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-   -   Mercedes W124 E220 - The Deutsch Tank comes home (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/155005-mercedes-w124-e220-deutsch-tank-comes-home.html)

Prologue

Circa early 2012;while driving down to Amritsar,spotted a pristine black W123 240D.This is when dad expressed his love for the old mercs,and the desire to own one.Discussed with him that finding a W123 in a good condition is really difficult and a newer W124 makes more sense.Time flew by,my younger bro relocated to Canada,and we added two more vehicles to our garage,so the plans to acquire an old Mercedes Benz were buried in oblivion.

Summer 2014

On a lazy Sunday afternoon,i was given a cellphone number by my dad,and a request to follow up on an advert in the newspaper classifieds,it was for a 1996 W124 E220.Followed up,and thanks to whats app i had the vehicles images with me in 10 mins.It was a single owner car, with less than 80K on odo in showroom condition;the asking price was a turn off though.Went to check out the car after a few days and loved it;though the owner was willing to negotiate a bit,it was still over priced and out of our budget.Came back home and the heart over head discussions continued with opposition from the rest of the family since we didn't really need another car.

So after a lot of discussions the plans to purchase a W124 were postponed indefinitely.Come next Sunday,and the advert for the same car was there again.So it tickled the senses again,and we decided to make an offer;as luck would have had it,we got to know that the car was sold 30 minutes ago;now this was a big turn off,and with a heavy heart had to put the phone down.

Meanwhile a friend and a fellow bhpian had been talking of selling his W124;called him up and within 2 hours he traveled 60kms to show me the car.Somehow the deal didn't get through.

Few days later i recalled having seen an advert for a Azurite Blue 124 on tbhp classifieds;called the number and pulled in more details.Date was fixed;and we drove out to check the car which was 175Kms away from us;thankfully the drive was worth it.It was a Single owner,non accidental rust free car with complete service history for 18 years at authorized Mercedes Benz Aftersales.In fact each and every service was documented with Brand and Grade of oil used.I was pretty surprised since the car came with User manual,Service book and spare keys.A testimony to the fact that the car was taken care of,all its life.Token money was paid,and we agreed to pick the car as soon as the pending paper was done.

Ten days later;took a train to NCR and brought her home.Was a bit skeptical of the 250kms journey on a 18 year old car that was new to me;thankfully everything went well,and we were home safe and sound.

A Litte About the Car

1)Color-Azurite Blue with Blue leather interiors
2)Year of Production-May 1996
3)No of Owners-Single Owner.
4)16 inch tyres with Rims off a SLK 200.

Things that needed attention in the car.

1)Speedo/Odo stopped working while we were driving her back home.
2)Throttle was pretty hard.
3)Oil Pressure gauge was not working.
4)Idling was higher than normal.
5)Car was parked for some time by the first owner as he had got a S500;paint on roof had faded out at a few places.
6)18 year old leather on seats needs attention.

Initial Driving Experience

The car feels heavy from the moment you open the door,and it shuts with an assuring thud, which cant be explained in words;just for comparison,my Linea's door now feels light and flimsy.The Clutch,Steering;everything is Hydraulic and has that mechanical feel to it.Even the central locking and rear headrests operate on vacuum.Start her up and she settles into a muted idle;yes the engine is not as silent as the newer mercs,but its never intrusive,and the interiors are totally vibe free.

Engine and Performance

Shift into first,release the clutch and 150 horses gallop in no time;even after 18 years she is peppy,but then she was not meant to win drag races.Being a special car,i dont like pushing her around;upshift at 2200-2500RPM and she reaches 3 digit speeds pretty quickly.3rd gear is pretty tall,and very good for pottering around in the city.

Ride and Handling

The ride quality is amazing and plush;she just glides over undulations and small potholes;need to take on those stupid ill designed neck(speed) breakers,else she has the tendency to scrape the mud flaps,that sit barely an inch an a half above the ground.She handles as if on rails,thanks to 215 section rubber,however she is not happy with all that weight around the corners.Being a RWD,i am taking it easy.Out on the highway is where she shines.Cruises beautifully without a whimper.Just to test pushed her on the highway,and she still feels young to cruise at high speeds.

Fuel Efficiency

Haven't really kept a tab on it,but i feel that she is returning around 6-7kmpl in the city and around 11-12 on the highway.
Guzzler for sure;but not a daily drive,so doesn't really matter.Just got her tanked up and serviced,will report new figures soon.

Just been a month with the car and have only managed to add about 600kms on its odo,out of which 250kms were done on day of purchase.Not able to drive her around much,as still awaiting the RC after the transfer.Will take her out on a long drive as soon as i receive the papers.

More details as i log more kms on its odometer.

Work in progress Details

Though a fairy small town,we have a specialist for old mercs and imported cars with over 40 years of experience;
works on the cars himself,and drives around in a Audi Q3;Impressive isnt it.Got the parts like engine mounts;belts and tensioners replaced from his workshop.Basic service was done;however he recommended to not take out injectors in such an old car;so i got a bottle of Abro Fuel injector cleaner,measured the exact amount and added to the fuel tank.

Now coming to the paint job,we have an old trust worthy painter who has been working on our cars for the past 30 years.
Requested him to match the color to perfection;and not to mention he did a very good job,in fact i had told him to keep the shine a bit subtle,so that it does not stand out as a new paint job on the car.Also i was pretty surprised when he told me that he had the shade card for Mercedes Benz with the exact color code to match the paint.


Work done on the car till date.

1)Speedo Cable replaced
2)Oil Pressure switch replaced.
3)Throttle cable replaced.
4)Engine Mounts replaced
5)Belt replaced.
6)Belt tensioner replaced.
7)Belt adjuster bearing replaced.
8)Fresh Engine oil-Mobil 1 0W40
9)Fresh Coolant-Delphi.
10)Throttle Body/MAF sensor Cleaned.
11)New Bosch Spark Plugs.
12)Roof Repainted.
13)All fuses replaced with new one's.
14)Replaced OVP relay.
15)New Air/oil and fuel filter.

Work left.

Leather seats need attention;want to retain the original leather,so getting a Leather restoration kit for her.
Also,this car has turned me into a DIY grease monkey,though an enthusiast,i never really liked to get my hands dirty.
Somehow with the 124, i have started off with small jobs,like cleaning throttle body;replacing OVP relay/fuses and all;not to mention i have enjoyed every moment of it.

Next up was a good wash followed by engine detailing.
Water pressure wash would have been disastrous for the engine,so got it steam washed.Got the seats cleaned and applied leather conditioner to soften them a bit.Condition improved a bit but they still need to be restored.

If you look closely at the engine bay;the cover for ignition wires is missing,and the cracked fan shroud is missing;have ordered the parts,will probably receive them within a month.


PS:That bottle of eno and syringe was to measure the injector cleaning fluid :)

Congratulations Akshay. The car looks in absolute pristine condition. Is the first owner of this car a Suregon? I think I have seen this car in Delhi.

Thanks Mohit:)
Nope the car didn't belong to a Surgeon.

Now that is an amazing amazing car you got there. A true blue (indeed) classic. Didn't like the alloys as much since I think the stock alloys and even the hubcaps for that matter, always looked classy on the car. Oh and that exhaust which seems to be jutting out to the left, is that an after market one? I thought they had them curving down a bit or so, don't recall. Other than that, it's an incredible vehicle that i would love to own.

Congratulations Akshay!! The car looks fantastic, your collection of cars is an enthusiasts delight. :)

I love the stock alloys as well;but these dont really look that bad in person;and give the car a good stance,which is slightly awkard with the stock wheel set up,since the indian 124's had a raised suspension.

That's Just a exhaust tip;added by the previous owner;stands out in the pic,as the stock chrome cladding all round the car isn't visible.Not a fan of it;but dont hate it either.

Pretty impressive, I must say.
What was the paint job ? Was the original paint all stripped and new paint sprayed ? or is it only re-coat ? Please elaborate the steps during paint process.

Yes,the old paint rubbed;not completely to expose the metal though.
Followed by a layer of primer;and then paint.

Congrats Akshay! the car looks great. Even though the car feels heavy, it just so easy to manoeuvre in traffic. I absolutely love mine, but don't think will be able to use mine for much longer. Are those bilstein's replacements for stock ? also what is that drivers manual? some kind of guide book for drivers?

Thank you :)
I have been trying to dig some info about bilstein's,but unable to do so.
That driver's manual is an Indian product;to be honest,i haven't even opened it once to check the contents.

Fantastic acquisition and that too single owner and less than a lac on the odo, sure you deserved it looking back at the missed deals. Some more pictures will do us more good. Been searching and reading about mercs for quite some time since a friend of mine is on the hunt for one. All the very best.

Congrats Akshay4587 on the W124. :thumbs up
The W124 and the W140 remain the best modern mercs till date.
Enjoy the car and please do update the thread, should be of a lot of help for people like who wish to own one in the near future. :D

Asit

Thanks:)
But its not less than a lakh on the odo,in fact much more than that.
Doesn't really matter,since i have complete service history;Much better than a lesser run car with no history.