modern cars incl mercedes

ajlsl600

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clk3202001,sl6002003 with everything regrettably sold ,A class 170cdi auto. NG/TF1800 ML250
we have been watching and enjoying a car S.O.S series on a number of old classics they have rebuilt. whilst watching a lot of great WELL built classics my wife made the following statement which i thought i might share.
with older cars the assumption seems to be that the " BRAIN" was in the driver getting into the car and today the makers seem to have decided that the "BRAIN" has been put in by them ! as they seem to feel they know better . grand stuff too bentley 16 valve 4 cylinder heads DOHC stuff. they KNEW HOW TO DO IT then 50 yr ago ! ..impressive stuff
 
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M80

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2014 639 Viano- 651, 5sp Auto. 2009 S211- 646, 5sp Auto.
The more brain/s installed by the manufacturer the more dependant we become on the manufacturer come fault time.
Being cynical a designed % of failure is good for their revenues.

A simple example is new headlights, with intelligent dip / main, with automatic adjustent as you steer... and likely more than I care to know. Pop goes a lamp and you've no chance of popping in to Halfords for a new lamp. Go to the manufaturuere and the cost gets scary as they need to code in a flippin replacement that you've already emptied your walletto buy.
Now tell me they couldn't design this so a new lamp, of the same spec as the old, couldn't just be 'popped' in.
 
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noonboots

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R230 SL 500 2003 M113 5.0l
Unfortunately too many drivers have little or no brain when it comes to vehicles. They need all the help they can get.
 
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John Laidlaw

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Land Rover Discovery 4
C678F9CC-91E1-4724-B535-7DEB19AA7AA4.jpeg I’ve just come back from the classic car show here on the Wirral, some beautiful vehicles and loads with really simple mechanicals. Some of them look like a lot of work to maintain daily though.
I’m not a ‘real’ classic person to be honest but modern classics I do like, couple caught my eye- Lancia Delta Integrale HF- totally restored and pristine and this...
Pity about the lunar mileage
 

DSK

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CLS 320 CDI, S350 Bluetec
That's a nice day out! I really like cars of this era as they are pretty much built right before manufacturers started to get complex and cheap.

Maintained in good condition those modern classics can be used daily and I'd stick my neck out having driven/owned some of them that they drive better than most new cars I've driven. They can also be maintained between DIY'ers and mechanics to keep them going strong within reasonable costs.
 
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ajlsl600

ajlsl600

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clk3202001,sl6002003 with everything regrettably sold ,A class 170cdi auto. NG/TF1800 ML250
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yup. i have fairly uncompromising views on modern tech. i think its an age issue , with a smattering of what i call common sense , something i really feel a lot of todays makers are somewhat detached from .at least as far as the second owners are concerned. took me most of day to move seats carpets, side covers ect to install dedicated tow bar harness,(can bus shxte ) NUTS used to be a 4 hr job ,bar ,electrics .finished. straight to the back lights .simples. this should be plug/play .finished
 
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LostKiwi

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Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Spent the day today swapping front wings and bumper on the 210 for new (second hand) ones.
It was interesting to see the quality of engineering and thought that had gone into the design. Just 6 bolts hold the bumper. Two bolts cleverly clamp a sliding lock mechanism (securing the the front edge of the wing) and secure the rear edge of the bumper.
There are two sliding wedges to adjust the fore and aft position of the bumper.
Very simple, very clever, very easy to work with (if only it wasn't all rusted solid!).
 

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