It’s that time of year that we have our neighbourly Christmas in July dinner, at the Pig and Whistle Tavern in Olinda. One may think this is a perfect opportunity to provide a Mercedes fleet update. 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...
I was 25 upon release of the new Mercedes E-Class platform in 1996. At the time I thought the styling was conservative and never paid attention to the model range. My enthusiasm for the Mercedes marque still came from the past, with the fabulous W109 300SEL 3.5/6.3 V8s and the W116 450SEL V8 models (including the 6.9). Fast forwarding to July 2024, I purchased...
My last update on our BF MK2 Falcon Wagon, affectionately known as “Lister of Smeg”. was Oct 2023, with 383k on the odometer. Up until this time Lister had provided reliable and fuss free motoring. This all changed when the LPG converter failed, leaving me stranded after dropping my son off to school. Not knowing any better, the car was towed to Knox Ford,...
Editors Note: This is part three in a series by Nick Gruzevskis about owning a 1978 Mercedes 450SE W116. The first part covered the purchase and cosmetic restoration and the second covered some further maintenance. 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...
Editors Note: This is part four in a series by Nick Gruzevskis about owning a W210 430. The previous instalment can be found here. 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...
Editors Note: This is part three in a series by Nick Gruzevskis about owning a W210 430. The first part can be found here. 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...
Editors Note: This is part five in a series by Nick Gruzevskis about owning a Modern Mercedes convertible – in this case his R170 SLK230. The previous entries can be found here. 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...
This Sunday in November presents some what of a feast for classic car enthusiast, with many car clubs holding their annual Concours event. The AOMC website notes ten events for Sunday 17th, including Jaguar Concours & Display Day, Day of the Volkswagen, Maserati Days, 32nd Rob Roy Historic & Classic Hillclimb and Aston Martin & Rolls Royce Concours d’Elegance. This year I had a...
Editors Note: This is part four in a series by Nick Gruzevskis about owning a Modern Mercedes convertible – in this case his R170 SLK230. The previous entries can be found here. Two cars of the same chassis/model often drive differently after 20-30 years, depending on mileage, maintenance & number of owners. I got the opportunity this weekend to drive a 2003 SLK230...
Editors Note: This is part two in a series by Nick Gruzevskis about owning a W210 430. The first part can be found here. I’m one of those individuals that can’t handle interior noises, mostly rattles & squeaks, but in this case it’s been a buzzing noise coming from the dome light in my new E430. I had procrastinated long enough, so did some...
The only constant of our garage is new acquisitions, we never seem to be able to slim the fleet down. The latest addition was considered necessary when my daughter (Jessica) came to grief with her 2005 CLK320 on a concrete wall at Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood. Given we are insured for market value, we weren’t confident that it would be repaired. Once we got...
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of using my friend Justin Tan’s 1995 Toyota Comfort for a few days. This is the short-wheelbase version of what we know as the Crown Comfort. It is a commercial grade purpose-built fleet vehicle, and is unashamedly so. Justin’s car is an ex-driver-instructor car from Japan and has some subtle clues of its previous career such...
The Jensen Car Club of Australia (JCCA) was formed in 1987 though the amalgamation of two former Clubs, “The Jensen Interceptor Car Club of Victoria” and the Australia Jensen-Healy Owners Club”. Our feature event is the National Rally, the first which was held in Canberra in 1983. The 2024 National Rally has just been held in Perth, Western Australia (May 3-6th). This is the...
by Nick Gruzevskis · Published March 12, 2024 · Last modified September 14, 2024
Editors Note: This is part three in a series by Nick Gruzevskis about owning a Modern Mercedes convertible – in this case his R170 SLK230. The first part can be found here and the second part here. There are times when you feel like you’re making progress on a classic car and other times it just feels like you’re procrastinating. As I have just...
Editors Note: This is part two in a series by Nick Gruzevskis about owning a Modern Mercedes convertible – in this case his R170 SLK230. The first part can be found here. Sometimes the journey on improving a classic car seems to be more fulfilling than using the car. I’ve now owned the Sally the SLK since July 2022. Every time I looked at...
by Nick Gruzevskis · Published October 27, 2023 · Last modified September 15, 2024
Fitting aftermarket head units to most vehicles made from 2000 onwards can often be problematic due to manufacturers integrating audio and HVAC controls into the one assembly. Many of us choose the path of least resistance, with the primary means of connecting a smartphone is via Aux and a $15 FM transmitter purchased from K-Mart. I must admit the ICC unit (Ford speak for...
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