W126 aluminum vs steel hood

Thanks Will, but I think I'm done reading this hate fest. T.G. (and T.G. alone) already answered my question, time to un-star this thread.

Reply to
marlinspike
Loading thread data ...

You were talking about W124 or the W201... they look kinda alike. Nah, you just skipped a couple of steps.

Reply to
Tiger

well been 19 says it all

the case, minus a few cans!

Reply to
pool man

It is just a car. Repeat this over and over. There are a lot more cars out there as good or better. Maintain your perspective.

You know how they say well at least

For the price of fixing all of that damage you could buy 3 or more cars as good or better than your car. This might not be the case if you had a Tucker or a Dusenburg, but there a re a lot of 126's out there.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

$3825 wouldn't get anywhere close to buying 3 or more cars as good or better (which is basically limited to W126's, 450SEL 6.9, 300SEL 6.3, and while it's something totally different 450SLC 5.0). $3825 wouldn't buy 1 380SE in the shape mine was in. My car was damn near perfect, and we are original owners. I took my first trip home in that car, when it was taking it's first trip home. That car really does mean everything to me. Right now I'm debating the value with the insurance company (which keeps trying to rip me off, my agent said their computer values the car at $5000, and to cover the repairs it needs to be $5100, and it's not to hard to get that extra hundred, then the adjuster comes at me with a $2900 figure and after my asking him where he got that number a few times he finally admits that's for a 300D, then later he calls me with a figure $4,900 but that he still has to deduct mileage - they had like 20,000 less miles - and the fact that those are sold by a dealer. I look at those while on the phone with him and those are two crap cars. Now I have to wait for his response to the e-mail I sent him with links all showing the value of a car in the condition mine was in is a lot higher), but even if they do rip me off (and they won't make a profit doing it, cause we'll stop using them for all our insurance and I have a lawyer who will work pro bono so going to court is no skin off my back), I'll just sell all my camera equipment (and subsequently close my little sports photography business, oh well) and pay to fix it myself.

Reply to
marlinspike

Oh, and while there are a lot of SEL's out there, there aren't that many SE's. The 380SE was only sold in the US for 2 years and during those two years only 25,000 were made for the entire world (and looking at the previous production numbers I'm guessing about 13,000 made it to the states). And I really don't understand where you're getting that there are a lot more cars out there as good or better. Name 5 current production cars that are better built than a W126. Maybe some look better on the surface, or have better performance numbers, but start taking them apart and you'll see what I mean: there are none.

Reply to
marlinspike

You wrote:

drive him clinically insane or worse.

You can't get all of that medical care for $5,100, it would probably cost more than you car did when it was brand new.

You are losing perspective. If you want to fix your car then fix it. If the insurance company will only give you $3800 but the shop needs $5,100 pay the difference and be done with it. You still have to sometime face the reality that a car is just a car, they don't last forever, and they amost always end up being worth only the price the scrap yard is willing to pay.

Keep your camera, borrow the 1,300 and get on with your life. If you want to fight it out in court, you are probably going to have to pony up the whole cost of repair, and sue your insurance company.

Try contacting a private adjuster and see if he can do better for you. That will be a lot cheaper than doing battle in court.

Good luck kid.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

My advice is to call some car recycling companies (junkyards). Used hood and fender should be ? 300 ,if you are lucky and they have them in the right colour it's an easy an cheap fix. Also buy a used headlight, a new one will be brighter and will look strange. I replaced a front fender after someone hit it with his trailer for ?50 and one hour work. If there is more damage underneath go to a small repair shop, big bodywork companies work mostly on new leased cars an are much more expensive. Don?t spent money on special brakes unless you are a professional rally driver. The standard brakes are very good for normal use. Special brakes are better cooled and more heat resistant, if you need that on normal roads you drive much to fast. If the normal pads wear out to quickly you can use harder (taxi) pad. They last longer but are less effective. High performance pads are hard on the rotors. If you drive more defensive you have to brake less, the 126 is a nice car but not a sports car.

Reply to
Rob Pruyt

No no, I just need $3800 from the insurance company, and since they cover 75% of value I need them to value the car at $5100. The insurance company wants to give me, well at first they wanted to give me about $2000, then they wanted to give me about $4200. I'll get them up there, it's just going to take some time.

Reply to
marlinspike

Yeah, I'm not bothering with high performance brakes so much any more. It ws determined on another forum that something is up with my brakes (in dry weather I can't get the abs to kick in no matter how hard I brake, and it's not because the ABS is messed up but because it won't stop hard enough to need it), so when I get my car back I'm going to replaced the lines, pads, and rotors and flush the fluid and take it from there.

I'll get body parts in the same color if I need to, but I rather have them painted to match since junkyard parts won't have the color to them. All I can find in the same color is the fender anyways, no hoods.

Reply to
marlinspike

Maybe your calipers need to be serviced. The rubber rings inside get harder over time. Repair sets are not very expensive and it's a relatively easy job, but you can?t afford to make mistakes with brakes. If you have no experience with brakes it may be better to have them serviced by a specialist or else get some good advice before you begin. If you do it yourself check the brand of the calipers, for the 126 there are two brands of calipers. This will significantly increase your braking power.

Reply to
Rob Pruyt

The extent of my brake work so far is pads (it's all I've had the opportunity to do since getting enough car experience under my belt to feel comfortable touching brakes), but my dad used to also do the rotors on his 300D back in the day, so I'll just wait to do all this until summer (and just leave a LOT of room between me and other cars until then...my brakes aren't totally defficient so I don't think it's dangerous as long as I keep them in mind) and have him help me do everything. The caliper rebuild kits are only $15, so I'll add them to my list (pads, rotors, rebuild calipers, replace brake lines). I have the service manuals in book and CD form, so it shouldn't be too hard. Richard

Reply to
marlinspike

Here's the deal with insurance companies. They will absolutly as a matter of policy lowball you and expect to argue. But in the fine print it says they have to "make you whole".

So, if you have a $2500 W126 with $1000 in recepts for new font suspension last week and $3500 for a new rear suspension last month and receipts for all new brakes the month before then they will come to grips with the fact they're on the hook for same.

If you're car was an average car that you've cleaned relaly well and everything works then you ned to find another one in the ads, (10 would be better) and point this out to them and say "look, this is what it costst to get a car in my condition"

If you get $3800 out of them you can always buy one for $2000 and still have lots for repairs and it ahem, hasen't been hit.

Make a case, in two paragraphs why your car is worth so much. Find cars of equal value. Get a check. Get the best value fo rthe money car you can find, even if it's a $500 blowb motor special.

Now you have a few grand to rebuild or replace major components or add a stereo or whatever.

That's what I'd do.

Reply to
Richard Sexton

Hmm...I didn't know about that make you whole thing. New radiator 2 years ago, new fuel distributor last summer. How far back does this make you whole thing go? Oh, and I already sent them tons of stuff showing what my car is worth, but they still give me a had time. Oh, and I've already added a stereo and everything to my car, and to suggest replacing it is blashphemous! :-) But yeah, no matter what I'm not replacing it, and it really wasn't such a big hit to not be repairable as good as new. There's no way you'll find a 380 like mine for $2000. I've been looking, mine really would get $6500-$7000 on the market. Mine is nice, very nice. Even the insurance guy who had been giving me a hard time called me to tell me after I e-mailed him the pictures that he has told his manager what nice shape mine was in (I think he thought I was kidding when I told him I had just finished getting it perfect, I wasn't). I know this much, if when I get the call tomorrow from the top person in the bueracracy, and they still don't see things my way, I'm going to let the person know I have a 3pm appointment with my lawyer.

Reply to
marlinspike

Rebuilding callipers is not very difficult. There are a few things to keep in mind:

1- Only use alcohol based cleaning fluid, petroleum based fluids destroy the rubber in the braking system. Brake fluid is good 2- Use the correct brake fluid 3- Getting the pistons out may be difficult. Compressed air can be handy, with en piece of hose over the nozzle of the airgun. But remember to put some wood between the pistons, not your fingers or anything else that may hurt. 4- Put the pistons back in their original bores 5- Do not scratch the pistons or the bore, if the are damaged they must be replaced 6- Be very careful with the bleeding nipples, they brake easily. Mercedes callipers and nipples are not so bad.
Reply to
Rob Pruyt

All the way. You need to show them though.

Your bet bet is to find what they call comparables. Find other cars like yours in your area that sold for the value you want or more. Document it. They can't argue with this.

Don't spend too much time with your receipts. Finding other cars that sold for the value you hope to put on your car is the best bet.

Also if nothing else works, start crying and talk about how much this car means to you because it's been in your family so long. Seriously. Monetary valuation of any property also must consider emotional attachment. Plus, they will want to get you out of there quickly :~)

Marty

Reply to
Martin Joseph

If you put pads on without resurfacing the rotors, that could be your whole problem. The Rotors should be at least "roughed up" when the pads are replaced...

Marty

Reply to
Martin Joseph

I thought MB specifies to never resurface rotors (the rotors are stock MB rotors). Is this not correct? I can't check for myself as the service cd doesn't include the pad replacement and my service books are

400 miles away.
Reply to
marlinspike

They went back door on me, called my dad, and told him the estimate was $3600 and that they will total it, but in the end I will get $3600 (basically this way they would avoid paying for any additional costs that get incurred). In fact, the initial estimate was $3600 and after taking the car apart that came to $4200, but since my dad had already accepted (not on paper, but over the phone), it was enough to kill my entire bargaining position. My dad will cover the difference for me though.

Reply to
marlinspike

Thanks dad!

Reply to
Martin Joseph

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.