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Some "overlooked" mods...

3K views 20 replies 13 participants last post by  cascade 
#1 ·
My fellow Benzworlders,
I have 2 basic Questions::confused::confused:

1. Are the fender turn signal lights on Euro spec 126s fitted by cutting a hole in our plain US spec fenders, or are they just 3M'd on. Would it be smarter to simply buy Euro fenders???

2. I think one of the coolest 126s features is the little "red dot" placed ontop of the door panels on the gen 2 cars.
Do both front and rear door panels have the red bubble, or is it just the front ones.
Also, do the red bubbles light up, or XYZ??? What do they do, and do you have to buy door panels with them already installed, or are they easy to add on to plain, bubbless door panels.

Thanks alot for the responses!
Der Bomber (David)
 
#3 ·
Sorry if I wasn't clear enough when saying the "red bubble" (I COINED A W126 TERM/SLANG:D)

W126:
Red Bubble: slang/ the round and small red tinted bubble placed on top of the 126 GEN 2 door panels. They are located close to the door lock knobs, and are about the size of the w126 valve stem caps/maybe smaller

hope this helps:eek:
 
#5 ·
Fingers crossed:eek:
 
#8 ·
Hmm no red bubbles on mine. Is it some alarm LED or something?

As for those side indicator lights, a rectangular hole is cut, and the lights clip in. The wires for them connect to the front corner lights.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Both those statements are correct.

And the red led alarm lights were popular aftermarket accessories included in high tech car alarms in mid to late 1980 - 90 aftermarket alarm installations. I have used them in fact myself once or twice back then..

First one I saw was in 1985 that was installed in the lapis blue 1984 500SEC AMG that my boss (a Judge) let me drive to Denver so he could have his new car with him for winter skiiing in Aspen. They had Nakamichi stereo units mostly, in the cars by AMG dealers back in those days. (Nakamichi were considered the "hottest" stereos back then....)

They blinked in 5 second intervals - when the car alarm on your fob was "ARMED", the alarm was ON and the car was parked..

They glowed solid red when the alarm was UNARMED - when parked or when you were driving.

They first became popular with Derringer "VSE" ("Vehicle Security") systems, the choice of deep pocket millionaires, in the early 1980's and 1990's, and were high tech at the time, though then, as now, the installs were botched by "Monkeys at midnight", (the car alarm and stereo installers), that ruined the vacuum systems and other things on the cars they tapped into.
 
#11 ·
The red bubbles are Alarm LED's. They are very common here in LA.

Yes, I had to drill and cut holes in my fenders when I installed my side repeaters and yes, they plugged right into my front corners.
 
#12 ·
Well thanks everyone for the responses! The led red bubbles are pretty rare, and if found, would fare a hefty price imo.

Also, the fender repeaters are SUPER "Eurotuner":D:D They really add that "uniqueness" to YOUR 126 chasis

Der Bomber
 
#17 · (Edited)
If you want LED's in you door cards, that's really easy to do. (Well for me it is anyways). Just pop off your door cards and drill a hole and run a wire through the wire pass thru and you are golden.

But then again with the advent of super bright LED's now, you only need one on the dash to achieve the same effect. I mounted mine on my uber rare phone console. I drilled a hole on the top and it displays quite nicely, and it was only two feet from the device.

I can remember the first time I saw and drove my first SEC...
 
#13 ·
Any pictures of these bubbles?
 
#14 ·
I'm 99% positive that the red LED things are associated with aftermarket alarms that were installed. Maybe they were once a dealer option, but I have seen over a thousand w126s in the LA area junkyards, and maybe 10% of them have the little LED alarm indicators on the door panels. Many others had a little LED placed in the headlight switch bezel, or the coin tray below the ash tray, or even in the wood consoles themselves. If you want this look, you can probably DIY for a few dollars in wire and two LEDs at Radio Shack.

The fender blinkers on the other hand are very cool, and I can't wait to install the ones I got from Ian!!
 
#16 · (Edited)
WOW, I am really starting to like these "red bubbles"

THIS IS A ATTEMPT AT HUMOR. BRACE FOR IMPACT AND PUT YOUR AMG CATALOG DOWN:

20 YEARS IN THE FUTURE AT STARFEST:
(126 Owner): So whenever your ready, I'll start her up
(judge): Ok, but wait a second. Is that a ladybug on your doorpanel:confused:
(126 owner): Excuse me:(
(judge): The red dot on your door panel, what is it:mad::mad:
(126 owner): Ohhh, noooo. Thats the "RED BUBBLE":Smoker:
(judge): YEAH you 126 owners think your all so damn special...
 
#19 ·
The funny thing is...the side repeater was standard on pre facelift W210s. But, post facelift the repeater moved to the door mirrors and everyone preferred the cleaner look of the fenders without the repeaters.

I think it's a case of the grass appearing a little greener on the other side of the fence.

On this side of the Atlantic we do not have marker lights on each side of the front bumper...so some guys fit them to be more US like. On your side of the Atlantic, some guys remove them to be more Euro like.

I suppose there's no right or wrong...just curious.
 
#20 ·
I think it's a case of the grass appearing a little greener on the other side of the fence.


I suppose there's no right or wrong...just curious.

I think you are right on that. I hate the look of those side marker lights, stuck right in the middle of the fender. It just screams of some ignorant government safety commitee.

But that's just me.
 
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