[Stetson]

Last week Fazal brought his Merc which he had been restoring or retrofitting the last few months. It is a 300 D Turbo Automatic, LHD with alloy wheels. I went into the history of the vehicle this time and this is what Fazal had to tell me about it :

It was brought into India (Kerala) by the original owner in 1995 and sold sometime later, then sold by the 2nd buyer to Fazal in 1999, if I remember right, who has owned it since (and also converted to Tamil Nadu plate).

It has 90000 Miles on the clock and the restoration has been principally to fix the sun roof and also to do a repaint in the original colour, as well as fixing some electricals and other minor jobs including new battery and tyres. It drove well, suspension good as new and is a good, clean example. However, I noticed that he is yet to fix the rev counter and that he has continued to use non stock head lamps. Fazal, however, says he prefers these lamps but has the original stock set with him.

Here are some pics (taken by Fazal and not very good but enough to give an idea) :











Fazal requested me to say the car is now for sale and that anyone interested may contact him on his mail ID : Fazlhmd@hotmail.com

Originally Posted by Stetson

Great buy, Tazmaan, congratulate you on getting such a fine example and on your taste. Also for that very interesting post on the journey to Bombay. Give us a review after 3 months.

Yesterday at the gas station, I chanced across this W123 which is in the course of getting all the TLC it had doubtless been crying out loud for. Chatted with the owner, Fazal, who explained the car is undergoing restoration. He has painted the vehicle (it is the original shade,, he says) but it is yet to bee polished. It is a US spec, 1985 300 TD, left hooker with just under 90 K miles on the odo. Fazal thinks he will get the car fully ready in 4 to 6 weeks. She is mechanically in sound shape.

He has been good enough to give me his cell number and I will try to update on the resto's progress. I may also persuade him to join Team BHP and post the story himself, let us see. Meanwhile some pics, door panels ripped out, interior looking like a moon crater except for driver's seat, the car was idling when I shot the dash but you can see that some gauges need fixing :

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[tazmaan]

Sorry for not updating this thread regarding ownership review.

Anyways it is exactly 2 years since I bought her to Mumbai from Bangalore. The past 2 years have been awesome but not really trouble free.

For the 1st year the car performed perfectly just regular service and nothing more was needed. The car did several trips to Lonavala, Mahabaleshwar and around mumbai. If I go to Lonavala I refuse to take any other car. The car does perform remarkable well on highways and the tall gearing helps a lot while overtaking without changing gear. I have done speeds of 150 on express way without a sweat and the car can cruise all day at 120. I have been getting a mileage of 10+ regularly with a combined run of weekends in city and on highway.


The last year has been busy for me as a result of which the car was not driven over long intervals. This is where the AC gas kept discharging and I had to refill it twice after which the compressor gave way. There were vibrations from the drive shaft, the windows had become hard to roll up or roll down, had a broken front indicator light etc etc. As a result of this the car was further neglected and was only used for gym runs. One month back me and wife decided to head to Lonavala, after reaching vashi toll the brakes started fading, the pedal had become soft. I had to make a U turn and return back home. This is when I decided its time to get the car in proper shape.

The car was immediately sent to my mechanic. The brakes had no problem and was solved by bleeding, the vibration was linked to a worn out coupler shaft which has been replaced, the compressor was changed (New one from opera house). I was against making new brackets and installing a compressor that doesn't fit the original design. The windows are still to be lubricated and serviced and few electricals need attention.

Its back in shape, the vibrations are gone, the car has become super silent after oil change, the AC as of now is a chiller and the car is fun to drive again.

All this cost me a whooping 35k. I took the car to a meeting today and a nice looking lady asked me which year and what does CAP on number plate stand for, believe me when ever I have driven the car at least one person asks me the same question and it brings a big smile on my face, PRICELESS!!

Few pics the last is the younger avatar (note number plate) and the second last one both on my wedding.

[tazmaan]

Yesterday I changed the Power steering unit for the car. The power steering was working perfectly but there was a lot of 'play' on the steering wheel. I got it inspected and the gears on the power steering unit had worn out.

Got a new unit through some contacts for 9000 ( the mechanic had bought it 3 years back but was a wrong unit for that particular car and stayed with him all the while). It is original Merc and exactly identical to the one removed. Only difference in the new Power steering unit is reduced turning radius.

Next job this weekend is a DIY to re paint the front grill with aluminum finish paint.

[Frankenstein]

tazmaan, nice car. Beautiful vehicle otherwise, very good cruiser with the OM617 TURBO motor. There are a lot of parts available for this engine, not original but the Indian tempo traveller 5 cylinder engine parts.

[mbz180]

Originally Posted by tazmaan

Got a new unit through some contacts for 9000 ( the mechanic had bought it 3 years back but was a wrong unit for that particular car and stayed with him all the while). It is original Merc and exactly identical to the one removed. Only difference in the new Power steering unit is reduced turning radius.

Next job this weekend is a DIY to re paint the front grill with aluminum finish paint.

Tazmaan,

It's great to see you use the car regularly and change the parts when required despite the relatively high prices (the downside of owning an MB from any generation).

Should you ever require any parts for this car that you cannot get in Bombay, let me know and I will put you in touch with my parts supplier who has virtually every original mechanical part available for these cars.

Best Regards
mbz180

[tazmaan]

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

tazmaan, nice car. Beautiful vehicle otherwise, very good cruiser with the OM617 TURBO motor. There are a lot of parts available for this engine, not original but the Indian tempo traveller 5 cylinder engine parts.

Originally Posted by mbz180

,

It's great to see you use the car regularly and change the parts when required despite the relatively high prices (the downside of owning an MB from any generation).

Should you ever require any parts for this car that you cannot get in Bombay, let me know and I will put you in touch with my parts supplier who has virtually every original mechanical part available for these cars.

Touch wood so far parts have not been an issue my mechanic manages everything when it comes to W123's.

This is the spray I am using to re paint the front grill. I have tested it on the back side of the grill and matches well.

[tazmaan]

After and before pics of the front grill. Took me a total of 2 hours which included washing, sanding, washing, applying the masking tapes, and three coats of paint.

[GordonGekko]

The paintjob, colour and wheels are absolutely superb. These are solid cars and 300d is the cream of the crop. Wish you all the best with ownership

[tazmaan]

Update:

Just took the car on a long drive : Mumbai - Goa - Mumbai

Took the route through Pune-Kohlapur-Goa

Decided on 30th March and left on 31st March 2012.

Work done on the car : none just routine check found nothing out of place

Pointers

• From Mumbai left at 4 am and reached goa at 2 PM.
• Car performed perfectly
• Filled up at Mumbai
• While going got stuck at Lonavala ghat express highway for 1 hour due to police collecting haftas from trucks causing a long jam
• Break fast at Pune McDonalds
• Tank up and snacks at Kohlapur
• Lunch in Goa
• Stayed in Goa for 4 days
• Left from Goa at 9 Am and reached home at 6 Pm.
• Tank up at Amboli (After a big mess discussed below)
• Lunch at Kohlapur McDonalds
• Tank up and break at Satara
• Break on express way
• Total Kms 1400 (Including local goa travel)
• Mileage 12km/l
• Top Speed: 150 on odometer on express way just to check the limits otherwise normally cruising between 100 and 80
• One tyre puncture post midnight in goa, tyre replaced in 15 mins thanks to the super efficient jack.
• Lots of admiration from people through out the journey which still puts a smile on my face

The big mess:

Left from goa and the fuel tank was showing half mark. Started on the Amboli Ghat and the fuel tank was still showing half tank, Half way on the ghat the car misses a few times, I ignore and continue driving the car misses again and eventually stops when I reached the top of the ghat. I turn off the ignition and turn it on again and suddenly fuel shows empty and reserve light is on.

I had officially ran out of fuel for the 1st time in my life due to some error in the fuel gauge. Luckily the fuel pump was just 2 kms away, got 4 liters of diesel, tanked up, got the air out of the fuel line by manual pumping, couple of starters and I was on my way.

The trip meter had rolled over 999 and lost track of kms done on tank full anyways will take care next time.

Sorry I dont have many pics of the car just a few from inside and my writing skills are really bad.

[GTO]

Sure you turned quite a few heads on the Mumbai-Goa drive, Tazmaan. What a majestic sight your W123 on that road would have been. BTW, your W123 does something that modern Mercs cannot....that is, deliver a reliable round trip to Goa. The last time I drove the C there, the air-con conked off. It wasn't pretty with the heat, and fixing the air-con took all of 2 months!

Kudos to using the 300D the way she was meant to be.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by tazmaan

Yesterday I changed the Power steering unit for the car. The power steering was working perfectly but there was a lot of 'play' on the steering wheel. I got it inspected and the gears on the power steering unit had worn out.

There is actually an allen screw on the top of the steering gearbox that can be tightened to reduce the play in the steering wheel. Its pretty easy to find. (Be careful not to over tighten, else the steering could bind).

I too had play in the steering on my W123, but that damn nut was rusted stuck and i never got it to loosen up, so didn't get to see how much of a difference it actually made!

Originally Posted by tazmaan

...tyre replaced in 15 mins thanks to the super efficient jack.

Ahh! I had forgotten about that jack. Truly a lesson in excellent user experience (just like sooo many other things on the W123!).



The peg slots in to a hole on the car's body (there is one near each wheel). So simple and straightforward.

cya
R

[iceman7]

Tazmaan, That is a beautiful W123 you have there. One of my favorite Merc's of all times.

Originally Posted by GTO

BTW, your W123 does something that modern Mercs cannot....that is, deliver a reliable round trip to Goa. The last time I drove the C there, the air-con conked off. It wasn't pretty with the heat, and fixing the air-con took all of 2 months!

Why do you say that? Are modern day merc's that bad?

[tazmaan]

Originally Posted by GTO

Sure you turned quite a few heads on the Mumbai-Goa drive, Tazmaan. What a majestic sight your W123 on that road would have been.

Yes people who know a few things about the car usually give a thumbs up and other just stare at it. I was stopped at the Goa check post because the cop wanted to see the car. I was once stopped by a foreign tourist who followed me on his bullet from Anjuna beach to Wagathor beach just to see the inside and learn where CAP registration come from. These instances gives a different kind of high pushing me keep the car the way its meant to be.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

There is actually an allen screw on the top of the steering gearbox that can be tightened to reduce the play in the steering wheel. Its pretty easy to find. (Be careful not to over tighten, else the steering could bind).




Ahh! I had forgotten about that jack. Truly a lesson in excellent user experience (just like sooo many other things on the W123!).

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R

The problem with my assembly was the power unit it self, I had tried what you have suggested and also ended up over tightening it.

The jack once slotted in can be turned standing almost upright and not kneeling down. Its like the lever used to open rolling shutters. I wonder what prevents modern cars from giving such user friendly jacks. It was dark and if I had to hunt for a slot under the car using a typical jack, I would have risked the jack slipping or other accident.

Originally Posted by iceman7

Tazmaan, That is a beautiful W123 you have there. One of my favorite Merc's of all times.

Thank you!!

[tazmaan]

I had taken the car to Pune for the weekend and on the way back realized that the front left brake pads are worn out. The typical grinding noise and lack of braking power. Got it inspected and found that the brake pads needs to be replaces and so does the front discs. The Discs have become too thin.

So now since the car is going to the garage the following work is going to be carried out.

1. Over haul of brakes
2. Radiator flush and cleanup
3. The AC blower fan has been making noise and its bearing is worn out. Replacing entire unit with a tested used one
4. Small paint touch ups near the fuel cap,scratches and small spots where the paint bubbles have started appearing. Need to do this since Mumbai monsoon can be very harsh and can damage the body work. Anti rust spray on the under body, engine bay and other rust prone areas
5. Change the rubber seal of the rear wind screen. Had observed a few cracks on them and wouldn't want water to leak through.
6. General service and top up of all fluids

The mechanic picked up the car in the morning, am currently busy with work will go in the evening and take some WIP pics.

All the parts are sourced by my mechanic (used as well as new), I just check them.

Hopefully W123 will be ready to take on another monsoon gracefully.

[AutoB]

Hi tazmaan - great job on your car.

I have a W123 240D '84 and am based out of Hyderabad. I am looking for a good mechanic in Hyderabad.

Alternatively if you can suggest a mechanic in Mumbai that will work as well as I do make frequent trips to Mumbai.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.