Autoshiteboy's German shenanigans

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Are they based on the E Class W210?

[AutoshiteBoy]

I think they are a parts bin special. Like the Vauxhall Cascada. But my Merc knowledge is pretty shite.

[paulplom]

He's had the wheels refurbed with new centre caps. I'll let him tell you the cost and details.

[Sheefag]

The wheels have been sent to a reputable* garage in Sheffield for a refurb and a pair of Avons.

Not Mary's place perchance?

[AutoshiteBoy]

Work done to this so far:
Starter
Battery
MOT
Brakes stripped, cleaned and rebuilt. New rear pads
Brake fluid flushed.
4 new tyres
4 refurbished wheels
4 new centre caps.
Central locking fixed*
Replaced 3 pointed star thing on the bonnet.

I was going to take this to work tomorrow, but its snowed. So I'm not. The service history is astonishing, including where the owner took Tescos to task over the quality of their fuel and presented them with a £1,500+ bill. Which they paid. The car was £35k, for which £30k was left as a (cash) deposit.

[Hooli]

Excellent work by them against tescos.

[AutoshiteBoy]

I've used this car ONCE for work. I've not even driven it to Lidl. Its now got a very low speed misfire when you go to pull away. SICK.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Mercedes.


It's what they do best.

[AutoshiteBoy]

What do you recommend as first port of call Reverend?

[bub2006]

I bought the A-klasse as I changed jobs and Enterprise Rent A Car (ERAC) are shite. So this car was to cover the times ERAC couldn't supply me.

I did 15,500 miles solely commuting between Bedford and Newcastle over 11 months when ERAC failed me. The A-klasse is a most curious of cars, the likes of which we'll never see again. It could only be a German design. The driving position is peculiar but not bad, very sit up and beg and you have a high sitting position. This model was a detuned 2.0 diesel with a CVT box. 86bhp from a turbo intercooled motor. Cold weather killed the fuel economy and I was being paid 23.8p per mile.

I had it serviced by an approved but independent Mercedes workshop which was very cheap considering it gave me European break down cover. Nothing went wrong in the time I had it. It did like a slurp of oil however. Thankfully, no DPF, just an oxidation catalyst.

Just after I left the job, where I'd parked it was petrol bombed. You may have seen that on TV..

The car had only done 33,000 miles when I bought it. My mate's mother had owned it since 14k miles. I suspect it was a Mercedes daily rental car before she bought it as the history folder came with its original advert. However, thanks to DVLA, it lost a keeper when she did a plate change prior to selling me it. So it was a 1 lady owner car.

I sorely missed a windscreen shade band driving this car, but did appreciate very powerful fogs. I left home at 03:30am and headed south, but wouldn't leave the south until gone 5pm or 8pm, so it just lived on the A14/M1/M18/M1. I got to know the staff at Costa Trowel Services very well in that time. TPMS gave me a good heads-up. Cruise control was used extensively.

In that mileage I did, the car consumed the following: oil & filter service. Front pads and discs. A battery. Thats it, although the front continental tyres were slick by the time I sold it to a colleague in the south. Mercedes gave me a new airbag and steering wheel controls for free under a recall, but the dealer treated me like the council house scum I am and couldn't have been less friendly or helpful. Cunts.

Bought £1,500 (inc battery as it failed when I went to collect) and sold for £1,800. 11,000 miles were covered between November and April, so I fairly lived in the little thing.

By 2009 standards that was rather a low power output from the 2.0 lump. I'm guessing it was an a140 or a160? I'd assume though that larger outputs were available.