Category: Mercedes

W111 123 ignition – part 1 2

W111 123 ignition – part 1

A couple of weeks ago, I posted an update about my W111 running issues.      A reader who is an expert in these cars suggested I fit a 123 ignition distributor.    His feedback was that even if it doesn’t solve my current running problem, it is a very worthwhile upgrade.    My mechanic also thought the issues were probably ignition related.   Based...

2023 ACT German car show 1

2023 ACT German car show

Today was the annual ACT German Car show.   I always enjoy this show and this year was no different.   The show is held at Queanbeyan Park, which is a great spot with plenty of shade.   As with the last couple of years, I went down to Canberra for the weekend.   Its a much better way to enjoy the show than getting up early and...

560SEC 722.3 transmission rebuilt 7

560SEC 722.3 transmission rebuilt

I’ve known the automatic transmission in my 560SEC was weak for a few years now.    It was exhibiting a lot of the symptoms of wear that these 722.3 transmissions do when they are wearing.   When it was cold, there was a lot of resistance in reverse.  It would also occasionally bang into a lower gear or shift erratically.   Once it warmed up, it...

W111 poor running issues and becker update 3

W111 poor running issues and becker update

My 250SE has been suffering from poor running issues for almost two years now.   It started not long after I got the car back from being repaired from the impact with the Kangaroo.   Despite a lot of work to try and rectify these issues, they are still plaguing the car. The challenge is that these are intermittent problems, and so hard to diagnose.   I...

MBCNSW August 2023 Night Drive – Sackville Ferry 0

MBCNSW August 2023 Night Drive – Sackville Ferry

For August, the monthly MBNSW night drive was back up north.    The route started in Windsor, taking the putty road up to Bull Ridge road, across to the Sackville Ferry, up to the top of Wisemans Ferry road, then to Dural McDonalds down the Old Northern Road.   These are all really nice driving roads, with little traffic at night.   While the night before...

Guest Post: Maintenance jobs deferred – W116 steering alignment 0

Guest Post: Maintenance jobs deferred – W116 steering alignment

Owning more than a few classic cars can often be problematic, as minor maintenance jobs are often deferred. My 450SE (Claudia) had been on top of the hoist for a few months without being driven. I think she was prompting me to use her as a thick layer of dust had formed. When getting her off the hoist, I noticed I fair bit of...

450SLC major service and poor quality engine mounts 2

450SLC major service and poor quality engine mounts

This week my 450SLC has been in the workshop having a major service.    This was the first time since the big trip to Adelaide last year.    There were a few things to sort out, but one of the major ones was having new engine mounts fitted. These were noted as collapsed when I had the car checked over before the trip to...

Selling my 1979 Mercedes 280SE at auction 0

Selling my 1979 Mercedes 280SE at auction

I recently sold my 1979 Mercedes 280SE at the Shannons May 2023 auction.    I’ve bought a couple of cars at auction, but never sold one before.   This article covers my experience selling the car, why I chose and auction and why I chose Shannons. Originally I started by trying to sell my 280SE privately.   However, I had the issue that I have a...

W124 Ignition tumbler 1

W124 Ignition tumbler

When I purchased my 300TE, I noticed two things that slightly concerned me.   The first was that I only had one key for the car.   The second was that the ignition barrel was slightly sticky.   There are key blanks available for Mercedes of this era at locksmiths, but the only key I had for the car was a copy.  I didn’t feel like a...

MBCNSW Amazing Rally 2023 1

MBCNSW Amazing Rally 2023

Today was my first ever observation rally.   After having gone to car events regularly for well over a decade, I had surprisingly never attended one.  The premise is that you and your navigator follow along a set of directions and get points for correctly deciphering the clues.    Today, the MBCNSW was running one, dubbed The Amazing Rally.    I thought it would be...

MBCNSW June 2023 Cars and Coffee 0

MBCNSW June 2023 Cars and Coffee

This morning I attended the MBCNSW cars and coffee event in Silverwater.   It was held at the Armory café down by the water.    It is quite nice down there, and there is plenty of parking.    The venue the club used last time is probably nicer, but has a severe shortage of parking.  This forced the cars to triple park and making it...

450SLC Becker Mexico Cassette install part 4 – Final installation 2

450SLC Becker Mexico Cassette install part 4 – Final installation

I am currently in the process of installing a Becker Mexico Cassette in my 1977 Mercedes 450SLC.   In part one, I covered buying and testing the radio.  In part two, I covered upgrading the speakers, and in part three I covered the wiring.   This part will be all about actually installing everything. My first task was setting up the control button and microphone for...

450SLC Becker Mexico Cassette install part 3 – Wiring up the Becker 2

450SLC Becker Mexico Cassette install part 3 – Wiring up the Becker

I am currently in the process of installing a Becker Mexico Cassette in 1977 Mercedes 450SLC.   In the first part, I covered buying and testing the radio.   In the second part, I replaced all the speakers in the car.  In this part I am covering the removal of the old Pioneer CD player and cleaning up the wiring in the car. The challenge is...

450SLC Becker Mexico Cassette install part 2 – Upgrading the speakers 2

450SLC Becker Mexico Cassette install part 2 – Upgrading the speakers

I am currently upgrading the radio in my 1977 Mercedes 450SLC.    It currently has a Pioneer MP3/CD Player I had installed not long after I purchased the car in 2003.   The Pioneer came out of my old 300E and was installed in early 2002.   As well as the Pioneer CD player, the car also had Pioneer speakers.   These pre-dated my ownership of the...

450SLC Becker Mexico Cassette install part 1 – Preparing the radio 5

450SLC Becker Mexico Cassette install part 1 – Preparing the radio

Over the last 12 months or so, I have been focused on getting period correct Becker radios installed in my Classic Mercedes cars.    I had never experienced these radios until I purchased my one owner 560SEL back in 2020.   It was owning this car that made me realize how well they work in the car.   I’ve started to view them as part of...

National Motoring Heritage Day 2023 0

National Motoring Heritage Day 2023

National Motoring Heritage Day occurs every year on the last Sunday of May.   The goal is to try and encourage as many classic, vintage and veteran cars out as possible and display them at various shows and events.   One of the biggest is held in Berry, where they anticipate around 600 cars each year.   The Mercedes club normally attend this event and this year...

Classic Jalopy