Paid £150.00 for G reg Mercedes 190

[john12]

Hello
I am posting this topic out of curiousty and general interest and that is I recently purchased a 190 on a G plate, it is a metallic blue and has a AMG body kit and lowered suspension with 195/50/15 alloys, also came with mot till march 04 and the price I paid is £150 as the previous owner was a builder and I have just spent the last 3 days totally stripping out the interior and cleaning it and it has come up not to bad except seat were so badly stained had to buy seat covers for it anyway any advice or tips on getting it back to prestine order would be appreciated and as for the car it is a superb drive glad i bought it

 

[mike65]

Hello
I am posting this topic out of curiousty and general interest and that is I recently purchased a 190 on a G plate, it is a metallic blue and has a AMG body kit and lowered suspension with 195/50/15 alloys, also came with mot till march 04 and the price I paid is £150 as the previous owner was a builder and I have just spent the last 3 days totally stripping out the interior and cleaning it and it has come up not to bad except seat were so badly stained had to buy seat covers for it anyway any advice or tips on getting it back to prestine order would be appreciated and as for the car it is a superb drive glad i bought it

*cough*! £150 and owned by a builder....I would'nt know where to start except to expect a few problems to show themselves in the next week or two!

 

[andy_k]

old adage.........

"there is nothing as expensive as a cheap Mercedes"

mAssuming you have no (or a very patchy service history) my first stop would be a full service at an independent Merc specialist and let them tell you what if anything wrong with the car.

Although it won't be cheap (it will certainly cost you more than you paid for the car) it will stand you in good stead.

1, you will know for sure that all the maintenance is up to date.

2, the mechanic can report on any faults that are likely to show themselves and suggest whther they are urgent or not.

if you don't (or can't) want to spend much money on the car I would suggest that you change all the fluids and filters, check the engine/transmission/differential for leaks. Check the brakes and suspension (pads, disks, pipes, shock absorbers, anti roll bars and bushes) replacing any worn or knackered parts. check the tyres for uneven wear etc.

I'm not too sure on the 190 tyres but i think they should be 195/65/15 - if you've got 50 profile tyres on then you are going to have a wildly innacurate speedo - reading the best part of 10% over and upsetting the steering geometry. There are others on here who can probably explain this one in far more detail (and no doubt correct me if i'm wrong)

£150 is cheap - let's hope it was a bargain

Andy

 

[john12]

Here is some pics of my £150 190E

Hello
Thanks for the welcome would be great if some fellow members would check out following website and look at the pics of my £150 merc and please be honest but also kind
cheers
John
http://www.jandpsystems.co.uk

 

[mike65]

Hi John

Sorry for dissing your Merc! I had visions of bags of cement slung across
the rear seat, and in the boot! I notice a ball hitch, you might want to check out the rear suspension and the drive train...

Your ash-tray is low on the right hand side (just like mine was when I bought my 190e curiously, check loose screw). The pix are rather small but the bodywork looks decent (get white indicators!).

Mike.

 

[andy_k]

I still think the wheel/tyre combination is wrong - it looks "under wheeled" maybe thats down to the fact that it's got the body kit and the stock (unlowered) suspension but I'd get it checked out.

someting looks wrong with the exhaust tail pipe or is that just the angle of the photo?

and finally that engine bay needs a good clean - for a 4 year old it looks rather "used"

still, it looks like you've done OK

Andy

 

[john12]

Hi Mike

Thanks for getting back as for dissing my new toy I know how you felt when I told you the price as I had to go back 3 times just to check the price anyway way as for tow bar it was only put on 3 weeks before i bought it so hopefully not to much strain on the drive train.
The suspension was lowered six months ago and last year had the brake discs replaced so at the moment only know how she handles inher present state anyway can you answer me this what does the AMG stand for on my body kit I assume that the body kit is put on after the merc was built anyway let me know what you think
Thanks
John

 

[andy_k]

http://www.mercedes-benz.com/amg/e/profil/geschichte_01.htm

there's the AMG history - click on "timeline" for a full explanation - AMG was formed by the initials of the founders of the company.


more on your tyre sizes for you

the stock tyres for your car should be 185/65/15 as opposed to the 195/50/15 you have fitted.

Those tyres are 45mm smaller in diameter than stock which means your speedo is reading about 7% over - ie at an indicated 60 mph you are doing about 55.

Most tyre manufacturers/retailers recommend you stay within about 2% of the original tyre size if you are switching to lower profile/wider/larger rims etc.

HTH

Andy

 

[altreed]

Congrats,

I had a 190e 2ltr and ran it for 5 happy years. I lost it in an accident, but have fond memories. The car was never a GTi, but it went well from about 50 upwards.

In my time the best improvement I made was a set of Eibach Springs. I got them professionally fitted and it transformed the car. I would promote doing that. It handled beautifully and the braking was much more confidence inspiring. In fact when my father and brother had a drive, they both switched from VW to Merc 8)

Give it a full valet, then you will see it's true condition and be able to enjoy it more

Enjoy

 

[Merc190]

You probably spent more on your website than you did the Merc!

 

[heckflosse]

It looks like you got a bargain.
Don't let the lack of S/H put you of too much, I've bought Mercs in the past with no history and they've been excellent. On the other hand my present E220 has full history and since Feb has had quite a few defects.
I would however recommend you get all the oil and gearbox fluids changed and check the metal on it for rust, quite a few body kits are fitted later on in life to cover rot!

 

[flagstaff]

just my opinion, but ... i'd say remove the bodykit: i've never seen one on a 190 that made a positive aesthetic difference.

 

[AdamPengelly]

Basic Advice

Hi there,

I have just pruchased an F reg 190 E Auto. It runs beautifully, although can take two times to start in the morning. The gentleman said it had a 'slow valve'. What the hell does that mean, and how can I get that fixed?!?

I'm also afraid to say that I love the AMG kit. I thing, if fittted carefully, it looks gorgeous. Does anyone have any Idea where I can get hold of this kit?

P.S.I'm enjoying this site, it's been very helpfull.

Kind regards

Adam

 

[mezza]

"slow valve" could mean non-return valve. It keeps fuel at pressure (at the pump end) for quick starts in the morning. I had a problem with "two-starts" similar to yours, I ran injector cleaner through the tank (x3) and the problem has resolved.

If that doesn't do it, I think you can replace the valve for £15 plus 1/2 labour

 

[AdamPengelly]

Cheers Mezza, that seemed to work.

I'm halfway through the tank at the moment, ad It's starting first time every time now. You're a life/money saver.

Take care dude.

 

[mezza]

I can't take the credit - I rang SPR Autos when my w124 started doing the same:

S.P.R Autos
Orchard Ho Waterside
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK11 7HG

 

[john12]

Hello All

Well here is an update did some investigating around front wheel arches and big chunks fell out so have replaced front wings both sides and got a colour match from autopaint international colour being nauikalbleu 929 and results are great almost perfect match on original colour will post new pics on website when i get dam camera to work will keep you informed and thanks for visiting my site and the posts
John