Newsletter No.044 Squeaky brakes, Smashed 450SEL, Classic days rally.
14 Lyell st Fyshwick ACT 2609
Ph 1300 787 300 Fax (02) 6280 4596
Ph 1300 787 300 Fax (02) 6280 4596
Supporting Australia's Mercedes-Benz
Owners on the Web since 1996.
Owners on the Web since 1996.
Newsletter Number 44
6th August 2002
Hello and welcome to another newsletter.
Hello again. A sad story from one of out Newsletter readers and Club member from Victoria this issue. Also the truth behind squeaky brakes. If you have something to share with us please do. I am always happy to publish other peoples information.
Don't forget, that to check out any of the pictures in full size, just click on them.
John Green.
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Thanks.
One mans 450SEL
Recently one of the members of the Mercedes-Benz Club of Victoria had an unfortunate experience. His pride and joy, a gold 450SEL, was assaulted by an XD Falcon.
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The insurance company wrote the car off, but he has bought it back and is rebuilding it himself with some help from various professionals. Have a look here for a copy of the article from "Around the Benz" and then have a look here for a blow by blow description of the work done to date. He is updating the site every few days, so it make interesting reading to check it out every now and then..
Squeaky brakes.
Have you ever had squeaky brakes? This problem is normally experienced during slow braking and is particularly noticeable (and embarrassing) in shopping centre carparks. Well, this week we found out what causes it! Check out this photo:
Poor little bugger must have got the fright of his life when the car took off. But on a more serious note the reason for squeaky brakes is quite a serious one. The squeak is not the brake pad slipping on the disc as most people assume, but rather the back of the brake pad vibrating against the calliper piston! To stop this from happening, quality brake pads have an "anti squeal" shim bonded on to the backing plate of the brake pad. Have a look at this picture to see the difference:
Needless to say, we only sell the version with the shim fitted to it. And sad as it may seem, the pads without the shims are made here in Australia and fitted by most brake specialists. Each month we have several customers where we remove the poor quality pads and replace them with the genuine pads not because they are worn out, but because they are squealing!
And whilst we are on the subject of brakes did you know that your brake fluid is supposed to be changed every 12 months and preferably in spring? The reason behind this is that brake fluid absorbs water from the atmosphere ( its hydroscopic), over time it goes off and starts to corrode the internal parts of your cars braking system. We have a special testing unit that measures the water content of brake fluid and use this to check the brake fluid at every service. If you car is serviced elsewhere, it might be an idea to check when the fluid was changed last.
Australian Classic Days.
Thought I would mention the Classic days rally again. This is a truly unique opportunity for Mercedes-Benz fans "down under" to attend one of these events.
In October this year, the members of the Mercedes-Benz Car Club of Western Australia (Inc), in conjunction with the international Mercedes-Benz Classic Club will hold the first Mercedes-Benz Classic Day to be held outside Europe! This will follow immediately after the European Classic Days in Luxembourg in September. These rallies are certainly an event not to be missed if you are a Mercedes freak!
The program is as follows:
Thursday 24 October: Arrival Day
Arrival of participants at accommodation. Welcome dinner at Tawarri.
Friday 25 October: Swan River Day
Scenic drive from Perth to Fremantle, at the mouth of the Swan River. Spend the rest of the day in Fremantle. Attractions include Fremantle Arts Centre and History Museum, the brand new WA Maritime Museum (the new home of Australia II), the West End historical district (including University of Notre Dame Australia), Fremantle Markets, and the South Terrace cafe strip.
Late afternoon, drive back to Perth for dinner at the Old Swan Brewery.
Saturday 26 October: Museums Rally Day
Aussie BBQ breakfast at the Motor Museum of WA, Whiteman Park, followed by drive through the historic town of Toodyay and the Avon Valley to York, WA's oldest inland settlement, for lunch, and a visit to the York Motor Museum.
Drive back to Perth via Mundaring Weir Hotel, and then an informal dinner in Perth.
Sunday 27 October: Show and Shine Day
Join us for our annual Show and Shine Day at Manners Hill Park, Peppermint Grove, a picturesque spot near the banks of the Swan River at Freshwater Bay.
In the evening, as a climax to the whole event, the Classic Days / National Rally Closing Dinner at the Royal Perth Yacht Club.
Links of the week.
A deadly Mercedes can be found here.....
The best magazine for Mercedes-Benz fans can be found here. For Australian newsletter readers you can find this magazine locally in some larger newsagents but you are better to get it delivered air mail to you.
And a run down of Mercedes-Benz models from 1950-1980 can be found here.
Cars for dismantling.
We have two new cars this week, both are quite rare:
220S Roundie/Ponton 1958, quite a nice car but has been left to sit for many years. We may sell this car as a restorable project rather than wreck it.
300SEb 1966, the early version of the W108/109 series with coil springs rather than air bags, also has been sitting for many years, has some rust and the engine has a knock in it.
The 300D has been sold and is going to live out on a farm at Braidwood. The 280S is also sold to a couple that have seen the error of there ways in driving a Daewoo.
New cars that have just arrived are a 89 300TE in black metallic and a 1961 180b. This quite a rare car here in Australia. It is a CKD car made in South Africa. Don't have pictures of them yet, if they're not sold before the next newsletter I will put them in.
300TE Wagon 1989 model.
Popular family wagon version of the W124 series, alloy wheels, cruise control, air conditioning, multi point central locking etc. Black metallic and marron MB-tex interior 193000kms with good service history. $19990.00AUDMore details300SE Sedan 1986 model.
An excellent example given the mileage. 286000kms but with a condition that looks more like 150000kms. Silver duco with blue MBtex. Grey lambs wool seat covers front and rear. Good service history, air conditioning, multi point central locking, power steering, tilt action sunroof, climate control, etc, etc Reduced to$13990.00AUDMore details190Db Sedan 1961 model.
Excellent find for the serious collector. Full history, recent respray and rebuilt diff. Perfect red trim. Plenty of receipts for recent work done on this car. $9000.00AUDMore details
220S Hearse 1963 model.
When is the last time you saw one of these? Built in Melbourne in 1963 using a Body made at the Australian Motor Industries plant in Port Melbourne. 114600mls from new and in very good original condition. The back doors still open for storage. New exhaust, brake hoses, engine mounts, gear selectors rebushed and heaps of other recent work. $11990.00AUDMore details
So that's it for another newsletter. Hope you liked what you saw. If you have any ideas or want to contribute any articles, pictures or other material please e-mail me here. Also don't forget that you can check out the old newsletters here
Thanks, John Green.