My one owner 560SEL still has its original Becker CD player. Australian delivered 560SELs and SECs came standard with the CD player, which also has a control box in the boot. Mine is still working well. My goal was to find a good W126 handsfree solution with the original Becker. While a modern radio and speakers would probably sound better, the Becker is a...
I’ve had the AMG Aero I wheels ready to go for a couple of months. I couldn’t fit them until the Penta wheels were on the 450SLC. The reason was that I wanted to use the lug bolts from the SLC on the 560SEC. I do have another set of the long style lug bolts, but they are not nearly as nice as the...
I had previously purchased a set of original AMG ‘Penta’ wheels and had tyres fitted. My next step was to fit them to the car. I waited until the car was back from having the subframe mounts done – It seemed silly to fix nice new wheels to a car right before they are being taken on/off in a workshop. At the same time...
I’ve been doing quite a bit of work to my 450SLC lately. One of my more recent jobs has been to fix the A/C condensate leak. While I was there, I noticed that rats nest of wiring for old amplifiers, car alarms and car phones. I removed most of this, but the result was that the radio in the car was no longer working. ...
Today I spent a bit more time evaluating the 420SEL parts car and the more I look at it the happier I am with my purchase. It has too much wrong with it to make it a viable restoration project, but there are loads of good parts. It didn’t come with a battery, so I hooked up a spare and most of the...
I’ve been thinking about buying a W126 parts car for some time. The number of affordable parts cars is getting thin on the ground as the W126 transitions from everyday transport to classic. I would have had better options five years ago, but there are still some decent ones out there. I was particularly looking for an SLS equipped car as I wanted the...
My 250SE has not been running well lately. Back in April, I hit a Kangaroo and the car was repaired during May and June. In July, the state of NSW plunged into a strict lockdown for COVID-19, preventing more than minor trips up to the shops for necessities. It was during one of those trips that I noticed that car...
I have recently purchased a set of 15×7 AMG ‘Penta’ wheels for my 1977 450SLC. These wheels did not come with lug bolts, but I had a set from when I had the replica Fuchs alloys on the car. The other day I got those bolts out to check them for when I install the wheels on the car. The bolts were in pretty...
Earlier this year I managed to smash a foglight lens on a MBCNSW drive to Berry. I drove over a large stick on the road that flicked up and smashed the lens. I saw the stick, but there wasn’t really a way of avoiding it without risking an accident. The low slung floglights on the 107 model look cool, but they are always at...
Back in May, I had the rear windscreen removed on my 450SLC. The idea was to replace the old windscreen that was delaminated with a good used unit I had purchased from the MB Spares clearance sale. I had the rust under the screen fixed in 2006, so I assumed it would be a straight swap. Sadly, during the C107 rear windscreen installation, no...
My new 15″ AMG Penta wheels did not come with tyres. Choosing a set turned out to be a lot more complicated than I thought. The big downside of the 15s over the 16s is the tyre availability. The table below outlines possible sizes I could have considered. They are all compared to the overall circumference of the original wheel/tyre combination. The...
by James Faydherbe De Maudave · Published September 28, 2021 · Last modified September 15, 2024
I purchased my 1989 420SEL about two years ago and have been busy doing a lot of work to the car to bring it up to my standard. My most recent job was to inspect and replace the W126 parking brake shoes. The parking brake was not holding the car, even after I adjusted it. The Mercedes W126 uses a separate set of drum...
When I purchased my 1987 560SEC it came with Simmons B45 Wheels. These are a high quality Australian made three piece wheel. I pretty quickly replaced these for a couple of reasons. The 245 profile tyres rubbed quite badly; There was a terrible wheel wobble; and I didn’t think the suited the car. I sold those wheels and replaced them with the replica 8...
When you own a modern Mercedes-Benz, you seem to be playing constant whack-a-mole with the check engine light. I’ve written before how silly I think the check engine light is, but we’re stuck with it. Personally, I would just drive older cars, but this is not for everyone and my wife has a 2007 E350 Wagon. There were two codes this time. The...
I’ve been on the lookout for a different set of wheels for my 450SLC. It is currently running a set of W126 second generation alloy wheels. I like these wheels, but they are not quite right for the 450SLC. My 560SEL uses these same wheels, but they are in need of refinishing. Instead of having some of my spare W126 wheels refinished, I...
This week I got my 560SEL back from having a front suspension rebuild. This wasn’t something I really wanted to take on myself. My SEL drove well, but there was some looseness in the front end. As I plan on keeping the car long term, it made sense to rebuild the front suspension to restore an as-new ride. The front suspension rebuild included new...
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