New member, new to Merc

[RichardSEL]

Hello.... So there I was, twiddling my thumbs at Barons Summer Auction on Tuesday dissapointed with the '02MY Jaguar XJR8 (X308 chassis) that I'd travelled down to see and possibly buy. So was everyone else, so no one apart from a sky bidder bid.

There was this first reg '00 SL320 with the SLR body upgrades by Dreamworks in '05, a June '20 MOT, SS exhaust, Brembo rear calipers, Pioneer Avic head unit, 104k miles with a Auto LPG (Battersea) conversion. Looked alright, didn't start it. Several vanity numbers listed on the online search tool, taxed to Oct with a *** *SL VRM. Fabric to hood appeared OK, hard top present, low profile tyres, downside a missing V5C. But there was a history file and last service stamp (oil change only) was Jan this year. Not bad condition, no dents. Obviously had been owned by enthusiasts in its past so presumably had been ragged. So I bid, not expecting there to be no other bidders after mine.

Collected following day, drove back home A3 then Clapham traffic uneventful apart from temp gauge in the hot afternoon's usual south circular snarl ups climbing to 220º from a usual of 75º. Cured by keeping the revs up to 1,500 when stopped causing temp gauge to fall back to 80º-ish.

Later: found the driver's seat won't go back as far as the passenger seat goes back -- the forward/back button doesn't seem to do anything but the buttons' mechanism in the drivers' door card is loose and pushes inward away from its fixing.

Although the central locking works by operating console switch , key fob LED doesn't light -- changed the CR2032 batteries but no change, so that bit needs investigating too.

Be keen to get answers to the various newby questions I'll be posting in the forums. But apart from that, a horrible click-click when on full lock coming from the NSF, and the drivers' side seat belt warning mechanism jamming on (with belt unable to unroll from bolster), no major expected catastrophies

Any & all thoughts welcome from this kid with a new toy

 

[bembo449]

welcome on board , wealth of knowledge at your disposal pal , don't be shy , post up some pics of the car asap

 

[Blobcat]

Hello and welcome

 

[John Laidlaw]

Welcome, some challenges ahead there- not insurmountable

 

[RichardSEL]

Thanks for the quick replies. I assume it's now compulsory to wear a NY baseball cap with the peak over the rear of my neck?

Getting in and out's a bit difficult since I've become round since retirement, so need to sort the seat mechanism ASAP to get it fully back.

Here's pix from the auction:




I only raised my hand to cover a sneeze

Are those rims something special or standard to the SL320 back in the day?

 

[Blobcat]

Thanks for the quick replies. I assume it's now compulsory now to wear a NY baseball cap with the peak over the rear of my neck?

Getting in and out's a bit difficult since I've become round since retirement, so need to sort the seat mechanism ASAP to get it fully back.

Here's a pic from the auction -- dunno whether I can post pix direct or not

View attachment 51472
View attachment 51473
Are those rims something special or standard to the SL320 back in the day?

They look hideous and very much aftermarket
Plenty of exhausts as well

 

[John Laidlaw]

Good base....as above not sure I’m liking those wheels but then I’m a kind of original equipment guy sadly

 

[Blobcat]

Good base....as above not sure I’m liking those wheels but then I’m a kind of original equipment guy sadly

It's a 129 with bits of 230 body - it's unique

 

[A.J.]

Hi Richard, welcome to the forum

 

[carlls]

hi and welcome

 

[Srdl]

Hi Richard and welcome - looks like you’ve got yourself a project

 

[RichardSEL]

Thanks for the responses, at least I'm not alone. Just dunno about them thar rims, not being a Merc-head dunno what a 129 is. W129? The low profile tyres and K & N air filter all tell something about previous keepers. But it does shift! And with the LPG conversion fits with my newly-aquired Save the Planet outlook (my Range Rover's got LPG too)

I would'nt move from OEM on any of my previous three XJ8 -- I know how sight of something not OEM (or even in date of manufacture -- sad I know) just jars...

The driver's seat that suddenly decided to engage motor and move all the way back. So can now get in and out unaided.

Surprised there's no auto mirror park fold though

Driver's sSeat belt mechanism also decided to free the belt for no apparent reason, with the beeps off and the dash warning not flashing

Why does the book tell not to drive around with the anti-roll bar up when in softop up
or no top up?

There used to be key fob carcasses for sale for some VW marques. So you could change over the EEPROM IC assembly from a faulty fob to a new one (good as in battery contacts and buttons OK)
But dunno if those available for these style of fobs today?


I'm off to search the forum for more knowledge...

 

[bembo449]

you can get most key fob cases on fleebay these days pal

 

[Blobcat]

129 is the chassis - R129 to be correct (R for Roadster) (W is for Saloon and S for Estate)

R230 replaced R129 with a folding tin top in 2001 and your R129 looks to have R230 bodywork attached.

 

[RichardSEL]

you can get most key fob cases on fleebay these days pal

Thanks, didn't know what those eBait cases actually contain... Meantime gave the contents a squirt of decent oil-less Servisol and left overnight, prised those too delicate sprung tin contacts up a bit, re-fitted two new CR2032 (Duracell £5 a pair from Sainsburys but you try getting into the "child-proof" blister pack ) and voila! Remote working again

 

[RichardSEL]

129 is the chassis - R129 to be correct (R for Roadster) (W is for Saloon and S for Estate)
R230 replaced R129 with a folding tin top in 2001 and your R129 looks to have R230 bodywork attached.

Good stuff, when time allows will try to gen up on the marques' history. Might be a good idea to know something about what I'm driving.

The bodywork description is with German SLR conversion (Konradsreuth -- Dream Cars):
SL R129 GFK kit (two front wings, bonnet, two bumper, 1 "rear part" (?), boot lid, 2 "sillboars" AMG (?) If these are the ali sill tops thought those were meant to say "AMG" on them?
Lighting kit orig Merc: two fronts Xenon with control system, two fogs, two rears, upper rear brake light
Air intakes orig Merc: two bonnet, one bumper, two gills
Side mirrors (that don't have auto fold)
Grill, and
Cross Beam (what ever that is)

SS exhaust

Fitting

The invoice price shown is <drum roll> €18,374.40 in August '05
(I see VAT was only 16% in Germany then)

 

[RichardSEL]

The acid test is of course does the canvas roof mechanism work?
I bought with the hard top off and the roof up -- usual indicator of trying to show the condition of the soft top. As can be seen from the pix that was alright.

But didn't try lowering mechanism -- at auctions its not really practical. So since the hard top was a seperate item -- and was fitted when I went to collect the car the following day kinda assumed the mechanism should be alright. Oh dear...

I've removed the hard top successfully -- the latches all unlatched correctly. Described as aluminium it's weight really does neeed two to remove and carry.

But the soft top raise mechanism just gives flashing of the red light when pushed forward. The anti-roll bar doesn't move -- except when I use the console switch it then moves up and down but the motor stays running if switch is left in either up or down -- I have to move the switch manually to the centre/off position to switch off motor. Off side of the roof's recess cover is loose and unlocked (?), nearside is remaining locked solid. Handbook says this can be shifted by the use of a special spanner. (not found, no tool kit, no spare tyre, LPG doughnut tank in spare wheel
well) So would like also to know what to ask for at the spares dept?

(off to find relevant thread elsewhere)

 

[LostKiwi]

Hi and welcome.
This is an r129:


This is an r230:


Yours is an r129 with custom aftermarket panels to make it look like an r230.

About the only thing it shares with an R230 is the engine and gearbox and lights. Everything else is completely different.

The roll bar on both is designed to be in the down position and it will deploy in 0.3 seconds if the car detects a rollover condition. If you drive with anyone in the rear "seats" put the roll bar up. It could cause serious injury if it deploys (this is in the handbook).
It sounds like you have an interesting project there!

 

[RichardSEL]

Hi and welcome.
This is an r129:
This is an r230:
Yours is an r129 with custom aftermarket panels to make it look like an r230.

So, you would'nt describe it as a SL320 with the addition of the Dreamworks conversion then?

About the only thing it shares with an R230 is the engine and gearbox and lights. Everything else is completely different.

Hmmm. Interesting. It's a nice drive though -- especially for the silly small money I paid. Engine temperature seems to have stabilised going between 80º and 70º in this weather when stuck at idle in gear. Revs do drop off if I'm longer than (feels like 30 secs) with footbrake on in gear

The roll bar on both is designed to be in the down position and it will deploy in 0.3 seconds if the car detects a rollover condition. If you drive with anyone in the rear "seats" put the roll bar up. It could cause serious injury if it deploys (this is in the handbook).
It sounds like you have an interesting project there!

On the roll bar console switch operation: my switch is a three position UP, centre off, DOWN. Is that right? Situation is that if I put it to the UP position the motor starts, roll bar deploys, but I can hear the motor still running when roll bar reaches the end of its travel. Switch to centre switches off. DOWN is the same but with the roll bar in the down position. Again switch to centre switches off. Is that correct operation? Asking coz noticed with this year's design would've expected a sprung loaded switch with centre off -- in other words just a push UP or DOWN and the roll bar motor switches off at the end of its travel for itself

Yes, doesn't seem like there's too much to do to it.
Once I've sorted this 'ere roof operation
Thanks for any and all replies, much appreciated

 

[LostKiwi]

So, you would'nt describe it as a SL320 with the addition of the Dreamworks conversion then?



Hmmm. Interesting. It's a nice drive though -- especially for the silly small money I paid. Engine temperature seems to have stabilised going between 80º and 70º in this weather when stuck at idle in gear. Revs do drop off if I'm longer than (feels like 30 secs) with footbrake on in gear



On the roll bar console switch operation: my switch is a three position UP, centre off, DOWN. Is that right? Situation is that if I put it to the UP position the motor starts, roll bar deploys, but I can hear the motor still running when roll bar reaches the end of its travel. Switch to centre switches off. DOWN is the same but with the roll bar in the down position. Again switch to centre switches off. Is that correct operation? Asking coz noticed with this year's design would've expected a sprung loaded switch with centre off -- in other words just a push UP or DOWN and the roll bar motor switches off at the end of its travel for itself

Yes, doesn't seem like there's too much to do to it.
Once I've sorted this 'ere roof operation
Thanks for any and all replies, much appreciated

The DreamWorks conversion was a kit to make an R129 SL320 look like an R230 SL320 (at least with the roof down).
It sounds like your roof switch is faulty. Mines sprung to center. If held the motor will keep running.
Temps look a little on the low side. Normal should be 80-90. If it's 70 it's too low.