Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

I bought it for £800 and sold it for a little less. In the two years I had it, however, it swallowed over £6000

Love this.

Air con, if it has it, must work.

I use Bobby at AutocentreSouth on Harberson Rd in Balham. He's good.

Hate changing switches after I have damaged radiators, both plastic and metal, trying to remove them.

Feel the rad and see if the temp goes from hot to cold with no cold spots.

How long should I expect to run the car before the rad gets for? Ran out for 10 minutes or so on the drive and red didn't really feel hot. Found out mechanic had changed the radiator switch ( presume he means thermo switch) so I'm thinking read must be blocked. Fab and wiring is working

Hot to cold from top to bottom?

What did the guage read, and how hot was the rad by comparison?

Trying to not change parts till you know for sure. What are your mechanic skills like?

My mechanical skills are pretty decent, as you can probably tell it's my diagnosis that needs work! So thanks for all the help! If I know whats wrong I can work out what I need to do and usually sort it out. Depending what the garage says on Wednesday I'll do the work myself. Car also needs new alternator and handbrake but obviously I've been holding off on fitting these until this main issue is sorted. Car was running at the middle of the gauge but the rad wasn't hot. I'll take it out in the morning and get it properly hot then test again.

Have you got a multimeter that tests resistance?

Am thinking test the thermoswitch resistance when the cars cold and then when the guage is higher that the middle test the switch again and see if the resistance has changed.

But part of me things take the thermostat out and test it in a pan of water that you heat, droping thermostats in to hot water can shock them in to look like they work while slow heating you can see if it operates.

Look what I found for you. Space for bikes.

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Is that a Mute?

Yeah mine does. Car only seems to sit at the middle, I could try and rag it a bit and get it overhot. Just by pulling the fan connector off the thermoswitch and reading across the pins?

Ok I'll get the thermostat out too. If the mechanic had fitted the water pump incorrectly would that not lead to issues too?

See what it reads between cold and warm and see if the resistance changes. Especially if the fan doesn't come on when the car is hot.

There is an old trick of dropping a couple of sterident tablets in to the cooling system and drive the car for a few to clear things out, and seems to work on clogged internal heater rads. But then I am wary of getting the system too clean and revealing pin hole leaks to trace.

Trying to think how it could have been fit incorrectly, more likely failed as the impeller has come off the shaft.

Yeah! Pipes seem ok but I don't want to create more issues than I already have. I'll set the thermostat and go from there. I'm trying to remember if this was happening before the mechanic changed to thermostat and water pump.

At least a new rad isn't too expensive

Did I mention there is no liquid returning from rad to expansion tank? Pulled it off and not even any air

Re W124, in all seriousness, I reckon upgrading to a modern ECU and associated loom would allow you to bin a load of potential annoyances, so whilst the windows might be have a mind of their own it'll start and run fine. If you really wanted to go to town then a modern PDU (with, based on BQ's post, a vacuum pump and reservoir) could net you modern reliability with classic style - as long as the suspension and so forth is not buggered.

But that's probably 4 to 5 grand, so you'd need to really like the car.

Would be an incredible car when all is said and done though...

*airbag suspension optional

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Still think airbags are a total waste of time, ideal for poseurs rather than drivers. That car would look great apart from the stupid ride height, the fugly camber and the minging oversized wheels. It would also help if they'd put their specs on before flaring the front wheel arches.

But I wonder if you could get an AMG 6.3 V8 in there - without the pointless suspension mods. That would be most excellent.

Airbags aren't a waste of time but to be honest that one isn't how I'd like my own were I to build one. Also the whole point of airbags is normal (or whatever height you want) ride height. Parked height is just that.

Airbags are unbelievably comfortable and its pretty handy to be able to adjust the suspension if you regularly carry very heavy loads in the boot.

I'd really only change the wheels on that one to something smaller but a 6.3 V8 would be an excellent addition.

I have two problems with airbags:

1. Slamming your car to the deck when it's parked. It may be a personal failing on my part, but I just can't see the point. You can't drive it like that, so what's the point?
   
2. The spring rate on airbags increases with ride height, which is totally the wrong way round. If you're on a nice smooth track so you can run low ride height, you want stiff suspension to go with it. Airbags, on the other hand, increase suspension stiffness with ride height. So when you're suspension's at its stiffest, the CoG is highest above the ground. That makes no sense.
   
   

If you want to adapt for heavy loads, then the answer surely is hydraulic self-levelling suspension with hydraulic rams. That way you can automatically adjust ride height without buggering up your spring rates. OK, if it's a 40-ton artic then maybe the stiffer spring rates with higher ride height is a good idea, but for an estate car I'm deeply unconvinced.

Of course the real answer is fully active suspension, but that's an entirely different story.

Slamming your car to the deck when it's parked......... so what's the point?

Comedy value when you park too close (basically within a door width) to the kerb and force your passenger to either ruin your door or centre console by climbing over it.

Airbag Merc? Say no more.

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Niche. But if I tried that with Cycliste she'd just slam the door open and claim the damage was my fault. And she'd be right.