OWNER pryce27

[pryce27]

Proud new owner of a 1992 500E, black on black, 120k miles. A few pics of the new ride sitting in my driveway. Loving the car so far and looking for excuses to run errands. FGS has been nice, lots of pull off the line, tiny bit of a clunk 1st to 2nd under hard acceleration which might be normal? Not a bad sound just slightly audible and not as smooth as I might expect in a 2020 car, but nothing that would bother me. Everything else has been great so far.


My car journey started in high school with a black on black 1994 Mazda MX-3, which I promptly modified with Konig wheels and super sticky Dunlop SP Sport 8000 tires so I could go around corners at terminal velocity. That car was awesome, though it had no power (105 hp). Drove it for 10 years with not a single repair over 100k miles. Super under-rated and great-handling car that you never see around any more.

In residency I traded up to a slightly used 2006 Nissan 350Z Touring in Silverstone metallic with black leather interior. Also a terrific car with great power and an awesome look. Fell in love with heated seats. Modified with aftermarket wheels and a DVD head unit (not that I would ever watch movies while taking long drives...). I had that car about 5 years until eventually a whole bunch of dashboard lights came on and I decided to sell it rather than put in the extensive repairs.

Next was a 2003 Porsche 911 cabriolet with 80k miles that I found on Craigslist for $15k. It had deferred maintenance and a poorly functioning soft top but once I got it fixed up it was a terrific car. Great engine sound and easier to toss around than the Z and going top down in SoCal was terrific. But everyone in LA has a 911 so I eventually wanted something a little different. Kind of sad I sold it, was a great car.

About 3 years ago I started lusting after a 944 Turbo and found one in Nebraska in Guards Red over black leather with 85k miles. Bought it sight unseen and drove it cross country with my dad back to LA, which was a super fun road trip. It had deferred maintenance as well and has been a money pit, honestly. It has been in and out of the shop with a variety of ailments. When not in the shop, it is a super fun car to drive especially in the Malibu mountain roads, and the gas mileage is decent and it has enough trunk space to be a reasonable DD. But even with the turbo, the low-end power is lacking and for around town it is not an ideal commuter car.

Started looking again a few months ago, initially looking at used Maserati Gran Turismo (so much depreciation you can get into a really nice one for <$40k) but after driving one I was a bit underwhelmed, and the maintenance costs on a used Italian car scared me off a bit. I follow BaT every day and you guys may have seen the heavily modified E420 that had a no-reserve auction a couple weeks ago- someone had made a fairly convincing replica of a 500E and I loved the look. I put in a few bids thinking I could get a pretty sweet car for only $10k but missed out on it. However it got me really into the story of the real 500E, and being a bit of a Porsche guy, the shared Porsche/Mercedes heritage (and the rarity) was super appealing. Unlike others who look for months to get into one, I hunted across the country for a few weeks and then bought the one that was right in my backyard (thanks Kota!)

Just brought it home. Air conditioning is still an issue, refilled the Freon but the problem seems to be a malfunctioning switch or relay that won't turn the compressor on when the car is too hot (sitting in the sun for example) - so when you need it most, you don't have it. Will be taking it back in to the shop for that. I was initially thinking of replacing the Eclipse cassette head unit but I became enamored with the 12-disc CD changer in the trunk, so 1990s! Now I have an excuse to pull out my old CD collection and pick out some 90s favorites! Gonna keep that as-is. Next stop (after the AC) will be the upholstery shop to replace the headliner- and figuring out what to do with the 944 Turbo, that I would love to keep but don't have space for. Wish I had a 5-car garage and could never get rid of any cars, but not very realistic in LA. It's a problem I know I am fortunate to have. Anyways, thanks for the welcome to the forum, and look forward to enjoying the new ride as my daily driver!

12 discs! Works great.


Going full 1990s with some classic favorites from my college years.

 

[gsxr]

Looks great - welcome aboard!

 

[LWB250]

Good to know about the 944. Youngest son wants a 924 or 944 (non-turbo) and I've been trying to talk him out of both. They look like they would be fun cars to drive but he doesn't have the deep pockets for the constant maintenance and repairs, even though much of them would be done by me....

Dan

 

[nocfn]

welcome! Try the manual shift thru the gears at temp and see if the clunk exists. Be sure you are at temp, starting the car for the day and driving below minimal temp will limit the gearing to 1st only until cats temp is reached. There is also a rev limit which will kick you to something less than ideal (scared the crap out of me until I remembered). Enjoy, and manual shifting is not a bad thing to do.

 

[janos_z]

Welcome, and congrats on scoring a very nice 500E!

 

[Jlaa]

Welcome!

Does the car have the original upper wiring harness? (Do a search to see how to inspect the date code vs. manufacturing code on the upper wiring harness). My car had an issue where the AC compressor would sometimes not turn on ---- I solved it when I replaced the upper wiring harness (as it conveys information from various sensors like the coolant temp sensor that ultimately determine if the AC compressor is allowed to engage).

welcome! Try the manual shift thru the gears at temp and see if the clunk exists. Be sure you are at temp...

My car has the FGS valve body as well, and the 1st-2nd shift is a little clunky when the trans is cold. After it warms, everything is smooth.

..... and super sticky Dunlop SP Sport 8000 tires so I could go around corners at terminal velocity......That car was awesome, though it had no power (105 hp).

I remember those tires. That tread pattern was outrageously avant-garde at the time.... bummer you didn't have the jewel of a 1.8L v6,

I was initially thinking of replacing the Eclipse cassette head unit but I became enamored with the 12-disc CD changer in the trunk, so 1990s!....
Going full 1990s with some classic favorites from my college years.

Yup! That looks familiar ---- I bet it looks familiar to @a777fan too. You need some Cake too.
BTW I would be interested in hearing your opinion on how that stereo sounds in your car with those drivers in the door cards just under the door handle.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Great looking car and your music selection is exactly what I was listening to in high school. Actually its still what I'm listening to

 

[JAB12]

Proud new owner of a 1992 500E, black on black, 120k miles. A few pics of the new ride sitting in my driveway. Loving the car so far and looking for excuses to run errands. FGS has been nice, lots of pull off the line, tiny bit of a clunk 1st to 2nd under hard acceleration which might be normal? Not a bad sound just slightly audible and not as smooth as I might expect in a 2020 car, but nothing that would bother me. Everything else has been great so far.
View attachment 111505 View attachment 111506 View attachment 111507

My car journey started in high school with a black on black 1994 Mazda MX-3, which I promptly modified with Konig wheels and super sticky Dunlop SP Sport 8000 tires so I could go around corners at terminal velocity. That car was awesome, though it had no power (105 hp). Drove it for 10 years with not a single repair over 100k miles. Super under-rated and great-handling car that you never see around any more.

In residency I traded up to a slightly used 2006 Nissan 350Z Touring in Silverstone metallic with black leather interior. Also a terrific car with great power and an awesome look. Fell in love with heated seats. Modified with aftermarket wheels and a DVD head unit (not that I would ever watch movies while taking long drives...). I had that car about 5 years until eventually a whole bunch of dashboard lights came on and I decided to sell it rather than put in the extensive repairs.

Next was a 2003 Porsche 911 cabriolet with 80k miles that I found on Craigslist for $15k. It had deferred maintenance and a poorly functioning soft top but once I got it fixed up it was a terrific car. Great engine sound and easier to toss around than the Z and going top down in SoCal was terrific. But everyone in LA has a 911 so I eventually wanted something a little different. Kind of sad I sold it, was a great car.

About 3 years ago I started lusting after a 944 Turbo and found one in Nebraska in Guards Red over black leather with 85k miles. Bought it sight unseen and drove it cross country with my dad back to LA, which was a super fun road trip. It had deferred maintenance as well and has been a money pit, honestly. It has been in and out of the shop with a variety of ailments. When not in the shop, it is a super fun car to drive especially in the Malibu mountain roads, and the gas mileage is decent and it has enough trunk space to be a reasonable DD. But even with the turbo, the low-end power is lacking and for around town it is not an ideal commuter car.

Started looking again a few months ago, initially looking at used Maserati Gran Turismo (so much depreciation you can get into a really nice one for <$40k) but after driving one I was a bit underwhelmed, and the maintenance costs on a used Italian car scared me off a bit. I follow BaT every day and you guys may have seen the heavily modified E420 that had a no-reserve auction a couple weeks ago- someone had made a fairly convincing replica of a 500E and I loved the look. I put in a few bids thinking I could get a pretty sweet car for only $10k but missed out on it. However it got me really into the story of the real 500E, and being a bit of a Porsche guy, the shared Porsche/Mercedes heritage (and the rarity) was super appealing. Unlike others who look for months to get into one, I hunted across the country for a few weeks and then bought the one that was right in my backyard (thanks Kota!)

Just brought it home. Air conditioning is still an issue, refilled the Freon but the problem seems to be a malfunctioning switch or relay that won't turn the compressor on when the car is too hot (sitting in the sun for example) - so when you need it most, you don't have it. Will be taking it back in to the shop for that. I was initially thinking of replacing the Eclipse cassette head unit but I became enamored with the 12-disc CD changer in the trunk, so 1990s! Now I have an excuse to pull out my old CD collection and pick out some 90s favorites! Gonna keep that as-is. Next stop (after the AC) will be the upholstery shop to replace the headliner- and figuring out what to do with the 944 Turbo, that I would love to keep but don't have space for. Wish I had a 5-car garage and could never get rid of any cars, but not very realistic in LA. It's a problem I know I am fortunate to have. Anyways, thanks for the welcome to the forum, and look forward to enjoying the new ride as my daily driver!
View attachment 111504
12 discs! Works great.

View attachment 111503
Going full 1990s with some classic favorites from my college years.

Welcome
Welcome. 6 out of 9 of those same CDs currently sit inside the 6 disc magazine that rests in the trunk of my W124036. Can never go wrong with selling the drama.

 

[pryce27]

Good to know about the 944. Youngest son wants a 924 or 944 (non-turbo) and I've been trying to talk him out of both. They look like they would be fun cars to drive but he doesn't have the deep pockets for the constant maintenance and repairs, even though much of them would be done by me....

Dan

Yea it hasn't been cheap to maintain... but I think if you found one that had been taken care of, it could be reasonable... it's quite a fun car and a conversation-starter since there aren't a ton of them out there. I only partially regret buying it

 

[pryce27]

welcome! Try the manual shift thru the gears at temp and see if the clunk exists. Be sure you are at temp, starting the car for the day and driving below minimal temp will limit the gearing to 1st only until cats temp is reached. There is also a rev limit which will kick you to something less than ideal (scared the crap out of me until I remembered). Enjoy, and manual shifting is not a bad thing to do.

OK I'm going to sound like a complete idiot- what do you mean by manually shifting through the gears? While driving or at rest? This is the first auto transmission I've ever owned. I've never thought about manually shifting in this car.

 

[pryce27]

Welcome!

Does the car have the original upper wiring harness? (Do a search to see how to inspect the date code vs. manufacturing code on the upper wiring harness). My car had an issue where the AC compressor would sometimes not turn on ---- I solved it when I replaced the upper wiring harness (as it conveys information from various sensors like the coolant temp sensor that ultimately determine if the AC compressor is allowed to engage).



My car has the FGS valve body as well, and the 1st-2nd shift is a little clunky when the trans is cold. After it warms, everything is smooth.



I remember those tires. That tread pattern was outrageously avant-garde at the time.... bummer you didn't have the jewel of a 1.8L v6,




Yup! That looks familiar ---- I bet it looks familiar to @a777fan too. You need some Cake too.
BTW I would be interested in hearing your opinion on how that stereo sounds in your car with those drivers in the door cards just under the door handle.

Stereo sounds OK but nothing great. I'm not sure how good the speakers are that were put in, don't have any of that info. When I turn up the volume with the CDs, there is decent high and mid range but minimal low range.

 

[gsxr]

Use the shift lever when driving. It allows you to manually upshift & downshift. First gear is selected in the "B" position.

In full automatic mode (D) the upshifts/downshift RPM's are almost entirely based on throttle position. Manually shifting allows you to use part throttle in lower gears, where normally the transmission would "think" it should be in a higher gear. Mercedes engineers intended for drivers to use the shift lever, not just leave it in D all the time. The vast majority of people don't understand this.

 

[744Brillantsilber]

Welcome on board! You have a great taste in both cars and music

 

[Jlaa]

Stereo sounds OK but nothing great. I'm not sure how good the speakers are that were put in, don't have any of that info. When I turn up the volume with the CDs, there is decent high and mid range but minimal low range.

Got it.

Just to save you the trouble --- if you ever care about that stereo --- to improve the mid bass / bass, you mostly likely do not need to add any more RAD ICE and do not need to add anymore MAD SPEAKERS/SUBS YO. In my experience (limited to my own car), it seems to me everyone criticizes the midbass in the w124 and chalks it up to the midbass speakers in the doors and then they go about replacing them or adding more subs, which I believe is not necessary.

I think the issue is that L/R midbasses are somehow out of phase due to OE placement and cabin architecture.
All you would need to do to improve bass / midbass is to introduce some delay to the driver's side midbass. It worked great for me.

 

[nocfn]

OK I'm going to sound like a complete idiot- what do you mean by manually shifting through the gears? While driving or at rest? This is the first auto transmission I've ever owned. I've never thought about manually shifting in this car.

At a stop light, manually move the selector to 1, then at the RPM dot on the cluster, shift at 2 dots then 3 dots and 4. Auto Trans refers to no clutch, your manually shifting the gears is not a bad thing. I manually shift thru the 7 mile stretch from the house to the expressway when I am going out. Note, My transmission was fully rebuilt about 2k miles ago if my memory is right.

 

[pryce27]

At a stop light, manually move the selector to 1, then at the RPM dot on the cluster, shift at 2 dots then 3 dots and 4. Auto Trans refers to no clutch, your manually shifting the gears is not a bad thing. I manually shift thru the 7 mile stretch from the house to the expressway when I am going out. Note, My transmission was fully rebuilt about 2k miles ago if my memory is right.

Interesting! Will try this. Can I run the engine up to redline in any gear, or am I asking for trouble? Peak HP is at 5700 RPM but it seems the auto trans rarely revs the engine that high.

Also- what is the forum's thoughts on engine warmup? I have a job with lots of emergencies so I tend to do minimal warmup before I start driving. Not driving aggressively, but driving nonetheless. I was told by someone that I need to let the 500E warm up until at least the temp gauge is moving up off the bottom or else I risk harm to it. Not sure if this is really necessary? How long do you all warm up the car before driving it?

 

[gerryvz]

You can run the engine to redline in every gear, using the lever to manually hold it. It will shift at redline in every gear on it own (just put the lever in D) if you floor it and click the switch under the gas pedal.

You don't need to warm up the engine before running it. My advice is to perhaps let it run for 10-15 seconds after a cold start, then drive it gingerly (no aggressive WOT blasts) for a few minutes until the fluids start to warm up and oil circulates a bit.

There is no hard and fast rule about the temp needle coming off the peg causing damage, but I think it is prudent to not drive aggressively until it's close to being warmed up.

Personally, on a cold winter day (30-40F), with a cold start, I would do exactly as said above. Start it, let it idle for 5-10 seconds, slowly pull it out of the garage, and drive it immediately and gingerly until things start to warm up. I live less than a mile from US Highway 50, and I would have ZERO problem getting onto the highway and going full speed (65 MPH) after running it that 0.5-0.75 mile to the highway. By the time I got to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, about 4 miles from my house, I would have ZERO problem doing 100+ MPH on that bridge on the off-hours (no traffic).

In my opinion, the WORST thing you can do is let the car sit in the driveway for 15 minutes and "warm up." Best to warm it up by driving it.

Where you live, it's pretty much going to be "get in and go" all year round.

 

[gsxr]

Gerry is right. Don't let it idle for minutes to "warm up". Drive with a light foot immediately, and wait until the temp is at least 60-70°C before you give it the beans. Remember that coolant heats up fast (may hit 80C in 2-3 minutes) but engine oil takes much longer to reach operating temp, and ATF takes forever to heat up.

At operating temp, there's no harm in visiting redline. I actually think frequent full-throttle upshifts help both decarbon the engine and deglaze the transmission frictions. With everything working properly, it should upshift at ±6000rpm in every gear. Sample video below, note the tach in that car is a bit optimistic, shifts are at 6000-6100 or so.

 

[pryce27]

Super helpful. Thanks guys. Love that video. I'm going to try that first chance I get!!