Automatic Transmission: Not a Magic Box
Jerry Cole, Technical Advisor You have had that old 190E, 240D, 300E or whatever, forever. The model doesn't really matter as much as the fact that there are pieces of toy debris under the back seat from your kids in their car seats and scrapes in the fenders from when those same kids grew up and learned to drive. You have had that old Mercedes a very long time and it has seen it all. The resale value is negligible, but it doesn't matter; it's part of the family. Then the tra
That '60s Sound
By Jerry Cole, Technical Advisor When my 1967 W110 230 was being inspected for its Silver Star Preservation Certification, I was asked if the radio worked. I said yes, because it is true. It worked. Fortunately, I was not asked if it sounded like the person on the radio had a mouthful of gumballs, because I would have had to answer yes, because it did. Going through the inspection process showed me where my Mercedes could be improved and radio sound quality was certainly one
Central Locking Vacuum Pump Repair
Central Locking Vacuum Pump Repair By Jerry Cole, Technical Advisor I don’t mind spending $600 on a major part for a Mercedes from time to time because it’s part of the cost of ownership, right? So I did. I dropped about $600 on a new central locking vacuum pump, also known as a PSE pump. This pump, in some form or another, is found in many models and many years of Mercedes. In addition to central locking, it also controls rear seat headrests, inflatable lumbar supports and t
Overlooked Overheating Viscous Fan Clutches
By Jerry Cole, Technical Advisor My daughter took her Mercedes W123 in to get a front end alignment to solve a severe wear problem on the inside edge of the driver’s side front tire. She was presented with an estimate of $276 for repairs to the steering rack and over $100 for one tie rod end before the front end could be aligned. Since neither one of those is going to correct severe wear on the inside edge of one tire and her car doesn’t even have a steering rack at all, it b
Front End Alignment
By Jerry Cole, Technical Advisor My daughter took her Mercedes W123 in to get a front end alignment to solve a severe wear problem on the inside edge of the driver’s side front tire. She was presented with an estimate of $276 for repairs to the steering rack and over $100 for one tie rod end before the front end could be aligned. Since neither one of those is going to correct severe wear on the inside edge of one tire and her car doesn’t even have a steering rack at all, it b
Heater Blower Motor
By Jerry Cole, Technical Advisor You can spend huge amounts of money repairing a Mercedes if you want, but you don’t have to. There are so many ways to get the same top quality repair without sacrificing quality or originality. Here is a good example. If you own an R107 SL with a chassis number below 042309, the heater blower motor is sold as an assembly and retails for $1220. For chassis 042310 and above, you get a break and it is only $680. What a deal, right? Do you suppos
Spring Replacement
By Jerry Cole, Technical Advisor I grappled with the title to this article on rear spring replacement, bouncing back and forth between Spring has Sprung and Feeling so Low but decided on the chosen title because my Mercedes-Benz lost that sagging feeling and it was righteous. That has to be my worst pun yet. Over the decades, I have had numerous Mercedes-Benz that seemed to sit a little low in the rear end and plowed downward in the back when I accelerated. 114, 115, 116, 12
