Is there anyone like me???

5916 Views 68 Replies 27 Participants Last post by rcozza, Jul 24, 2006

Guest (MBNZ)

Discussion Starter · Aug 3, 2002

Iam 24 year old single guy who just graduated and bought a 96 s320. The car is beautiful, but iam really getting sick of people saying stuff like 'iam too young for a car like this' or 'ure wasting ure money' or 'is this ure dad's car?' Is there anyone like me who drives a machine like this?

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W140Gill

· #23 · Jan 24, 2003

Me too

I was 23 years old and at university when I got my W140. It was two years old at the time and I got a lot of flack from others my age telling me I should have brought a BMW. I'm proud to drive and own an S Class and anyone who's been for a ride in one with me has complimented it. I've fitted an Alpine IVA 7" widescreen to the dash, complete with TV, Minidisc, CD, MP3 player, and Playstation 2 (which also doubles up as a DVD player) I can add the GPS navigation module to it for a further Â£1000, but to be honest I havent got a need for it, so I havent got navigation....yet

Five years on and I still own the beast. Its a beautiful car and I've had very little trouble with it.

The bottom line is that people who make demeaning comments are just jealous

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W140Gill

· #25 · Jan 24, 2003

I have a UK model 1994 facelift(done by myself) LWB S320 with clear corners all round. I g...

I have a UK model 1994 facelift(done by myself) LWB S320 with clear corners all round. I got a S600 grille to keep it looking modern and a burl wood gear selector to replace the awful one that looked like a walking stick.

I'll post pictures as soon as I get round to taking some when the weather improves along with details of the screen installion.

In the UK we are very lucky to have loads of after market suppliers of accessories and OEM parts which work out cheaper than Fords and GMs.

My next project will be to fit remote start which I want to wire to open the mirrors on ignition - this I'll do when I get the friggin' central locking problem sorted out which has plagued me for the last week.

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W140Gill

· #27 · Jan 24, 2003

Re:

LOL - do you have the electric sun blind option. OEM cost $Â£$Â£$ but electric aftermarket german ones with switch cost around Â£50 here.

New style aftermarket mirror covers with side repeaters are now available for the W140

By the way my W140 looks almost exactly the same as yours - same colour (blue black metallic and two-tone lower panel). The two-tone paint work (which mercedes sadly abandoned) adds grandure making the car look less Lexus wannabe and increases the overall presence of the car.

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W140Gill

· #29 · Jan 25, 2003

sunblind

okay, I will do my enquiries, there are 3 sizes available, 50cm, 60cm and 70 cm. The aftermarket ones are not the exact shape of the rear window. I'll see if I can find a picture of it. You should note that the switch supplied is a two way rocker switch and not an OEM mercedes.

If you want a neat installation and want the switch to look consistant with the rest of the interior, you can buy the original sunblind rocker switch from mercedes for around Â£10.

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W140Gill

· #30 · Jan 25, 2003

update

sorry, I got the sizes wrong. There are two sizes, 100cm and 110cm. The shape is rectangular and it comes in grey.

110cm is perfect for the W140. I'll post a picture as soon as I've scanned my catalogue.

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W140Gill

· #32 · Jan 25, 2003

facelift

Yes, all side panels, front and rear bumper covers, rear light cluster (clear corners) and boot lid modifications so that the new lamps fit.

The panels and bumper can be purchased ready painted so there's very little work to do

The '97+ models also had the same 16" 8 hole wheels that mine had anyway.

As for the other post 97 visual changes, Benz changed the rear cluster to include clear indicators and they introduced IR keys so the handles had the keyhole plugged up. They did away with the parking aide whiskers and replaced them with parking radar (standard on all LWB models). There was also a minor design change on the side mirrors and the folding mechanism folded the mirror enclosure downward to aide with water draining.
The interior remained largly the same. The interior door handle shape changed, gear shift lever and steering wheel was now in wood/leather and the front air vent louvres went digital /the climate control unit was changed.

As for Merc doing away with two tone in 97, you just need to look at the current Mercedes Maybach to know that two tone should have stayed

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W140Gill

· #35 · Jan 26, 2003

I dont doubt you

I dont doubt your knowledge, In the UK the 8 hole alloys continued right up until the death of the W140

I have never seen any W140 with the indicators in the picture you attached ( clear corners with amber side piece) On this side of the pond the W140 came with solid amber corners up until September 1994 when they had fully clear front indicators. Also I notice from your picture that the US spec cars didnt have the indicator side markers fitted to the front wing.

It's likely that US and UK spec cars are different visually in certain respects.

I found this picture on the net showing the side markers

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W140Gill

· #45 · Jan 30, 2003

aftermarket sunblind

call Euro Car Parts in London on +44 208 956 5000 quoting part number 993 77 0101 the cost in pounds is Â£49.50. Euro Car Parts have said they will ship to the USA

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W140Gill

· #47 · Jan 30, 2003

I havent fitted it to my Benz. We dont get much sunshine in the UK.

I've seen it advert...

I havent fitted it to my Benz. We dont get much sunshine in the UK.

I've seen it advertised in their catalogue, I'll scan the B&W image for you. Ive also seen it in the flesh in their Wembley showroom. It looks good, obviously not as neat as the original MB part, but neat enough. Its fully electric operated by an electric window style rocker switch. The blind is in Grey and the roller enclosure (like a bar that sits on your rear parcel shelf) is black. There is a motor protruding in the centre.

I am not too sure whether this gets in the way of the medical kit. ECP will be able to advise.

But for Â£50 is only a fraction of the cost of the MB part. If its not to your liking, you can easily sell it on for a profit

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W140Gill

· #50 · Jan 31, 2003

Re: Great!the only confusion i have is how will i install it? Like the wiring and stuff...wh

If I recall correctly, There are only two wires. One 0v ground and one +12v. The mechanism is independant of the rest of the wiring on the car so shouldnt be a problem.

The switch supplied does not match the rest of the car. I would suggest that you to the dealer or a breakers yard and pick an original one that will match the rest on the dashboard.

A brand new MB sunblind switch should cost no more than Â£20 (about Â£30)

If you look in your owners MB handbook it shows where the switch is mounted. Its next to the hazard light and central locking buttons. If you remove the wood panel and place in in a high speed fixed bench drill, you should be able to drill out four neat holes and each corner and then use a wire jigsaw to make the holes meet. If you arent confident enough to do this, I would suggest that you fix it out of sight under the armrest inside the centre box. You can buy a cheap enclosure from radio shack and fix it to the box with taped velcro or some small self tapping screws. If you decide on this 'out of sight' option, you dont have to shell out on buying a benz switch

Thanks for the offer, I will let you know if I ever need anything. I'll post a scan of the sunblind on Saturday.......stay tuned[

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