What Have You Done To Your Merc Today?

[MalcQV]

Sanded down the centre air vent fascia, in preparation for a hydrographic treatment*.
I hate the fake rubber coating on plastic parts!

It only ever looked cool for about a month in 1997, and the second something touches it, it's ruined and tacky.
But try to remove it completely, arrgghhh ...

* This will complete the centre console carbon fibre makeover. Not going to do any more interior parts (like side vents, etc) - I think it works best as it is now - pic to follow, once the centre vents are done.

Why oh why do manufacturers insist on it?
Alfa, Porsche, Ferrari and it seems MB too, to name ones I'm aware of. There are companies making a business refinishing this crappy sticky rubber.
I work in IT and am a UNIX Admin. Sun Microsystems (now Oracle) peripheral devices had rubber feet. These were my first experience of melting rubber, they would stick to one another.
I have two sub speakers in my boot (not connected, for use in the house) of my fiancee's son's and they are stuck together with rubber melted feet.
The other day I got out my lens cleaning brush for my camera out and the rubberised handle has gone sticky!

My friend has a concourse Ferrari F355, it's the second one he has had but these are well known for sticky interior trim. That company making a business of it, they charge $1000's (US) to clean it. We found you can do it yourself with either turpentine, white spirit or oven cleaner (actually the best method I found) and repaint/Plasti-dip. Anyway he bought a new ashtray for one of the F355's straight from Maranello. Guess what? Still in the plastic bag and it was sticky.
So it was sealed from the outside air but probably on the shelf at Ferrari for a few years but had gone sticky.

It's crazy and manufacturers need to stop using it!

 

[ZZZZ]

I tried white spirit, but MB rubber coating was impervious ... had to sand it off.

I noticed, the later modifications of air vents for the W169 are not rubber-coated: I replaced both NS and OS vents with 2012 model parts. Now the centre vents will be in carbon, and that's the last rubberised piece, gone

 

[MalcQV]

I tried white spirit, but MB rubber coating was impervious ... had to sand it off.

I noticed, the later modifications of air vents for the W169 are not rubber-coated: I replaced both NS and OS vents with 2012 model parts. Now the centre vents will be in carbon, and that's the last rubberised piece, gone

I used Oven cleaner. Sounds harsh but it worked on two cars. The switches were covered with it and those I was concerned the oven cleaner a bit harsh and used either white spirit or turps (can't recall).
One car was the Alfa and I had little trouble doing it. The centre console was covered in the stuff so obviously it had to come out.
The other car was like my friend's, an F355. That is typically vents, centre console, switches on the console and interior door handles. Also the steering column and lastly the electric window switches too.
My vents were not too bad so I left them. The steering column I never got around too but I still have the odd pair of jeans with black oil like marks on that will not come out from that bloomin steering column.

 

[LostKiwi]

Gave the 129 a pat on the back for passing its MOT.
Also ordered a new IAT sensor to help make it run better....(fooled the ECU with a fixed value resistor for now )

 

[Craiglxviii]

Why oh why do manufacturers insist on it?
Alfa, Porsche, Ferrari and it seems MB too, to name ones I'm aware of. There are companies making a business refinishing this crappy sticky rubber.
I work in IT and am a UNIX Admin. Sun Microsystems (now Oracle) peripheral devices had rubber feet. These were my first experience of melting rubber, they would stick to one another.
I have two sub speakers in my boot (not connected, for use in the house) of my fiancee's son's and they are stuck together with rubber melted feet.
The other day I got out my lens cleaning brush for my camera out and the rubberised handle has gone sticky!

My friend has a concourse Ferrari F355, it's the second one he has had but these are well known for sticky interior trim. That company making a business of it, they charge $1000's (US) to clean it. We found you can do it yourself with either turpentine, white spirit or oven cleaner (actually the best method I found) and repaint/Plasti-dip. Anyway he bought a new ashtray for one of the F355's straight from Maranello. Guess what? Still in the plastic bag and it was sticky.
So it was sealed from the outside air but probably on the shelf at Ferrari for a few years but had gone sticky.

It's crazy and manufacturers need to stop using it!

They have.

There was a big (like, career-ending for all concerned) f***-up in automotive materials science research at a Tier 1 who shall ever remain nameless. They came out with a soft-feel surface finish for plastic parts that was supposed to remain uncracked and not shrink over the supposed lifetime of the car.

Only, they didn't bank on various VOCs leaching out of the soft-touch finish and leaving it as basically semi-liquid Copydex instead. Which is of course what happened.

Now, the materials science direction has moved towards a very fine graining on plastic parts and is currently trying to work out how to prevent them from going shiny with fingertip wear over time.

Whatever was wrong with chromed pressed tin? (Oh yes, cost and mass...)

 

[Andyn666]

I replaced my thermostat on my w211 E320 CDI today, its been running at around 60 degree's since I bought it and now it's running how it's supposed to.

If anyone is doing the same job my advice would be to get a oil filter wrench because the bottom bolt on the thermostat is almost impossible to get to without removing it. Would have probably saved me an hour if I had had one.

 

[Frosty149]

Sat in the dealers waiting area now, about to part with £360 to replace my spare key, it has to be coded to the car (original stolen from a different vehicle, up north).
Don't trust myself with only one key

Ouch!!!!

 

[John Laidlaw]

Put the HRW on for the first time this morning!

 

[00slk]

Put the HRW on for the first time this morning!

Hands cold were they John

 

[John Laidlaw]

Hands cold were they John

It's not an Alfa....

 

[00slk]

Ordered a replacement centre console for the 500. The old one has never locked due to some PO breaking it

 

[00slk]

It's not an Alfa....

Oh.....I asked for that then Had 4 Alfa's.........................

 

[John Laidlaw]

Oh.....I asked for that then Had 4 Alfa's.........................

Oops!
I was going to say Skoda, as per the old joke but...they're reliable!

 

[00slk]

Oops!
I was going to say Skoda, as per the old joke but...they're reliable!

Yes, you can always rely on a Skoda for a joke

 

[LostKiwi]

Put the HRW on for the first time this morning!

Funnily enough me too!

 

[00slk]

Funnily enough me too!

Actually, I've been putting my HRW on too, but it was 2am and a bit chilly last Sunday

 

[Lord_Lucan]

4 wheel hunter alignment on the lil 'un today.

 

[ZZZZ]

Played with the new HU, connected Bluetooth OBD dongle, changed startup logo to Mercedes star ...

 

[LostKiwi]

Bought the SL a new inlet air temperature sensor. The old one was trying to tell me it was -28 degrees as I stood next to it in a t-shirt....
MB genuine price - £14.20 (without any discounts).
eBay price for non-genuine - £23!
Motor Factor price - £18
MB Online price - £11.74 (plus £3 postage)

Just goes to show its always checking with the local dealer.

 

[silestanix]

Washed again and waxed her...will post up pics shortly in my project thread... http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/index.php?threads/new-c250td-to-me-owner.123879/page-7