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An introduction to my 1996 S280 and I!

2K views 17 replies 8 participants last post by  linda1 
#1 ·
Hello folks!
So; have taken a plunge into the unknown, and snapped up a rather lovely old S280.
It has had one previous owner, and covered 67,000 Miles. The plan is to use it as a gunbus for my University Sport Team, and for general M6 cruising duty.

The idea is that it should also take some of the strain out of daily driver point duty from my original Mini, also allowing me to work on one car at a time without being stuck for transport! Great man maths, I know.

Side by side it is hard to believe that both of these cars were built in 1996-7, with the Benz feeling rather 80s in all its blocky glory, and the Mini obviously more at home in 60s nostalgia-land.

Drove it down to Cheshire from Newcastle on the afternoon of purchase; what an indulgently comfortable way to travel. Note to all modern manufacturers: cushy seats, tyres with a proper sidewall and properly set up springs and dampers are the way forwards... it doesn't matter how clever your adaptive springs are, the old ways will always win the day if ride comfort is the end goal... have spent too much time in 22in-shod W221s/F01s etc and they could all still learn from this!

The barge is also wonderfully matronly in the way it carved through Manchester ring road rushour traffic... few cars make people move over more than a W140, as the harsh lines ensure that it looks brutalist enough to crush a modern composite bumper without so much as a in the paint (whether it can or not is another matter!) If the old American Embassy on Grosvenor Square had a tax disc this would be it.

There were (as ever) one or two annoying niggles when I picked up the car, but all were happily very simple to fix. Central Locking failure was simply a matter of a fuse and a new battery for the remote; and a missing radio code was traced thanks to the lovely people at Mercedes Benz of Newcastle, who had sold and serviced the car from new. I'm uncertain at the moment if the soft-closing door system has failed, or if it was ever installed at all, as this is a fairly standard spec S280. No doubt I'll find out when I have some more time to strip the boot down... but other than this it all works a treat. Oh, apart from the dashboard bulbs, a squeaking brake caliper and an incontinent fuel pump.
I can see where this is going!:laugh

More updates to follow, but first some pictures. All told, not bad for a fraction purchase cost of my last laptop...

Cheers,

Alex :beerchugr:





 
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#2 ·
Excellent car and congrats. My first MB was a '96 S280 and I've dismantled another.

I recall the drive home was just as you described. The thing carved through Sydney peak hour traffic while my heart rate was the slowest it'd been for a long time behind the wheel.
 
#10 ·
Hey AJMCampbell,

Sorry but just to clarify- your central locking failed due to a blown fuse? I recently had this problem occur and I am wondering if the answer is that simple... Sure would be great if it is. Which fuse did you replace?

Thanks!
 
#12 ·
Thank you :)

Unfortunately not the case for me though:crying
 
#13 ·
Oh no! So you tried it and it failed? :frown
Looked into the further work that could be done when battling with mine so some more tips:
Does the pump (located under the rear passenger side seat in your case) make any noise at all when you reset the fuse?
If so your problem may be leaks, which can take some time to diagnose as you have to check the air line behind each door... pipes can also come loose on the pump itself, which is the first place to check as it is easily accessible (the squab it sits beneath comes off easily- couple of catches each side of the bench). Try pulling the fuse even if it hasn't blown for 20 secs to reset. There are a couple of central locking fuses IIRC so try them both.

Failing this, a new pump is quite a cheap buy on ebay.

Happy Hunting :smile
 
#14 ·
Quick update: car has been pretty faultless thus far, and a great companion for this summer, 2k miles passed with nothing too much to report!

Work done so far:
Fuel leak repaired: was just a poorly located hose on the filter so cost £0!
Window Regulator repaired passenger rear side cost £22.99.
Fuel costs... we don't mention :crybaby2::surrender:

Car has come back with me to Edinburgh now, will be interesting to see how it deals with city living!

Pics at the jump. https://twitter.com/AJMCampbell/status/642397822629871616
 

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