W126 aluminum vs steel hood

I see that there are aluminum and steel hoods available for my car (1985 380SE). Which do I want? Any downside to the aluminum other than cost? I also see if I go with a new part there is only one choice. Anyone know if that choice is aluminum or steel? Also, anybody ever had work done at Lake Norman Paint and Body in Cornelius, NC? Thanks, Richard

Reply to
marlinspike
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Okay... what happened this time? Your car sounded like it is falling apart big time...

Reply to
Tiger

My '80 300SD has an aluminum hood and trunk lid to save weight. The only downside is that the trunk lid hasn't the inertia to slam shut - so one lowers the lid and then presses it shut - click.

I'd take aluminum anytime.

Reply to
T.G. Lambach

I'd just like to comment on this one...a guy that works as a body mechanic (I don't know the correct eng/am name for it) - who repairs tin and other body damage on car....told me that any hood (or trunk) should be closed by simply letting go the hood to drop from like - 50cm and to shut close. that way, you will ensure it's safely closed, and you will prevent it from getting bent or other kind of damage you can make by -push click shutting it.

Reply to
filip

Um...I got into an accident on Friday. It's actually not falling apart, the only thing it needed to be PERFECT was for me to replace the number

8 injector seal, which I was going to do yesterday....guess not. I know, you're thinking what about all the problems it had. I fixed those over the past couple months, and they were all pretty much just little nothings that sounded like big somethings. But yeah, so my car was just about perfect (Body shop guy said before the accident it would have probably got about $7000 on the market, which is good for a 380), the guy in front of the guy in front of me nails his brakes and comes to a complete stop (later I realized to make a left turn, reportedly without a turn signal), the pathfinder in front of me does the same, I tried to do the same in addition to trying to steer around, but even though I was following proper distance and doing the speed limit (maybe less), I just couldn't stop in time nor turn around in time (I didn't start turning until I realized I might not be able to stop in time, which was dumb, from now on I'm just going to turn around whenever I have to hit my brakes hard - I did manage to save basically everything left of the driver's fog light) Now we're looking at a hood, driver's fender, all the headlamp stuff, maybe a grill maybe not. Couldn't get the hood open, but the body shop says they don't see anything else wrong, but they'll let me know on Monday after they get the hood off.
Reply to
marlinspike

Strange. In the owner's manual for my dad's BMW it specifies not to do the drop shut but to do the push click shut on the hood. It's also the only car I've ever had/driven that the push click shut actually was capable of shutting the hood.

Reply to
marlinspike

I should add that if I had hit a car instead of an SUV, all I would need is some bumper work (by the time i hit I don't think I was going faster than like 5mph), but instead my bumper didn't get touched (has a scratch on the face of it from touching his exhaust pipe, that's it) and the fender/hood area took the entire impact, which is designed to crumple under the assumption that no person is so stupid as to drive a vehicle where the bumper is as high as the headlamp on a W126 (which has 8 inches of ground clearance, about as much as a pathfinder since the pathfinder has all that junk hanging down underneath...I hate SUVs).

Reply to
marlinspike

He's right to say that.

Reply to
T.G. Lambach

I sounds to me like you were the one that was following too close or going too fast or both.

Don't blame the SUV for hitting them in the rear end.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

I honestly was not following too close nor speeding (even the other guy said so). I just wasn't able to come to a dead stop in time. I'm not blaming him, I'm just saying SUV's are annoying as hell. The person I blame is the guy way in front who peeled out as soon as we hit each other. I was just saying, if it were a car instead of an SUV the damage would have been very minimal. Also, if he were a car I probably would have seen the guy up front nail his brakes, so that would have given me that couple feet more I needed to stop. Besides, I always hated SUV's, not just now. My brakes also didn't slow me down with the same force I'm used to feeling. When I go down to the body shop to talk to them tomorrow I think I'm going to jack up on front corner and check the pads, perhaps the wear indicator light failed or something. The tires didn't start to squeal until near the end of the stop.

Reply to
marlinspike

Also, even the other guy said unbaited that "it stinks that you hit me because it becomes your fault even though that guy caused it"

Reply to
marlinspike

you are responsible for every thing in front of you while driving. it was your fault !

every time the oil is changed you should ask them to look.

don't pass the buck for misjudging your ability to drive properly

the case, minus a few cans!

Reply to
pool man

I know it's my fault. I know when you rear end somebody its automatically your fault, all I was saying is I wish he had been in a car so the damage would have been less. Sheesh it's gotten so they jump all over you in here. Give a guy a break will ya? Then again, why should you, nobody else does. You guys just don't understand how much that car means to me, I mean I'm literally depressed and then everybody starts jumping all over you. I think the only way to make you guys understand what the car means to me is to tell youthat right after i hit him i got out of my car crying. He thought I was hurt, I didn't feel a thing, I was crying for my car. I spent about 10 minutes on my knees without saying a word just picking the glass out of the headlamp. That car means everything to me. You know how they say well at least you're alright that's all that matters? Well that's not the case. If somebody told me I could undo all this but I'd have to break your left arm, your legs, and a couple of ribs I'd tell him to do it. So maybe sometimes you should just let something somebody says slide so you don't drive him clinically insane or worse.

Every time I change the oil I should ask them to look? What them? I guess I'll start looking from now on.

Reply to
marlinspike

Uh, not to put too fine a point on it, but isn't that the #define of too {close,fast}?

Reply to
William P. N. Smith

Ok, let me put it this way, I was far away enough that one would have very reasonable expectation to think I could have easily stopped in time. What happened that I wasn't able to, I don't know. I needed like

5 more feet. Which is why I want to inspect my brakes. So does anybody other than T.G. want to actually answer my question, or does everyone just want to be a dick?
Reply to
marlinspike

if you turn the wheel full left or right you should be able to see the pads. just stick your head under & look

now if he disks are glazed you may want to replace them.

the case, minus a few cans!

Reply to
pool man

Hmm, disks you say. I just looked at my records. They have a history of lasting about 23000 miles, last time they were replaced: 23000 miles. Hmm and my pads have never lasted more than 8000 and the current ones have 13000 one them. Perhaps my pad low indicator light has failed me? Of course I've always used MB pads and this time there are PRB metal masters on there. I'm guessing fresh rotors and pads would have stopped me that 5 feet sooner that I needed?

Reply to
marlinspike

you must do a lot of city driving with a heavy foot

the case, minus a few cans!

Reply to
pool man

About 90% city driving. I'm from DC, so the city really is city. If you average the number of stops and the number of miles, it's probably one stop per 1/4 mile. Though I've been doing more highway driving lately.

Reply to
marlinspike

Ah, brake problems probably explains it. Didn't mean to give you a hard time, my MB is pretty much irreplacable as well, so I know how you must feel...

Reply to
William P. N. Smith

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