My first Mercedes
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Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 5
My first Mercedes
Hi All,
My name is Jimm and I just bought my first Mercedes. It is a 97 C280. It has some problems, but is pretty much mechanically sound. I needed a cheap car as mine blew an engine.
It is a beater, but I think it has potential. Exterior is pretty good. No rust, dent and only some minor scratches. Engine runs flawlessly, but did appear to have an oil leak when I got it. Turned out to be a damaged oil drain plug. Stripped head AND crossthreaded. What a pain, but better than the alternative.
Transmission whines a bit when cold, and I have an appointment at a local shop that I trust, so we'll see about that.
The interior is the problem area. Headliner was attached with potato chip bag clips along the edge. shifter **** is shot. Radio doesn't work. It has the Bose system, so I wasn't sure if it was amp or radio. I was going to replace the stereo anyway, so I got that, and still nothing. I found a working amp on eBay for 40 bucks and it is good as new. I have a new shifter ****. And as we speak, my headline is in my basement, the cloth is removed, and I am slowly but surely using a stiff bristled brush to remove the clinging foam and the glue. I am about 2/3 finished. I have new foam back tufted headliner material. I am changing color from light gray to black. I also removed the damaged felt like material covering the A, B, and C pillars and have begun to recover them with black simulated leather.
I love driving the car, which surprised me, because prior to owning this car, I was not a fan of MB vehicles. This car, althoughg certainly not fast, just seems to drive right. No excessive lean in corners, absorbs road irregularities with no drama and still doesn't wallow. Good feel in the wheel and still not too difficult to turn.
The reason I am trying to restore it is because, as it turns out, I really like the car.
So far, so good.
My name is Jimm and I just bought my first Mercedes. It is a 97 C280. It has some problems, but is pretty much mechanically sound. I needed a cheap car as mine blew an engine.
It is a beater, but I think it has potential. Exterior is pretty good. No rust, dent and only some minor scratches. Engine runs flawlessly, but did appear to have an oil leak when I got it. Turned out to be a damaged oil drain plug. Stripped head AND crossthreaded. What a pain, but better than the alternative.
Transmission whines a bit when cold, and I have an appointment at a local shop that I trust, so we'll see about that.
The interior is the problem area. Headliner was attached with potato chip bag clips along the edge. shifter **** is shot. Radio doesn't work. It has the Bose system, so I wasn't sure if it was amp or radio. I was going to replace the stereo anyway, so I got that, and still nothing. I found a working amp on eBay for 40 bucks and it is good as new. I have a new shifter ****. And as we speak, my headline is in my basement, the cloth is removed, and I am slowly but surely using a stiff bristled brush to remove the clinging foam and the glue. I am about 2/3 finished. I have new foam back tufted headliner material. I am changing color from light gray to black. I also removed the damaged felt like material covering the A, B, and C pillars and have begun to recover them with black simulated leather.
I love driving the car, which surprised me, because prior to owning this car, I was not a fan of MB vehicles. This car, althoughg certainly not fast, just seems to drive right. No excessive lean in corners, absorbs road irregularities with no drama and still doesn't wallow. Good feel in the wheel and still not too difficult to turn.
The reason I am trying to restore it is because, as it turns out, I really like the car.
So far, so good.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,691
From: Philadelphia, Pa
Hi All,
My name is Jimm and I just bought my first Mercedes. It is a 97 C280. It has some problems, but is pretty much mechanically sound. I needed a cheap car as mine blew an engine.
It is a beater, but I think it has potential. Exterior is pretty good. No rust, dent and only some minor scratches. Engine runs flawlessly, but did appear to have an oil leak when I got it. Turned out to be a damaged oil drain plug. Stripped head AND crossthreaded. What a pain, but better than the alternative.
Transmission whines a bit when cold, and I have an appointment at a local shop that I trust, so we'll see about that.
The interior is the problem area. Headliner was attached with potato chip bag clips along the edge. shifter **** is shot. Radio doesn't work. It has the Bose system, so I wasn't sure if it was amp or radio. I was going to replace the stereo anyway, so I got that, and still nothing. I found a working amp on eBay for 40 bucks and it is good as new. I have a new shifter ****. And as we speak, my headline is in my basement, the cloth is removed, and I am slowly but surely using a stiff bristled brush to remove the clinging foam and the glue. I am about 2/3 finished. I have new foam back tufted headliner material. I am changing color from light gray to black. I also removed the damaged felt like material covering the A, B, and C pillars and have begun to recover them with black simulated leather.
I love driving the car, which surprised me, because prior to owning this car, I was not a fan of MB vehicles. This car, althoughg certainly not fast, just seems to drive right. No excessive lean in corners, absorbs road irregularities with no drama and still doesn't wallow. Good feel in the wheel and still not too difficult to turn.
The reason I am trying to restore it is because, as it turns out, I really like the car.
So far, so good.
My name is Jimm and I just bought my first Mercedes. It is a 97 C280. It has some problems, but is pretty much mechanically sound. I needed a cheap car as mine blew an engine.
It is a beater, but I think it has potential. Exterior is pretty good. No rust, dent and only some minor scratches. Engine runs flawlessly, but did appear to have an oil leak when I got it. Turned out to be a damaged oil drain plug. Stripped head AND crossthreaded. What a pain, but better than the alternative.
Transmission whines a bit when cold, and I have an appointment at a local shop that I trust, so we'll see about that.
The interior is the problem area. Headliner was attached with potato chip bag clips along the edge. shifter **** is shot. Radio doesn't work. It has the Bose system, so I wasn't sure if it was amp or radio. I was going to replace the stereo anyway, so I got that, and still nothing. I found a working amp on eBay for 40 bucks and it is good as new. I have a new shifter ****. And as we speak, my headline is in my basement, the cloth is removed, and I am slowly but surely using a stiff bristled brush to remove the clinging foam and the glue. I am about 2/3 finished. I have new foam back tufted headliner material. I am changing color from light gray to black. I also removed the damaged felt like material covering the A, B, and C pillars and have begun to recover them with black simulated leather.
I love driving the car, which surprised me, because prior to owning this car, I was not a fan of MB vehicles. This car, althoughg certainly not fast, just seems to drive right. No excessive lean in corners, absorbs road irregularities with no drama and still doesn't wallow. Good feel in the wheel and still not too difficult to turn.
The reason I am trying to restore it is because, as it turns out, I really like the car.
So far, so good.
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