ML write off rebuild

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Tom-B

Tom-B

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Although I’ve made some progress today, getting the other brake pipe fitted, system bled and one of the rear springs done... it decended into the most frustrating day of ML ownership to date.
Some muppet had done all the rear wheel bolts tighter than you could imagine and I had to use a lever bar plus a length of scaffold pipe to crack them off.
Was going well till the locking wheel nut key sheared internally, so now I’m stuck until Fri when a local garage can get a specialist tool on there... even then I’m skeptical due to the torque it’s been done up to.
Can’t begin to describe how frustrating it is, MOT was booked for the morning and the spring was the last job to do!
 

Blobcat

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Although I’ve made some progress today, getting the other brake pipe fitted, system bled and one of the rear springs done... it decended into the most frustrating day of ML ownership to date.
Some muppet had done all the rear wheel bolts tighter than you could imagine and I had to use a lever bar plus a length of scaffold pipe to crack them off.
Was going well till the locking wheel nut key sheared internally, so now I’m stuck until Fri when a local garage can get a specialist tool on there... even then I’m skeptical due to the torque it’s been done up to.
Can’t begin to describe how frustrating it is, MOT was booked for the morning and the spring was the last job to do!
I'd recommend binning the rest of the locking wheel bolts, you should have 4 normal bolts in the little plastic case the locking bolt key came in. It happens way too often unfortunately
 
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Tom-B

Tom-B

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I'd recommend binning the rest of the locking wheel bolts, you should have 4 normal bolts in the little plastic case the locking bolt key came in. It happens way too often unfortunately
Yep, I’m with you there! And fortunately I do have the 4 normal bolts.
Just need to find four plastic caps for them.
 

John Laidlaw

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Yep, I’m with you there! And fortunately I do have the 4 normal bolts.
Just need to find four plastic caps for them.
Dead cheap on Amazon- I’ve some spares pity you’re not closer !
 

quinnj3

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I know you’ve it already done but ensure your swirl flap actuator is permanently open. Mine siezed in the closed position meaning I had little power past 2k rpm and the engine wasn’t as smooth as it should be. I replaced the actuator and instantly the car was back to full power throughout the Rev range and so smooth.

Almost forgot, good job on the jeep. I salvaged a car once. My problem was I paid too much and was too particular in the repair. Ended up losing out. Enjoyed the repair process though.

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00slk

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The old sheared locking nut story, you have my symphony there!
Mine were so tight on the car it sheared off 2 new locking nuts, had a few garages trying their so call magic bag of tricks, all failed.
In the end the local engineer gas cut the locking bolt out, with minimal damage I might add.
Hoping your fix wont be as dramatic. :)
 
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Tom-B

Tom-B

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So a local garage were able to drill it out, costing me a couple of hours labour.. but it’s out, and that’s what matters most.
Was able to get the spring done this morning and even had enough time for a bit of engine maintenance.
Spring was broken at the top, so got my new spring comoressors on the go... magic bit of kit:
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Had enoughtime to crack on with some engine bits:
F532FCC0-F807-44F8-8E22-A1EBDA3C0428.jpeg
Clearly the notorious big red seal has been leaking.
Also know that the PCV assembly needed replacement as it was leaking oil onto the exhaust and smoking:
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Since the air box was off, I changed the filters. Glad I did, they were minging:
F06538E5-9C23-415D-8FA4-DB55BCFD4B03.jpeg

I still need to replace the fuel filter, so while I’m doing that I’ll gasket seal the big red rubber to stop it leaking, and fit the resistor to the swirl flap motor plug.
Maybe just a placebo effect, but she feels smoother now.
And the best news is she’s all road legal having passed MOT today!
 

daibevan

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W203 C200 Kompressor Elegance SE 2006 Tanzanite Blue with cream interior
Getting her through the MoT, now that is a milestone in a rebuild. Well done.:D:D:D:D
 
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Tom-B

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Got stuck into the fuel filter change on Sat, and refitted the big red seal but with some sealant this time.
Some bad news though, the plugs that I had to wait so long for seem to be the wrong type. It looks like my swirl flap motor has a four pin plug not a three pin.
I did a fair amount of research and all the pictures I found looked like three pin plugs so I’m a bit stumped.
Not a big deal, will just get the right one from the same supplier.
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Yes, that is a bit of plastic missing from the hose... it has gone brittle over time from the heat. It doesn’t seem to affect the seal though.
E9F49F9E-9C99-4CFB-8FCB-655707E256B9.jpeg

Treated her to a wash:
AD3E661F-9931-4549-830C-955727211C2D.jpeg 3C7B6DAE-3525-412A-A79D-77120DA9B8EC.jpeg 9F7B2C0C-DE87-4D0C-B4D0-8A78B2596286.jpeg C79D9BA2-3EBD-488C-94DC-A19D73E5CF77.jpeg
Can see that there’s some bad paint on the OSR door, which I’m going to have to get fixed as it annoys me.
Am going to try a restoration of the tailpipes in the coming weeks when i get a bit if time as they are fully coated in black carbon deposits and really let the rear end down.
You can barely see them in the shadow.
Also the condensation in the wing mirror lighting is something I want to take care of as it looks really unsightly.
 
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Tom-B

Tom-B

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Missed out on a silver bumper complete with frame.. there really are some weird sellers on ebay. My offer for £175 got rejected and this morning I get a mail to say it was sold for £150.... the search goes on..
 

vtaylor78

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I’ve really enjoyed this thread, and the ML looks amazing, you should be very proud of your achievements to date.
Have you kept a tally of total spend ? I was just wondering what it’s cost to get to this stage and what the vehicle is actually worth ?
 
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Tom-B

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thanks, I’ve still got a bit to do with the front bumper & skid pan and some other misc tidying up.. but she’s a pleasure to drive already.
Yes I’ve been keeping a tally, I’ve not been through in detail yet but think I’ve saved a fair bit on market value.
Plus I’ve got a car I know inside out, gremlins and all.
I’ll have to sit down and make sure all the cost have been captured.. I also need to get some ebay time in to offset the repairs costs by selling alm the random spares I’ve accumulated!
 

Capra

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thanks, I’ve still got a bit to do with the front bumper & skid pan and some other misc tidying up.. but she’s a pleasure to drive already.
Yes I’ve been keeping a tally, I’ve not been through in detail yet but think I’ve saved a fair bit on market value.
Plus I’ve got a car I know inside out, gremlins and all.
I’ll have to sit down and make sure all the cost have been captured.. I also need to get some ebay time in to offset the repairs costs by selling alm the random spares I’ve accumulated!
Really enjoyed this thread, thanks for taking the time and effort in keeping us up to date. Looks superb, and the wheels go with the paint work brilliantly.
 

quinnj3

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Got stuck into the fuel filter change on Sat, and refitted the big red seal but with some sealant this time.
Some bad news though, the plugs that I had to wait so long for seem to be the wrong type. It looks like my swirl flap motor has a four pin plug not a three pin.
I did a fair amount of research and all the pictures I found looked like three pin plugs so I’m a bit stumped.
Not a big deal, will just get the right one from the same supplier.
.

Yes this is a 4 pin plug although only 3 are used. I forget which pins to put the resistor across though.

See link to my thread on the issue:

C207 E350 CDI just stopped!
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...7-E350-CDI-just-stopped!.173660/&share_type=t




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Tom-B

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Thanks mate, that’ll save me some time hunting that thread again.
 

Conor

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This is a fantastic thread!

@Tom-B Apologies if already asked, but. What are the economics of this. i.e. Net cost of vehicle (OTR / After repairs) versus something readily available from the pre-owned market? I am guessing there is a significant difference considering the labour effort and DIY. I don't consider costs of your time, as it's a labour of love, right?
 

Capra

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This is a fantastic thread!

@Tom-B Apologies if already asked, but. What are the economics of this. i.e. Net cost of vehicle (OTR / After repairs) versus something readily available from the pre-owned market? I am guessing there is a significant difference considering the labour effort and DIY. I don't consider costs of your time, as it's a labour of love, right?
I was wondering the same. How much would a dealer quote for the work? that would be interesting.
 

kid-jensen

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You are likely in the age-range that has the front diff bearing problems, so when you change the diff oil, put a magnetic sump plug in.

I did this on mine and the bearing noise hasn't got any worse in 3 years, so I think I caught it in time.

Your ML looks great, even in silver ;)
 
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Tom-B

Tom-B

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Thanks for all of the advice gents.

So I managed to bag another piece of the puzzle, what appears to be a new old stock genuine MB item.
This is the first I’ve seen come up on ebay for a facelift, so quickly nabbed it.
Now I’m just patiently waiting on a good bumper, ideally that I don’t need to get painted.
C8A89462-28E0-4612-9782-83095AA16C38.jpeg

I’ve just had a bit of a debacle with getting new tyres sorted, thankfully it’s all sorted now.
Decided I wanted a set of Pirelli Scorpion Verde M+S as we fit them on the Range Rovers and they are good all round.
So ordered a set from tyresonthedrive as I found a 10% off code.. website gave me 265/45/20 and I pressed the button.
When the guy arrived he insisted that I sign a disclaimer as the tyres on the car were 275/45/20 not the 265s which consequently are factory fitment!
So that done they were fitted and I must admit I was disappointed by how the car looked, but the fitter had disappeared before I could check all was ok...
Took some pics and then noticed the tyres weren’t M+S rated after all.. a call to tyresonthedrive and after some checking of the website they agreed to change them.
Decided to push my luck and ask for 275s and they agreed as they are roughly £80 cheaper across 4x tyres...
265:
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275:
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So I should have read up on the forums before buying them originally.. but in the end I got a set of Scorpion Verdes All Season for the price of regular ones so it’s not too bad.
Customer service with tyres on the drive were brilliant and dealt with it with no hassle at all.

The 275s ride nicer than the 265s, and the general ride comfort and noise is better now that the old worn out Hankooks are gone.

Just need to get a full alignment done now as my local place couldn’t do the camber.
And next up is a new throttle pedal to fix my high idle and jerky deceleration issue
 


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