Slow Fleet – Mercedes 500SE May 2015 Part 1
Latest Costs: £502.28
Miles this period: 243
After the initial success, or rather lack of disaster, it seemed only sensible to plot the next foreign road trip in it. This means all of those issues found needed attending to. Especially the brakes, an uneven pedal feel and varied stopping power meant something was probably seized. It always hauled up well, but it wasn’t happy. I decided to start by bleeding the brakes all round. So starting at the back, furthest away from the master cylinder worked well, even the pads seemded recent. Then I promptly got stuck at the other side, where was the bleed nipple….
The right pads were a bit unevenly worn, one non existant then other at max thickness, this could be a major part of the seizure I anticipated. So the new looking pads on the left could be because the caliper just didn’t work. So I guess I should strip and repair the calipers, better still how about some recon ones.
A few days waiting and a 35% off coupon for GSF Car Parts and I ordered a pair for the rear and 8 spark plugs. At the same time I ordered some brake hoses from Parts For Mercedes, they were as old as the calipers.
Whilst I was waiting I had Event Tyres come and fit 4 new Continental Premium Contact 2 tyres. Jalopy doesn’t skimp on rubber, remember, it’s the only thing in contact with the road. Unless of course you buy rubbish ones and then several other bity of your car might make contact with it…. and £338 isn’t that much when you think about it.
One other thing that was tackled was the Radio, or rather lack of. It was in, but no code meant there was no way of using it. A website with all the original codes generated one that didn’t work so someone would have to read it off the unit and I had no way of telling if it was any good.
So, whilst in Halfords I noticed one of those mechless decks that played Wav fiiles, half price, so for £50 it was tried out and bought. Add in a £4.99 connector and I could at least listen to Dire Straits whilst on route, or broken down somewhere…
But all this expenditure was starting to mount up. Ok, the stereo could have been left out, but the other stuff was needed, the thing is I hadn’t finished, there are more things to do. And buy….
