Hello all;
I'm a recent convert to Mercedes- having a longer commute, I need something more reliable than my Citroen CX or Lancia Gamma (I know, shouldn't be too hard
. Thus, I became the proud owner of a W126, three litre; my first Benz- and wow; its great to have a car that all of the gizmos work- and no rust; none! Anyway, it has a full service history, services every 4000 miles, with specialist services from 85K. It currently has 144K on it, and has had the cooling system overhauled, the suspension bushings, the engine mounts, as well as the usual servicing things. However, although the head gasket was replaced at 120K due to an oil leak, it has not had the timing chain done yet. The engine is amazingly quiet though; quieter under the bonnet than either of my other cars are inside the car. Does the timing chain need to be changed urgently because of the mileage? And is there anything else that I should be looking to have done? I have always gone a bit overboard with maintenence (as you have to with Citroens and Lancias), and want to ensure the reliability this car was designed with.
The only other thing that I am wondering about is the gearbox- it shifts smoothly without clunks, but seems to hold gears for a while if accelerating gently. Perhaps its because I drive manuals, and am not used to it choosing when to shift. Is this normal? I have it on E, and it seems to shift more responsively if set on S. Also, the service history has mentioned gearbox weeping for the past 30K miles. Is this an issue if I check fluid level, or is it something I should have serviced soon? After the Lancia, I've become used to oil leaks on the floor, and generally don't mind if its not going to do damage to the car.
Thanks for any help, and I can't believe I waited so long to move up to the best car ever made. (although being 30, I guess its the first time the insurance companies have let me do so) Also, if anyone knows of a good specialist in the Rye/ Hastings area where I will be moving, it would be much appreciated.
Cheers,
Brian
I'm a recent convert to Mercedes- having a longer commute, I need something more reliable than my Citroen CX or Lancia Gamma (I know, shouldn't be too hard
. Thus, I became the proud owner of a W126, three litre; my first Benz- and wow; its great to have a car that all of the gizmos work- and no rust; none! Anyway, it has a full service history, services every 4000 miles, with specialist services from 85K. It currently has 144K on it, and has had the cooling system overhauled, the suspension bushings, the engine mounts, as well as the usual servicing things. However, although the head gasket was replaced at 120K due to an oil leak, it has not had the timing chain done yet. The engine is amazingly quiet though; quieter under the bonnet than either of my other cars are inside the car. Does the timing chain need to be changed urgently because of the mileage? And is there anything else that I should be looking to have done? I have always gone a bit overboard with maintenence (as you have to with Citroens and Lancias), and want to ensure the reliability this car was designed with. The only other thing that I am wondering about is the gearbox- it shifts smoothly without clunks, but seems to hold gears for a while if accelerating gently. Perhaps its because I drive manuals, and am not used to it choosing when to shift. Is this normal? I have it on E, and it seems to shift more responsively if set on S. Also, the service history has mentioned gearbox weeping for the past 30K miles. Is this an issue if I check fluid level, or is it something I should have serviced soon? After the Lancia, I've become used to oil leaks on the floor, and generally don't mind if its not going to do damage to the car.
Thanks for any help, and I can't believe I waited so long to move up to the best car ever made. (although being 30, I guess its the first time the insurance companies have let me do so) Also, if anyone knows of a good specialist in the Rye/ Hastings area where I will be moving, it would be much appreciated.
Cheers,
Brian
