[tusabes]

Thought I’d start a thread about the spare parts that are handy to grab from junkyard cars. In the usa many of these breakers yards are “pull your own parts “ so you can get to learn how something is removed , without damaging your Own car- plus grab a spare before tackling your own car if you have a problem in the future

1. door control modules. These are the power seat switches in the door . But when they fail they take out numerous other features . Very common problem . Happened to my s430 and one of my cl500s. Here is a video how to remove them it’s very easy

2. Rear SAM. Ah the rear sam , the bane of many an owner with water damage . Easy to grab under the rear seat bottom cushion

3. accelerator pedal - when yours goes out your car will barely accelerate . Happened to my cl600 twice . I usually recommend buying this part new (this and the alarm siren box are best purchased new) but if you’re at the junkyard anyway might as well grab a spare . Very easy to remove with one bolt holding it .

4. headlights and taillights - these don’t often fail but they are much cheaper at the wrecking yard than on eBay , so grab them now to either keep as spares or resell on eBay for a profit

5. if you can find a car with its key , grab the set of 4 parts - key shifter eis and ecu. All from the same car . This is the theft relevant set of parts that often causes starting problems and must be replaced as a matched set

these parts shouldn’t take more than a hour or two to remove and cost about $100 ,at a self service junk yard - but are easily worth $1000 and can be great to have ready on hand when your w220 has a problem. Or just flip them on eBay for a profit if you prefer . They are high demand parts that are easy to resell , especially if you price your listing $5-10 below all others , people will pick yours first to buy

 

[4DGeorge]

Excellent thread idea and should be a sticky. (I'm there's one on this somewhere)
Suggestion: List the parts as a numbered short-list, like a table of contents, above the longer explanations. That'll make it easier for people (like me) to quickly grab the info.

6. Windshield washer pump
7. A/C temperature sensor (roof mounted unit with interior lights in it)

 

[Dave2302]

PSE Pump, ALL Modules Traction, Suspension TCU etc etc, plus some lengths of PSE pipes with connectors, Front SAM's / Fuse Boxes, All Switches, A/C Compressor if it looks good (see my recent thread) lol .................

Sticky, hell yeah ......... Done, and thanks to @tusabes for starting it

I've basically got a complete W220 in my shed less shell, and the engine and trans which is in my wee R170 SLK

 

[Kraut56]

I purchased a non-repairable S600 many years ago, but refused to take the the car as a whole.
The condition was that I would take anything with an electric connection, but not chassis parts. With a friend I accomplished that in 2 visits, and the rule was to never disconnect a plug, but to cut the harness (except on the engine, where I saved the complete engine compartment harness.)
In all these years it has saved me thousands in outside mirrors, door control modules, engine ignition modules etc.
Still, lots of it is still unused in the garden shed such as generator, hydraulic pump, thermostat, interior mirror, sun roof motor, etc.
Maybe I'll sell it off one day just to clean it out.

 

[wallyp]

All of those parts are slowly appreciating in value...

 

[Kraut56]

Hehehe Wally, maybe I'll put you in charge then to sell it all!
Good to see you that active.

 

[JC220]

Great thread! Some good ideas there of parts to start nabbing like the door modules.

I have been collecting MB parts for many years - mostly 500E w124 parts and w140 stuff. In talking 12 bumpers, doors 40 window regs from coupes that sort of stuff. 40 or 50 crates worth of stuff.

But w220 ownership is fairly new to me. So far I have been buying PSE pumps and SAM modules for £20 each at local yards and testing/ keeping them. I have 6x spare PSE units now some had new motors in them too or latest part numbers. I'll keep buying those because although I could get £200 a pop on ebay now in years to come they will be harder to get. W140 parts have went into silly prices.

With all the work on my 2x w220s of late I am well overdue a good round of the yards to see of any fresh cadavers have appeared

 

[MikeKerr]

Want to a regularly available part- yet very expensive at the autoparts store.

The W220 alternators do fail. They are fairly simple to remove, just a E14 socket and a ratchet. On RockAuto, a new Bosch replacement is $270 before taxes and shipping, rebuilt $215 before taxes and shipping. Pull a parts near me charge $25 for a alternator. So for the price of sales tax one can have a spare (although used) OEM alternator.

The above prices are low- go get a Bosch alternator from a auto parts reatailer on a Sunday and be prepared to pay $400 plus... if they even have it in stock.

 

[Kraut56]

Good luck with the S600 water cooled alternator! I have a spare in my garden shed.

 

[JC220]

I would not fit a used alternator in an S600.

The time and effort to remove the alternator from a M275 engine bay is tiresome. My S600 had a bad rectifier which I suspected but only knew once I pulled it and brought to a top alternator rebuilder near me.

Full strip down, inspection, new rectifier plate, bearings all consumables and bench tested with warranty for about £80 ish IIRC. As new when I got it back. He was very impressed with the output of the alternator it was higher than rated and that was already high for a saloon car. I think it was pumping out over 200 amps!

 

[Kraut56]

good stuff! If I ever need it, I'll bring it to a shop first.
Somewhere on these forums I left a comment that you can change it by just pulling it forward out of the housing (having to remove other parts in front of it).
My spare I removed complete by using a long 2x4 to move the engine "just enough".
Hope will never need it.

 

[Dave2302]

Hope will never need it.

That is the reverse of Sods law, and I use that method a lot, if I have a spare xxxxxxxxxx I never need to fit it ..........................

Trust me guys it really works

 

[wallyp]

My 2003 S500 just decided that it didn't want to lock/unlock with the key fob. Some investigation showed that the antenna amp was a prime suspect. I visited my friends at the local pull-a-part and was lucky enough to find one in a 2003 S500. Took thirty minutes to get out, cost me $5. Yep, $5. MB list price is $850, selling price is $500 - $600. There is another car there that still has the amp installed - the next time that I go back, I will try to grab it. If I never need it, one of you might...

 

[tonylinc]

I had a 2002 W220 S500 with Sport package brakes. Bought discs and pads front and rear, Only needed Rears. So I had Discs and Pads for the front I didn't need, tried to sell them here and there, tried giving them away... Finally I took them to the grocery store, as I was putting the groceries in the car I took all those parts, put them in the shopping cart, then drove away. So!! Lesson Learned. Before buying extra parts for your cars, make sure you need them first!

 

[Dave2302]

Discs and pads and other service items, I agree, no point buying them until you actually need them

However, parts like PSE and all other modules, pre fuse boxes, window regulators and motors, lock assemblies etc are well worth stockpiling if, like me, you intend to keep the Car 'til death do us part

Most of that stuff will, someday soon, become NLA from the dealerships.

 

[wlb50]

I too use the Pic & Pull yards to "practice" a complex operation before trying it on my own car. I had a 300E W124 for 20 years and used to go crazy at those places. Used to keep all of the fasteners until I had a small bucket full. Rarely required one from the bucket. It is easy at those yards to become a hoarder. Then when I got a W210 learned Daimler went to torx fasteners. At those yards, car models go through a cycle. When they are fairly new - 10 years or less, you rarely see them at self-serve yards. Then, depending on model, you will see a flood, like Mercedes sedans. My SL500 R129 has always been rare at those yards and even it it is advertised for a first day on the computer usually you go there and it looks like a school or piranha hit it. Nothing left but the skeleton.

Then with years, the flood changes to a desert.

I had a 1st generation Toyota MR2 for 27 years and I would get nuts over-accumulating parts - like 5 factory radios - that sat in my garage for years. The guy who bought it was surprised at the ton of extra parts I gave him with the car.

Try finding a 1st gen MR2 there now. But I had a bunch of extra old parts that were NLA at the dealer.

Used to be a Mercedes and Porsche "full service" yard in town. That was fascinating - 100s of Mercedes - some with 1,000 miles, some from the 50s - out there.

Seeing those ultra low mileage Mercedes - usually AMG - made me think my cars were fugitives from the law of averages.

 

[cowboyt]

Wood trim. That's something I tend to grab now, given how expensive it is from the dealer. Even online vendors like the FleaBay ones, they can get mighty proud of wood trim.

 

[JC220]

I have been working on my house for some weeks now and took a couple hours on Saturday to check what was in a MB parts yard some 45 min drive away. Haven’t been for about 3 months+. Lucky for me just a few days prior they took in another 2x w220s. A very basic spec diesel one and a decently highly optioned S430. (ABC, Bose, phone system etc) No-one had touched either car yet.

I wasn’t expecting this and used what little time I have to pull the following spares from the S430:

Pair of memory, heated and cooling door control modules
All 3x SAM modules including one under back seat
Trans and ABC modules
Bose Amp in boot
TV Tuner(?) in boot
All modules under rear seat. (Black ones possibly phone related etc – about 3)
CD Changer
Pair of Xenon bulb ignitors (red boxes)
Drivers door auto dim heated mirror glass great condition
2x tools kits
2x PSE Pumps (One from the diesel too)
1x nice PSE pump foam case
MOT valve (looked new)
2017 019 Yuasa battery – trying to charge but probably been in S430 dead too long!
May have forgot some other small items

£160 total.


Going to try and have a couple hours free and go back next Saturday morning for the following:

Gear Selector, Key & EIS (To make a set with the Engine ECU) Cluster not required(??)
Glove box hinges (one broken in my S600)
Full lock set
Dynamic Seats(?) If so – pumps and switches etc
Interior mirror
Steering wheel squib / angle sensor
Steering column stalk set
Sun sensor on bonnets (Faulty on my S430)
ABC Valve blocks front + rear
Tow Eye covers


Future visit:
Wings if rust / dent free(?)
Fog lamps
Quarter door glasses if good
A full set of 4x window regulators / motors.
Check if any fresh looking ABC or air struts in either car.


Any other parts I should be targeting? In particular since this car had ABC and that’s rare to see in the parts yards here. May not see another one for years.

 

[JC220]

My PSE collection is growing.... (all opened, inspected and tested pumps)

 

[wallyp]

Wow!

Either you are one sick puppy, or you are preparing to open a W220 PSE used parts business...



That's impressive!