Project Chronicle

Much has been written about the late 80s and middle 90s Mercedes-Benz products. The W124 has long enjoyed favor among enthusiasts owing to the platform's longevity and fairly bulletproof reliability. But I'm here to tell you the next generation - the one that got eyerolls and deep sighs from brand loyalists that didn't like the dramatic redesign - is just as impressive as those older models when it comes to ease of ownership. 

I put some money into my E55 last summer when I first got it, almost all of it proactive in nature (meaning, not urgent). I replaced the shocks with Konis, installed new tires, and replaced the fan clutch. Otherwise....I haven't touched it until last week. This is a high-performance, limited-production super sedan that has needed next to nothing maintenance-wise, and didn't exactly come with a robust service history when I acquired it.

So, it didn't bother me in the least to put some work into this month. There were some errant oil leaks I had been ignoring that were likely to become a problem in the future, but that I had basically lived with for a year to no ill effect. The oil cooler seals, oil filter housing gasket, and valve cover gaskets were replaced, and I had the coolant flushed while it was in the shop. That's it, and I don't foresee any mechanical needs arising in the near term. 

For a factory hot rod, there's no denying that there's usually a maintenance penalty that comes with the need for increased upkeep. Not the E55, however - it's a unicorn in so many ways, not the least of which is its ability to maintain its high-performance status without becoming a maintenance hog. 

A few days ago, the SRS light popped on the E55. When I purchased the car, this light was illuminated for unknown reasons, but it was cleared and off for the better part of four months after it spent a week at my shop in Rhode Island. 

Now, I'm a week away from getting it inspected here in Maryland and the SRS light pops on (because of course it does.) After reading numerous old forum posts, the consensus seems to be that the Foxwell NT530 scanner and code reader - a Chinese made device with virtually no customer support - is the way to go, especially since they sell it with Mercedes-specific coding and a 38 pin connector for attaching to the car via the fuse box. 

I got it from Amazon for about $200 and gave it a whirl today. Historically, getting rid of an SRS fault code has been quite tricky, with most owners telling folks in this predicament to suck it up and go to the dealer; thankfully, my code was wiped clean with ease, so kudos to this Chinese-made scanner for building a product that actually works and saved me a trip to the shop.

We pushed through an incredible amount of work before moving to Maryland, with the Audi S6, BMW 325is, and Mercedes-Benz E55 all getting long-simmering projects wrapped up before leaving town. 

The E55 was a pretty solid car overall, but a few lingering issues remained: the A/C showed signs of previous dye testing and my shop assessed that the evaporator and compressor were in need of replacement. Well, we charged the system back in May and guess what? It lost barely any refrigerant, meaning the system was far tighter than expected. 

We did flag a few other issues, including a weak auxiliary cooling fan (replaced); a busted HVAC resistor (caused the system to run full-blast at all times); and a fan clutch near death based on how slowly it was rotating. With those components replaced, we now have a fairly buttoned-up HVAC system, and hopefully have bought some time before the evaporator and compressor someday do reveal themselves to be problematic. 

I also elected to have the shocks replaced, as the car still had the OEM Bilsteins and it had previously been lowered on H&R springs, which I believed contributed to a very harsh ride. Koni Sports were swapped in and definitely increased the composure of the ride.

With all that done, the very daily-friendly E55 is already more so than before.

The bulk of my recent move to Maryland is complete, meaning the parts from the garage are in a storage unit down here and the three cars (+1 for the Eurovan) that were ready to leave are safely on the ground. 

This was a big lift and doesn't even get into the usual stresses and hurdles of moving out of state. The S6, E30, and E55 got loaded up on a trailer with a new hauler who was extremely competent and affordable, a rare combination these days. 

I'm always amazed by how you can tell whether you're working with an experienced transporter. The way they latch the cars down, the condition of the truck and trailer, and their general confidence when faced with challenges. We couldn't get all three cars on until we arranged them in the order you see here, to the point that the Audi had to kiss the bumper of the E30 to fit. But the E30 has a thick, rubber insert running the length of the bumper, so you can get away with this in order to get the cars on. Not so with any other combination. 

Overall, it's a relief to have this much done. The 911 will come down in the coming weeks, with the Trooper RS and LX450 unknown in terms of an arrival date. And the Cosworth, of course, is anyone's guess.

Today, we closed on a new house in Maryland. We're moving from Rhode Island to the land of crab cakes and lacrosse next month, and we're pumped. But I'm also ramming through a ton of project work and draining the bank account to avoid having to find new shops to work on time-consuming projects I've let slide. Here's where everything stands:

2003 Volkswagen Eurovan: just replaced tired Bilsteins with new Konis. Needs front headliner replaced and some small rust spots sanded down and painted. Will make the move in August as a pack mule. 

2002 Mercedes-Benz E55: will make the move to Maryland after a (massive) evaporator replacement for the A/C to not lose refrigerant over a few weeks. Due to the LX450 project being way behind schedule, the E55 is the newest car I own, and needs to be comfortable to use on occasion for longer slogs than down to the grocery store. Otherwise, it's just needed sway bar bushings and has been a wonderful car. 

1995 Audi S6 Avant: will also board the transporter to MD after being a new blower motor and (also) repairing the A/C back into reliable use. Will also do a preventative transmission and differential flush. This car will also require a short stint at the bodyshop to repair small rust spots on both A-pillars. 

1999 Porsche 911: The 911 will remain in RI for the month of August to replace the right-bank timing chain tensioner (or possibly just the pads). This is probably a nothing-burger issue - some chain noise at cold startup - but I want to nip it in the bud with a shop that I know and trust.

1997 Lexus LX450: engine rebuild mid-way done. Not sure of timeline. Still needs visit to bodyshop, A/V improvements, etc. - this one did not go as planned. It will also stay in RI and hopefully is en route to bodyshop around Labor Day. 

1987 BMW 325is: Functionally ready to go but trying like hell to find a suitable A/C compressor to replace the leaking one. Will make the trip to MD in early August regardless. 

1989 Isuzu Trooper RS: this rig was staying behind for some minor projects but now has a headgasket leak so will be in RI indefinitely. This truck does not spend much time with me, it seems. Hoping it's in MD by December. 

1986 Mecedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16: almost ready for paint. Will go to mechanic for punch list work after Labor Day. Not getting painted before then - but sitting in primer and ready to go. I didn't expect this one to go to plan - it never has - so right now hoping for it to come home by December. 

So, there you have it. This is a massive undertaking to get these vehicles buttoned up and ready for transport. Not easy but it's better than starting over with new shops and a host of nuisance projects to fix. 

I've been on the hunt for a V8 anything that was fast, comfortable, and just the right side of obnoxious. 

I started with the 1990 Audi V8 Quattro. A fine car plagued by some nagging issues I never remedied, and thus, never felt totally comfortable taking long distances. (Ironically, this car just sold on Bring A Trailer with a different owner than the one I sold it to, so it's still looking for its forever home.)  I loved the stealthy nature of the inconspicuous styling, but it was slightly too subdued. 

The Dodge Dakota R/T was another attempt to live that V8 life, and it went dramatically in the other direction. Loud, tawdry, and poorly screwed together, it was impossible not to wake up half the neighborhood on a cold start. I hustled this muscle truck all over Alabama and loved it, but in the end, I just couldn't see myself living with the pitiful domestic build quality for the long term. I actually just sold that truck for a fair - not great - price, but I was done with it. 

A big driver for buying the 2002 E55 AMG was because I knew the Dakota was going to leave and there'd be a V8-shaped hole in the garage. Thankfully, this car is checking all the boxes, with loads of luscious torque, completely stomp-on-it-and-go-RIGHT NOW acceleration, and plenty of comfortable in the spacious E-Class cabin. It's a car for all seasons that has a reputation for going 300,000 miles before needing a rebuild, and the dramatic styling still looks contemporary in modern traffic.

So far, I am very happy with the car, and glad to have found a V8-powered machine I'm not already itching to unload.