I've migrated over from www.mx5roadsters.com. Just brought a 1988 190 as a runabout with character.
It generally runs nice, 120k miles probably correct, seems to have been serviced in the recent past (fresh brake fluid, new coolant, new battery, new Goodyears). I got it as a px from a Mercedes specialist. I'm more familiar with MX5s, so some I have a few questions about these baby Mercs:
1. Hot starting; while my 190 starts fine from cold, sometimes, from hot, its more hesitant. Is this a "feature", or is there a fix for it? There's also a small flat spot at the low end.
2. Handbrake is a little weak, despite the car having a new MOT. Are they easy enough to adjust. Weak handbrakes in MX5s, with rear disc brakes , usually prove to be a nightmare.
3. The driver's seat has a couple of broken springs in the base. Are replacements cheaply available, or is there a cheap fix. Are passenger/driver seats interchangeable? The seat height adjuster seems very stiff; again, is this how they all are?
4. I don't know if the timing chain has ever been changed. There is a fair bit of chain rattle from the engine, probably accentuated by the fact all the under bonnet insulation has gone. Even so, at idle, I can barely hear the engine. Timing chain replacement is probably beyond my capabilities; is this an expensive job to do, and do these chains ever break?
So far, the car has proved more spritely than I imagined, and after 16 years, it's still holding together well. It has a bit of corrosion on the sills; one of the rear jacking points has been plated up, and the other could do with some attention, but the rest of the car is rust free.
It generally runs nice, 120k miles probably correct, seems to have been serviced in the recent past (fresh brake fluid, new coolant, new battery, new Goodyears). I got it as a px from a Mercedes specialist. I'm more familiar with MX5s, so some I have a few questions about these baby Mercs:
1. Hot starting; while my 190 starts fine from cold, sometimes, from hot, its more hesitant. Is this a "feature", or is there a fix for it? There's also a small flat spot at the low end.
2. Handbrake is a little weak, despite the car having a new MOT. Are they easy enough to adjust. Weak handbrakes in MX5s, with rear disc brakes , usually prove to be a nightmare.
3. The driver's seat has a couple of broken springs in the base. Are replacements cheaply available, or is there a cheap fix. Are passenger/driver seats interchangeable? The seat height adjuster seems very stiff; again, is this how they all are?
4. I don't know if the timing chain has ever been changed. There is a fair bit of chain rattle from the engine, probably accentuated by the fact all the under bonnet insulation has gone. Even so, at idle, I can barely hear the engine. Timing chain replacement is probably beyond my capabilities; is this an expensive job to do, and do these chains ever break?
So far, the car has proved more spritely than I imagined, and after 16 years, it's still holding together well. It has a bit of corrosion on the sills; one of the rear jacking points has been plated up, and the other could do with some attention, but the rest of the car is rust free.
