Dev's Thoughts on Experiences, Projects and Lessons

Mercedes built from the year 1992 to 1997 was installed with an eco-friendly (degradable) wiring harness. The issue with this type of harness is that the insulation disintegrates and crumbles especially when exposed to heat. For the W124 model, it is safe to say that all cars built from the year 1992 onwards were marred with this issue, both petrol and diesel models. What is baffling is that Mercedes is aware of the issue but a safety recall was never issued to have the wiring harness replaced with a non-eco version. The intention of going green badly backfired as this issue introduces an array of problems on the car. The reason why this happens is that the insulation upon crumbling exposes the bare wire and when two or more of the bare wire touches one another, it messes up the communication to and from the ECU causing strange behaviors and in more serious cases, it causes fire. This issue was covered in length in the following links: http://badmercedes.com/ http://www.mercedesdefects...

Executive Summary: I bought a 1995 Mercedes W124 E280 Masterpiece. Plans of restoration are dissected in phases and this phase focuses on interior refurbishment. Also detailed is the plan for the audio setup and components that I have gathered to date. It also turned out that the person I got the car from was a conman. Details: Wanting to own a W124 has always been a dream, a dream of over 15 years to be precise. In the initial years of wanting to own one, I wasn’t financially capable to buy one of these. About 9 years ago, back in the year 2011, while I was in the midst of changing my then car, which was a locally made the year 2005 Perodua Kelisa 1.0 GXi, I was out looking for one in a decent condition but I did not find one that suited my liking. As I badly needed a car, I went ahead and got another locally made car, the 2012 Perodua Myvi 1.3. Fast forward to 2020, the desire to own a W124 was reignited, and out I went on a hunt. In the process, I found a mint condition example, how...

Executive Summary: Avoid a conman, never pay until proof of purchase is done or progress of work is reported! If a person does not have any money to fund the start of his work, just walk away. This is the first phase of the work to be done on the W124, and estimated to be completed within a month. Work includes re-upholstery, restoration of Masterpiece interior trims, and repair of electrical for the interior. Details: The work on the E280 has now started, the focus for the first phase would be to refresh the interior and commence the Masterpiece trim build. In this phase, the focus will be on the interior and the work includes: Stripping of the current interior Replacing the old carpet with one that of a better condition Sourcing of the Masterpiece bits such as: Half wood steering Chubby/storage box Gearknob kick panels replace/repair the instrument cluster front electric seats door cards with seat control units fresh leather for the upholstery Treating the floor with an undercoating ...