Jim Luikens – Reflections
Project Gift Horse: Wins and Losses
Emboldened by a few early victories, as I shared with you in the last installment of Project Gift Horse, I decided to jump into this project with both feet. When I took possession of the car, the sunroof didn’t work, so I asked my mechanic to tackle that problem next. After an initial diagnosis, Art said that the sunroof tracks had become twisted in the headliner, causing the sunroof panel to bind and the associated drive cable to snap.
Our first idea was to borrow some parts from one or both of my W126 parts cars. After disassembly, we discovered that parts from neither car would work; the parts cars are 1982 and 1983 models while the project car is a 1986. Pre-1986 W126 cars had a sliding sunroof while post-1986 cars had a tilt and slide sunroof. Each version uses an entirely different drive mechanism.
We managed to locate a 1991 W126 in a local recycling yard and purchased everything we needed for the repair. Now came the hard part. Attempting to install the new tracks inside the headliner was a major challenge because there is very limited space available and even less visibility. However, Art was finally able to accomplish the near-impossible task with much perseverance.
The only real problem was the cost. After totaling parts and labor, the bill came to just over $800. If I had known the repair would be that expensive, I wouldn’t have started down that road in the first place. But no one knows until they are done what the total cost is going to be. While $400 invested to repair the a/c was a justified expense, the $800 cost for the sunroof wasn’t a good return on my money, in my opinion.
After that experience, I decided to fix something (hopefully) less expensive while I recovered from the sticker shock of the sunroof episode. The hood release cable occasionally gave us trouble while fixing other things under the hood, so I ordered a replacement cable from our local authorized M-B dealer, knowing that it was just a matter of time until this minor problem became major. This time, things went as expected and, for about $50, that problem was solved.
Many times, I have witnessed Mercedes-Benz owners with a significant and expensive problem when a little bit of timely action would have prevented the little problem from becoming big. My advice is to be thankful for the early warning and take action immediately.
Art and I also worked on the grille this month; the original wasn’t all that spiffy, so I was happy to learn that a replacement grille was in one of the unopened parts boxes that came with the car. But when I opened the box, the grille was not only used, but in worse shape than the one on the car.
Upon closer inspection, however, I discovered that the grille’s plastic was actually in pretty good shape; it was the stainless-steel trim that had become sandblasted over time that looked worn. A little-known fact is that the trim pieces in aluminum can be ordered separately from Mercedes-Benz. The pieces were more expensive than I remembered but, once installed, they provided the exact, like-new look that I was seeking.
Time for lesson No. 2. Many times it is better to try and fix what you have rather than buying someone else’s problem. At least you know what you have. That is not the case with something purchased on eBay or elsewhere.
Fortunately, the next big challenge had a much happier ending than the sunroof debacle. When I picked up the car, the driver’s seat had some pretty large cracks. George and Krysti Pavlisko and their company, Leatherique (www.leatherique.com) are consistent supporters of the MBCA. I’ve seen their demonstrations at various StarTech events and was always impressed with how well their products worked. Because I’ve never had a reason to try Leatherique until now, I was excited to finally have the chance.
I talked with Krysti on the phone and she knew exactly what I needed. One credit card payment later, the product was headed my way. Since a picture is worth 1,000 words, take a look at the before and after pictures of my seat to see how wonderfully Leatherique works.
The seat before the Leatherique treatment.
After the Leatherique Treatment
To date, I am up to about $3,500 in expenditures. That’s more than I expected, but I am still happy with what has been accomplished and the lessons learned. Please join me next issue for the final installment of Project Gift Horse.
Jim Luikens is director at large of the MBCA and a member of the Western Michigan Section. He has been writing columns on his project cars for The Star for almost six years. Questions and comments can be sent to him at [email protected].