Hi! the tale of my first merc

[smokin]

- at the poorer end that is. I leave near a small town fix everything local garage - dont know of you have one like this but the sort of garage you can turn up at and get a can from the fridge and stay a while (usually laughing at other peoples wrecks!) - a down to earth sort of bloke who knows his stuff but aint got the paperwork to prove it - dont let this fool you into thinking hes no good infact he puts many local main dealerships to shame with his level of experience and skills (ive got the over inflated receipts from said local dealerships - not mercedes i add - to prove it) - occasionally he gets a non runner in and fettles em up for sale at a reasaonable price. this time i was the one buying

about 6 months ago i spotted this merc camper in the yard - had some front end damage which didnt look too serious - thought it was a job rahter than a project as they usually look worse than this. anyway cutting a long story short i had my heart set on it from day one - dont know what it is but ive always loved the look of the older merc vans and now i had an excuse to buy one as it was a camper = great way to persuade er indoors it was 'for us'

finally got hold of her in july with 125k miles on the clock - a tidy interior and the exterior looking better for a quick blow over - although i know im gonnna have to work on her in the next year or so in a few areas but nothing major.

well as my first merc - what do i think - - -it starts on the button in the morning, uses less diesel than my lighter jap 4x4 and despite the wrist breaking lack of power steering is a complete joy to drive - and (despite tha vaccuuum system - see my other post) looks easy enough to maintain most of it myself.

hoping im going to be the one to give it at least another 125k miles!! i think im hooked as im already looking for another van as my daily runabout!!

heres to mercs then!!


atb

chris

 

[television]

You have not told us what it is 406,508 or what.

Malcolm

 

[smokin]

oops - sorry its a 308d in van man white on a q plate due to its indeterminable age

atb

chris

 

[Sprint'n'Go]

Hi Smokin

Take a look at this thread for servicing tips in you haven't seen it already.

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=19922&highlight=devon+conversion#

 

[smokin]

thanks for that - got filters already but i would be keen to know what brand of engine oil is reccommended - i believe its a 10/40 grade and 6.5 litres for a change with the filter. i normally use millers oils. incidentally i would be interested in capacities and type for the gearbox as well

its 2293cc i think with a manual 5speed box with the first in the back of the van

know what you meant in the other post about the gear changes - 1st to second is 'ok' but coming from 3rd down can be a bit crunchy if you are rushing!!


atb

chris

 

[Sprint'n'Go]

thanks for that - got filters already but i would be keen to know what brand of engine oil is reccommended - i believe its a 10/40 grade and 6.5 litres for a change with the filter. i normally use millers oils. incidentally i would be interested in capacities and type for the gearbox as well
chris

I always used(and still do) genuine oil filters in the 307 as they were often cheaper from Merc than branded ones from the factors and you then can be confident of the quality and on week days you can wander in off the street at 3am and still get brake pads in 10 minutes over the counter(from most commercial Merc dealers)

I too am currently using Millers oils. They have a Trade/public sales counter at their base in Brighouse and if you are buying reasonable quantities, i.e a 25L drum (you would be amazed how soon that dissapears at a 4k service interval when doing 30-35kpa) there is a worth while saving to be made as you cut out the middleman.

At a service interval of probably 6k for your van I wouldn't go to the expense of a synthetic oil. A 10W40 diesel specific mineral oil will be more than adequate and here is the added benefit of buying direct from Millers, they have an excellant technical support team so if the guy on the counter is unable to answer your queries he will pop through to the next office and get an answer pronto.

 

[smokin]

cheers for that steve - as for millers they have a local rep just down the road - as he uses the stuff on a daily basis himself he very kindly refills old millers containers from his bulk barrels at trade(ish) prices - last time it was just a shade under £12 for 5 litres of xsd for my surf as opposed to £17.50 if i was to buy a new container of it (the surf needed 7 litres with a filter change)

interesting on the oe filters being well priced - ill bear that in mind but seeing as ive already bought fram ones this time ill give them a go. ive got a bid in on ebay for a stack of oe belts and filters as well so should keep me quiet fo a while.

(as an aside you shold have seen me and my mate having a tug of war with the air filter trying to get the outer case off - you live and learn )

hope this isnt too technical for this forum section


atb

chris