I want to take care of this car.

"Spanfeller is a twat" (theaspiringengineer) 05/16/2019 at 16:29 • Filed to: None

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Excuse my terrible parking.

As my grandparent’s condition deteriorates, chances are I’m gonna spend a lot more time in Spain for the following (hopefully) years. Maybe in the off time I could put this car in a better condition.

While it is probably the lowest mile R170 in the continent, it needs a serious alignment, new tires, and probably a touch up on the paint. Also, the rims need a fixing.

I don’t want to mod it, but it could use newer, better brake calipers and disks.

I don’t know why I like this car so much...I know contemporary BMWs are better, same is true of Miatas... but in a way I’m stuck with it. Which is ironically nice.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 16:31

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It’s got crisp styling that has aged very well.

Spanfeller is a twat > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 05/16/2019 at 16:34

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I also love how inexplicably small it is... I fit everywhere. Also the boot is cavernous when you have the roof on. But it’s very noisy on the highway, and it gets horrendous fuel economy in my experience (maybe I’m a bit lead footed)

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 16:37

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I love these. Hold onto it and upkeep it for your grandfather, i’ve seen your cigar lounge posts and i just think it’d be a good thing to do

Svend > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 16:46

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First thing get a good wash media like Gyeon Bathe or Gtechniq Gwash and a good wax or sealant for UV protection before that red paint starts to die in the sun.

Spanfeller is a twat > Svend 05/16/2019 at 16:48

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I mean, its 22 years old.... but a UV protector might be good considering it’s still  pretty rich

JeepJeremy > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 17:01

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That’s a gorgeous car! I’d love to have one! I don’t care if it’s a “hairdresser’s car” or “old woman’s car” (American stereotypes).  I’d drive the shit out of it!

Spanfeller is a twat > JeepJeremy 05/16/2019 at 17:03

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It’s pretty boring to drive.. but it is quick. I wonder if I could get the facelift’s version of the steering wheel because the pillow sized airbag cover on this one just doesn’t cut it.

syaieya > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 17:03

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Amg SLK brakes are bolt on, and at that point you give a mouse a cookie and get the matching amg rims with new tires.

These cars have aged really well other than some touch materials, compared to the SL peers they just dont break as much or get as finicky

Spanfeller is a twat > syaieya 05/16/2019 at 17:18

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Oh, I’d love me some AMG wheels! But yes the interior is pretty beat up, even at around 29k miles.
It’s the worst motor as far as reliability goes though... the supercharged 4cyl.

dogisbadob > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 17:18

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I like them too. Yeah I like these cars more than I should

for Michigan > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 17:20

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I was cruising next to one of those on my way through town last night. It's a good looking car. 

JMordu becoming “savethemilanos” > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 17:23

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I’m in a very similar boat, my dad’a Uncle is 92 and stopped driving the start of this year. He gave me his sweet 300CE he’s had since new to care for. E ven though it’s not my usual style at all I want to fix it up and take care of it. Think it’s the family connection more than the car itself 

JeepJeremy > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 17:26

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I’d be ok with boring.  If I had a little red drop top to cruise around in...things would be cool.  

Spanfeller is a twat > JeepJeremy 05/16/2019 at 17:27

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Yeah, and it is quite a head turner as a red convertible ... you can be happy about it or angry about it... I just have a lot of fun because my sister always gets angry at me for going drop-top in town, since people get to see her hair messed up by the wind.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 17:46

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That’s not saying a lot. The 111 is probably the best 4 cylinder Benz ever made. And the other engine option was a 112. You can’t beat a 112 for reliability. On the 111 it might need a head gasket at 200k, or a supercharger at some point. Not small, but that’s about it usually, if even that much. There are other things here and there, but not a ton of consistency, so really not worth mentioning .

Spanfeller is a twat > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 05/16/2019 at 17:49

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Fantastic news!

Also a question, where would you go to look for parts for a 22 year old merc ?

Spanfeller is a twat > JMordu becoming “savethemilanos” 05/16/2019 at 17:52

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loving the rims

syaieya > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 17:53

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It was actually the little turbo motors afterwards that got really finicky. The m111 supercharged was a solid iron block if a bit sluggish. Sure the big 6 cylinder versions would be ideal but the 4 pot gets the job done.

As far as the steering wheel is concerned you may be out of luck, that era swapped from early single wire airbags to later dual wire. Id look into sportline wheels to see if the different spoke design is less pillowy for you.

Its near identical to what you see on a 500E. Different clock spring though. 

Spanfeller is a twat > syaieya 05/16/2019 at 17:58

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So the facelift has a different airbag wiring system? huh... I wouldn’t have expected that.

I don’t what the sportline version looks like though.

JeepJeremy > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 18:20

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haha! nice work!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 18:24

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Dealers should have most everything. We still get these cars in. FCP Euro. Rock Auto. They’re not hard to find parts for.

Why do you think it needs calipers?

Spanfeller is a twat > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 05/16/2019 at 18:32

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I live in a very hilly area, and we go through the brakes very quickly, more than needing new calipers, I would want bigger diameter disks and calipers.
The logic being that then we’d be able to place bigger pads that would last longer.

The SLK32 brakes would do nicely.

JMordu becoming “savethemilanos” > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 18:49

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For sure! Without the all the original  L orinser parts I don’t think even the family connection could have got me to care about this car much, it is such a great looking car!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 18:57

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Gotcha. Was just wondering because our calipers almost never go bad. But there are some shops that sell them with every brake job, them put garbage aftermarket parts on that do end up failing a year or two later.

Spanfeller is a twat > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 05/16/2019 at 19:02

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That’s concerning...

Grandparents serviced the car at the dealer for its entire life, except for small stuff, that they send to the town (of 1000 people) mechanic... so we probably have the stock calipers .

Dude’s our neighbor, he has a Fiesta XR2, and a very, very old Land Rover.

syaieya > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 19:14

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So its a maybe thing. Check the amount of wires going into the airbag before you buy from the swap. Some models swapped sooner than others, i mainly work with E class cars.

This is the sportline wheel in its most basic form. 500Es had it as well as some other models.

Facelift r170s did have a similar wheel which also had different colors and amounts of wood

Just do your due diligence before dropping the coin to make sure its 1 for 1.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Spanfeller is a twat 05/16/2019 at 21:03

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From what I gather, these shops tend to do it because calipers go bad at a higher rate on other makes, and those tend to be what these shops work on. So they stick with what they know. I haven’t encountered anyone doing it out of greed for what that’s worth.