I'm sure other mech/elec. things will eventually need attention as it's driven more and more.

I'll post a couple of pictures from the drive home. BTW, those chrome SL wheels are just there temporarily until everything is sorted, they were the only set I had with tires on them I could quickly swap out to help eliminate tire noise, the oem wheels has dry-rotted tires. Part of trouble shooting the read end noise. There was tire noise for the old tires, but with that taken away, the rear-end noise is still there.

Of bigger news is a second 92 500E I've purchased, I've been quietly chasing this one since last October, and I was able to finally close the deal in May. I didn't want to say anything until the deal was executed. This 2nd 500E is still being shipped, and I'll probably not see it until mid-July. It's a good story and I have a bunch of nice pictures to post on this one. Don't have time now, got to run in to work. I'll update this thread with info on the 2nd 500E later tonight.

outrbnks · Jun 15, 2017

OK, here is my first entry of my new 500E. I first saw this car for sale in September 2016 here on the 500Eboard FS forum, and started enquiring about it I believe in October of 2016.

http://www.500eboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10182

When I started this project, the car was not yet 25 years old, (or I assumed, a 92), so this was a long shot to begin with, so I needed a way to prove its age one way or the other. Briefly for those who don’t understand the USA import restrictions, you must be able to prove a car is at least 25 years pf age or older, to be able to import without the grey market restrictions. The grey market restrictions can cost a lot of money to get around, requiring modifications for safety and air pollution. It’s so costly; it would prohibitive to import a E500E into the USA that is not 25 years old.

So my first task was to find out if there was a date of manufacture on a plate, or sticker etc., in short there was nothing on this car to indicate the month and year of manufacture, that info was simply not to be found anywhere on the car. Without this information, customs could say the car may have been built in Aug of 92, and if true it still wouldn’t be 25 years old. I asked the owner to look everywhere, and he found nothing, the best he could get from a dealer was a verbal that it was a Nov 91 car.

Next I contacted the USA classic center, and with the vin they were able to find Nov. 12, 1991 in a data base, but they could not assist me with an official letter stating that fact. They did send me a copy from their report, but it wasn’t an official Mercedes Letterhead verification of the DOM.
So now, having a pretty good feeling that this car would be legal to import in December of 2016, I started contacting anyone at Mercedes who would listen. I got nowhere and ended up with Mercedes Germany saying that only Mercedes Japan could help me. So the next step was getting contact info for Japan, and a long story short, I ended up either getting no reply, or a redirection back to the people who wouldn’t reply.

I had shared this frustration in a PM with Joe (JC220), and he advised me about a previous post here in the forums about getting that type of information, (found in this thread http://www.500eboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6677), forum member Jim in that thread provided this link homologation.mbpc@daimler.com , as the place to go to for this type of verification.

I then emailed that homologation address, and was surprised that they replied the next day, and said all I had to do was fill out the online form, and pay the fee, and the letter would be generated. After looking at the online form, it became apparent that you had to be the owner of the car with proof, to get them to respond. So back to the owner Andrew and after explaining what was needed, he made the contact with homologation himself, and eventually he received the letter exactly as is needed to prove the age of the car.

So a big thank you to Joe and especially to forum member Jim in England for this information, without that lead, nothing would have happened anytime soon.

While doing all this I had been searching for an import broker, got prices from a few and more importantly, picked their brains for what had to be done to get this car through US customs without getting scalped. I eventually picked an importer, “Schumacher Cargo Logistics”, and started working with an agent to get all documents needed. I wasn't going to buy the car until the agent said it was a go, and only the bill of sale was missing. We went back and forth with tips and needs to ensure all was good, I even had to provide a picture of the engine serial number to prove it was original.

In the mean time the seller Andrew, was away on business a lot and our communications got spread out over time, but we did eventually get to a point about 2 months ago where it looked good to complete the deal. One last bit of bureaucracy came up when the Schumacher agent started working with their exporter in Dubai. There was another set of documents that had to be completed in Dubai to make the car legal to export, and with all that finally set in place I finally purchased the 500 feeling good that all the legal things were taken care of. I actually have a UAE document showing that I own a 500E and I’m permitted to export it.

So the purchase happened on May 17[SUP]th[/SUP], and the car was picked up by the exporter the next day, and then loaded into a container and transferred to a container ship on May 22. It was loaded onto the ship Zim Barcelona in Dubai, and the official voyage to NY started on May 31st.
I signed up on Shiptracker and have been following that ship since it sailed. It popped out of the Suez canal on June 9[SUP]th[/SUP], and is now making a beeline to New York at about 19 kph, about a 9000 m voyage, and under 3000 to go today. The eta is June 20[SUP]th[/SUP], then the car will go to customs after it's unloaded and queued up, and I understand there are different levels of inspection, the cheapest of which is $350, the cavity search is $1600. This is a CBP decision, out of the importers hands, I’m already expecting the low number in the quote, but I’ve been warned that it could be higher. Unloading and customs inspection could take a while, and hopefully they will allow the metric speedometer, if not, delivery will be delayed until that’s taken care of.

Anyway, I pretty excited about getting this Bornite car, the more I kept going back to look at the pictures, the more I liked the color. I looked in the E500E paint data base, and it looks like there were only 8 Bornite E500E’s sold in the USA, well now there will be 1 more.

I wasn’t going to post this until it cleared customs but I thought I’d share this while the ship is still at sea, check it out, the “Zim Barcelona” is about 2800 miles east of NY City now.

When it’s finally cleared customs I’ll update this thread with all the bloody details. Wish me luck with CBP..

gsxr · Jun 15, 2017

AWESOME! I would looooove to get a Bornite car someday. Congrats on the score, and thank you for posting all the details about the import process. Fantastic information.

:deniro:

e500.org · Jun 15, 2017

Wow - I was also negotiating buying this car. Saw it twice and the second drive was a long one in the Dubai heat - it kept temperature well. Work got too hectic for me and i've been travelling the region so couldn't get back onto it, despite Andy living next to my office. Looks like my loss is your gain. The car is completely original and lovely, I did throughly enjoy the drive and the car checked out quite well. If you want to know anything about the car personally feel free to get in touch. If I recall the steering wheel is off centre, gearbox is a little snatchy, passenger window doesn't work (it broken when I used it - doh!) and there wasn't any history. Andy is a great seller and we had conversations on the 500E and cars generally. I hope the 500E treats you well. Cheers, Bill.

sheward · Jun 15, 2017

It looks like a beautiful example and now you have some added confidence in anticipation. That's an exciting way to acquire a 500e. Keep us posted.

Drew

outrbnks · Jun 15, 2017

e500.org said:
Wow - I was also negotiating buying this car. Saw it twice and the second drive was a long one in the Dubai heat - it kept temperature well. Work got too hectic for me and i've been travelling the region so couldn't get back onto it, despite Andy living next to my office. Looks like my loss is your gain. The car is completely original and lovely, I did throughly enjoy the drive and the car checked out quite well. If you want to know anything about the car personally feel free to get in touch. If I recall the steering wheel is off centre, gearbox is a little snatchy, passenger window doesn't work (it broken when I used it - doh!) and there wasn't any history. Andy is a great seller and we had conversations on the 500E and cars generally. I hope the 500E treats you well. Cheers, Bill.

Hi Bill,
Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate the information, but I must say that Andy was completely honest about everything concerning this 500, including everything you mentioned. There were a couple of other items that popped up as well that he alerted me too, that added to the delay as he was getting these things fixed. I've never dealt with a seller as completely honest as Andy before, and I'm glad to hear your opinion agrees with mine.

What I hadn't expressed in the previous post was my anxiety while in my bank executing the wire transfer into his account. The process took about 1.5 hours and I had to be interviewed by 3 bank officials and sign a document that said I had been cautioned about the dangers of wire transfers.

The first question was "did I find this car on the internet?", and when I said yes, all the alarms went off and they basically did everything they could to talk me out of a wire transfer. Then when they found out the car and the bank was in Dubai, they started looking at me cross-eyed. By the time I left the credit union they had me a little concerned if I had done the right thing or not.

But Andy was extremely responsive all throughout this process, and he quickly, through his emails and actions, erased any concerns I had. Within 24 hours of the money transfer the car was picked up and on its way. He was a complete gentleman and it was a pleasure to do business with him. Also the fact that I was in direct contact with the Dubai exporter added to the legitimacy of the deal, as they had been in contact with him, and it all meshed well.

I'm looking forward to seeing this car in person, and your observations are really appreciated.

Cheers...Oscar

8899 · Jun 16, 2017

outrbnks said:
It's been a very long time since I've updated this thread, probably could have done so all along with updates from Victors videos

Mind posting a link to Victor's videos please?

hobbsm3 · Jun 16, 2017

Great beginning and I can't wait to hear more updates! Congrats in the purchase. Beautiful color.

TerryA · Jun 17, 2017

Oscar,

Thats a great story. I love the Borite/Black color combo. Sounds like you got something special there and rare to boot.

You are a "Trailblazer" for all of our members thinking of bringing an E500E or maybe an E60 in to the US.
i know we all want to know what pitfalls you encounter when it hits the dock in NY until you have it safely tucked away in your garage.

Once thru this process you will be the Go-To-Guy for import questions.

Best of Luck w/ your new toy!!

outrbnks · Jun 21, 2017

6/20/17, My Ship came in today.. (Zim Barcelona :razz

, just about the ETA they scheduled 4 weeks ago. I didn't sign up for the paid satellite ship tracking service, just got the free land based tracking which only tracks about 100 miles away. So after the ship got out of range of the canary Islands heading east, I could just guess where it might be, until this morning. It finally popped back in range around 6 am this morning south of Boston. In between meetings today I was able to check it's location as it approached closer, and I could see it meet a pilot boat and 2 tugs which took it all the way to the dock, (Port Newark), and it eventually tied up around 5:45 pm this afternoon. The Importer sent me a notification at noon today as the ship approached NY harbor, to say that they had submitted the documents to customs, and that customs will decide to inspect it or not, and to what degree. I'm told it will take about 2 days to unload the ship, then the customs wait, up to 21 days. Getting into the home stretch now... just a little more patience

Jlaa · Jun 22, 2017

Wow --- how did I miss this ---- Bornite no less! You must be out of your mind with anticipation. I know I'm certainly rooting for you!
@TerryA ---- if we are somehow able to take outrbnks' experiences and then apply further-importation-into-California-with-CARB-rules---- then wow.

outrbnks · Jun 22, 2017

Jlaa said:
Wow --- how did I miss this ---- Bornite no less! You must be out of your mind with anticipation. I know I'm certainly rooting for you!
@TerryA ---- if we are somehow able to take outrbnks' experiences and then apply further-importation-into-California-with-CARB-rules---- then wow.

Thanks Jlaa, the container ship Zim Barcelona left NY around 8 pm last night headed for Norfolk, VA , so they were able to turn around their cargo in about 24 hours.

So as of late yesterday afternoon, the container with my Bornite 500E is on the dock and waiting for customs to process. I'm hoping that having a well established importer handle everything, would be like having a CPA do your taxes and signing off on your tax return.

I also signed a POA with a lawyer for the importer, for the purpose of handling everything needed with Customs. Unless Customs wants something not already provided, my next call should be from the importer telling me the 500E either needs the speedometer changed out, or has cleared customs and it's time to pay the invoices and collect the car.

I did poke around looking for a 500E speedometer with no success so far, if anyone has a lead to a used one in any condition, it would be appreciated. Hopefully I'll be able to change that out at my leisure instead of being forced to do so to clear customs. Fingers crossed.... It is getting harder to be patient... wish me luck..

gsxr · Jun 22, 2017

If necessary to get through Customs, you can temporarily install a 400E/E420 ASR cluster, which is visually identical except for the upshift tick marks. If it needs to read accurately you can add an electronic converter box (I can't imagine they would test drive to verify the speedo+odo are accurate though). Oh, the 034 fuel gauge won't be accurate either but that's an easy gauge swap, or gauge adjustment.

Finding an original USA-spec 036 speedo won't be easy, but someone on the forum may have one laying around...

:tumble:

JC220 · Jun 22, 2017

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w

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oNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w

ontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w

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ontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w

ontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> Oscar, if I understand correctly you want the odometer to read MPH to clear customs? You might also consider a MPH gauge overlay-

http://www.500eboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2754

This will save having to replace the original odometer, and the beauty is it will not detract from the originality of the car since it can be placed over the original metal speedo plate like I did in mine.
I’m sure USA vendors will have one. But if not PM me & I can assist from here since they are readily available in Ireland.

Glad to hear she landed safe! Hopefully you get it soon

outrbnks · Jun 23, 2017

JC220 said:
Oscar, if I understand correctly you want the odometer to read MPH to clear customs? You might also consider a MPH gauge overlay-

http://www.500eboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2754

This will save having to replace the original odometer, and the beauty is it will not detract from the originality of the car since it can be placed over the original metal speedo plate like I did in mine.
I’m sure USA vendors will have one. But if not PM me & I can assist from here since they are readily available in Ireland.

Glad to hear she landed safe! Hopefully you get it soon

Hey Joe, great suggestion about the overlay, I think I'll consider that to be a top choice for now.

:update:

.. But the real reason for this post is that "Ms. Bornite" has cleared customs..
HOLY CHIT.. :wahoo:

Going to celebrate tonight.. :slosh:

Just got home and picked up an email from the importer saying it got through customs, not much over a day from being unloaded. I may have won the lotto and the only inspection was the documents submitted by the importer. Hard to believe it's about to become legally titled and registered in NY, after all this time.

I emailed the importer back, waiting for direction of what to do next, but it sounds like one more day of paying invoices and then either shipping the car to my home, or have them hold it while I register it, then bring plates with me to drive it home.

Anyway, the issue of the speedometer seems to be a non issue now, and putting an overlay MPH plate over top of the original appeals for keeping "Ms. Bornite" as original as possible.

Unfortunately this is happening at the busiest time of the year for me at work. We just started International flights last week at the airport I work at, and we're putting on an airshow featuring the Blue Angles next week-end, with every single day filled next week with meetings and field work to support the airshow. I've put a moratorium on vacation time until after the airshow, now I have to live up to my own rule as well. We also have an F-16 team and the F-35's here as well, so we are super busy taking care of tons of requirements, security, safety & health, needs of the performers, the FAA, the TSA.. local law enforcement.. list goes on and on... Tomorrow we are installing mobile arresting gear as a requirement the Blue Angels have when they fly a show. The coordination for this alone requires complete FAA buy-in to land commercial aircraft, with 16,000 lb gear sitting next to the active area of the runway....

Long story short, if this was happening the week after the airshow, I'd be down in Newark to pick the car up the next day... frustrating... patience...patience....LOL

Anyway, The light at the end of the tunnel is very bright,

, got my shades on, and getting ready for the last dash to the finish line......

Also, today is our 26th anniversary, so I'm taking the bride out to celebrate at a 5 star restaurant, I'll have one more toast to make tonight to Ms. Bornite, "Welcome to America"... it's been a great day, with many more to come... and thanks for everyones encouragement and well wishes.. Cheers :cheers2:

sheward · Jun 23, 2017

Exciting times! Enjoy it as you find time and post up pictures and thoughts. I've seen the Angles show multiple times including years ago when the show "deck" was dangerously low. If anyone has not seen them I recommend it. A friend of mine was responsible in part for bringing the NBAA to PDK here a couple of times. I can appreciate the amount of work and excitement. Nice work on the import.

Drew

TerryA · Jun 24, 2017

Oscar,

That's FANTASTIC NEWS!!!! I know it's been many months but you made this importing process "LOOK EASY"!!!

A Toast IS in Order!! Albeit a small one at first. After 26 years, the Mrs. comes first here on your Anniversary.
BTW, Congradulations that's quite an accomplishment in these trying times. The news is all about divorce.

Then a tip of the glass to Ms. Bornite is in Order.

One question on registering Ms. Bornite in NY state. I don't mean to be buzzkill, but can you get the registration done prior to passing a smog test? CA smog laws I believe are very similar to NY. Here you would need the smog certificate first.
Just curious about that.

Congrats Again

gsxr · Jun 24, 2017

Double celebration! 26 years and Bornite/Black arrival are both amazing. Congrats again!

:deniro:

outrbnks · Jun 25, 2017

TerryA said:
Oscar,

That's FANTASTIC NEWS!!!! I know it's been many months but you made this importing process "LOOK EASY"!!!

A Toast IS in Order!! Albeit a small one at first. After 26 years, the Mrs. comes first here on your Anniversary.
BTW, Congradulations that's quite an accomplishment in these trying times. The news is all about divorce.

Then a tip of the glass to Ms. Bornite is in Order.

One question on registering Ms. Bornite in NY state. I don't mean to be buzzkill, but can you get the registration done prior to passing a smog test? CA smog laws I believe are very similar to NY. Here you would need the smog certificate first.
Just curious about that.

Congrats Again

TerryA, Up here in the Mid-Hudson valley there is no "Smog" test, there may be down in metropolitan NY, the owners living there can chime in on that.

The test we get is a computer hookup to the cars computer, reads codes, looks for check engine etc. I think down state they may get the hose over the tail pipe, not sure.

But either way, we can register, then get 10 days to get the car inspected. I have seen cases locally where there is a loophole in the regs, allowing you to fail for pollution control and still pass inspection, as long as you can document repairs over a certain dollar value, trying to get it fixed. But again maybe in NY city it's different and more like CA.

In a separate post, once the dust settles, I'll post everything I sent to the importer that was presented to US customs. My guess was correct about the customs inspection, the documents submitted must have been convincing enough to demonstrate that the 500E met the import requirements to be exempt from safety and pollution reg's. The 500E was not inspected, as verified by the importer in a follow-up email.

I don't believe the Federal spec's for pollution take ANY states requirements into consideration, so if CA requirements are more strict, that's a hurdle you would still face at the state level. I would call the importer in that case and discuss this issue with them.

This brings up a good question about 500E's in general, would a German or Japan market 500E have the ability to pass CA smog tests? Anything different about them that would make a difference? Anyway, after I have Ms. Bornite inspected, I'll post the results... O

gsxr · Jun 26, 2017

outrbnks said:
This brings up a good question about 500E's in general, would a German or Japan market 500E have the ability to pass CA smog tests? Anything different about them that would make a difference? Anyway, after I have Ms. Bornite inspected, I'll post the results... O

If the non-USA-spec E500E has factory catalysts, there should be no issue passing emissions, assuming the engine is in good condition (meaning the ignition system, fuel system, O2 sensor, catalysts, etc are all working correctly). CA testing is stringent (and varies by specific city/county) and a car that is 'borderline' may run into problems in certain areas.

:hiding:

outrbnks · Jul 20, 2017

Well, it's been a few weeks since I last posted, and a lot has happened, but just not with the new 500E just yet.

We had a week-end fly-in of WWII aircraft that flew In a wounded vet honor event in dedication of their sacrifices. Followed the next week-end by the Blue angles featured airshow. Needless to say we were very busy at the airport and had a ball putting the show on. Got to meet the Blue Angles and their support crew on Fat Albert. We also had a F35 here, flying a short demonstration and doing a heritage flight with a P51 and an F16. It's amazing how large the F35 is when you see it flying next to a P51. I'll attach a bunch of pictures, then do an update on the 500E in a following post. Look in the upper left corner of the Fat Albert cockpit photo and read the small sign they posted there, "FLY GOOD - DON'T SUCK", too funny. In a couple of pictures are "Mobile Arresting Gear" the marines installed as part of the Blue Angles requirements (if there isn't an arresting gear installed within 60 miles). BA #7 Brandon, actually tested it 2 days before the show.

outrbnks · Jul 20, 2017

OK, today was delivery day, she's finally here after a very long wait. :jono:

I don't think I've ever seen a car this dirty, it looks and feels almost like a light wax, but it comes right off, and it sure is ugly. The front passenger window is stuck halfway, the motor runs but it makes a lot of racket and sounds like something's stripped. So besides not having a valid registration and plates, going to a quick touchless car wash is out of the question.

I attempted to get it registered late in the day, and got some good news and some bad news. The good news is I had the right documents to register, the bad news is that the "Export Certificate" generated by Dubai needed to be an original, not a copy which is all I have at this time. The other good news is that the importer found the original in his files, he just forgot to send it to me. So all is good, just need to wait a couple more days and I'll have it legal to drive. It starts right up and runs great, looking the exterior over was tough, but the sheet metal and paint appear to be in excellent condition. Can't wait to get her cleaned up and waxed.

Started a list right away, 1 window regulator maybe, drivers door lock inop, new radio, got to think this one through, want a stock radio or something that's close to stock appearance. Need license plate holders for USA plates, after looking closely at the mounts front and rear, the holes are too far apart to fit USA plates. Total fluid & filter changes are in the near future as well. One strange thing I noticed, the windshield wiper parks to the right side, but otherwise operates perfect. I wonder if RHD 124's had the wipers parked to the drivers side, and along the way, maybe in Japan, it was replaced with a RHD wiper, if they exist? The interior does look very nice, but the console wood has a couple of small chips under the ashtray, looks like it has been rubbing when the ashtray is opened.

It's supposed to rain all week-end, and I have commitments for all of Saturday and half of Sunday, so working on the 500 will be very limited over the week-end.

I can't believe she's finally here, when all the preliminary work is complete enough to drive her normally, I've got new tires already mounted on a refurbished 3 piece OZ's wheel set... it's going to look awesome.

The next round of pictures will look much better, I promise.

RicardoD · Jul 21, 2017

Great day! Congrats.

outrbnks · Sep 30, 2017

Sept 2017 update;

Family and work have consumed almost 100% of my time, but I was able to squeeze in a trip to Norway for a short vacation 2 weeks ago. Spent a week up in the Fjords, then at the end of the trip, a train ride from Flam to Oslo. The scenery is just breathtaking in the fjords and on the train rides. I'm still sorting through pictures, I'll post a few when I get time.

Needless to say my spare time for the 500E's has been has been limited, but I have made some progress on Ms Bornite. My Texas sourced 199 500E is in the shop waiting for a donor rear end, something Victor couldn't do. I have some feelers out, but every time a 500E diff. comes up for sale, I've been a day late. I may have to go for a factory rebuilt one... $$$$ but since I have Ms Bornite running good, I'll just wait and see.

The list of work completed on Ms Bornite to date is;

The passenger front window regulator has been replaced, window works fine now
A new Ignition lock tumbler installed, I replaced a tumbler that was installed in Dubai that required a separate ignition key, now all the locks match and work with the original master key.
A new serpentine belt installed
New light switch installed
All fluids changed
Replaced the Japanese HU and CD player with a Pioneer HU for now, leaning towards oem look but have no oem components, (no door speakers in this 500E, front & rear only)
Mounted the OZ Aero 3 piece wheels I’ve had in storage for a while, I'm very pleased with the look
A clear NY STATE title was issued finally this week, now it can be sold legally in any state

The car is running great and I love the black interior, all the rest of our benz have grey or a cream color.

I had never realized how nice a black interior can be. I wish my SL interior was black now, the grey looks too plain now.

Here are a few pictures for this past week, we've been having Aug. weather in late Sept, just beautiful driving weather. I'm looking forward to some nice fall rides with the turning colors coming soon.

outrbnks · Apr 26, 2019

Been a while since I updated this thread, mostly I've been gathering parts and driving both cars occasionally. I guess I should update both cars status.

92 - 199 500E - Thanks to Capt Ruff, I was able to get a good differential installed in this car, so that was the last mechanical thing to do on the list. This happened over a year ago and this 500E drives perfect, it is such a pleasure to drive, even with poor esthetics. I've been looking for shops to install a new headliner and fix a couple of pillars, with no luck. The shops I've tried so far don't want to remove the sun roof, so I'm still looking, and just recently I decided to finally get this car painted. The paint project has become complicated as all of the best shops around would not even give an estimate, because of the 500E's age and perceived lack of new replacement parts. One shop had an older Merc in and all apart and they were in a battle with the owner for additional costs as more things became harder to find, and that shop owner didnt want another old Merc at the same time. I finally found one shop that the owner was interested, and he spent an hour going over the car to make up a list of replacement needs. I had already purchased the fasteners for the windshield & roof trim, as well as I have new rubbers for the outside mirrors. He just threw a ballpark number, saying to expect at least $10K, a number I had expected. So my final decision on paint is to stick with factory 199, and have the lower cladding & bumpers match the upper paint. This shop owner didn't seem put off by the type car, and explained he would be putting in all new rubber everywhere as well. He showed me a few of the cars he was working on, mostly older American Iron, but the quality looked top shelf, and he comes with good recommendations. Anyway, I should get my first estimate to repaint today or Monday. After paint the last thing is the headliner and minor interior fixes. Oh, there is another item, wheels, I picked up a set of EVO II's last winter and I've decided these would look really good on the Bornite 500. So the OZ 3 piece wheels that are on the Bornite car will be available to swap on to this 199 500. One new observation I've recently had, is that the stock 8 hole wheels on the 199 car really look good. Maybe it's just looking at them in a different point of view, but I've decided to keep both sets of 500E 8 holes, I think they should stay with these cars. The next owners may want a complete stock look, which isn't bad at all.

92 - Bornite 500E - This car hasn't been driven very much, it's 100% garaged but I do take it out for a long spin at least every 2 weeks, weather permitting. When the paint job on the 199 car is complete, I'll swap out the 3 piece OZ's currently on this car and put on the EVO II's I acquired last winter. I am also looking at the lower cladding more closely, and I'm considering painting them the same as the upper as well. I'll wait and see how the 199 car turns out first. The only other thing that kind of bothers me is the radios in both these cars. They work great, have modern options, but they are not stock. I realize the original radios are difficult to maintain, but nothing looks as good as the stock radio in my book. So for an advance project, I'll start considering the installation of stock radios, or something close that looks factory.

gsxr · Apr 26, 2019

I know it's a lot of work... but converting to a complete Becker 1492 system (used on 1994-95 E420/E500) is an option worth investigating. Requires pulling the interior to install the different wiring harness, and you need an intatct donor car to source all the parts. That's my long-term plan to replace the 1432 in my '93.

:gsxrock:

outrbnks · May 8, 2019

92 - 199 500E - Just got a good news call today, the paint shop finally located all the replacement parts they are planning to swap out. Also this will be a glass-out and with the removal of everything else needed for a quality job, trim door handles, all rubber, etc.

They want to bring the car in about three weeks from now, but before I sign anything and commit, I'd like to ask everyone here for advice on what to spec out and require the paint shop to do. I have never had a complete quality paint job done like this before, and I don't want to learn the hard way, what I should have done, after it's over.

Basic plan for this 199 color 500E is to monotone it. Question I was already asked, satin finish or shiny finish on the cladding. Also, in looking a various pictures with same color cladding, any opinions on the rubber bumper pads? I've seen it both ways in pictures, complete bumpers all one color to match, or rubber impact strips black in contrast like stock. I'm leaning towards all same color shiny everywhere, and thoughts, pro's or cons?

How about Paint type, any special manufacture recommended I should ask for? I've seen reference to a Gaserite? (spelling?), is there a special model of Gaserite to use, or a completely different paint?

What about application, I'm really a novices at this. Is there anything special to request in preparation, primer, color spray, clear coat??

Also getting a new headliner and a few interior items corrected, pillars, console etc. This shop can't do this, but they farm it out to a shop they trust.

I'll also have them install my brand new Euro E500E lights (I've had stored for a couple of years now), I still have to swap out the facelift lens with the new pre-face lense I purchaed back then as well. Also a new set of wheels/tires, deciding between a square set of OZ 3piece, or a square set of 2 piece SL600 5 spokes.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any tips - recommendations that could help me before I sign on the dotted line... Oh, so far the job is estimated at just about $11K

TimL · May 8, 2019

Hi Outrbnks,

Sounds like a really cool, all out project. Wish you best of luck with it and am sure it will look stunning, matte or shiny.

By the way: Glasurit (BASF paint from Germany).

8899 · May 8, 2019

outrbnks said:
Basic plan for this 199 color 500E is to monotone it. Question I was already asked, satin finish or shiny finish on the cladding. Also, in looking a various pictures with same color cladding, any opinions on the rubber bumper pads? I've seen it both ways in pictures, complete bumpers all one color to match, or rubber impact strips black in contrast like stock. I'm leaning towards all same color shiny everywhere, and thoughts, pro's or cons?

I like shiny finish everywhere with bumpers and lowers painted to match. But, I am obviously biased...

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