I checked fuses, but they were all ok. It wasn’t long till I determined it was a cluster failure. Luckily, I had the Mercedes cluster removal tools, which I purchased many years ago at Mercedessource, to remove cluster from my W126. Even though C209 is not listed, they work perfectly.

Using the cluster removal tools, I had the cluster out within a few minutes.

The next challenge was to find someone to fix the cluster, within a short space of time. I initially contacted “Ringwood Speedometer Service” and “Automotive Instrument Repairs”, but both business owners were on leave for at least another week. Back to the drawing board, I trawled the web and found Justin at “Australian ECU Repairs”. Justin provided a fixed price for cluster repairs, ranging from $385-$440, depending on the chassis type. As ours was a C209, price was $440, not including shipping.

I sent the cluster via Express Post on the Wednesday and received it on the following Wednesday via TNT Express.

As soon as it was plugged in, cluster lit up and when turning key I had full instrumentation.

After this experience I can highly recommend Justin at “Australian ECU Repairs”. Their website is excellent, allowing online bookings and then providing fast turnaround. I would not hesitate to use Justin now for any ECU or cluster work, even though I’m located in Melbourne.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here

The post Guest Post: CLK320 Cluster Failure and Repair appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

XK Falcon Wagon

For most of its production life, Ford focused on lower trim levels, except for some limited production models, such as XL Squire, with simulated woodgrain panelling, XF Fairmont Ghia, the ED and EF XR6. The Fairmont held its place as the highest-spec variant until the introduction of the BA Falcon, when the Futura took over as the top trim level. Ford Australian made available a V8 option on wagon variants from the XA (March 1972) until the XE (82-83). With Ford removing the V8 option from the XF onwards, the V8 option was again made available on the EB Series II (August 1991) and continued until the AU, but it was only available in Fairmont variant and was a limited production run (~120-160 vehicles).

XF Fairmont Ghia Wagon

Ford Falcon EF XR6 Wagon

Ford Falcon XL Squire Wagon

With the release of the AU wagon, Ford changed the axle position, with the shock absorbers moved outboard, providing additional real estate. Structural changes were required over the EL predecessor, with the rear floor being redesigned, allowing a plastic petrol tank and the relocation of the spare tyre underneath. The AU wagon in base Forte trim weighed 83kg more than its sedan sibling, which was 26kg lighter than it’s EL wagon predecessor.

AU Futura Wagon

Moving forward to 2008 with the release of the ‘kinetic’ FG Falcon, Ford continued the wagon, but using the older BF wagon body style, naming it the BF MK3. This model could trace its roots back to the 1998 AU model. Rumours were Ford continued to offer the wagon due to their large Telstra contract, supplying white wagons. The BF MK3 changes were limited to ESP for petrol powered variants, flip key, warm charcoal carpet and the removal of the Futura model.

BF MK3 Falcon Wagon

Wagon sales continued to decline, due to market switch to SUVs and the introduction of the Territory. Finally in March 2010 Ford announced the end of the wagon variant, with the last wagon coming off the line September 2010. Sales of Falcon sedan and Territory had remained relatively stable from 2008-2010, but wagon production in these three years halved.

While Ford never released official wagon sales figures, the XF Falcon wagon was likely the best-seller, as the XF series overall recorded the highest sales of any Falcon model. In total Ford Australia manufactured a total of 714,982 wagons, over 50 years of production.

As an owner of a 2008 MK2 wagon, I see it as a staple food, meat and three veg. It’s not fancy, but it’s solid, practical, and you know exactly what you’re getting. Even though Territory was a far bigger seller than Falcon wagon, I now see more BA/BF wagons than the Territory. I assume Falcon wagons owners know they can’t replace their wagons, while a Territory can be replaced by another SUV.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here

The post Guest Article: 50 Years of the Ford Falcon Wagon appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

1998 Mercedes E430 Elegance

My latest acquisition, purchased in late July 2024. Used as my daily driver. Has been reliable, comfortable and that small block M113 4.3 V8 is such a delight.

• KM driven (12 months): 6,281
• KM on odometer: 215,265
• Fuel Consumption:  Best 10.9l/100km, Average 13.6l/100km.
• Availability: Excellent.
• Spend:  Oil change and filter, replaced all speakers and climate control sensor motor.
• Usage:  Office commute Melbourne CBD 2-3 days per week.  Suburban/Urban commute.
• Highlights:  A fabulous 27-year-old Mercedes-Benz, that can still be used as a daily drive without spending large sums of money.

1998 Mercedes SLK230

Haven’t used car that much in last 12 months even though it’s been reliable and hasn’t cost me much to maintain. Sometimes you just need to be in the mood and the weather needs to be right, to drop the roof down. Need to use it for a longer trip in next 12 months, to determine what it’s like travelling large distances on our average roads.

• KM driven (12 months): 1,186
• KM on odometer: 189,257
• Fuel Consumption:  Best 8.7l/100km, Average 9.9l/100km.
• Availability: Excellent
• Spend: Oil change and filter.
• Usage: Club Events, Concours, Motors & Masterpieces, have drive to work (Melbourne CBD) on the odd occasion.
• Highlights:  As been a fantastic club vehicle.

1979 Mercedes 450SE

After 6 years of ownership, I’m still attempting to get this car right. In the last 12 months I finally got around to fixing the engine ticking noise, as two of my rocker arms were badly worn. The sum of money spent on this work wasn’t insignificant. Parts are not cheap, but at least they are still available.

Within the next 12 months I plan to rebuild front end, replace all shock absorbers and retention springs.

• KM driven (12 months): 988
• KM on odometer: 260,499
• Fuel Consumption:  14l/100km, Average 15.2l/100km.
• Availability: Poor to Fair
• Spend: Engine work:  Replaced all rocker arms, reground camshafts and hardened.  Replaced both chain sprockets.  Oil change and filter.
• Usage: Club events, Mailing Road, MB Brighton Display.
• Highlights:  Being Invited to display at Mercedes-Benz Brighton.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here

The post Guest Post: Gruzevskis Mercedes Fleet Update July 2025 appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

Fast forwarding to July 2024, I purchased a 1998 E430 from a member of the Mercedes-Benz Club of Victoria. The E430 is a delight to drive, especially the combination of a small block V8 and 5 speed automatic transmission, in a smaller chassis than an S-Class.

The range of engine options available in this generation E-Class was enormous, with Mercedes-Benz Australia offering eleven different engine combinations, covering the first generation and mid-life update models, including sedans and wagons. There was a broad range of trim levels, from Classic, Elegance and the more luxurious Avantgarde trim. The Australian line up is summarized below:

Compare the range of engine combinations to the latest W214 E-Class generation, it’s only offered in one engine, E300, 2 litre twin-turbo, with 48v mild hybrid. Apparently the E53 and E63 are still on the radar of Mercedes-Benz Australia. How times have changed, with sedans losing favour to SUVs.

This week I got the opportunity to drive another W210 E-Class, an E240 Elegance with the smaller 2.4 M112 V6. The E240 model was part of the mid-life update, released in November 1999. The updated model range included a new diesel model, E270 CDI and two petrol models, E240 and E200K, released in August 2000.

Driving the E240 Elegance, I was surprised at what a great little package it is. Even though it’s 80KW short of my E430, it never felt slow around town. The suspension was perfectly tuned for Australian conditions, providing a supple ride, insulating driver and passengers from our terrible roads. Once on the freeway the engine becomes a bit noisier, with the tachometer reading 2500rpm @100kph.

This E240 Elegance had a recommended retail price of $96,180. The original owner ticked two options, Suspension Sport incl. 17″ 5 Double Spoke, $3825 (alloy wheels have since been removed and replaced with 16” alloy wheels) and Sunroof, $3786, lifting the total price to $103,791 in 2000. This was a lot to pay 25 years ago, and in 2025 I still consider it to be a lot of money.

My E430 is a pre-update model, while the E240 was released as part of the mid-life update. Many Mercedes enthusiasts have trouble spotting the changes, but there are people around like me who contain a wealth of useless information, taking note of these changes.

You can see the E240 has revised taillights, using transparent plastic for the indicators. The third stop light is also more integrated, with the older E430 having a stop light more reminiscent of the W124/W126.

The E240 has a revised front bumper, that is more integrated below the bug-eye headlights.

The right- and left-hand side exterior mirrors have also been updated, with the incorporation of indicators

Further changes were seen on the interior with an updated cluster. The newer cluster contains the same information, but in a larger font size.

Other changes included a new leather multi-function steering wheel, including audio, phone buttons.

Safety got a large update, with 10 airbags, while my E430 has 4. Rear seat airbags. Both cars have Electronic Stability Control (ESP).

The changes in the mid-life upgrade make an even better car, especially from a safety perspective, with the increased number of airbags and indicators on exterior mirrors. The external changes are minimal, with these changes mirroring design changes in the automotive industry.

Even though many will note quality was not up to the same standards as W124/W126, the standout for me were the engines, especially the M112 & M113. Mercedes-Benz were successful in developing engines that performed well, provided increased efficiency, but were also known as highly reliable engines, with few problems.

This E-Class design has grown on me over the years, with the small lip on top of boot, somewhat reminiscent of the boot on the VL Commodore. Those bug-eye headlights still cause debate in the Mercedes community. I like the outlook from the driver’s seat, seeing the raised bumps on the left- and right-hand sides. The rest of the W210 E-Class package can be considered as conservative.

Perhaps Mercedes-Benz didn’t want to frighten their customer base too much, but with the release of the W211 E-Class platform the design was more modern and assume attracted a younger audience without disenfranchising their existing customer base.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here

The post Guest Post: Driving a W210 E240 Elegance Sedan appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

I understand why people move old cars on, as there’s a sense of frustration when you can’t get the car to perform as it should. I found a local LPG specialist (who still looks after a small LPG taxi fleet), they had a good look but couldn’t find anything wrong. Just over a year went passed and it was now Dec 2024, with 404k on odometer. I kept putting up with the loveable Lister, but thought it was now too hard to fix, given the LPG fleet is in steep decline, hence it’s hard to find an LPG specialist.

Finally, Naomi said, let’s just get this fixed, as she had been given a recommendation, AG Automotive in Lilydale. To put it in perspective, a trip to Lilydale was the same distance as driving to the CBD. As we had nothing to lose, we drove to Lilydale and dropped Lister off. After recounting our story, the words came back, “You didn’t take it to Ford, as they have no idea how to fix LPG vehicles”. Two days later AG Automotive called, communicating he was all fixed after replacing the stepper motor. The stepper motor accurately adjusts the flow of gas via the o2 sensor. Apparently, it’s common practice to replace the stepper motor when replacing the LPG converter.

From this point on Lister started to behave like he should have from new, now idling well, performance felt stronger, whilst fuel economy improved. I started to regain confidence in him again, but moving forward to Jan 2025, my confidence was again shattered, as he developed a rough idle, worse than before and started to stall at idle. The only mechanic I could get to, was the local specialist, who looked at the car previously and said everything was ok. This time he took it for a drive, and on return said there was something wrong, likely the stepper motor needed to be calibrated. He had the stepper motor out, calibrated and back in within 20 minutes and then disappeared around the block. To my surprise Lister was again back to normal, but I kept on thinking when is he going to break again.

It’s now April and surely a trip to Canberra will confirm if Lister is fixed. My confidence wasn’t great, but to my surprise he went like clockwork. One of the things I did notice on this trip was the removal of more LPG bowsers, at Tallarook & Holbrook and while in Canberra, the service station we normally go to, was out of LPG. The e-gas BF wagon has 116 litre capacity, and according to Ford provides for up to 900km of range, enough to get from Melbourne to Canberra. I topped up in Wodonga, given the price and availability of LPG prior to driving into NSW. While stopped at the APCO Service Station in Wodonga, we spotted a rare Hillman 16 on the back of flatbed truck.

Stopping at Holbrook for lunch, can highly recommend “The Ten Mile Café”. It has large indoor and outdoor sections. They provided excellent service, combined with quality produce and great coffee. What else can you ask, especially in a town the size of Holbrook.

On the way back, we stopped in Gundagai, as we love the Coffee Peddler Café. Opposite you can see the impressive Gundagai Theatre.

I’ve always loved the main street in Gundagai, this time we stretched our legs and went for a walk, and found a shop called Junque & Disorderly. I couldn’t help myself from purchasing a 1973 Mercedes W115 220D Ute, 1:43 scale for $12.

We did approx. 1424km within three days, averaging 13.7L/100 on the way up and 13.4L/100 on the way back. Since Oct 2023, Lister has averaged 15 cents per kilometre. Comparing to our i30N which requires 98, averages 19.4 cents per kilometre over a similar period.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here

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It’s been a while since I’ve been able to write, as after work hours my focus had been on organising the MBCV 2025 Mercedes-Benz Concours d’Elegance. As the event occurred on March 16th, I now can write about engine work undertaken on my 450SE late last year.

My mechanical knowledge is limited, but I’ve known since I acquired my 450SE that I had a problem in the top end of the engine. There has always been a mechanical ticking noise when the M117 4.5 engine was warming up and even when warm I could often hear a faint ticking noise.

After procrastinating for years, I was determined to fix the issue, so took it to my mechanic, who promptly diagnosed worn rocker arms, and scoring on the camshafts.

You can see a trough where the rocker is worn, pitting in the chrome cap. It’s not typically to see this wear on a healthy engine.  It is usually observed on cars that have had dirty oil, poor oil supply, or a general lack of maintenance. In my case, my 450SE was laid up for many years, prior to purchasing. I suspect there was a lack of maintenance, contributing to this problem and expensive fix.

You can see the deep pitting on the chrome cap. This was the worst of all rocker arms, but there was wear on most of others.

You can see the scoring on the camshaft lobes.

What’s a rocker arm? In an overhead cam engine, the camshaft must have something to push on to actuate the valve. The rocker arm is somewhat the sacrificial piece of metal that goes between the valve and the camshaft. Symptoms of worn rocker arm wear is a deep knocking noise. Apparently, the nose is more persuasive of bigger engines, V8 engines as they have short stubby rocker arms.

I have a great relationship with my mechanic, he provided a list of parts required and asked me to source them. It took me sometime work through and order what was required, sourcing them from Pelican Parts and Niemoeller.

The other task was to get both the camshafts re-ground and hardened. I used Tighe Cams for this work, as they came highly recommended from an MBCV member. The work cost $850 and took them about a month to complete. The camshaft work was excellent and as it was the last of the parts required, so the engine could now be setup.

Luckily, I had ordered two new sprockets, as the teeth on the original parts were quite worn when compared to the new sprockets. A few years ago, I had replaced timing chain, tensioner and guides, so there was no need to do this this time.

My mechanic had a set of various sizes of valve adjustment shims (also known as buckets), as we weren’t sure what sizes to order. To be my surprise, every shim required was 5.1mm, meaning there wasn’t much valve wear.

Once the work was completed, I was stunned at how much quitter and refined the engine was, especially at idle. As I had nothing to do within my ownership, originally, I just assumed the roughness was normal.

Was it worth it to do this work, absolutely, as every time I drove the car prior, I would hear the ticking noise and would just get annoyed that the car wasn’t right. Many of you will know what I’m talking about.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here

The post Guest Post: W116 450SE – M117 Rocker Arm Wear appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

I’m beginning to feel a sense of satisfaction, given that I’ve fixed a lot of small but annoying issues myself. My confidence has grown over this time, even though several of the parts I’ve used have been non original, as the original parts are no longer available. One of these jobs was to replace the left and right exterior mirror rubber seals. These seals were only on the pre-update W210 chassis, later with the update model, Mercedes changed the whole exterior mirror assembly.

Looking online, there’s no part number available for rubber seal. This makes more sense when you’ve removed the mirror, as the rubber seal boxes around the electrical cables. After communicating with W210 owners on a global W210 Facebook group, the consensus was the aftermarket rubber seals available on Amazon, Temu, Ebay is a good replacement but need some small modifications. I ordered a set on Amazon for $40 delivered. They came in two packets, one that said LH and the other RH.

Removing the mirror was quite straightforward, with a clip and three screws that needed removal. There are plenty of videos on YouTube demonstrating removal. Upon removal you can see how cracked and hardened rubber seal has become.

Looking at the replacement seal, I needed to cut two holes, one for each connector (apologies I didn’t take a photo, so displaying photo of replacement part, unmodified). Then
it’s just a matter of installing the new rubber seal and attaching mirror to vehicle.

I was impressed with the results; it just about looks like it’s a factory replacement. BTW, the replacement rubber seals also work for W202 and W140 chassis vehicles.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here

The post Guest Post: W210 E430 – Replacing Exterior Mirror Rubber Seals appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

Finding parts for my 1998 W210 E430 has been hit and miss. Some parts have been very easy to find, like the climate sensor motor, found at Pelican Parts, while the fan regulator was found on Amazon. There have been some tough parts to find, like the RHD dashboard speaker and the driver’s side front tow eye cover, which was missing when I purchased the car. This last part was especially problematic as my car has been fitted with genuine E55 front and rear bumpers. I searched the web, but sellers were asking drug money for a used example. It was then I stumbled on OctoClassic. They re-engineer spare parts for many marques, but cater for a wide range of Mercedes-Benz vehicles

It took me a while to workout what was left and right, but then ordered the part. A few weeks later it was delivered and came primed, all I needed to do was paint it. I was thinking how I would paint it, would I do it myself, or should I get it painted professionally. Well, the decision was made for me, when my daughter reversed into a car. I dropped the car off at the panel beater and asked if they could paint the cover while fixing rear damage.

Picking the car up, I noticed the cover freshly painted, but they were unable to install it as they didn’t have the clips. The next challenge was working out what parts I needed and where to order from. No surprise to me the hanging straps required (Part# 0069882878) were no longer available from Mercedes. I found a set on Ebay, costing $68 and they were delivered within a week.

Fast forward to this weekend, I finally got around to installing tow cover. I quickly worked out the plastic end of strap that sits in front bumper was too wide for slot in bumper. I used a small file and filed it down a fraction. The tow cover then simply clipped into place and looks good, apart from the rest of the front bumper that’s chipped up from many highway kilometres.

If you have an older Mercedes-Benz, I recommend you check out the OctoClassic website.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here

The post Guest Post: Replacing the W210 tow eye cover appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

After two years of ownership, I now feel I’ve just about sorted my SLK230. Many will know the challenges of sorting a car.  Yes, the major issues are sorted quickly, but you often then procrastinate on the smaller issues, but are reminded every time of them when driving the car.

One of these smaller issues was the constant creaking/squeaking of rubber, mainly around the roof. Given my recent achievements, of removing and refurbishing interior, replacing roof lining and fitting new wind deflector. I felt like I was on a roll, so this was the time to act.

A quick search online, revealed many R170/R171 owners had the problem and a bottle of Gummi Pfledge Stift should fix the problem.

I ordered the product via Amazon, costing $21.90. The instructions were very simple:

1. Prepare the surface: Make sure the surface is clean and dry before applying Gummi Pflege.
2. Shake the bottle well before use.
3. Press the foam applicator against the surface and squeeze the bottle until the product starts to flow. Gently glide the applicator along the surface.
4. Allow the product to soak in and dry. Do not wipe it off.
5. Repeat: If you’re conditioning your weather seals for the first time, you can apply the product twice to ensure maximum absorption. After that, you can apply it every few months.

I have only applied it once and was initially somewhat disappointed with the results driving the car after the first application, but what I didn’t realise was that a month after application, all the roof creaking and squeaking noises had disappeared.

The following link is a PDF document, detailing all the rubber strips to apply product.

Over the summer I will perform another application.

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here

The post Guest Post: SLK230 fixing creaking/squeaking rubber noises appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

This year I had a vested interest in Aston Martin & Rolls Royce Concours d’Elegance, as the event was being at held Cruden Farm, Langwarrin. This is the same venue as the 2025 Mercedes-Benz Victoria Concours d’Elegance, in which I’m the Concours Director.

The Aston Martin & Rolls Royce Concours d’Elegance event was a fantastic opportunity to view how these two Clubs utilised the venue. The Aston Martin Owners Club utilised the grass area sandwiched between the lake and the Picking Garden, while the Rolls Royce Club utilised the five ways paddock. The weather outlook didn’t look great this morning, and shortly after arrival the weather threw a curve ball, with a short downpour. I bumped into the Rolls Royce Chief Judge, Neil Matthews, he had hoped the weather could have held up at least until midday, allowing judging to complete.

After reviewing both areas, figuring out how many cars we could park comfortably in Concours and Members Display section & defining our parking layouts, it was time to have a
look at some of the cars. The weather allowed a short 20min window, as the wind gusts spiked up and light faded, even though it was the middle of the day.

For anyone reading this article, the 2025 Mercedes-Benz Club Victoria, Concours d’Elegance is being held in conjunction with a Cruden Farm open day, 16th March and will be listed on Cruden Farm website.  If you’re a motoring enthusiast, or just want to check out Cruden Farm, public entry is $10 per person. For Mercedes-Benz Club Members, you can find out more about the event at https://vic.mercedes-benz-clubs.com/?page_id=33

Author:  Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars.  Links to some his other articles can be found here

The post Guest Post: Aston Martin and Rolls Royce Concours @Cruden Farm, Victoria appeared first on Classic Jalopy.