W124 - Bringing it Home (Part 1)

Executive Summary:

Bringing the W124 home, and the assessments were done to determine the actual condition.

Details:

The W124 was due for collection on the 4th of Sep, 2020. I went to a dealer in Kampung Subang (i.e the Conman) to collect the car. It was pouring heavily and a regular 20 mins drive took 45.

As we reached, we got the car, we noticed:

  1. The engine oil was short by about 2 pints
  2. The gear oil dipstick was missing
  3. The gear oil was low
  4. The car had an almost empty tank
  5. No toolkit for tire replacement
  6. Hand brakes were shot
  7. Brakes started to an only bit after the halfway mark
We started the journey by filling up the tank, it took 50 liters of petrol. Next, we headed into the rush hour traffic from Kampung Subang towards the Federal Highway. It was Friday, after work hours and raining, the traffic was very heavy.

20 minutes into the journey, I noticed that the temperature was almost hitting the red line. Pulled the car to the shoulder to check and found that the aux fans were not working. After resting the car for a bit, I went straight into the jam again, as there was no other route from where I was, and drove it in the rain with the air cond switched off and left the window slightly opened. Needless to say, it was stuffy, warm, and wet. I must say, it was very emotionally challenging to have a car that immediately redlined on temperature when you have just got it. For a good 90 minutes, in the traffic, I was constantly my eyes on the temperature to ensure that the was no further spike. The temperature sat between 85-95 degrees all the way. The aux fans were indeed the culprit.

After driving in the traffic for over an hour, which felt like an eternity, the traffic eased and I can now drive at highway speed. As the brakes were only partially biting, I took it easy, kept my distance, as the roads were wet, and also ensured I had enough room to stop. 


End of part 1

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