Timelord
Member
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2010
- Messages
- 24
- Reaction score
- 36
- Location
- Kent
- Your Mercedes
- E320 CDI Avantgarde 2006 (56). S210 E320 CDI Elegance 2000.
Gents,
This is my first posting but I've been a member for some years. It has been a fascinating read and very helpful too, thank you all.
I hope this posting is in the right section as the work done covers all aspects of the car. I know there have been others brave / mad enough to undertake this project and have posted on this matter but I wanted to give something back as the previous posts seemed to give much enjoyment or amusement to many members.
Here we go....a bit of background first.
The car in question is a 2000 320CDI Elegance estate (silver) and was bought by my father from Watford MB in 2003 with 22,000 mls on the clock. It took my parents many times to southern Spain and was my first experience of the famed MB comfort and CDI grunt. I caught the bug so in 2010 I purchased a 56 plate E class 211 320CDI AG saloon from MB with 36,000 mls. I still own it and its now covered 145,000 mls having been lovingly cared for (both MB and Indy specialist) ever since. Its not been cheap but it is a very lovely car which I've taken all over europe at some very european speeds !
My father ceased driving in early 2012 and the 210 came to me....
Although it had been regularly serviced it needed TLC and also suffered from the usual rust in the usual places. 2 new front wings, a lick of paint on the tailgate, two new MB headlights, partial leather recolourisation and a service got the car back into reasonable condition. At this stage it had around 98,000 mls on the clock. Nothing at all for the 320 CDI.
Late in 2012 unplanned domestic upheaval resulted in me loaning the car to the wife. Over the next 5 years it was serviced by a local indy but lacked my more particular attention. Only used for local journeys (not a good thing). During this period the main non wear and tear items addressed were new rear shocks, new front discs and pads, welding under the boot floor and a couple of breakdown issues which I can't recall.
Step forward to summer 2017. The car has now covered ONLY 107,000 mls. I reclaim the vehicle. Its obvious it needs a lot of attention and my ocd approach to give this beast a new life. Much soul-searching and research on this site was done. The rust, the springs, a money pit etc. The still LOW mileage, my Dad's last car (he passed on in 2014), the practical estate compared to my 211 saloon. Mmmmmm. Agony.
I took the beast to my local specialist who covered the areas of need, then those of desirability. Much work required but overall given positive review, given what could have been.
Taking the risk of being referred to the local doctor for obvious madness, I decided to keep the car and invest (!) in the future rather than flog it to a local builder who would run it to its inevitable death and scrap it. This car deserved a better fate than (for the obvious reasons) many of the remaining 210s are now or will soon suffer.
The car was deposited with the specialist in late July 2017 and remained with him until last week. Much work has been undertaken. Much has been spent, more than I originally hoped. But once committed I had to stick to the path. No other choice. I will shortly list the work done so far. You may well wince, I certainly have. The vast majority of the mechanics are now done. Last week it went to my friendly local bodyshop. All areas will be addressed which I will list in due course. A titbit for now is I'll be fitting 2 new front panels, a new tailgate and a load of body parts (e.g. new front grill) bought from MB.
I hope to get the car back in 2-3 weeks, looking suitably amazing, and then it will be back to the specialist for a coupe of smaller items (e.g. new battery, new steering wheel buttons). At that point I really hope I will be done for now...fingers crossed.
So more to come in due course. There will be some on here who think I'm crazy and some who know I am. But, for all the reasons above, I just couldn't let it go. I have not spent the money expecting a return. I have spent the vast sums to bring my Dad's beast back to life which I can then use as a practical luxury car myself. I only hope that at the pearly gates of heaven St Peter is a 210 lover and will look kindly upon my efforts to save this 210 from death and it gives a modicum of joy to those in the know when they see a good looking 210 going past them !
Regards to all,
Timelord
This is my first posting but I've been a member for some years. It has been a fascinating read and very helpful too, thank you all.
I hope this posting is in the right section as the work done covers all aspects of the car. I know there have been others brave / mad enough to undertake this project and have posted on this matter but I wanted to give something back as the previous posts seemed to give much enjoyment or amusement to many members.
Here we go....a bit of background first.
The car in question is a 2000 320CDI Elegance estate (silver) and was bought by my father from Watford MB in 2003 with 22,000 mls on the clock. It took my parents many times to southern Spain and was my first experience of the famed MB comfort and CDI grunt. I caught the bug so in 2010 I purchased a 56 plate E class 211 320CDI AG saloon from MB with 36,000 mls. I still own it and its now covered 145,000 mls having been lovingly cared for (both MB and Indy specialist) ever since. Its not been cheap but it is a very lovely car which I've taken all over europe at some very european speeds !
My father ceased driving in early 2012 and the 210 came to me....
Although it had been regularly serviced it needed TLC and also suffered from the usual rust in the usual places. 2 new front wings, a lick of paint on the tailgate, two new MB headlights, partial leather recolourisation and a service got the car back into reasonable condition. At this stage it had around 98,000 mls on the clock. Nothing at all for the 320 CDI.
Late in 2012 unplanned domestic upheaval resulted in me loaning the car to the wife. Over the next 5 years it was serviced by a local indy but lacked my more particular attention. Only used for local journeys (not a good thing). During this period the main non wear and tear items addressed were new rear shocks, new front discs and pads, welding under the boot floor and a couple of breakdown issues which I can't recall.
Step forward to summer 2017. The car has now covered ONLY 107,000 mls. I reclaim the vehicle. Its obvious it needs a lot of attention and my ocd approach to give this beast a new life. Much soul-searching and research on this site was done. The rust, the springs, a money pit etc. The still LOW mileage, my Dad's last car (he passed on in 2014), the practical estate compared to my 211 saloon. Mmmmmm. Agony.
I took the beast to my local specialist who covered the areas of need, then those of desirability. Much work required but overall given positive review, given what could have been.
Taking the risk of being referred to the local doctor for obvious madness, I decided to keep the car and invest (!) in the future rather than flog it to a local builder who would run it to its inevitable death and scrap it. This car deserved a better fate than (for the obvious reasons) many of the remaining 210s are now or will soon suffer.
The car was deposited with the specialist in late July 2017 and remained with him until last week. Much work has been undertaken. Much has been spent, more than I originally hoped. But once committed I had to stick to the path. No other choice. I will shortly list the work done so far. You may well wince, I certainly have. The vast majority of the mechanics are now done. Last week it went to my friendly local bodyshop. All areas will be addressed which I will list in due course. A titbit for now is I'll be fitting 2 new front panels, a new tailgate and a load of body parts (e.g. new front grill) bought from MB.
I hope to get the car back in 2-3 weeks, looking suitably amazing, and then it will be back to the specialist for a coupe of smaller items (e.g. new battery, new steering wheel buttons). At that point I really hope I will be done for now...fingers crossed.
So more to come in due course. There will be some on here who think I'm crazy and some who know I am. But, for all the reasons above, I just couldn't let it go. I have not spent the money expecting a return. I have spent the vast sums to bring my Dad's beast back to life which I can then use as a practical luxury car myself. I only hope that at the pearly gates of heaven St Peter is a 210 lover and will look kindly upon my efforts to save this 210 from death and it gives a modicum of joy to those in the know when they see a good looking 210 going past them !
Regards to all,
Timelord
and a new battery (the current one isn't merc spec and is under voltage on STAR). I might need a refurb Audio 10 headunit as well but thats just a cosmetic issue so we shall see.
