Thanks for all your feedbacks. I have now updated this list on the 1st page of this thread.

----------------
Cheers/Mabel

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm
Take time to read. It is the fountain of wisdom
Membership Number: One Nine Seven Seven

Thanks to the great learning this week. Enclosed are our revised Masterpiece...


A. GENERAL

1. Start with a car you like (preferably a Mercedes-Benz).

2. If you are new to MB car and intending to buy one, either brand-new or used, better to join the MyBenz community to get all the necessary info.

3. If you are planning to purchase a used car and intend to make the car last, choose the type and model of car wisely and be patient when you finally selected the one to buy; this is our hard earned money that we are going to spend and we don't want to waste it on a difficult car or the one that we can't afford to maintain.

4. Allocate a decent among of money for your car maintenance. If you want to know how much to run a car per year, please read this thread. http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7603&forum=1

5. Develop a good working relationship with your mechanic; preferably a Mercedes
Specialist’s Workshop. However always remember that the best mechanic is yourself and you are responsible for the well being of your car. Here are some good tips to avoid being riff-offs in any car repair: http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7813&forum=1

6. Please use good judgments if you are using an unfamiliar workshop. If you are not sure sending your car to a particular workshop, read the following tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8631&forum=1

7. If you are not happy with any of the recommended mechanic. Read these two threads.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8620&forum=21&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&start=30

and

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=58&forum=13

8. For continuity and effectiveness of your car maintenance during your retirement age, read this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12122&forum=37

9. Lastly and most importantly is YOU as a The DRIVER. A car will only perform/behave as well as the driver. Drive badly, and the car will only follow your inputs and in some cases, irreversible tragic outcome. So....drive well.

B. ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL

1. Try sharing as much as possible any information regarding servicing, repairing, maintenance, DIY and restoring of your car among friends. This can help you keeping record for your personal reference.

2. Ideally, around once a week u should take your car on a 50-100 km drive. Drive the snot out of your car ONCE in a while. Once a week is sufficient. Bring it to the redline. Don't worry; the dang engine won't break....

3. A babied motor won't last as long as a well taken care of YET DRIVEN engines. The motor needs to visit maximum revs once a while where it develops its full piston speed with pins and cranks at their max capability. Macam exercise le...

4. Don't let fuel almost empty before refill.

5. Use fuel from a high volume station.

6. Be selective in choosing your car battery.

7. Never took out the battery while the engine was still on as it may damage your car ECU.

8. Regular service your car. Service intervals as recommended are as follows:
• Engine oil chg - approximately 9,600kms. If you are draining your oil, use the ‘meleleh” method.
• Air filter chg - approx. 57,900kms
• Auto trans oil chg - approx 57,900kms
• Spark plugs chg - approx. 19,000kms
• Fuel filter chg - approx. 57,900kms
• Fan belt chg - check condition at 19,000kms and change if necessary
• Radiator hoses chg - check condition at 19,000kms and change if necessary. When comes to radiator; if the radiator water is brownish, after cleaning it up, try to get the softer coolants; some parts are already rusty, such as water jackets , piping’s and such , so if the coolant are corrosive type , it will bore a hole at the rusty joints. If all this while has not been using coolant, don’t bother to use it, coolant will dissolve the rust and therefore, rusty parts are vulnerable to cracks. Good brands suggested are Toyota, motul and redline. Ratio for coolant should 30%-50% coolant and top up with water of the total capacity of the radiator.

9. Here is a quick guide to the different grades of oil.

• Fully Synthetic Characteristics is for Fuel economy savings
1. 0W-30 Enhances engine performance and power
2. 0W-40 Ensures engine is protected from wear and deposit build-up
3. 5W-40 Ensures good cold starting and quick circulation in freezing temperatures. Gets to moving parts of the engine quickly

• Semi-synthetic Characteristics is for Better protection
1. 5W-30 Good protection within the first 10 minutes after starting out
2. 10W-40 Roughly three times better at reducing engine wear
3. 15W-40 Increased oil change intervals - don't need to change it quite so often

• Mineral Characteristics
1. 10W-40 Basic protection for a variety of engines
2. 15W-40 Oil needs to be changed more often

10. Here is a good Engine Oil Reference price lists in Malaysia.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=thread&order=ASC&topic_id=12514&forum=1

11. Check your coolant and look for oil floating in it.

12. If your coolant is missing, check the following components; radiator cap, expansion cap, lower and upper radiator hoses located at the top and bottom of the radiator is properly clamp and top gasket. If this is still not OK, perform a pressure test.

13. If the coolant leaks and can be seen on the drive way check your water pump or your radiator.

14. If you are driving a car with a compressor engine, ensure that you have the correct air filter. Wrong air filter may damage your car compressor.

15. If you are driving a car with a compressor engine and you experience a loud knocking sound, chances is that your compressor is starting to give way.

16. If your central locking is not working, 1st check the fuse.

17. If you have noise from Air-condition... tick tick tick or 'tuck tuck tuck tuck ''''' chances is that the air con steeping MOTOR or Operating Lever or gearing had damaged. The dashboard needs to be removed to replace the operating lever or plastic gearing.

18. Mercedes Standard Operation temperature:
• Mercedes Standard Operation temperature is 90'c - 110'c.
• When The Engine Coolant Temperature reach the Maximum 110'c, the Cooling Fan (addition air con fan @ auxiliary fan). The Suction Fan (control unit operated) should Cut-in with Fully Operation (High Speed) to cool down the system to prevent the engine from overheating
• 120'c is a maximum temperature (OVERHEATED). The engine Should STOP for Cooling Down (You May realize THE AIR CON SYSTEM is WARM)
• 130'c is too late ... ENGINE IS ALREADY OVERHEATED!!!

19. If your magnetic fan is not giving you the desired temperature, try opting for the electrical fan solution. Members here have used the Volvo electric fan with success.

20. If your aircond blower is driving you nut, try to take out the AC speed selector and spray it with a contact cleaner.

21. If your steering has too much free play, please check the steering system sees whether any connection loose. Most of the time this is due to the wear and tear in the steering box itself. Adding a metal ball in the steering box will help.
22. Be careful with imitation lubricant oil, gear box oil etc..Buy these products directly at the petrol station or from ProAuto.

23. It seemed for aircond to give better result it is advisable to have it done/checked by MB specialist and not by any "typical" aircond shop.

24. Always carry a spare fan belt in your car.

25. When it's raining or the road is slippery, avoid using cruise control. The system works as follows:-
• To set the auto-cruise at the desired speed, simply push the knob upwards towards the cabin roof and release.
• To disable it, push the knob forward towards the dashboard and release.
• To re-activate at the last speed set, pull the knob towards you and release
• Once the auto-cruise is set and you want to accelerate to a higher speed, repeat Step 1 and hold until the new desired speed is achieved
• To decelerate to a lower speed once auto-cruise is on, push the knob down towards the floor and hold until the new speed is achieved
• Auto-cruise will automatically be turned off when you press the brake pedal. But if you stop yr car but do not turn off the engine, the setting is still on and will activate again if you follow Step 3 above. Once engine is off, auto-cruise setting will be erased. If any of the above doesn’t work, then you better get the auto-cruise system checked.

26. Once in a while refill the petrol with 'Shell V Power' or a Higher RON

27. Be careful when making engine conversion to your car. Make sure the engine dependable components are in line with the car design specification. Always get a competence mechanic to do the conversion.

28. If Electric seat spoiled, dun repair it, nanti girfren,bini,anak mau pakai.. leave it to ur settings OR change to bucket seat with manual adjustment, no more headache on electrical motor faulty & get more sporty ride

29. Open engine hood when arrive at home. Heat is a big enemy to plastic & rubber parts in the engine bay. So is the cable!! Engine bay is very hot, especially when the car stationary.

30. Check all the drainage hole and wells to avoid any clogs or block, failing so can lead to internal rust of your car, especially at sunroof area, rear boot, door panel and screen panel.

31. Always use GENUINE MBENZ parts; imitation is no match and very much inferior in comparison.

32. Do a regular check out on your radiator water. If the water was brown and rusty, flush the radiator, use original Mercedes Coolant. When servicing your radiator, also change the radiator cap.

33. If you experience erratic idle during start up (after park overnight) and the problem goes away after a while and came back, try servicing throttle body. Carbon collects in between the idle air control valve and the butterfly valve. It's not that expensive. Estimated price range is between RM60-150.

34. If your ABS light is off, it could be due to the bulb or in the worst case, wiring problem. If your ABS light is on, it could be due a faulty sensors or even a dirty sensor. Normally, the abs light on the dash will come on (together with all other warning lights) when you are about to start the car, just right before you cranked the car but it will go off after the engine is started/running.

35. If you experience Spongy Brake i.e. braking is only effective when pedal is fully floored…brake pedal is really "soft", try changing the brake fluid 1st before going to those expensive stuffs like brake pump, sensor or master pumps.

36. If your brake squeals, first get it inspected to make sure there isn't a problem with the braking system. Check the brake pad, calipers or the rotors (disc). Use original brake pads.

37. If you see 2 indicators (ABS & BAS/ASR) light up on the dash, check your brake switch or stop lamp switch.

38. Wiring Headlight Tinggal Bare Wire, temporary use the black tapes that electrician use and then gets the said wire changed by a good mechanic.

39. If your car temperature increase suddenly, check the fuse connects to the aux fan.

40. If your car air cond blowers switch off, check the fuse.

41. If your car won’t crank, jerking and have a tendency to stall, check your fuel filter. Recommended interval every 50,000 miles.

42. If your car suddenly noticed a lost of power, engine died and unable to start the engine, check the TD box, coil, distributor, and plug cable.

43. If you are driving a CDI car and experience a loss of power, check the Air Filter and Air Mass Sensor.

44. If you press the pedal all the way down, the gear should shift down (kick down mode) to allow for better acceleration to overtake. The gear should shift up when your rev hit the red line. If this does not happen, please check the air mass.

45. Keep your engine bay as clean as possible so that you can spot any leak or loose clips easily.

46. Change your brake fluid at least once in 2 years, auto transmission fluid also.

47. Always inspect your distributor cap, rotors and the aluminum arm, since the distributor and rotor are made of ceramic ,they become brittle in time and breaks when you least expect it

48. If you are thinking of using Iridium plugs, please also include a good set of spark plugs cable.

49. If you hear whistling coming from your Gear box, bring your car to the nearest workshop.

50. NEVER 'lug' the engine. Lugging means you’re in a higher gear than supposed to (for manual cars only). Some people do this to get better mileage and 'baby' the engine. But in fact it's just the opposite. When you are in 3rd instead of 2nd, at say 1500RPM trundling along, your engine will have LESS oil pressure (worse if your car is dry-summed) and that will cause more wear and tear on the internals. Vacuum created will also have more fuel unburnt.......

51. A Cold Start Valve will cause your engine to wake up at high RPMs. IF you are worried that your oil level is low (say, tinggalkan kereta 2/3 minggu) just crank the engine 2/3 times and shut before engine catches. That will cause some oils to get to your galleries/internals. Then start. Process is called 'turning-over'. e.g. RG’s other two cars starts at 3000RPM cold. Settles to 1200 and then 1000RPM. One minute and drive off. Once the oil temp/pressure gets within spec. I’ll let her rip. That and 15kkm and 25kkm on both cars, still healthy and good comp/leak down numbers. And they visit their 8500/8400 RPM VERY regularly.

52. Alternatively, there is another school of thought that says one of the best ways to keep your car last longer is to don’t use it. Try not to take your car to places where u can walk to or practice car-pooling. If possible don’t lend car to other people. Ideally for daily use like go to work, pasar, hantar anak sekolah use the 2nd car. Let our beloved car relax a bit.

53. If your gear is not engaging well, please first check the brake switch or gear selector level.

54. If your Speedometer not working, most probably problem with cable or memang speedo punya gear dah haus. Quite easy for mechanic to remove the instrument cluster and check for you. Sometimes spraying a WD40 can solve the problem.

55. If you are experiencing rattling or ticking sound while driving, it could be the tappet noise, annoying but not really a big issue to worry about. It can be fixed by adjusting the tappet or if it is not severe, 1 can thick NASA additive can reduce the ticking.

56. If your speedometer is oscillating at low RPM, check your throttle body.

57. Always make a point to have a spare key. Here are some good learning thread for your reference.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=12994&forum=21

58. When you have time, please take time visiting a Mercedes Museum as it will remind you that if you don’t take heed of the above advice, your car may one day landed in one of this museum...

59. To stop steering leak, you may try any of these least expensive options: it can improve or reduce the leak by adding to the power steering reservoir. It’s not a glue or gum. This treatment helps to soften the rubber seals.
• Wynn's Product (Power Steering Treatment) may helps ...
• STP
• hydratrans ( hydraulic + transmission)

60. If you have severe steering free play, read this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10011&forum=28

61. Always carry a fire extinguisher in your car. See enclosed thread for detail.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7333&forum=1

62. When it's time, consider de-carbonized your car only when you have taken the following steps:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7031&forum=13

63. Be wary and careful of your EZL in your car when you send your car for services. Read this thread for further detail.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=9584&forum=1

64. If you are driving a C-Class, beware if your Gearbox is leaking. Read this if you need to know more:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=9928&forum=25

65. If your car drive is sluggish, check the sparkies and cables; ensure that the connection is secured properly. Also check if there is any air intake blockage e.g. air filter, fuel blockage (pump or filter)... Other possibilities are discussed in this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9917&forum=21

66. If you experience slight leakage for your transmission system, try the cheaper solution first. Overtime the oil-seal will get harden that's when the leaking happens. So, the solution is to make the oil-seal soften. What you can try is to buy a bottle of automatic gearbox conditional, some call it stop leak, add it to the gearbox and run it for about 500km says in 2 weeks. If the leak still happens then you have no choice to change the oil-seal. If you are lucky, the leak will stop. The conditional is not expensive. Try to get a good one either from the hypermarket/DIY/ACE or spare part shop. Detail:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=9920&forum=25

67. If your engine heats up when in idle for 15 minutes, read this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=10016&forum=21

68. Here are some good tips to handle small oil leak.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=10004&forum=21

69. Whenever you send your car for oil change, be it engine oil, ATF, power steering or brake oil; please double check to ensure it is on the optimum level before you leave the workshop. Please don't take for granted that the workshop boy care for your car, even with the reputable service center. Here’s why...
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10030&forum=1

70. If you have misfiring issues on your car, check the following tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11000&forum=24

71. If your car experience high fuel consumption, check this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=11460&forum=24

72. If you are losing Coolant and experience overheating, please check your thermostat. Here is a good reference thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12085&forum=21

73. If you want to save your fuel bill. Here are 21 recommended tips.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=7397&forum=13

74. If your car need towing services. Here is a contact no compliment from benzers :
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=5433&forum=1

C. SUSPENSION

1. Check the tire pressure. Always remember your car have 5 tires

2. Don’t put your spot rim too over size as it would damage your car suspension.

3. Send your car to m/benz man for under carriage CHECK. Make sure all the arm, linkage, booth, suspension system all in good condition to avoid any mishap (skid during cornering).

4. When choosing tires, if possible, make sure Semua size / make / model are the same. Kalau Tak Boleh, At Least the Left and Right Tires must be the same.

5. If you want to use eibach, please ensure that you know the right part no. Don’t rely on those people who sell goods. You must check yourself with the manufacturer.

6. Steering rack, ball joints, tie rods, sub frame mounts and stabilizer bars and other suspension parts are what make the ride in a Mercedes comfortable. These are designed in such a way that the passengers don’t get a rough ride. That doesn’t mean that you could whack through every pot hole or bumps because the car takes that impact so that you are comfortable and safe. Now I try my very best to avoid pot hole, humps and bumps and I realized that these parts last very much longer. These are very common problem with most continental cars because most of us think hantam sajalah, tak rasa ape ape. I think we need to change our driving style and remember that these cars were meant for the smooth roads in Europe and not our Malaysian road where you avoid one and fall into another.

7. Factors Affecting Car Tire Longevity
In the movies, they make it look so cool: smoking the tires, drifting and even making screeching "emergency" stops when there's no emergency. However, those are all extreme examples of how to sentence your tires to a fate of premature baldness. But even if you don't drive like you're filming a Hollywood chase scene, certain habits can make a profound difference as to the overall lifespan of your tires. When it comes to car part longevity, few systems give as much visible and immediate feedback as the tires. These car parts are among the most basic, but they can speak volumes about your driving style, the roads on which they're driven, and even the condition of other auto parts and systems, such as the precision of your car's alignment. In addition to the factors just mentioned, the following can also affect how long your tires last:

• Outside temperature
• Inflation pressure
• Frequency of rotation
• Appropriate pairing of tires on same axle (new opposite new, old opposite old)
• Proper or improper loading of vehicle
• Rating of the tire itself

You can do several things proactively to lengthen the life of your tires, including:
• Maintain the proper tire pressure
• Avoid loading the vehicle with more weight than the manufacturer advises
• Avoid road hazards

8. If you are thinking of servicing your suspension, here is a good reference thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11459&forum=21

9. If you are changing front and rear absorber, here is a good reference thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=12995&forum=27

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=13022&forum=27

10. If you considering different type of absorber, here is a good thread for your reference.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&topic_id=7515&forum=26

11. If you are thinking of changing tires, check this thread for your reference prices and workshops:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10203&forum=11

12. If you feel your car is swinging. Read this thread;
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10050&forum=21

13. The best way to know if your absorber is not OK is to do a physical check to see if there is any physical damages such as Pitted, bent, or broken rod, Severely dented dust shield (such that shield restricts shock movement), Severe leaking from shock, Worn or missing bushings (if not individually replaceable) , Abnormally worn or cupped tires. Details are enclosed in this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9767&forum=21

14. If you need to decide between comfort vs. handling, here is a good rule of thumb compliment from renggrun:

"It all depends on the driver of the car. It does NOT mean if you put on big wheels combo that you're a stylo-milo guy. Not necessary.

1. If you drive aggressively, i.e. pantang jumpa koner, mesti nak sebat/sesah....macam Brotha Mal kita, MatCossie tuh...,you gotta have the optimum set-up for your car. You'll need bigger wheels and low-pro tyres to render more outright grip and also more feedback from the steering.

 When you run Low-Pro tyres,i.e 45/40/35 series tires, your steering will offer more feedback since the tires are 'nipis' to the ground and you can feel everything..sampai puntung rokok pun boleh rasa...!!

 Low profile tire will have less sidewall flex and your car can steer faster and more precise. Thus, you can tackle the corners better. In a straight line fast driving too, your car will feel more stable and the steering feels planted.

2. Problem is, people just simply slap on the big wheels and tire combo without doing suspension mods. PLEASE understand that the fancy/bigger wheels and tires can only work well in CONJUNCTION with an upgraded suspension characteristics.

 The original specs for a car will read suspension designed for a car with 16" wheels and tires at 55 series. The engineers will calculate the damping characteristics of the tall sidewall (55 series) and the wheel size and WEIGHT and all these will be computed and extrapolated to ensure hat the car will ride comfortably and handle okay.

 Now, when someone simply ikut suka aje, pi letak tayar and rim besor WITHOUT doing the suspension mods...apa lagi..melompat2 ler keta deme !!! Apsal??? Pasal, the original dampers and springs are NOT designed to counter the upgraded tires/wheels thingy.... They are esigned for the original specs fitment. Once a heavier wheel (katalah 17/18) and bigger tires, low profile, (katalah 235/245 on 45 or 40 series) is fitted, please remember that the tayar dahlah nipis...bila nipis dia lagi tegang and senang meloncat. Wheels lagi berat, bila berat, loncatan lebih momentum......

 Heavier and stiffer tires/wheels will kasi itu standard springs/dampers kacau lah... So, kena lah pasang spring keras sikit and dampers pun keras sikit. Bila tayar terlompat, spring akan 'absorb' the force and akan naik ke atas 'perlahan' sikit and dampers pulak akan melepaskan hentaman itu kembali ke jalan secara perlahan sikit pasal spring and dampers uprated bisa menagkis serta menahan hentakan dan serapan yang perlu dilakukan.......So, uprate your springs and dampers and fit the big wheels combo if you'd like...Go ahead..make your day. Just do it right and the 'dis-comfort' will be so minimal......So, tuan tuan dan puan puan...tepuk dada tanya selera"

Here is the reference thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=9491&forum=11

15. Here is simple table for your tires correct size, compliments from renngrun.

• W124 : Bad and Snoops and Co.

• 15 : 195/65 or 205/60
• 16 : 205/55
• 17 : 215/45.................225/45 slight oversize but boleh.
• 18 : 225/40 ................235/40 -----ditto--------

• W210 : Belalang/Anazz and Co. including me

• 15 : rare, except Classic manual spec! 205/65
• 16 : 215/55
• 17 : 235/45
• 18 : 235/40 and 265/35 on staggered fitments.
• 19 : 235/35 and 275/30 on staggered fitments.

• W203 : Uncle Yam/AsDad

• 15 : 195/65 or 205/60
• 16 : 205/55
• 17 : 215/45
• 18 : 225/40 and 255/35 for staggered fitments.

• W140 : Mabel & Co.

• 16 : 235/60
• 17 : 235/55
• 18 : 235/50 and 265/45 Staggered (8.0/8.5 and 9.0 X 18)
• 19 : 235/45 and 265/40 ---ditto--(8.5 and 9.5 X 19)
• 20 : 245/40 and 285/35 ---ditto--(8.5 and 9.5/10.0 X 20)
• 21 : 245/35 and 335/25 ---ditto--(9.0 and 10.0/12.0 X 21)

Note : For the W140...UNLESS you wanna be a Miami 'Playa' or Jappo VIP groupie.....the line stops at 19". 19"s still give the ride worthy of an S-Klasse and better handling and nice looks.

16. Drive at reasonable speed (don't over stress, unless that car purposely for racing). If you have GPS, your speedometer will always read 10 KM/H lower than GPS speed. Here is a good calculation on your speedometer accuracy. Values below may vary between models, here's a typical calculations: -
gear ratio
1 - 4.25
2 - 2.40
3 - 1.40
4 - 1.0
final drive - 3.07, standard tire size = 195/65/15, wheel diameter = (195 * 0.65) + (15*25.4) = 507.8mm, circumference = pi*D = 3.1416* 507.8/1000 = 1.6m

say at 3000 engine rpm,
revolution at wheel = rpm / (gear ratio * final ratio)

= 3000 / (3.07 * 1) = 977 rpm

Distant of wheel travel /min = 977 * 1.6 = 1563.2 m

In an hour, the wheel would have travelled = 1563.2 * 60
= 93,792m
= 93.8 km or (93.8 km/h)


D. BODYWORKS

1. Do not park your seldom use car on soil ground, the water and humidity from soil will eat/rust car from underneath twice faster than you park on hard surface.

2. To our Muslim members, I practice cuci kereta pada pagi Jumaat dengan berselawat. Amalan ini saya perolehi dari seorang guru kerana banyak merantau. Ini bukan syrik tapi seolah memohan agar kenderaan tersebut tetap di perliharakan perjalanan nya. Alhamduillah sehingga hari ini saya belum lagi mengalami kemudaratan. Selain dari tips tips penjagaan kenderaan yang telah dipaparkan, mungkin boleh diamalkan. Pada saya, Rasullullah membela kuda dan unta sebagai tunggangan sama ada untuk berniaga atau pun berperang dan wajarlah kenderaan yang kita gunakan untuk mencari rezeki serta mengziarahi sanak saudara kita pelihara secara Islam. Ada sesiapa yang boleh berikan sedikit idea.

3. Another thing that I learn from my mother is bila you sayang sesuatu banyakan baca "Masha Allah la kuwatailla"...this may include your car, wife, anak..anything you love...ia akan sentiasa di jaga dan perlihara oleh Allah..

4. I possible, wash your car almost everyday.

5. Polish your car every week or if not once every two weeks with you hand and once every month with machine. Open up the engine area to wash or wipe it once a month too. For interior, wipe it as often as you can.

6. Do regular fold & un-fold exercise for your side mirrors. I noticed mine get stuck if not do that for long time, have to slightly force with hand.


7. If you want your car to look brand new, contact KC2 @ http://thedetailers.blogspot.com

8. Wax the paintwork at least once in 2 months.

9. Make it a point to park in the shade as the sun/heat will kill your exterior and interior.

10. Use saddle soap on your leather seats monthly to prevent them from cracking.

11. Wash regularly, use gentle shampoo; spot clean with stronger detergent on hard to remove stains.

12. Wax monthly, this can minimize the fine scratches you get from sands on the road. Sands and stones will just slide off and makes washing easy.

13. If your mirror berkabus or berminyak try COKE...

14. If you want to clean your chrome pieces in your car, try COKE

E. INTERIOR

1. Apply Vaseline Total Moisturizer Cream from Watson to the seam and edges of the leather seat to prevent irritating noises.

2. Use MB approved dashboard cleaner, I use KIWI shoe polish for my dash board, centre console and door cards and tires( It works for me )It has a natural shine not oily shine

3. If you want your car to have a cool interior, here are some recommended tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7769&forum=1

4. If you want your car to look brand new, contact KC2 @ http://thedetailers.blogspot.com

5. Enclosed are additional tips on how to help you to keep your car fresh or odor free.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7769&forum=1

6. If you want your car smell fresh, read this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9159&forum=1

----------------
Cheers/Mabel

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm
Take time to read. It is the fountain of wisdom
Membership Number: One Nine Seven Seven

.

1. Start with a car you like.
2. Regular interval service maintenance
3. Use fuel from a high volume station
4. Don't forget to warm up the engine (3-5min) before take off
5. Don't let fuel almost empty before refill
6. Reasonable speed (don't over stress, unless that car purposely for racing)
7. Measure when oil change use the correct engine oil
8. Dun save the money for your air filter and park plug
9. Check your engine oil in every 1000km
because m/benz is normal makan minyak hitam
10.Check the water tank before start car
11.Always remember your car have 5 tyres
12. Spend a few minutes a week checking under the hood.
13. M/benz gear box is every sensitive for water like when in driving look at the road have water dun try to pass it because your gear box breather air is at bottom so easy let the water go inside ur gear box.
14. When you park your car at a slope, make sure you pull the handbrake before you put your gears into P. That way, you make the brakes work for you and not the gear as a brake. This would minimise jerking when driving.
15. Add coolant to your radiator and remember to maintain it.
16. Remember to bring along a tire pressure gauge to check your pressure of your tires and do not rely on the gauges at petrol stations (due to some are not correctly calibrated)
17. Put some silicone oil to your door rubbers to maintain its flexibility and will last longer
18. Use silicone oil on your window channels and this will smoothen up the channel and your power window motor will not stress out.
19. Clean your antenna once a month and oil it up while bringing it up and down few times and your antenna will last many years to come
20. Use lemon pledge on your wooden trimmings and it will shine for more then your life time
21. Remember to oil up your leather seats with leather care at least once a month. Its just like your skin which needs body lotion as well. My leather seats have lasted if you maintain it with leather care.
22. Put some uv care on your dashboards to maintain the shine.
23. When you park your car remember to put the front sunshade and cover up the whole windscreen and for the rest of the windows as well. It will keep the sun away from the interior and your interior will not fade as fast.
24. Use the carpet with curly coils, this will keep the dust from lifting up into the air and your car will not be dusty as with normal carpets.
25. 3 to 6 months once pop up the hood and tighten all your hoses screws due to they will loosen up with temp differences and it will not pop out accidentally when your on your travel.
26. Under your benz bonnet remember to put the lining..due to some cars without the lining the top car paint will spoil and fade faster than those with lining.
27. When you reverse make sure you come to complete stop before engaging into D, it makes a lot of difference and your car gearbox will last.
28. For cars with battery water ....fill them up only in the morning before starting and do not fill them up when you are at service centers due to you have driven there and its warm and your battery will not last.
29. Use autosol on your chromes and they will shine and shine.
30. Do not wash your engines when you go to car wash..this will really hurt your engines when its hot and warm. Just wipe them with a damp cloth.
31. Oil up your door hinges once a while...near rubber areas do not use WD40 but instead you can use silicon oil which does not hurt the rubber.
31. While in a traffic jam try not leave at least half a car gap distance and not bumper to bumper distance. This will help your car to cool down faster and not overheat especially for w124 benz because the heat from the next car will not transfer to your car and your car will get more cool air when there's a bigger gap.

Thanks to the great learning this week. Enclosed are our revised Masterpiece...


A. GENERAL

1. Start with a car you like (preferably a Mercedes-Benz).

2. If you are new to MB car and intending to buy one, either brand-new or used, better to join the MyBenz community to get all the necessary info.

3. If you are planning to purchase a used car and intend to make the car last, choose the type and model of car wisely and be patient when you finally selected the one to buy; this is our hard earned money that we are going to spend and we don't want to waste it on a difficult car or the one that we can't afford to maintain.

4. Allocate a decent among of money for your car maintenance. If you want to know how much to run a car per year, please read this thread. http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7603&forum=1

5. Develop a good working relationship with your mechanic; preferably a Mercedes
Specialist’s Workshop. However always remember that the best mechanic is yourself and you are responsible for the well being of your car. Here are some good tips to avoid being riff-offs in any car repair: http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7813&forum=1

6. Please use good judgments if you are using an unfamiliar workshop. If you are not sure sending your car to a particular workshop, read the following tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8631&forum=1

7. If you are not happy with any of the recommended mechanic. Read these two threads.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8620&forum=21&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&start=30

and

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=58&forum=13

8. For continuity and effectiveness of your car maintenance during your retirement age, read this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12122&forum=37

9. Lastly and most importantly is YOU as a The DRIVER. A car will only perform/behave as well as the driver. Drive badly, and the car will only follow your inputs and in some cases, irreversible tragic outcome. So....drive well.

B. ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL

1. Try sharing as much as possible any information regarding servicing, repairing, maintenance, DIY and restoring of your car among friends. This can help you keeping record for your personal reference.

2. Ideally, around once a week u should take your car on a 50-100 km drive. Drive the snot out of your car ONCE in a while. Once a week is sufficient. Bring it to the redline. Don't worry; the dang engine won't break....

3. A babied motor won't last as long as a well taken care of YET DRIVEN engines. The motor needs to visit maximum revs once a while where it develops its full piston speed with pins and cranks at their max capability. Macam exercise le...

4. Don't let fuel almost empty before refill.

5. Use fuel from a high volume station.

6. Be selective in choosing your car battery.

7. Never took out the battery while the engine was still on as it may damage your car ECU.

8. Regular service your car. Service intervals as recommended are as follows:
• Engine oil chg - approximately 9,600kms. If you are draining your oil, use the ‘meleleh” method.
• Air filter chg - approx. 57,900kms
• Auto trans oil chg - approx 57,900kms
• Spark plugs chg - approx. 19,000kms
• Fuel filter chg - approx. 57,900kms
• Fan belt chg - check condition at 19,000kms and change if necessary
• Radiator hoses chg - check condition at 19,000kms and change if necessary. When comes to radiator; if the radiator water is brownish, after cleaning it up, try to get the softer coolants; some parts are already rusty, such as water jackets , piping’s and such , so if the coolant are corrosive type , it will bore a hole at the rusty joints. If all this while has not been using coolant, don’t bother to use it, coolant will dissolve the rust and therefore, rusty parts are vulnerable to cracks. Good brands suggested are Toyota, motul and redline. Ratio for coolant should 30%-50% coolant and top up with water of the total capacity of the radiator.

9. Here is a quick guide to the different grades of oil.

• Fully Synthetic Characteristics is for Fuel economy savings
1. 0W-30 Enhances engine performance and power
2. 0W-40 Ensures engine is protected from wear and deposit build-up
3. 5W-40 Ensures good cold starting and quick circulation in freezing temperatures. Gets to moving parts of the engine quickly

• Semi-synthetic Characteristics is for Better protection
1. 5W-30 Good protection within the first 10 minutes after starting out
2. 10W-40 Roughly three times better at reducing engine wear
3. 15W-40 Increased oil change intervals - don't need to change it quite so often

• Mineral Characteristics
1. 10W-40 Basic protection for a variety of engines
2. 15W-40 Oil needs to be changed more often

10. Here is a good Engine Oil Reference price lists in Malaysia.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=thread&order=ASC&topic_id=12514&forum=1

11. Check your coolant and look for oil floating in it.

12. If your coolant is missing, check the following components; radiator cap, expansion cap, lower and upper radiator hoses located at the top and bottom of the radiator is properly clamp and top gasket. If this is still not OK, perform a pressure test.

13. If the coolant leaks and can be seen on the drive way check your water pump or your radiator.

14. If you are driving a car with a compressor engine, ensure that you have the correct air filter. Wrong air filter may damage your car compressor.

15. If you are driving a car with a compressor engine and you experience a loud knocking sound, chances is that your compressor is starting to give way.

16. If your central locking is not working, 1st check the fuse.

17. If you have noise from Air-condition... tick tick tick or 'tuck tuck tuck tuck ''''' chances is that the air con steeping MOTOR or Operating Lever or gearing had damaged. The dashboard needs to be removed to replace the operating lever or plastic gearing.

18. Mercedes Standard Operation temperature:
• Mercedes Standard Operation temperature is 90'c - 110'c.
• When The Engine Coolant Temperature reach the Maximum 110'c, the Cooling Fan (addition air con fan @ auxiliary fan). The Suction Fan (control unit operated) should Cut-in with Fully Operation (High Speed) to cool down the system to prevent the engine from overheating
• 120'c is a maximum temperature (OVERHEATED). The engine Should STOP for Cooling Down (You May realize THE AIR CON SYSTEM is WARM)
• 130'c is too late ... ENGINE IS ALREADY OVERHEATED!!!

19. If your magnetic fan is not giving you the desired temperature, try opting for the electrical fan solution. Members here have used the Volvo electric fan with success.

20. If your aircond blower is driving you nut, try to take out the AC speed selector and spray it with a contact cleaner.

21. If your steering has too much free play, please check the steering system sees whether any connection loose. Most of the time this is due to the wear and tear in the steering box itself. Adding a metal ball in the steering box will help.
22. Be careful with imitation lubricant oil, gear box oil etc..Buy these products directly at the petrol station or from ProAuto.

23. It seemed for aircond to give better result it is advisable to have it done/checked by MB specialist and not by any "typical" aircond shop.

24. Always carry a spare fan belt in your car.

25. When it's raining or the road is slippery, avoid using cruise control. The system works as follows:-
• To set the auto-cruise at the desired speed, simply push the knob upwards towards the cabin roof and release.
• To disable it, push the knob forward towards the dashboard and release.
• To re-activate at the last speed set, pull the knob towards you and release
• Once the auto-cruise is set and you want to accelerate to a higher speed, repeat Step 1 and hold until the new desired speed is achieved
• To decelerate to a lower speed once auto-cruise is on, push the knob down towards the floor and hold until the new speed is achieved
• Auto-cruise will automatically be turned off when you press the brake pedal. But if you stop yr car but do not turn off the engine, the setting is still on and will activate again if you follow Step 3 above. Once engine is off, auto-cruise setting will be erased. If any of the above doesn’t work, then you better get the auto-cruise system checked.

26. Once in a while refill the petrol with 'Shell V Power' or a Higher RON

27. Be careful when making engine conversion to your car. Make sure the engine dependable components are in line with the car design specification. Always get a competence mechanic to do the conversion.

28. If Electric seat spoiled, dun repair it, nanti girfren,bini,anak mau pakai.. leave it to ur settings OR change to bucket seat with manual adjustment, no more headache on electrical motor faulty & get more sporty ride

29. Open engine hood when arrive at home. Heat is a big enemy to plastic & rubber parts in the engine bay. So is the cable!! Engine bay is very hot, especially when the car stationary.

30. Check all the drainage hole and wells to avoid any clogs or block, failing so can lead to internal rust of your car, especially at sunroof area, rear boot, door panel and screen panel.

31. Always use GENUINE MBENZ parts; imitation is no match and very much inferior in comparison.

32. Do a regular check out on your radiator water. If the water was brown and rusty, flush the radiator, use original Mercedes Coolant. When servicing your radiator, also change the radiator cap.

33. If you experience erratic idle during start up (after park overnight) and the problem goes away after a while and came back, try servicing throttle body. Carbon collects in between the idle air control valve and the butterfly valve. It's not that expensive. Estimated price range is between RM60-150.

34. If your ABS light is off, it could be due to the bulb or in the worst case, wiring problem. If your ABS light is on, it could be due a faulty sensors or even a dirty sensor. Normally, the abs light on the dash will come on (together with all other warning lights) when you are about to start the car, just right before you cranked the car but it will go off after the engine is started/running.

35. If you experience Spongy Brake i.e. braking is only effective when pedal is fully floored…brake pedal is really "soft", try changing the brake fluid 1st before going to those expensive stuffs like brake pump, sensor or master pumps.

36. If your brake squeals, first get it inspected to make sure there isn't a problem with the braking system. Check the brake pad, calipers or the rotors (disc). Use original brake pads.

37. If you see 2 indicators (ABS & BAS/ASR) light up on the dash, check your brake switch or stop lamp switch.

38. Wiring Headlight Tinggal Bare Wire, temporary use the black tapes that electrician use and then gets the said wire changed by a good mechanic.

39. If your car temperature increase suddenly, check the fuse connects to the aux fan.

40. If your car air cond blowers switch off, check the fuse.

41. If your car won’t crank, jerking and have a tendency to stall, check your fuel filter. Recommended interval every 50,000 miles.

42. If your car suddenly noticed a lost of power, engine died and unable to start the engine, check the TD box, coil, distributor, and plug cable.

43. If you are driving a CDI car and experience a loss of power, check the Air Filter and Air Mass Sensor.

44. If you press the pedal all the way down, the gear should shift down (kick down mode) to allow for better acceleration to overtake. The gear should shift up when your rev hit the red line. If this does not happen, please check the air mass.

45. Keep your engine bay as clean as possible so that you can spot any leak or loose clips easily.

46. Change your brake fluid at least once in 2 years, auto transmission fluid also.

47. Always inspect your distributor cap, rotors and the aluminum arm, since the distributor and rotor are made of ceramic ,they become brittle in time and breaks when you least expect it

48. If you are thinking of using Iridium plugs, please also include a good set of spark plugs cable.

49. If you hear whistling coming from your Gear box, bring your car to the nearest workshop.

50. NEVER 'lug' the engine. Lugging means you’re in a higher gear than supposed to (for manual cars only). Some people do this to get better mileage and 'baby' the engine. But in fact it's just the opposite. When you are in 3rd instead of 2nd, at say 1500RPM trundling along, your engine will have LESS oil pressure (worse if your car is dry-summed) and that will cause more wear and tear on the internals. Vacuum created will also have more fuel unburnt.......

51. A Cold Start Valve will cause your engine to wake up at high RPMs. IF you are worried that your oil level is low (say, tinggalkan kereta 2/3 minggu) just crank the engine 2/3 times and shut before engine catches. That will cause some oils to get to your galleries/internals. Then start. Process is called 'turning-over'. e.g. RG’s other two cars starts at 3000RPM cold. Settles to 1200 and then 1000RPM. One minute and drive off. Once the oil temp/pressure gets within spec. I’ll let her rip. That and 15kkm and 25kkm on both cars, still healthy and good comp/leak down numbers. And they visit their 8500/8400 RPM VERY regularly.

52. Alternatively, there is another school of thought that says one of the best ways to keep your car last longer is to don’t use it. Try not to take your car to places where u can walk to or practice car-pooling. If possible don’t lend car to other people. Ideally for daily use like go to work, pasar, hantar anak sekolah use the 2nd car. Let our beloved car relax a bit.

53. If your gear is not engaging well, please first check the brake switch or gear selector level.

54. If your Speedometer not working, most probably problem with cable or memang speedo punya gear dah haus. Quite easy for mechanic to remove the instrument cluster and check for you. Sometimes spraying a WD40 can solve the problem.

55. If you are experiencing rattling or ticking sound while driving, it could be the tappet noise, annoying but not really a big issue to worry about. It can be fixed by adjusting the tappet or if it is not severe, 1 can thick NASA additive can reduce the ticking.

56. If your speedometer is oscillating at low RPM, check your throttle body.

57. Always make a point to have a spare key. Here are some good learning thread for your reference.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=12994&forum=21

58. When you have time, please take time visiting a Mercedes Museum as it will remind you that if you don’t take heed of the above advice, your car may one day landed in one of this museum...

59. To stop steering leak, you may try any of these least expensive options: it can improve or reduce the leak by adding to the power steering reservoir. It’s not a glue or gum. This treatment helps to soften the rubber seals.
• Wynn's Product (Power Steering Treatment) may helps ...
• STP
• hydratrans ( hydraulic + transmission)

60. If you have severe steering free play, read this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10011&forum=28

61. Always carry a fire extinguisher in your car. See enclosed thread for detail.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7333&forum=1

62. When it's time, consider de-carbonized your car only when you have taken the following steps:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7031&forum=13

63. Be wary and careful of your EZL in your car when you send your car for services. Read this thread for further detail.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=9584&forum=1

64. If you are driving a C-Class, beware if your Gearbox is leaking. Read this if you need to know more:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=9928&forum=25

65. If your car drive is sluggish, check the sparkies and cables; ensure that the connection is secured properly. Also check if there is any air intake blockage e.g. air filter, fuel blockage (pump or filter)... Other possibilities are discussed in this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9917&forum=21

66. If you experience slight leakage for your transmission system, try the cheaper solution first. Overtime the oil-seal will get harden that's when the leaking happens. So, the solution is to make the oil-seal soften. What you can try is to buy a bottle of automatic gearbox conditional, some call it stop leak, add it to the gearbox and run it for about 500km says in 2 weeks. If the leak still happens then you have no choice to change the oil-seal. If you are lucky, the leak will stop. The conditional is not expensive. Try to get a good one either from the hypermarket/DIY/ACE or spare part shop. Detail:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=9920&forum=25

67. If your engine heats up when in idle for 15 minutes, read this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=10016&forum=21

68. Here are some good tips to handle small oil leak.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=10004&forum=21

69. Whenever you send your car for oil change, be it engine oil, ATF, power steering or brake oil; please double check to ensure it is on the optimum level before you leave the workshop. Please don't take for granted that the workshop boy care for your car, even with the reputable service center. Here’s why...
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10030&forum=1

70. If you have misfiring issues on your car, check the following tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11000&forum=24

71. If your car experience high fuel consumption, check this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=11460&forum=24

72. If you are losing Coolant and experience overheating, please check your thermostat. Here is a good reference thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12085&forum=21

73. If you want to save your fuel bill. Here are 21 recommended tips.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=7397&forum=13

74. If your car need towing services. Here is a contact no compliment from benzers :
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=5433&forum=1

C. SUSPENSION

1. Check the tire pressure. Always remember your car have 5 tires

2. Don’t put your spot rim too over size as it would damage your car suspension.

3. Send your car to m/benz man for under carriage CHECK. Make sure all the arm, linkage, booth, suspension system all in good condition to avoid any mishap (skid during cornering).

4. When choosing tires, if possible, make sure Semua size / make / model are the same. Kalau Tak Boleh, At Least the Left and Right Tires must be the same.

5. If you want to use eibach, please ensure that you know the right part no. Don’t rely on those people who sell goods. You must check yourself with the manufacturer.

6. Steering rack, ball joints, tie rods, sub frame mounts and stabilizer bars and other suspension parts are what make the ride in a Mercedes comfortable. These are designed in such a way that the passengers don’t get a rough ride. That doesn’t mean that you could whack through every pot hole or bumps because the car takes that impact so that you are comfortable and safe. Now I try my very best to avoid pot hole, humps and bumps and I realized that these parts last very much longer. These are very common problem with most continental cars because most of us think hantam sajalah, tak rasa ape ape. I think we need to change our driving style and remember that these cars were meant for the smooth roads in Europe and not our Malaysian road where you avoid one and fall into another.

7. Factors Affecting Car Tire Longevity
In the movies, they make it look so cool: smoking the tires, drifting and even making screeching "emergency" stops when there's no emergency. However, those are all extreme examples of how to sentence your tires to a fate of premature baldness. But even if you don't drive like you're filming a Hollywood chase scene, certain habits can make a profound difference as to the overall lifespan of your tires. When it comes to car part longevity, few systems give as much visible and immediate feedback as the tires. These car parts are among the most basic, but they can speak volumes about your driving style, the roads on which they're driven, and even the condition of other auto parts and systems, such as the precision of your car's alignment. In addition to the factors just mentioned, the following can also affect how long your tires last:

• Outside temperature
• Inflation pressure
• Frequency of rotation
• Appropriate pairing of tires on same axle (new opposite new, old opposite old)
• Proper or improper loading of vehicle
• Rating of the tire itself

You can do several things proactively to lengthen the life of your tires, including:
• Maintain the proper tire pressure
• Avoid loading the vehicle with more weight than the manufacturer advises
• Avoid road hazards

8. If you are thinking of servicing your suspension, here is a good reference thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11459&forum=21

9. If you are changing front and rear absorber, here is a good reference thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=12995&forum=27

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=13022&forum=27

10. If you considering different type of absorber, here is a good thread for your reference.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&topic_id=7515&forum=26

11. If you are thinking of changing tires, check this thread for your reference prices and workshops:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10203&forum=11

12. If you feel your car is swinging. Read this thread;
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10050&forum=21

13. The best way to know if your absorber is not OK is to do a physical check to see if there is any physical damages such as Pitted, bent, or broken rod, Severely dented dust shield (such that shield restricts shock movement), Severe leaking from shock, Worn or missing bushings (if not individually replaceable) , Abnormally worn or cupped tires. Details are enclosed in this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9767&forum=21

14. If you need to decide between comfort vs. handling, here is a good rule of thumb compliment from renggrun:

"It all depends on the driver of the car. It does NOT mean if you put on big wheels combo that you're a stylo-milo guy. Not necessary.

1. If you drive aggressively, i.e. pantang jumpa koner, mesti nak sebat/sesah....macam Brotha Mal kita, MatCossie tuh...,you gotta have the optimum set-up for your car. You'll need bigger wheels and low-pro tyres to render more outright grip and also more feedback from the steering.

 When you run Low-Pro tyres,i.e 45/40/35 series tires, your steering will offer more feedback since the tires are 'nipis' to the ground and you can feel everything..sampai puntung rokok pun boleh rasa...!!

 Low profile tire will have less sidewall flex and your car can steer faster and more precise. Thus, you can tackle the corners better. In a straight line fast driving too, your car will feel more stable and the steering feels planted.

2. Problem is, people just simply slap on the big wheels and tire combo without doing suspension mods. PLEASE understand that the fancy/bigger wheels and tires can only work well in CONJUNCTION with an upgraded suspension characteristics.

 The original specs for a car will read suspension designed for a car with 16" wheels and tires at 55 series. The engineers will calculate the damping characteristics of the tall sidewall (55 series) and the wheel size and WEIGHT and all these will be computed and extrapolated to ensure hat the car will ride comfortably and handle okay.

 Now, when someone simply ikut suka aje, pi letak tayar and rim besor WITHOUT doing the suspension mods...apa lagi..melompat2 ler keta deme !!! Apsal??? Pasal, the original dampers and springs are NOT designed to counter the upgraded tires/wheels thingy.... They are esigned for the original specs fitment. Once a heavier wheel (katalah 17/18) and bigger tires, low profile, (katalah 235/245 on 45 or 40 series) is fitted, please remember that the tayar dahlah nipis...bila nipis dia lagi tegang and senang meloncat. Wheels lagi berat, bila berat, loncatan lebih momentum......

 Heavier and stiffer tires/wheels will kasi itu standard springs/dampers kacau lah... So, kena lah pasang spring keras sikit and dampers pun keras sikit. Bila tayar terlompat, spring akan 'absorb' the force and akan naik ke atas 'perlahan' sikit and dampers pulak akan melepaskan hentaman itu kembali ke jalan secara perlahan sikit pasal spring and dampers uprated bisa menagkis serta menahan hentakan dan serapan yang perlu dilakukan.......So, uprate your springs and dampers and fit the big wheels combo if you'd like...Go ahead..make your day. Just do it right and the 'dis-comfort' will be so minimal......So, tuan tuan dan puan puan...tepuk dada tanya selera"

Here is the reference thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=9491&forum=11

15. Here is simple table for your tires correct size, compliments from renngrun.

• W124 : Bad and Snoops and Co.

• 15 : 195/65 or 205/60
• 16 : 205/55
• 17 : 215/45.................225/45 slight oversize but boleh.
• 18 : 225/40 ................235/40 -----ditto--------

• W210 : Belalang/Anazz and Co. including me

• 15 : rare, except Classic manual spec! 205/65
• 16 : 215/55
• 17 : 235/45
• 18 : 235/40 and 265/35 on staggered fitments.
• 19 : 235/35 and 275/30 on staggered fitments.

• W203 : Uncle Yam/AsDad

• 15 : 195/65 or 205/60
• 16 : 205/55
• 17 : 215/45
• 18 : 225/40 and 255/35 for staggered fitments.

• W140 : Mabel & Co.

• 16 : 235/60
• 17 : 235/55
• 18 : 235/50 and 265/45 Staggered (8.0/8.5 and 9.0 X 18)
• 19 : 235/45 and 265/40 ---ditto--(8.5 and 9.5 X 19)
• 20 : 245/40 and 285/35 ---ditto--(8.5 and 9.5/10.0 X 20)
• 21 : 245/35 and 335/25 ---ditto--(9.0 and 10.0/12.0 X 21)

Note : For the W140...UNLESS you wanna be a Miami 'Playa' or Jappo VIP groupie.....the line stops at 19". 19"s still give the ride worthy of an S-Klasse and better handling and nice looks.

16. Drive at reasonable speed (don't over stress, unless that car purposely for racing). If you have GPS, your speedometer will always read 10 KM/H lower than GPS speed. Here is a good calculation on your speedometer accuracy. Values below may vary between models, here's a typical calculations: -
gear ratio
1 - 4.25
2 - 2.40
3 - 1.40
4 - 1.0
final drive - 3.07, standard tire size = 195/65/15, wheel diameter = (195 * 0.65) + (15*25.4) = 507.8mm, circumference = pi*D = 3.1416* 507.8/1000 = 1.6m

say at 3000 engine rpm,
revolution at wheel = rpm / (gear ratio * final ratio)

= 3000 / (3.07 * 1) = 977 rpm

Distant of wheel travel /min = 977 * 1.6 = 1563.2 m

In an hour, the wheel would have travelled = 1563.2 * 60
= 93,792m
= 93.8 km or (93.8 km/h)


D. BODYWORKS

1. Do not park your seldom use car on soil ground, the water and humidity from soil will eat/rust car from underneath twice faster than you park on hard surface.

2. To our Muslim members, I practice cuci kereta pada pagi Jumaat dengan berselawat. Amalan ini saya perolehi dari seorang guru kerana banyak merantau. Ini bukan syrik tapi seolah memohan agar kenderaan tersebut tetap di perliharakan perjalanan nya. Alhamduillah sehingga hari ini saya belum lagi mengalami kemudaratan. Selain dari tips tips penjagaan kenderaan yang telah dipaparkan, mungkin boleh diamalkan. Pada saya, Rasullullah membela kuda dan unta sebagai tunggangan sama ada untuk berniaga atau pun berperang dan wajarlah kenderaan yang kita gunakan untuk mencari rezeki serta mengziarahi sanak saudara kita pelihara secara Islam. Ada sesiapa yang boleh berikan sedikit idea.

3. Another thing that I learn from my mother is bila you sayang sesuatu banyakan baca "Masha Allah la kuwatailla"...this may include your car, wife, anak..anything you love...ia akan sentiasa di jaga dan perlihara oleh Allah..

4. I possible, wash your car almost everyday.

5. Polish your car every week or if not once every two weeks with you hand and once every month with machine. Open up the engine area to wash or wipe it once a month too. For interior, wipe it as often as you can.

6. Do regular fold & un-fold exercise for your side mirrors. I noticed mine get stuck if not do that for long time, have to slightly force with hand.


7. If you want your car to look brand new, contact KC2 @ http://thedetailers.blogspot.com

8. Wax the paintwork at least once in 2 months.

9. Make it a point to park in the shade as the sun/heat will kill your exterior and interior.

10. Use saddle soap on your leather seats monthly to prevent them from cracking.

11. Wash regularly, use gentle shampoo; spot clean with stronger detergent on hard to remove stains.

12. Wax monthly, this can minimize the fine scratches you get from sands on the road. Sands and stones will just slide off and makes washing easy.

13. If your mirror berkabus or berminyak try COKE...

14. If you want to clean your chrome pieces in your car, try COKE

E. INTERIOR

1. Apply Vaseline Total Moisturizer Cream from Watson to the seam and edges of the leather seat to prevent irritating noises.

2. Use MB approved dashboard cleaner, I use KIWI shoe polish for my dash board, centre console and door cards and tires( It works for me )It has a natural shine not oily shine

3. If you want your car to have a cool interior, here are some recommended tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7769&forum=1

4. If you want your car to look brand new, contact KC2 @ http://thedetailers.blogspot.com

5. Enclosed are additional tips on how to help you to keep your car fresh or odor free.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7769&forum=1

6. If you want your car smell fresh, read this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9159&forum=1

----------------
Cheers/Mabel

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm
Take time to read. It is the fountain of wisdom
Membership Number: One Nine Seven Seven

Thanks to the great learning this week. Enclosed are our revised Masterpiece...

A. GENERAL

1. Start with a car you like (preferably a Mercedes-Benz).

2. If you are new to MB car and intending to buy one, either brand-new or used, better to join the MyBenz community to get all the necessary info.

3. If you are planning to purchase a used car and intend to make the car last, choose the type and model of car wisely and be patient when you finally selected the one to buy; this is our hard earned money that we are going to spend and we don't want to waste it on a difficult car or the one that we can't afford to maintain.

4. Allocate a decent among of money for your car maintenance. If you want to know how much to run a car per year, please read this thread. http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7603&forum=1

5. Develop a good working relationship with your mechanic; preferably a Mercedes
Specialist’s Workshop. However always remember that the best mechanic is yourself and you are responsible for the well being of your car. Here are some good tips to avoid being riff-offs in any car repair: http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7813&forum=1

6. Please use good judgments if you are using an unfamiliar workshop. If you are not sure sending your car to a particular workshop, read the following tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8631&forum=1

7. If you are not happy with any of the recommended mechanic. Read these two threads.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8620&forum=21&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&start=30

and
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=58&forum=13

8. Finally, for continuity and effectiveness of your car maintenance during your retirement age, read this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12122&forum=37

B. ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL

1. Try sharing as much as possible any information regarding servicing, repairing, maintenance, DIY and restoring of your car among friends. This can help you keeping record for your personal reference.

2. Ideally, around once a week u should take your car on a 50-100 km drive. Drive the snot out of your car ONCE in a while. Once a week is sufficient. Bring it to the redline. Don't worry; the dang engine won't break....

3. A babied motor won't last as long as a well taken care of YET DRIVEN engines. The motor needs to visit maximum revs once a while where it develops its full piston speed with pins and cranks at their max capability. Macam exercise le...

4. Don't let fuel almost empty before refill.

5. Use fuel from a high volume station.

6. Be selective in choosing your car battery.

7. Never took out the battery while the engine was still on as it may damage your car ECU.

8. Regular service your car. Service intervals as recommended are as follows:
• Engine oil chg - approximately 9,600kms. If you are draining your oil, use the ‘meleleh” method.
• Air filter chg - approx. 57,900kms
• Auto trans oil chg - approx 57,900kms
• Spark plugs chg - approx. 19,000kms
• Fuel filter chg - approx. 57,900kms
• Fan belt chg - check condition at 19,000kms and change if necessary
• Radiator hoses chg - check condition at 19,000kms and change if necessary. When comes to radiator; if the radiator water is brownish, after cleaning it up, try to get the softer coolants; some parts are already rusty, such as water jackets , piping’s and such , so if the coolant are corrosive type , it will bore a hole at the rusty joints. If all this while has not been using coolant, don’t bother to use it, coolant will dissolve the rust and therefore, rusty parts are vulnerable to cracks. Good brands suggested are Toyota, motul and redline. Ratio for coolant should 30%-50% coolant and top up with water of the total capacity of the radiator.

9. Here is a quick guide to the different grades of oil.

• Fully Synthetic Characteristics is for Fuel economy savings
1. 0W-30 Enhances engine performance and power
2. 0W-40 Ensures engine is protected from wear and deposit build-up
3. 5W-40 Ensures good cold starting and quick circulation in freezing temperatures. Gets to moving parts of the engine quickly

• Semi-synthetic Characteristics is for Better protection
1. 5W-30 Good protection within the first 10 minutes after starting out
2. 10W-40 Roughly three times better at reducing engine wear
3. 15W-40 Increased oil change intervals - don't need to change it quite so often

• Mineral Characteristics
1. 10W-40 Basic protection for a variety of engines
2. 15W-40 Oil needs to be changed more often

10. Here is a good Engine Oil Reference price lists in Malaysia.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=thread&order=ASC&topic_id=12514&forum=1

11. Check your coolant and look for oil floating in it.

12. If your coolant is missing, check the following components; radiator cap, expansion cap, lower and upper radiator hoses located at the top and bottom of the radiator is properly clamp and top gasket. If this is still not OK, perform a pressure test.

13. If the coolant leaks and can be seen on the drive way check your water pump or your radiator.

14. If you are driving a car with a compressor engine, ensure that you have the correct air filter. Wrong air filter may damage your car compressor.

15. If you are driving a car with a compressor engine and you experience a loud knocking sound, chances is that your compressor is starting to give way.

16. If your central locking is not working, 1st check the fuse.

17. If you have noise from Air-condition... tick tick tick or 'tuck tuck tuck tuck ''''' chances is that the air con steeping MOTOR or Operating Lever or gearing had damaged. The dashboard needs to be removed to replace the operating lever or plastic gearing.

18. Mercedes Standard Operation temperature:
• Mercedes Standard Operation temperature is 90'c - 110'c.
• When The Engine Coolant Temperature reach the Maximum 110'c, the Cooling Fan (addition air con fan @ auxiliary fan). The Suction Fan (control unit operated) should Cut-in with Fully Operation (High Speed) to cool down the system to prevent the engine from overheating
• 120'c is a maximum temperature (OVERHEATED). The engine Should STOP for Cooling Down (You May realize THE AIR CON SYSTEM is WARM)
• 130'c is too late ... ENGINE IS ALREADY OVERHEATED!!!

19. If your magnetic fan is not giving you the desired temperature, try opting for the electrical fan solution. Members here have used the Volvo electric fan with success.

20. If your aircond blower is driving you nut, try to take out the AC speed selector and spray it with a contact cleaner.

21. If your steering has too much free play, please check the steering system sees whether any connection loose. Most of the time this is due to the wear and tear in the steering box itself. Adding a metal ball in the steering box will help.
22. Be careful with imitation lubricant oil, gear box oil etc..Buy these products directly at the petrol station or from ProAuto.

23. It seemed for aircond to give better result it is advisable to have it done/checked by MB specialist and not by any "typical" aircond shop.

24. Always carry a spare fan belt in your car.

25. When it's raining or the road is slippery, avoid using cruise control. The system works as follows:-
• To set the auto-cruise at the desired speed, simply push the knob upwards towards the cabin roof and release.
• To disable it, push the knob forward towards the dashboard and release.
• To re-activate at the last speed set, pull the knob towards you and release
• Once the auto-cruise is set and you want to accelerate to a higher speed, repeat Step 1 and hold until the new desired speed is achieved
• To decelerate to a lower speed once auto-cruise is on, push the knob down towards the floor and hold until the new speed is achieved
• Auto-cruise will automatically be turned off when you press the brake pedal. But if you stop yr car but do not turn off the engine, the setting is still on and will activate again if you follow Step 3 above. Once engine is off, auto-cruise setting will be erased. If any of the above doesn’t work, then you better get the auto-cruise system checked.

26. Once in a while refill the petrol with 'Shell V Power' or a Higher RON

27. Be careful when making engine conversion to your car. Make sure the engine dependable components are in line with the car design specification. Always get a competence mechanic to do the conversion.

28. If Electric seat spoiled, dun repair it, nanti girfren,bini,anak mau pakai.. leave it to ur settings OR change to bucket seat with manual adjustment, no more headache on electrical motor faulty & get more sporty ride

29. Open engine hood when arrive at home. Heat is a big enemy to plastic & rubber parts in the engine bay. So is the cable!! Engine bay is very hot, especially when the car stationary.

30. Check all the drainage hole and wells to avoid any clogs or block, failing so can lead to internal rust of your car, especially at sunroof area, rear boot, door panel and screen panel.

31. Always use GENUINE MBENZ parts; imitation is no match and very much inferior in comparison.
32. Do a regular check out on your radiator water. If the water was brown and rusty, flush the radiator, use original Mercedes Coolant. When servicing your radiator, also change the radiator cap.

33. If you experience erratic idle during start up (after park overnight) and the problem goes away after a while and came back, try servicing throttle body. Carbon collects in between the idle air control valve and the butterfly valve. It's not that expensive. Estimated price range is between RM60-150.

34. If your ABS light is off, it could be due to the bulb or in the worst case, wiring problem. If your ABS light is on, it could be due a faulty sensors or even a dirty sensor. Normally, the abs light on the dash will come on (together with all other warning lights) when you are about to start the car, just right before you cranked the car but it will go off after the engine is started/running.

35. If you experience Spongy Brake i.e. braking is only effective when pedal is fully floored…brake pedal is really "soft", try changing the brake fluid 1st before going to those expensive stuffs like brake pump, sensor or master pumps.

36. If your brake squeals, first get it inspected to make sure there isn't a problem with the braking system. Check the brake pad, calipers or the rotors (disc). Use original brake pads.

37. If you see 2 indicators (ABS & BAS/ASR) light up on the dash, check your brake switch or stop lamp switch.

38. Wiring Headlight Tinggal Bare Wire, temporary use the black tapes that electrician use and then gets the said wire changed by a good mechanic.

39. If your car temperature increase suddenly, check the fuse connects to the aux fan.

40. If your car air cond blowers switch off, check the fuse.

41. If your car won’t crank, jerking and have a tendency to stall, check your fuel filter. Recommended interval every 50,000 miles.

42. If your car suddenly noticed a lost of power, engine died and unable to start the engine, check the TD box, coil, distributor, and plug cable.

43. If you are driving a CDI car and experience a loss of power, check the Air Filter and Air Mass Sensor.

44. If you press the pedal all the way down, the gear should shift down (kick down mode) to allow for better acceleration to overtake. The gear should shift up when your rev hit the red line. If this does not happen, please check the air mass.
45. Keep your engine bay as clean as possible so that you can spot any leak or loose clips easily.

46. Change your brake fluid at least once in 2 years, auto transmission fluid also.

47. Always inspect your distributor cap, rotors and the aluminum arm, since the distributor and rotor are made of ceramic ,they become brittle in time and breaks when you least expect it

48. If you are thinking of using Iridium plugs, please also include a good set of spark plugs cable.

49. If you hear whistling coming from your Gear box, bring your car to the nearest workshop.

50. NEVER 'lug' the engine. Lugging means you’re in a higher gear than supposed to (for manual cars only). Some people do this to get better mileage and 'baby' the engine. But in fact it's just the opposite. When you are in 3rd instead of 2nd, at say 1500RPM trundling along, your engine will have LESS oil pressure (worse if your car is dry-summed) and that will cause more wear and tear on the internals. Vacuum created will also have more fuel unburnt.......

51. A Cold Start Valve will cause your engine to wake up at high RPMs. IF you are worried that your oil level is low (say, tinggalkan kereta 2/3 minggu) just crank the engine 2/3 times and shut before engine catches. That will cause some oils to get to your galleries/internals. Then start. Process is called 'turning-over'. e.g. RG’s other two cars starts at 3000RPM cold. Settles to 1200 and then 1000RPM. One minute and drive off. Once the oil temp/pressure gets within spec. I’ll let her rip. That and 15kkm and 25kkm on both cars, still healthy and good comp/leak down numbers. And they visit their 8500/8400 RPM VERY regularly.

52. Alternatively, there is another school of thought that says one of the best ways to keep your car last longer is to don’t use it. Try not to take your car to places where u can walk to or practice car-pooling. If possible don’t lend car to other people. Ideally for daily use like go to work, pasar, hantar anak sekolah use the 2nd car. Let our beloved car relax a bit.

53. If your gear is not engaging well, please first check the brake switch or gear selector level.

54. If your Speedometer not working, most probably problem with cable or memang speedo punya gear dah haus. Quite easy for mechanic to remove the instrument cluster and check for you. Sometimes spraying a WD40 can solve the problem.

55. If you are experiencing rattling or ticking sound while driving, it could be the tappet noise, annoying but not really a big issue to worry about. It can be fixed by adjusting the tappet or if it is not severe, 1 can thick NASA additive can reduce the ticking.

56. If your speedometer is oscillating at low RPM, check your throttle body.

57. Always make a point to have a spare key. Here are some good learning thread for your reference.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=12994&forum=21

58. When you have time, please take time visiting a Mercedes Museum as it will remind you that if you don’t take heed of the above advice, your car may one day landed in one of this museum...

59. To stop steering leak, you may try any of these least expensive options: it can improve or reduce the leak by adding to the power steering reservoir. It’s not a glue or gum. This treatment helps to soften the rubber seals.
• Wynn's Product (Power Steering Treatment) may helps ...
• STP
• hydratrans ( hydraulic + transmission)

60. If you have severe steering free play, read this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10011&forum=28

61. Always carry a fire extinguisher in your car. See enclosed thread for detail.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7333&forum=1

62. When it's time, consider de-carbonized your car only when you have taken the following steps:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7031&forum=13

63. Be wary and careful of your EZL in your car when you send your car for services. Read this thread for further detail.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=9584&forum=1

64. If you are driving a C-Class, beware if your Gearbox is leaking. Read this if you need to know more:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=9928&forum=25

65. If your car drive is sluggish, check the sparkies and cables; ensure that the connection is secured properly. Also check if there is any air intake blockage e.g. air filter, fuel blockage (pump or filter)... Other possibilities are discussed in this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9917&forum=21

66. If you experience slight leakage for your transmission system, try the cheaper solution first. Overtime the oil-seal will get harden that's when the leaking happens. So, the solution is to make the oil-seal soften. What you can try is to buy a bottle of automatic gearbox conditional, some call it stop leak, add it to the gearbox and run it for about 500km says in 2 weeks. If the leak still happens then you have no choice to change the oil-seal. If you are lucky, the leak will stop. The conditional is not expensive. Try to get a good one either from the hypermarket/DIY/ACE or spare part shop. Detail:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=9920&forum=25

67. If your engine heats up when in idle for 15 minutes, read this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=10016&forum=21

68. Here are some good tips to handle small oil leak.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=10004&forum=21

69. Whenever you send your car for oil change, be it engine oil, ATF, power steering or brake oil; please double check to ensure it is on the optimum level before you leave the workshop. Please don't take for granted that the workshop boy care for your car, even with the reputable service center. Here’s why...
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10030&forum=1

70. If you have misfiring issues on your car, check the following tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11000&forum=24

71. If your car experience high fuel consumption, check this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=11460&forum=24

72. If you are losing Coolant and experience overheating, please check your thermostat. Here is a good reference thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12085&forum=21

73. If you want to save your fuel bill. Here are 21 recommended tips.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=7397&forum=13

74. If your car need towing services. Here is a contact no compliment from benzers :
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=5433&forum=1

C. SUSPENSION

1. Check the tire pressure. Always remember your car have 5 tires

2. Don’t put your spot rim too over size as it would damage your car suspension.

3. Send your car to m/benz man for under carriage CHECK. Make sure all the arm, linkage, booth, suspension system all in good condition to avoid any mishap (skid during cornering).

4. When choosing tires, if possible, make sure Semua size / make / model are the same. Kalau Tak Boleh, At Least the Left and Right Tires must be the same.

5. If you want to use eibach, please ensure that you know the right part no. Don’t rely on those people who sell goods. You must check yourself with the manufacturer.

6. Steering rack, ball joints, tie rods, sub frame mounts and stabilizer bars and other suspension parts are what make the ride in a Mercedes comfortable. These are designed in such a way that the passengers don’t get a rough ride. That doesn’t mean that you could whack through every pot hole or bumps because the car takes that impact so that you are comfortable and safe. Now I try my very best to avoid pot hole, humps and bumps and I realized that these parts last very much longer. These are very common problem with most continental cars because most of us think hantam sajalah, tak rasa ape ape. I think we need to change our driving style and remember that these cars were meant for the smooth roads in Europe and not our Malaysian road where you avoid one and fall into another.

7. Factors Affecting Car Tire Longevity
In the movies, they make it look so cool: smoking the tires, drifting and even making screeching "emergency" stops when there's no emergency. However, those are all extreme examples of how to sentence your tires to a fate of premature baldness. But even if you don't drive like you're filming a Hollywood chase scene, certain habits can make a profound difference as to the overall lifespan of your tires. When it comes to car part longevity, few systems give as much visible and immediate feedback as the tires. These car parts are among the most basic, but they can speak volumes about your driving style, the roads on which they're driven, and even the condition of other auto parts and systems, such as the precision of your car's alignment. In addition to the factors just mentioned, the following can also affect how long your tires last:

• Outside temperature
• Inflation pressure
• Frequency of rotation
• Appropriate pairing of tires on same axle (new opposite new, old opposite old)
• Proper or improper loading of vehicle
• Rating of the tire itself

You can do several things proactively to lengthen the life of your tires, including:
• Maintain the proper tire pressure
• Avoid loading the vehicle with more weight than the manufacturer advises
• Avoid road hazards

8. If you are thinking of servicing your suspension, here is a good reference thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11459&forum=21

9. If you are changing front and rear absorber, here is a good reference thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=12995&forum=27

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=13022&forum=27

10. If you considering different type of absorber, here is a good thread for your reference.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&topic_id=7515&forum=26

11. If you are thinking of changing tires, check this thread for your reference prices and workshops:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10203&forum=11

12. If you feel your car is swinging. Read this thread;
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10050&forum=21

13. The best way to know if your absorber is not OK is to do a physical check to see if there is any physical damages such as Pitted, bent, or broken rod, Severely dented dust shield (such that shield restricts shock movement), Severe leaking from shock, Worn or missing bushings (if not individually replaceable) , Abnormally worn or cupped tires. Details are enclosed in this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9767&forum=21

14. If you need to decide between comfort vs. handling, here is a good rule of thumb compliment from renggrun:

"It all depends on the driver of the car. It does NOT mean if you put on big wheels combo that you're a stylo-milo guy. Not necessary.

1. If you drive aggressively, i.e. pantang jumpa koner, mesti nak sebat/sesah....macam Brotha Mal kita, MatCossie tuh...,you gotta have the optimum set-up for your car. You'll need bigger wheels and low-pro tyres to render more outright grip and also more feedback from the steering.

 When you run Low-Pro tyres,i.e 45/40/35 series tires, your steering will offer more feedback since the tires are 'nipis' to the ground and you can feel everything..sampai puntung rokok pun boleh rasa...!!

 Low profile tire will have less sidewall flex and your car can steer faster and more precise. Thus, you can tackle the corners better. In a straight line fast driving too, your car will feel more stable and the steering feels planted.

2. Problem is, people just simply slap on the big wheels and tire combo without doing suspension mods. PLEASE understand that the fancy/bigger wheels and tires can only work well in CONJUNCTION with an upgraded suspension characteristics.

 The original specs for a car will read suspension designed for a car with 16" wheels and tires at 55 series. The engineers will calculate the damping characteristics of the tall sidewall (55 series) and the wheel size and WEIGHT and all these will be computed and extrapolated to ensure hat the car will ride comfortably and handle okay.

 Now, when someone simply ikut suka aje, pi letak tayar and rim besor WITHOUT doing the suspension mods...apa lagi..melompat2 ler keta deme !!! Apsal??? Pasal, the original dampers and springs are NOT designed to counter the upgraded tires/wheels thingy.... They are esigned for the original specs fitment. Once a heavier wheel (katalah 17/18) and bigger tires, low profile, (katalah 235/245 on 45 or 40 series) is fitted, please remember that the tayar dahlah nipis...bila nipis dia lagi tegang and senang meloncat. Wheels lagi berat, bila berat, loncatan lebih momentum......

 Heavier and stiffer tires/wheels will kasi itu standard springs/dampers kacau lah... So, kena lah pasang spring keras sikit and dampers pun keras sikit. Bila tayar terlompat, spring akan 'absorb' the force and akan naik ke atas 'perlahan' sikit and dampers pulak akan melepaskan hentaman itu kembali ke jalan secara perlahan sikit pasal spring and dampers uprated bisa menagkis serta menahan hentakan dan serapan yang perlu dilakukan.......So, uprate your springs and dampers and fit the big wheels combo if you'd like...Go ahead..make your day. Just do it right and the 'dis-comfort' will be so minimal......So, tuan tuan dan puan puan...tepuk dada tanya selera"

Here is the reference thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=9491&forum=11

15. Here is simple table for your tires correct size, compliments from renngrun.

• W124 : Bad and Snoops and Co.

• 15 : 195/65 or 205/60
• 16 : 205/55
• 17 : 215/45.................225/45 slight oversize but boleh.
• 18 : 225/40 ................235/40 -----ditto--------

• W210 : Belalang/Anazz and Co. including me

• 15 : rare, except Classic manual spec! 205/65
• 16 : 215/55
• 17 : 235/45
• 18 : 235/40 and 265/35 on staggered fitments.
• 19 : 235/35 and 275/30 on staggered fitments.

• W203 : Uncle Yam/AsDad

• 15 : 195/65 or 205/60
• 16 : 205/55
• 17 : 215/45
• 18 : 225/40 and 255/35 for staggered fitments.

• W140 : Mabel & Co.

• 16 : 235/60
• 17 : 235/55
• 18 : 235/50 and 265/45 Staggered (8.0/8.5 and 9.0 X 18)
• 19 : 235/45 and 265/40 ---ditto--(8.5 and 9.5 X 19)
• 20 : 245/40 and 285/35 ---ditto--(8.5 and 9.5/10.0 X 20)
• 21 : 245/35 and 335/25 ---ditto--(9.0 and 10.0/12.0 X 21)

Note : For the W140...UNLESS you wanna be a Miami 'Playa' or Jappo VIP groupie.....the line stops at 19". 19"s still give the ride worthy of an S-Klasse and better handling and nice looks.

16. Drive at reasonable speed (don't over stress, unless that car purposely for racing). If you have GPS, your speedometer will always read 10 KM/H lower than GPS speed. Here is a good calculation on your speedometer accuracy. Values below may vary between models, here's a typical calculations: -
gear ratio
1 - 4.25
2 - 2.40
3 - 1.40
4 - 1.0
final drive - 3.07, standard tire size = 195/65/15, wheel diameter = (195 * 0.65) + (15*25.4) = 507.8mm, circumference = pi*D = 3.1416* 507.8/1000 = 1.6m

say at 3000 engine rpm,
revolution at wheel = rpm / (gear ratio * final ratio)

= 3000 / (3.07 * 1) = 977 rpm

Distant of wheel travel /min = 977 * 1.6 = 1563.2 m

In an hour, the wheel would have travelled = 1563.2 * 60
= 93,792m
= 93.8 km or (93.8 km/h)


D. BODYWORKS

1. Do not park your seldom use car on soil ground, the water and humidity from soil will eat/rust car from underneath twice faster than you park on hard surface.

2. To our Muslim members, I practice cuci kereta pada pagi Jumaat dengan berselawat. Amalan ini saya perolehi dari seorang guru kerana banyak merantau. Ini bukan syrik tapi seolah memohan agar kenderaan tersebut tetap di perliharakan perjalanan nya. Alhamduillah sehingga hari ini saya belum lagi mengalami kemudaratan. Selain dari tips tips penjagaan kenderaan yang telah dipaparkan, mungkin boleh diamalkan. Pada saya, Rasullullah membela kuda dan unta sebagai tunggangan sama ada untuk berniaga atau pun berperang dan wajarlah kenderaan yang kita gunakan untuk mencari rezeki serta mengziarahi sanak saudara kita pelihara secara Islam. Ada sesiapa yang boleh berikan sedikit idea.


3. Another thing that I learn from my mother is bila you sayang sesuatu banyakan baca "Masha Allah la kuwatailla"...this may include your car, wife, anak..anything you love...ia akan sentiasa di jaga dan perlihara oleh Allah..

4. I possible, wash your car almost everyday.

5. Polish your car every week or if not once every two weeks with you hand and once every month with machine. Open up the engine area to wash or wipe it once a month too. For interior, wipe it as often as you can.

6. Do regular fold & un-fold exercise for your side mirrors. I noticed mine get stuck if not do that for long time, have to slightly force with hand.


7. If you want your car to look brand new, contact KC2 @ http://thedetailers.blogspot.com

8. Wax the paintwork at least once in 2 months.
9. Make it a point to park in the shade as the sun/heat will kill your exterior and interior.

10. Use saddle soap on your leather seats monthly to prevent them from cracking.

11. Wash regularly, use gentle shampoo; spot clean with stronger detergent on hard to remove stains.

12. Wax monthly, this can minimize the fine scratches you get from sands on the road. Sands and stones will just slide off and makes washing easy.

13. If your mirror berkabus or berminyak try COKE...

14. If you want to clean your chrome pieces in your car, try COKE

E. INTERIOR

1. Apply Vaseline Total Moisturizer Cream from Watson to the seam and edges of the leather seat to prevent irritating noises.

2. Use MB approved dashboard cleaner, I use KIWI shoe polish for my dash board, centre console and door cards and tires( It works for me )It has a natural shine not oily shine

3. If you want your car to have a cool interior, here are some recommended tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7769&forum=1

4. If you want your car to look brand new, contact KC2 @ http://thedetailers.blogspot.com

5. Enclosed are additional tips on how to help you to keep your car fresh or odor free.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7769&forum=1

6. If you want your car smell fresh, read this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9159&forum=1

----------------
Cheers/Mabel

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm
Take time to read. It is the fountain of wisdom
Membership Number: One Nine Seven Seven

Glad you find it useful...

----------------
Cheers/Mabel

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm
Take time to read. It is the fountain of wisdom
Membership Number: One Nine Seven Seven

hi all..

good tips..and useful reminders..Cheers

rgds,

Major(Rtd) Nordin MD
8551

Enclosed are our revised Masterpiece...

A. GENERAL

1. Start with a car you like (preferably a Mercedes-Benz).
2. If you are new to MB car and intending to buy one, either brand-new or used, better to join the MyBenz community to get all the necessary info.
3. If you are planning to purchase a used car and intend to make the car last, choose the type and model of car wisely and be patient when you finally selected the one to buy; this is our hard earned money that we are going to spend and we don't want to waste it on a difficult car or the one that we can't afford to maintain.
4. Allocate a decent among of money for your car maintenance. If you want to know how much to run a car per year, please read this thread. http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7603&forum=1
5. Develop a good working relationship with your mechanic; preferably a Mercedes
Specialist’s Workshop. However always remember that the best mechanic is yourself and you are responsible for the well being of your car. Here are some good tips to avoid being riff-offs in any car repair: http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7813&forum=1
6. Please use good judgments if you are using an unfamiliar workshop. If you are not sure sending your car to a particular workshop, read the following tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8631&forum=1
7. If you are not happy with any of the recommended mechanic. Read these two threads.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8620&forum=21&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&start=30
and
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=58&forum=13
8. Finally, for continuity and effectiveness of your car maintenance during your retirement age, read this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12122&forum=37

B. ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL

1. Try sharing as much as possible any information regarding servicing, repairing, maintenance, DIY and restoring of your car among friends. This can help you keeping record for your personal reference.
2. Ideally, around once a week u should take your car on a 50-100 km drive. Drive the snot out of your car ONCE in a while. Once a week is sufficient. Bring it to the redline. Don't worry; the dang engine won't break....
3. A babied motor won't last as long as a well taken care of YET DRIVEN engines. The motor needs to visit maximum revs once a while where it develops its full piston speed with pins and cranks at their max capability. Macam exercise le...
4. Don't let fuel almost empty before refill.
5. Use fuel from a high volume station.
6. Be selective in choosing your car battery.
7. Never took out the battery while the engine was still on as it may damage your car ECU.
8. Regular service your car. Service intervals as recommended are as follows:
1. Engine oil chg - approximately 9,600kms. If you are draining your oil, use the ‘meleleh” method.
2. Air filter chg - approx. 57,900kms
3. Auto trans oil chg - approx 57,900kms
4. Spark plugs chg - approx. 19,000kms
5. Fuel filter chg - approx. 57,900kms
6. Fan belt chg - check condition at 19,000kms and change if necessary
7. Radiator hoses chg - check condition at 19,000kms and change if necessary. When comes to radiator; if the radiator water is brownish, after cleaning it up, try to get the softer coolants; some parts are already rusty, such as water jackets , piping’s and such , so if the coolant are corrosive type , it will bore a hole at the rusty joints. If all this while has not been using coolant, don’t bother to use it, coolant will dissolve the rust and therefore, rusty parts are vulnerable to cracks. Good brands suggested are Toyota, motul and redline. Ratio for coolant should 30%-50% coolant and top up with water of the total capacity of the radiator.
9. Check your coolant and look for oil floating in it.
10. If your coolant is missing, check the following components; radiator cap, expansion cap, lower and upper radiator hoses located at the top and bottom of the radiator is properly clamp and top gasket. If this is still not OK, perform a pressure test.
11. If the coolant leaks and can be seen on the drive way check your water pump or your radiator
12. If you are driving a car with a compressor engine, ensure that you have the correct air filter. Wrong air filter may damage your car compressor.
13. If you are driving a car with a compressor engine and you experience a loud knocking sound, chances is that your compressor is starting to give way.
14. If your central locking is not working, 1st check the fuse.
15. If you have noise from Air-condition... tick tick tick or 'tuck tuck tuck tuck ''''' chances is that the air con steeping MOTOR or Operating Lever or gearing had damaged. The dashboard needs to be removed to replace the operating lever or plastic gearing.
16. Mercedes Standard Operation temperature is 90'c - 110'c
1. When The Engine Coolant Temperature reach the Maximum 110'c, the Cooling Fan (addition air con fan @ auxiliary fan). The Suction Fan (control unit operated) should Cut-in with Fully Operation (High Speed) to cool down the system to prevent the engine from overheating
2. 120'c is a maximum temperature (OVERHEATED). The engine Should STOP for Cooling Down (You May realize THE AIR CON SYSTEM is WARM)
3. 130'c is too late ... ENGINE IS ALREADY OVERHEATED!!!
17. If your magnetic fan is not giving you the desired temperature, try opting for the electrical fan solution. Members here have used the Volvo electric fan with success.
18. If your aircond blower is driving you nut, try to take out the AC speed selector and spray it with a contact cleaner.
19. If your steering has too much free play, please check the steering system sees whether any connection loose. Most of the time this is due to the wear and tear in the steering box itself. Adding a metal ball in the steering box will help.
20. Be careful with imitation lubricant oil, gear box oil etc..Buy these products directly at the petrol station or from ProAuto.
21. It seemed for aircond to give better result it is advisable to have it done/checked by MB specialist and not by any "typical" aircond shop.
22. Always carry a spare fan belt in your car.
23. When it's raining or the road is slippery, avoid using cruise control. The system works as follows:-
• To set the auto-cruise at the desired speed, simply push the knob upwards towards the cabin roof and release.
• To disable it, push the knob forward towards the dashboard and release.
• To re-activate at the last speed set, pull the knob towards you and release
• Once the auto-cruise is set and you want to accelerate to a higher speed, repeat Step 1 and hold until the new desired speed is achieved
• To decelerate to a lower speed once auto-cruise is on, push the knob down towards the floor and hold until the new speed is achieved
• Auto-cruise will automatically be turned off when you press the brake pedal. But if you stop yr car but do not turn off the engine, the setting is still on and will activate again if you follow Step 3 above. Once engine is off, auto-cruise setting will be erased. If any of the above doesn’t work, then you better get the auto-cruise system checked.
24. Once in a while refill the petrol with 'Shell V Power' or a Higher RON
25. Be careful when making engine conversion to your car. Make sure the engine dependable components are in line with the car design specification. Always get a competence mechanic to do the conversion.
26. If Electric seat spoiled, dun repair it, nanti girfren,bini,anak mau pakai.. leave it to ur settings OR change to bucket seat with manual adjustment, no more headache on electrical motor faulty & get more sporty ride
27. Open engine hood when arrive at home. Heat is a big enemy to plastic & rubber parts in the engine bay. So is the cable!! Engine bay is very hot, especially when the car stationary.
28. Check all the drainage hole and wells to avoid any clogs or block, failing so can lead to internal rust of your car, especially at sunroof area, rear boot, door panel and screen panel.
29. Always use GENUINE MBENZ parts; imitation is no match and very much inferior in comparison.
30. Do a regular check out on your radiator water. If the water was brown and rusty, flush the radiator, use original Mercedes Coolant. When servicing your radiator, also change the radiator cap.
31. If you experience erratic idle during start up (after park overnight) and the problem goes away after a while and came back, try servicing throttle body. Carbon collects in between the idle air control valve and the butterfly valve. It's not that expensive. Estimated price range is between RM60-150.
32. If your ABS light is off, it could be due to the bulb or in the worst case, wiring problem. If your ABS light is on, it could be due a faulty sensors or even a dirty sensor. Normally, the abs light on the dash will come on (together with all other warning lights) when you are about to start the car, just right before you cranked the car but it will go off after the engine is started/running.
33. If you experience Spongy Brake i.e. braking is only effective when pedal is fully floored…brake pedal is really "soft", try changing the brake fluid 1st before going to those expensive stuffs like brake pump, sensor or master pumps.
34. If your brake squeals, first get it inspected to make sure there isn't a problem with the braking system. Check the brake pad, calipers or the rotors (disc). Use original brake pads.
35. If you see 2 indicators (ABS & BAS/ASR) light up on the dash, check your brake switch or stop lamp switch.
36. Wiring Headlight Tinggal Bare Wire, temporary use the black tapes that electrician use and then gets the said wire changed by a good mechanic.
37. If your car temperature increase suddenly, check the fuse connects to the aux fan.
38. If your car air cond blowers switch off, check the fuse.
39. If your car won’t crank, jerking and have a tendency to stall, check your fuel filter. Recommended interval every 50,000 miles.
40. If your car suddenly noticed a lost of power, engine died and unable to start the engine, check the TD box, coil, distributor, and plug cable.
41. If you are driving a CDI car and experience a loss of power, check the Air Filter and Air Mass Sensor.
42. If you press the pedal all the way down, the gear should shift down (kick down mode) to allow for better acceleration to overtake. The gear should shift up when your rev hit the red line. If this does not happen, please check the air mass.
43. Keep your engine bay as clean as possible so that you can spot any leak or loose clips easily.
44. Change your brake fluid at least once in 2 years, auto transmission fluid also.
45. Always inspect your distributor cap, rotors and the aluminum arm, since the distributor and rotor are made of ceramic ,they become brittle in time and breaks when you least expect it
46. If you are thinking of using Iridium plugs, please also include a good set of spark plugs cable.
47. If you hear whistling coming from your Gear box, bring your car to the nearest workshop.
48. NEVER 'lug' the engine. Lugging means you’re in a higher gear than supposed to (for manual cars only). Some people do this to get better mileage and 'baby' the engine. But in fact it's just the opposite. When you are in 3rd instead of 2nd, at say 1500RPM trundling along, your engine will have LESS oil pressure (worse if your car is dry-summed) and that will cause more wear and tear on the internals. Vacuum created will also have more fuel unburnt.......
49. A Cold Start Valve will cause your engine to wake up at high RPMs. IF you are worried that your oil level is low (say, tinggalkan kereta 2/3 minggu) just crank the engine 2/3 times and shut before engine catches. That will cause some oils to get to your galleries/internals. Then start. Process is called 'turning-over'. e.g. RG’s other two cars starts at 3000RPM cold. Settles to 1200 and then 1000RPM. One minute and drive off. Once the oil temp/pressure gets within spec. I’ll let her rip. That and 15kkm and 25kkm on both cars, still healthy and good comp/leak down numbers. And they visit their 8500/8400 RPM VERY regularly.
50. Alternatively, there is another school of thought that says one of the best ways to keep your car last longer is to don’t use it. Try not to take your car to places where u can walk to or practice car-pooling. If possible don’t lend car to other people. Ideally for daily use like go to work, pasar, hantar anak sekolah use the 2nd car. Let our beloved car relax a bit.
51. If your gear is not engaging well, please first check the brake switch or gear selector level.
52. If your Speedometer not working, most probably problem with cable or memang speedo punya gear dah haus. Quite easy for mechanic to remove the instrument cluster and check for you. Sometimes spraying a WD40 can solve the problem.
53. If you are experiencing rattling or ticking sound while driving, it could be the tappet noise, annoying but not really a big issue to worry about. It can be fixed by adjusting the tappet or if it is not severe, 1 can thick NASA additive can reduce the ticking.
54. If your speedometer is oscillating at low RPM, check your throttle body.
55. Always make a point to have a spare key.
56. When you have time, please take time visiting a Mercedes Museum as it will remind you that if you don’t take heed of the above advice, your car may one day landed in one of this museum...
57. To stop steering leak, you may try any of these least expensive options: it can improve or reduce the leak by adding to the power steering reservoir. It’s not a glue or gum. This treatment helps to soften the rubber seals.
1. Wynn's Product (Power Steering Treatment) may helps ...
2. STP
3. hydratrans ( hydraulic + transmission)
58. If you have severe steering free play, read this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10011&forum=28

59. Always carry a fire extinguisher in your car. See enclosed thread for detail.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7333&forum=1

60. When it's time, consider de-carbonized your car only when you have taken the following steps:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7031&forum=13
61. Be wary and careful of your EZL in your car when you send your car for services. Read this thread for further detail.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=9584&forum=1
62. If you are driving a C-Class, beware if your Gearbox is leaking. Read this if you need to know more:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=9928&forum=25

63. If your car drive is sluggish, check the sparkies and cables; ensure that the connection is secured properly. Also check if there is any air intake blockage e.g. air filter, fuel blockage (pump or filter)... Other possibilities are discussed in this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9917&forum=21
64. If you experience slight leakage for your transmission system, try the cheaper solution first. Overtime the oil-seal will get harden that's when the leaking happens. So, the solution is to make the oil-seal soften. What you can try is to buy a bottle of automatic gearbox conditional, some call it stop leak, add it to the gearbox and run it for about 500km says in 2 weeks. If the leak still happens then you have no choice to change the oil-seal. If you are lucky, the leak will stop. The conditional is not expensive. Try to get a good one either from the hypermarket/DIY/ACE or spare part shop. Detail:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=9920&forum=25
65. If your engine heats up when in idle for 15 minutes, read this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=10016&forum=21
66. Here are some good tips to handle small oil leak.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=10004&forum=21
67. Whenever you send your car for oil change, be it engine oil, ATF, power steering or brake oil; please double check to ensure it is on the optimum level before you leave the workshop. Please don't take for granted that the workshop boy care for your car, even with the reputable service center. Here’s why...

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10030&forum=1

68. If you have misfiring issues on your car, check the following tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11000&forum=24
69. If your car experience high fuel consumption, check this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=11460&forum=24
70. If you are losing Coolant and experience overheating, please check your thermostat. Here is a good reference thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12085&forum=21
71. If you want to save your fuel bill. Here are 21 recommended tips.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=7397&forum=13
72. If your car need towing services. Here is a contact no compliment from benzers :
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=5433&forum=1

C. SUSPENSION

1. Check the tire pressure. Always remember your car have 5 tires
2. Don’t put your spot rim too over size as it would damage your car suspension.
3. Send your car to m/benz man for under carriage CHECK. Make sure all the arm, linkage, booth, suspension system all in good condition to avoid any mishap (skid during cornering).
4. When choosing tires, if possible, make sure Semua size / make / model are the same. Kalau Tak Boleh, At Least the Left and Right Tires must be the same.
5. If you want to use eibach, please ensure that you know the right part no. Don’t rely on those people who sell goods. You must check yourself with the manufacturer.
6. Steering rack, ball joints, tie rods, sub frame mounts and stabilizer bars and other suspension parts are what make the ride in a Mercedes comfortable. These are designed in such a way that the passengers don’t get a rough ride. That doesn’t mean that you could whack through every pot hole or bumps because the car takes that impact so that you are comfortable and safe. Now I try my very best to avoid pot hole, humps and bumps and I realized that these parts last very much longer. These are very common problem with most continental cars because most of us think hantam sajalah, tak rasa ape ape. I think we need to change our driving style and remember that these cars were meant for the smooth roads in Europe and not our Malaysian road where you avoid one and fall into another.
7. Factors Affecting Car Tire Longevity
8. In the movies, they make it look so cool: smoking the tires, drifting and even making screeching "emergency" stops when there's no emergency. However, those are all extreme examples of how to sentence your tires to a fate of premature baldness. But even if you don't drive like you're filming a Hollywood chase scene, certain habits can make a profound difference as to the overall lifespan of your tires. When it comes to car part longevity, few systems give as much visible and immediate feedback as the tires. These car parts are among the most basic, but they can speak volumes about your driving style, the roads on which they're driven, and even the condition of other auto parts and systems, such as the precision of your car's alignment. In addition to the factors just mentioned, the following can also affect how long your tires last:

• Outside temperature
• Inflation pressure
• Frequency of rotation
• Appropriate pairing of tires on same axle (new opposite new, old opposite old)
• Proper or improper loading of vehicle
• Rating of the tire itself

You can do several things proactively to lengthen the life of your tires, including:
• Maintain the proper tire pressure
• Avoid loading the vehicle with more weight than the manufacturer advises
• Avoid road hazards

9. If you are thinking of servicing your suspension, here is a good reference thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11459&forum=21


10. If you are thinking of changing tires, check this thread for your reference prices and workshops:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10203&forum=11
11. If you feel your car is swinging. Read this thread;
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10050&forum=21
12. The best way to know if your absorber is not OK is to do a physical check to see if there is any physical damages such as Pitted, bent, or broken rod, Severely dented dust shield (such that shield restricts shock movement), Severe leaking from shock, Worn or missing bushings (if not individually replaceable) , Abnormally worn or cupped tires. Details are enclosed in this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9767&forum=21
13. If you need to decide between comfort vs. handling, here is a good rule of thumb compliment from renggrun:

"It all depends on the driver of the car. It does NOT mean if you put on big wheels combo that you're a stylo-milo guy. Not necessary.

1. If you drive aggressively, i.e. pantang jumpa koner, mesti nak sebat/sesah....macam Brotha Mal kita, MatCossie tuh...,you gotta have the optimum set-up for your car. You'll need bigger wheels and low-pro tyres to render more outright grip and also more feedback from the steering.

a.) When you run Low-Pro tyres,i.e 45/40/35 series tires, your steering will offer more feedback since the tires are 'nipis' to the ground and you can feel everything..sampai puntung rokok pun boleh rasa...!!

b.) Low profile tire will have less sidewall flex and your car can steer faster and more precise. Thus, you can tackle the corners better. In a straight line fast driving too, your car will feel more stable and the steering feels planted.

2. Problem is, people just simply slap on the big wheels and tire combo without doing suspension mods. PLEASE understand that the fancy/bigger wheels and tires can only work well in CONJUNCTION with an upgraded suspension characteristics.

a.) The original specs for a car will read suspension designed for a car with 16" wheels and tires at 55 series. The engineers will calculate the damping characteristics of the tall sidewall (55 series) and the wheel size and WEIGHT and all these will be computed and extrapolated to ensure hat the car will ride comfortably and handle okay.

b.) Now, when someone simply ikut suka aje, pi letak tayar and rim besor WITHOUT doing the suspension mods...apa lagi..melompat2 ler keta deme !!! Apsal???
Pasal, the original dampers and springs are NOT designed to counter the upgraded tires/wheels thingy.... They are esigned for the original specs fitment. Once a heavier wheel (katalah 17/18) and bigger tires, low profile, (katalah 235/245 on 45 or 40 series) is fitted, please remember that the tayar dahlah nipis...bila nipis dia lagi tegang and senang meloncat. Wheels lagi berat, bila berat, loncatan lebih momentum......

c.) Heavier and stiffer tires/wheels will kasi itu standard springs/dampers kacau lah... So, kena lah pasang spring keras sikit and dampers pun keras sikit. Bila tayar terlompat, spring akan 'absorb' the force and akan naik ke atas 'perlahan' sikit and dampers pulak akan melepaskan hentaman itu kembali ke jalan secara perlahan sikit pasal spring and dampers uprated bisa menagkis serta menahan hentakan dan serapan yang perlu dilakukan.......So, uprate your springs and dampers and fit the big wheels combo if you'd like...Go ahead..make your day. Just do it right and the 'dis-comfort' will be so minimal......So, tuan tuan dan puan puan...tepuk dada tanya selera"
Here is the reference thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=9491&forum=11
14. Here is simple table for your tires correct size, compliments from renngrun.

W124 : Bad and Snoops and Co.

15 : 195/65 or 205/60
16 : 205/55
17 : 215/45.................225/45 slight oversize but boleh.
18 : 225/40 ................235/40 -----ditto--------

W210 : Belalang/Anazz and Co. including me

15 : rare, except Classic manual spec! 205/65
16 : 215/55
17 : 235/45
18 : 235/40 and 265/35 on staggered fitments.
19 : 235/35 and 275/30 on staggered fitments.

W203 : Uncle Yam/AsDad

15 : 195/65 or 205/60
16 : 205/55
17 : 215/45
18 : 225/40 and 255/35 for staggered fitments.

W140 : Mabel & Co.

16 : 235/60
17 : 235/55
18 : 235/50 and 265/45 Staggered (8.0/8.5 and 9.0 X 18)
19 : 235/45 and 265/40 ---ditto--(8.5 and 9.5 X 19)
20 : 245/40 and 285/35 ---ditto--(8.5 and 9.5/10.0 X 20)
21 : 245/35 and 335/25 ---ditto--(9.0 and 10.0/12.0 X 21)

Note : For the W140...UNLESS you wanna be a Miami 'Playa' or Jappo VIP groupie.....the line stops at 19". 19"s still give the ride worthy of an S-Klasse and better handling and nice looks.
15. Drive at reasonable speed (don't over stress, unless that car purposely for racing). If you have GPS, your speedometer will always read 10 KM/H lower than GPS speed. Here is a good calculation on your speedometer accuracy. Values below may vary between models, here's a typical calculations: -
gear ratio
1 - 4.25
2 - 2.40
3 - 1.40
4 - 1.0
final drive - 3.07, standard tire size = 195/65/15, wheel diameter = (195 * 0.65) + (15*25.4) = 507.8mm, circumference = pi*D = 3.1416* 507.8/1000 = 1.6m

say at 3000 engine rpm,
revolution at wheel = rpm / (gear ratio * final ratio)

= 3000 / (3.07 * 1) = 977 rpm

Distant of wheel travel /min = 977 * 1.6 = 1563.2 m

In an hour, the wheel would have travelled = 1563.2 * 60
= 93,792m
= 93.8 km or (93.8 km/h)


D. BODYWORKS

1. Do not park your seldom use car on soil ground, the water and humidity from soil will eat/rust car from underneath twice faster than you park on hard surface.
2. To our Muslim members, I practice cuci kereta pada pagi Jumaat dengan berselawat. Amalan ini saya perolehi dari seorang guru kerana banyak merantau. Ini bukan syrik tapi seolah memohan agar kenderaan tersebut tetap di perliharakan perjalanan nya. Alhamduillah sehingga hari ini saya belum lagi mengalami kemudaratan. Selain dari tips tips penjagaan kenderaan yang telah dipaparkan, mungkin boleh diamalkan. Pada saya, Rasullullah membela kuda dan unta sebagai tunggangan sama ada untuk berniaga atau pun berperang dan wajarlah kenderaan yang kita gunakan untuk mencari rezeki serta mengziarahi sanak saudara kita pelihara secara Islam. Ada sesiapa yang boleh berikan sedikit idea.
3. Another thing that I learn from my mother is bila you sayang sesuatu banyakan baca "Masha Allah la kuwatailla"...this may include your car, wife, anak..anything you love...ia akan sentiasa di jaga dan perlihara oleh Allah..
4. I possible, wash your car almost everyday.
5. Polish your car every week or if not once every two weeks with you hand and once every month with machine. Open up the engine area to wash or wipe it once a month too. For interior, wipe it as often as you can.
6. Do regular fold & un-fold exercise for your side mirrors. I noticed mine get stuck if not do that for long time, have to slightly force with hand.
7. If you want your car to look brand new, contact KC2 @ http://thedetailers.blogspot.com
8. Wax the paintwork at least once in 2 months.
9. Make it a point to park in the shade as the sun/heat will kill your exterior and interior.
10. Use saddle soap on your leather seats monthly to prevent them from cracking.
11. Wash regularly, use gentle shampoo; spot clean with stronger detergent on hard to remove stains.
12. Wax monthly, this can minimize the fine scratches you get from sands on the road. Sands and stones will just slide off and makes washing easy.
13. If your mirror berkabus or berminyak try COKE...
14. If you want to clean your chrome pieces in your car, try COKE

E. INTERIOR

1. Apply Vaseline Total Moisturizer Cream from Watson to the seam and edges of the leather seat to prevent irritating noises.
2. Use MB approved dashboard cleaner, I use KIWI shoe polish for my dash board, centre console and door cards and tires( It works for me )It has a natural shine not oily shine
3. If you want your car to have a cool interior, here are some recommended tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7769&forum=1
4. If you want your car to look brand new, contact KC2 @ http://thedetailers.blogspot.com
5. Enclosed are additional tips on how to help you to keep your car fresh or odor free.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7769&forum=1
6. If you want your car smell fresh, read this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9159&forum=1

----------------
Cheers/Mabel

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm
Take time to read. It is the fountain of wisdom
Membership Number: One Nine Seven Seven

Thanks to the additional tips, we now have even exceed our target of 150 Tips..

Enclosed are our revised Masterpiece...



1. Start with a car you like (preferably a Mercedes-Benz).

2. Regular interval service maintenance

3. Use fuel from a high volume station

4. Don't forget to warm up the engine (3-5min) before take off

5. Don't let fuel almost empty before refill

6. Reasonable speed (don't over stress, unless that car purposely for racing)

7. Measure when oil change uses the correct engine oil

8. Dun save the money for your air filter and park plug

9. Check your engine oil in every 1000km since m/benz normally makan minyak hitam

10. Check the water tank before start car

11 .Check the tire pressure. Always remember your car have 5 tires

12. Spend a few minutes a week checking under the hood.

13. M/benz gear box is every sensitive for water like when in driving look at the road have water dun try to pass it because your gear box breather air is at bottom so easy let the water go inside ur gear box.

14. When you park your car at a slope, make sure you pull the handbrake before you put your gears into P. That way, you make the brakes work for you and not the gear as a brake. This would minimise jerking when driving.

15. Develop a good working relationship with your mechanic preferably Mercedes Specialist workshop.

16. Periodically check the condition of the bonnet foam under the bonnet. I think we'll all learn not to take the condition of the bonnet foam for granted.

17. Apply Vaseline Total Moisturizer Cream from Watson to the seam and edges of the leather seat to prevent irritating noises.

18. Do not use any untested third party electronic enhancers or pour any undocumented lubricants or fluids into your engine, transmission or fuel system.

19. Let the engine idle a few minutes after your drive. Meaning if you have speed your car to soem 120 kmph, let it idle down so that all the parts could be lubricated and the engine can be normalized. This is just like turbo cars where they have installed a turbo timer to help them obtained the idling. Since we do not install one, then leaving it idle a few seconds can help.

20. Don’t change the cylinder oil immediately and in a hurry after getting to the workshop. Just wait for about 10 to 20 minutes and do it while the engine is warm where the dirts have still not settled down and can easily flow out while draining the oil.

21. If your model is 93-95 W124 line, W202 model and the early batch of W210, check the condition of your wiring harness cable.

22. Make sure every time a warning light comes on or something feels wrong it checked immediately.

23. One of the best ways to keep ur car lasting longer is,dont use it..try not to take ur car to places where u can walk to or practice car-pooling

24. Try not to wash the car engine. Clean it by rubbing with wet cloth & apply the wax for non-metal part.

25. Ideally for daily use like go to work,pasar,hantar anak sekolah use the 2nd car.Let our belove car relax a bit.

26. Do cycle thru all your gears at least once a week. reason being, those seldom used gears may be "dry" due to disuse. oil doesn't manage to coat the gears. so it's a good idea to cycle thru all the gears just to ensure sufficient oil coats all of them.

27.Remember our oil change dun just follow the mileage remember engine oil also have lifespan mineral oil is 3 month synthetic oil is 5 month

28.Use correct type oil to your car.

29.Do the same with your ATF 20000km or one year with ever come fist

30.Don’t put your spot rim too over size as it would damage your car suspension

31. Ideally, around once a week u should take ur car on a 50-100 km drive.

32. If your car smells petrol after refilling, open the fuel tank Flap. Check the Fuel Tank NECK rubber seal to the Boot Compartment and check if it is seal properly.

33. If you suspect current leakage, you may check it easily
by removing the battery (-) terminal and re-connect back. If there is great spark, the system is consuming a high current or could be some system in-car is still consuming current. Get a mechanic to check.

34. If your rear seat belt cannot auto pull-back (masuk semula), chances is that the return spring almost kong. Try this, pull out the belt until finish n release, try 2 3 times, spray with WD40 at the return sharf that attach the return spring which covered with black plastic cover...

35. Make sure you have a duplicate keys for your car.

36. When your car makes a funny noise, listen to it.

37. Once in a while check your charging voltage. It must be the range of 13.5V - 14.5 V to ensure that your your alternator is OK. For some car like W203, the maximum voltage is 12V. Anything more, it can burnt the car circuitry.

38. Dont drive when that happen. The biggest hint is the smokey burning smell. Thats a flag for you to stop the engine.

39. It's okay to pay tow charges and send to a reliable workshop than to go to one just because its convenient

40. If possible, wash your car almost everyday.

41. Polish your car every week or if not once every two weeks with you hand and once every month with machine. Open up the engine area to wash or wipe it once a month too. For interior, wipe it as often as you can.

42. For selection of your radiator Visco fan, the Visco comes in two colors read and yellow. For Malaysia, choose the red Visco due to our hot weather. The yellow Visco is suitable for UK, for cold climate. The choice of colour has something to do with the fan speed. Red spin faster while yellow is slower. This has something to do with providing your W124 engine with optimal temperature. For W140 cars, it is recommended to use the yellow Visco radiator fan to provide optimal temperature for the W140 car.

43. When dealing with anything major and in doubt, always seek a 2nd Opinion.

44. If you use the red fluid then on your dipstick it shows pink, its contaminated. If you use the clear tranny fluid and on your dipstick it shows a milky color, its contaminated. Early detection is essential so look at your tranny dipstick at least once a week. If you see the symptoms early enough then serious damage can be avoided. And most importantly, if you do find any contamination don't drive the car - have it towed to a garage. If contamination happens, it is a slow process and can take weeks for the tranny fluid to become useless, so another warning sign is bad shift points. Which means, if you check your fluid colour once a week you can protect your transmission from serious damage

45.Check your coolant and look for oil floating in it.

46. When it's time, consider de-carbonized your car only when you have taken the following steps:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7031&forum=13


47. Be selective in choosing your car battery.

48. Allocate a decent among of money for your car. maintenance.

49. Be careful with imitation lubricant oil,gear box oil etc..buy these products directly at the petrol station or from ProAuto.

50. It seemed for aircond to give better result it is advisable to have it done/checked by MB specialist and not by any "typical" aircond shop.

51. Always carry a spare fan belt in your car.

52. When it's raining or the road is slippery, avoid using cruise control. The system works as follows:-
• To set the auto-cruise at the desired speed, simply push the knob upwards towards the cabin roof and release.
• To disable it, push the knob forward towards the dashboard and release.
• To re-activate at the last speed set, pull the knob towards you and release
• once the auto-cruise is set and you want to accelerate to a higher speed, repeat Step 1 and hold until the new desired speed is achieved
• To decelerate to a lower speed once auto-cruise is on, push the knob down towards the floor and hold until the new speed is achieved
• auto-cruise will automatically be turned off when you press the brake pedal. but if you stop yr car but do not turn off the engine, the setting is still on and will activate again if you follow Step 3 above. once engine is off, auto-cruise setting will be erased. If any of the above doesn’t work, then you better get the auto-cruise system checked.

53. Refill the petrol with 'Shell V Power' or a Higher RON

54. Be careful when making engine conversion to your car. Make sure the engine dependable component are in line with the car design specification. Always get a competence mechanic to do the conversion.

55.Send your car to m/benz man for under carriage CHECK. Make sure all the arm, linkage, booth, suspension system all in good condition to avoid any mishap(skid during cornering).

56. When your electrical wire in the engine bay is brittle, time to pay a visit to your mechanic or wireman. Replace the affected area.

57. The best mechanic is yourself and you are responsible for the well being of your car.

58. If Electric seat spoiled, dun repair it, nanti girfren,bini,anak mau pakai.. leave it to ur settings OR change to bucket seat with manual adjustment, no more headache on electrical motor faulty & get more sporty ride

59. Open engine hood when arrive at home. Heat is a big enemy to plastic & rubber parts in the engine bay. So is the cable!! Engine bay is very hot, especially when the car stationary.

60. Don't lend car to other people.

61. Check all the drainage hole and wells to avoid any clogs or block, failing so can lead to internal rust of your car, especially at sunroof area, rear boot, door panel and screen panel.

62. Always use GENUINE MBENZ parts; imitation is no match and very much inferior in comparison.

63. Do a regular check out on your radiator water. If the water was brown and rusty, flush the radiator, use original Mercedes Coolant. When servicing your radiator, also change the radiator cap.

64. If you experience erratic idle during start up (after park overnight) and the problem goes away after a while and came back, try servicing throttle body. Carbon collects in between the idle air control valve and the butterfly valve. It's not that expensive. Estimated price range is between RM60-150.

65. If your ABS lights is off, it could be due to the bulb or in the worst case, wiring problem. If your ABS lights is on, it could be due a faulty sensors or even a dirty sensor. Normally, the abs light on the dash will come on (together with all other warning lights) when you are about to start the car, just right before you cranked the car but it will go off after the engine is started/running.

66. If you experience Spongy Brake i.e. braking is only effective when pedal is fully floored…brake pedal is really "soft", try changing the brake fluid 1st before going to those expensive stuffs like brake pump, sensor or master pumps.

67. If your brake squeals, first get it inspected to make sure there isn't a problem with the braking system. Check the brake pad, calipers or the rotors (disc). Use original brake pads.

68) Do regular fold & un-fold exercise for your side mirrors. I noticed mine get stuck if not do that for long time, have to slightly force with hand.

69. Try sharing as much as possible any information re servicing,repairing,maintainance,DIY and restoring of your car among friends.This can help u keeping record for your personal reference.

70. If you see 2 indicators (ABS & BAS/ASR) light up on the dash, check your brake switch or stop lamp switch.

71. When choosing tires, if possible, make sure Semua size / make / model are the same. Kalau Tak Boleh, At Least the Left and Right Tyres must be the same.

72. Wiring Headlight Tinggal Bare Wire, temporary use the black tape that electrician use and then get the said wire changed by a good mechanic.

73. If your car temperature increase suddenly, check the that fuse connects to the aux fan.

74. If your car air cond blower switch off, check the fuse.

75. If your car won’t crank, jerking and have a tendency to stall, check your fuel filter. Recommended interval every 50,000 miles.

76. If your car suddenly noticed a lost of power, engine died and unable to start the engine, check the TD box, coil, distributor, and plug cable.

77. If you are driving a CDI car and experience a loss of power, check the Air Filter and Air Mass Sensor.

78. If you press the pedal all the way down, the gear should shift down (kickdown mode) to allow for better acceleration to overtake. The gear should shift up when your rev hit the red line. If this does not happen, please check the air mass.

79. Please use good judgments if you are using an unfamiliar workshop.

80. If you are draining your oil, use the ‘meleleh” method.

81. If your central locking is not working, 1st check the fuse.

82. Never took out the battery while the engine was still on as it may damage your car ECU.

83. If your coolant is missing, check the following components; radiator cap, expansion cap, lower and upper radiator hoses located at the top and bottom of the radiator is properly clamp and top gasket. If this is still not OK, perform a pressure test.

84. If the coolant leaks and can be seen on the drive way check your water pump or your radiator

85. If your are driving a car with a kompressor engine, ensure that you have the correct air filter. Wrong air filter may damage your car kompressor.

86. If your are driving a car with a kompressor engine and you experience a loud knocking sound, chances is that your kompressor is starting to give way.

87. If you have noise from Aircond... tick tick tick or 'tuck tuck tuck tuck ''''' chances is that the air con steeping MOTOR or Operating Lever or gearing had damaged. The dashboard need to be removed to replace the operating lever or plastic gearing.

88. If you want to use eibach, please ensure that you know the right part no. D’ont rely on those people who sell goods. You must check yourself with the manufacturer.

89. Use S when in town and E when you are traveling long distance on a highway.

90. Here are some tips to avoid being rif-offs in Car Repair
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7813&forum=1

91. If you want your car to have a cool interior, here are some recommended tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7769&forum=1

92. Always carry a fire extinguisher in your car. See enclosed thread for detail.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7333&forum=1

93. If your car need towing services. Here is a contact no compliment from benzers :
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=5433&forum=1

94. If you want to save your fuel bill. Here are 21 recommended tips.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=7397&forum=13

95. If you want your car to look brand new, contact KC2 @ http://thedetailers.blogspot.com

96. Enclosed are additional tips on how to help you to keep your car fresh or odor free.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7769&forum=1

97. If you are not sure sending your car to a particular workshop, read the following tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8631&forum=1

98. If you are not happy with any of the recommended mechanic. Read these two threads.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8620&forum=21&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&start=30

and
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=58&forum=13

99. If you want to know how much to run a car per year. Please see the enclosed thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7603&forum=1

100. When you have time, please take time visiting a Mercedes Museum as it will remind you that if you don’t take heed of the above advice, your car may one day landed in one of these museum..

101. Wax the paintwork at least once in 2 months.

102. Make it a point to park in the shade as the sun/heat will kill your exterior and interior.

103. Use saddle soap on your leather seats monthly to prevent them from cracking.

104. Keep your engine bay as clean as possible so that you can spot any leak or loose clips easily.

105. Change your brake fluid at least once in 2 years, auto transmission fluid also.

106. Always inspect your distributor cap, rotors and the aluminium arm, since the distributor and roror are made of ceremic ,they become brittle in time and breaks when you least expect it

107. Wash regularly, use gentle shampoo , spot clean with stronger detergent on hard to remove stains

108.Wax monthly , this can minimize the fine scratches you get from sands on the road. Sands and stones will just slide off and makes washing easy

109. Use MB approved dashboard cleaner, I use KIWI shoe polish for my dash board, centre console and door cards and tyres( It works for me )It has a natural shine not oily shine

110. To Muslim members, I practice cuci kereta pada pagi Jumaat dengan berselawat. Amalan ini saya perolehi dari seorang guru kerana banyak merantau. Ini bukan syrik tapi seolah memohan agar kenderaan tersebut tetap di perliharakan perjalanan nya. Alhamduillah sehingga hari ini saya belum lagi mengalami kemudaratan. Selain dari tips tips penjagaan kenderaan yang telah dipaparkan, mungkin boleh diamalkan. Pada saya, Rasullullah membela kuda dan unta sebagai tunggangan sama ada untuk berniaga atau pun berperang dan wajarlah kenderaan yang kita gunakan untuk mencari rezeki serta mengziarahi sanak saudara kita pelihara secara Islam. Ada sesiapa yang boleh berikan sedikit idea.

111. Another thing that I learn from my mother is bila you sayang sesuatu banyakan baca "Masha Allah la kuwatailla"...this may include your car, wife, anak..anything you love...ia akan sentiasa di jaga dan perlihara oleh Allah..

112. Service intervals as recommended by the service manual are:
• eng oil chg - approximately 9,600kms
• air filter chg - approx. 57,900kms
• auto trans oil chg - approx 57,900kms
• spark plugs chg - approx. 19,000kms
• fuel filter chg - approx. 57,900kms
• fan belt chg - check condition at 19,000kms and change if necessary
• radiator hoses chg - check condition at 19,000kms and change if necessary. When comes to radiator; if the radiator water is brownish , after cleaning it up , try to get the softer coolants; some parts are already rusty, such as water jackets , piping’s and such , so if the coolant are corrosive type , it will bore a hole at the rusty joints. If all this while have not been using coolant, don’t bother to use it, coolant will dissolve the rust and therefore, rusty parts are vulnerable to cracks. Good brands suggested are Toyota, motul and redline. Ratio for coolant should 30%-50% coolant and top up with water of the total capacity of the radiator.

113. Mercedes Standard Operation temperature is 90'c - 110'c
• When The Engine Coolant Temperature reach the Maximum 110'c, the Cooling Fan (addition air con fan @ auxiliary fan). The Suction Fan (control unit operated) should Cut-in with Fully Operation (High Speed) to cool down the system to prevent the engine from overheating
• 120'c is a maximum temperature (OVERHEATED). The engine Should STOP ... For Cooling Down (You May realize THE AIR CON SYSTEM is WARM)
• 130'c is too late ... ENGINE IS ALREADY OVERHEATED !!!
• If your magnetic fan is not giving you the desired temperature, try opt for the electrical fan solution. Members here have used the Volvo electric fan with success.

114. If your aircond blower is driving you nut, try to take out the AC speed selector and spray it with a contact cleaner.

115. If your steering has too much free play, please check the steering system see whether any connection loose. Most of the time this is due to the wear and tear in the steering box itself. Adding a metal ball in the steering box will help.

116. Steering rack, ball joints, tie rods ,subframe mounts and stablizer bars and other suspension parts are what makes the ride in a Mercedes comfortable. These are designed in such a way that the passengers don’t get a rough ride. That doesn’t mean that you could whack through every pot hole or bumps because the car takes that impact so that you are comfortable and safe. Now I try my very best to avoid pot hole , humps and bumps and I realized that these parts last very much longer. These are very common problem with most continental cars because most of us think hantam sajalah, tak rasa ape ape. I think we need to change our driving style and remember that these cars were meant for the smooth roads in Europe and not our Malaysian road where you avoid one and fall into another.

117. To stop steering leak, you may try any of these least expensive options:
• Wynn's Product (Power Steering Treatment) may helps ...
• STP
• try hydratrans ( hydraulic + transmission)
it can improve or reduce the leak by adding to the power steering reservoir. It’s not a glue or gum. This treatment helps to soften the rubber seals.

If you have severe steering free play, read this thread.

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10011&forum=28

118. If you want to make your car smell fresh, read this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9159&forum=1

119. If your mirror berkabus or berminyak, try COKE..

120. If you want to clean your chrome pieces in your car, try COKE

121. If you are thinking of using Iridium plugs, please also include a good set of spark plugs cable.

122. If you need to decide between comfort vs handling, here is a good rule of thumb compliment from renggrun:

"It all depends on the driver of the car. It does NOT mean if you put on big wheels combo that you're a stylo-milo guy..not necessary.

1. If you drive aggresively, i.e pantang jumpa koner, mesti nak sebat/sesah....macam Brotha Mal kita, MatCossie tuh...,you gotta have the optimum set-up for your car. You'll need bigger wheels and low-pro tyres to render more outright grip and also more feedback from the steering.

a.) When you run Low-Pro tyres,i.e 45/40/35 series tyres, your steering will offer more feedback since the tyres are 'nipis' to the ground and you can feel everything..sampai puntung rokok pun boleh rasa...!!

b.) Low profile tyre will have less sidewall flex and your car can steer faster and more precise. Thus, you can tackle the corners better. In a straight line fast driving too, your car will feel more stable and the steering feels planted.

2. Problem is, people just simply slap on the big wheels and tyre combo without doing suspension mods. PLEASE understand that the fancy/bigger wheels and tyres can only work well in CONJUNCTION with an upgraded suspension characteristics.

a.) The original specs for a car will read suspension designed for a car with 16" wheels and tyres at 55 series. The engineers will calculate the damping characteristics of the tall sidewall (55 series) and the wheel size and WEIGHT and all these will be computed and extrapolated to ensure hat the car will ride comfortably and handle okay.

b.) Now, when someone simply ikut suka aje, pi letak tayar and rim besor WITHOUT doing the suspension mods...apa lagi..melompat2 ler keta deme !!! Apsal???
Pasal, the original dampers and springs are NOT designed to counter the upgraded tyres/wheels thingy.... They are esigned for the original specs fitment. Once a heavier wheel (katalah 17/18) and bigger tyres, low profile, (katalah 235/245 on 45 or 40 series) is fitted, please remember that the tayar dahlah nipis...bila nipis dia lagi tegang and senang meloncat. Wheels lagi berat, bila berat, loncatan lebih momentum......

c.) Heavier and stiffer tyres/wheels will kasi itu standard springs/dampers kacau lah... So, kena lah pasang spring keras sikit and dampers pun keras sikit. Bila tayar terlompat, spring akan 'absorb' the force and akan naik ke atas 'perlahan' sikit and dampers pulak akan melepaskan hentaman itu kembali ke jalan secara perlahan sikit pasal spring and dampers uprated bisa menagkis serta menahan hentakan dan serapan yang perlu dilakukan.......So, uprate your springs and dampers and fit the big wheels combo if you'd like...Go ahead..make your day. Just do it right and the 'dis-comfort' will be so minimal......So, tuan tuan dan puan puan...tepuk dada tanya selera"
Here is the reference thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=9491&forum=11

122. Here is simple table for your tires correct size, compliments from renngrun.

W124 : Bad and Snoops and Co.

15 : 195/65 or 205/60
16 : 205/55
17 : 215/45.................225/45 slight oversize but boleh.
18 : 225/40 ................235/40 -----ditto--------

W210 : Belalang/Anazz and Co. including me

15 : rare, except Classic manual spec! 205/65
16 : 215/55
17 : 235/45
18 : 235/40 and 265/35 on staggered fitments.
19 : 235/35 and 275/30 on staggered fitments.

W203 : Uncle Yam/AsDad

15 : 195/65 or 205/60
16 : 205/55
17 : 215/45
18 : 225/40 and 255/35 for staggered fitments.

W140 : Mabel & Co.

16 : 235/60
17 : 235/55
18 : 235/50 and 265/45 Staggered (8.0/8.5 and 9.0 X 18)
19 : 235/45 and 265/40 ---ditto--(8.5 and 9.5 X 19)
20 : 245/40 and 285/35 ---ditto--(8.5 and 9.5/10.0 X 20)
21 : 245/35 and 335/25 ---ditto--(9.0 and 10.0/12.0 X 21)

Note : For the W140...UNLESS you wanna be a Miami 'Playa' or Jappo VIP groupie.....the line stops at 19". 19"s still give the ride worthy of an S-Klasse and better handling and nice looks.

123. If you hear whistling coming from your Gear box, bring your car to the nearest workshop.

124. Be wary and careful of your EZL in your car when you send your car for services. Read this thread for further detail.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=9584&forum=1

125. If you are new to MB car and intending to buy one, either brand-new or used, better to join the MyBenz community to get all the necessary info.

126. If you are planning to purchase a used car and intend to make the car last, choose the type and model of car wisely and be patient when you finally selected the one to buy; this is our hard earned money that we are going to spend and we don't want to waste it on a difficult car or the one that we can't afford to maintain.

127. If you are driving a C-Class, beware if your Gearbox is leaking. Read this if you need to know more:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=9928&forum=25

128. If your car drive is sluggish, check the sparkies and cables; ensure that the connection is secured properly. Also check if there is any air intake blockage e.g. air filter, fuel blockage (pump or filter).. Other possibilities are discussed in this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9917&forum=21

129. The best way to know if your absorber is not OK is to do a physical check to see if there is any physical damages such as Pitted, bent, or broken rod, Severely dented dust shield (such that shield restricts shock movement), Severe leaking from shock, Worn or missing bushings (if not individually replaceable) , Abnormally worn or cupped tires. Details are enclosed in this thread:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9767&forum=21

130. If you experience slight leakage for your transmission system, try the cheaper solution first. Overtime the oil-seal will get harden that's when the leaking happen. So, the solution is to make the oil-seal soften. What you can try is to buy a bottle of automatic gearbox conditional, some call it stop leak, add it to the gearbox and run it for about 500km says in 2 weeks. If the leak still happen then you have no choice to change the oil-seal. If you are lucky, the leak will stop. The conditional is not expensive. Try to get a good one either from the hypermarket/DIY/ACE or spare part shop.Detail:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=9920&forum=25

131. If your engine heats up when in idle for 15 minutes, read this thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=10016&forum=21

132. Here are some good tips to handle small oil leak.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=ASC&topic_id=10004&forum=21

133. Whenever you send your car for oil change, be it engine oil, ATF, power steering or brake oil, please double check to ensure it is on the optimum level before you leave the workshop. Please don't take for granted that the workshop boy care for your car, even with the reputable service center. Here’s why..

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10030&forum=1

134. If you feel your car is swinging. Read this thread;

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10050&forum=21

135. NEVER 'lug' the engine. Lugging means yer in a higher gear than supposed to (for manual cars only). Some people do this to get better mileage and 'baby' the engine. But in fact it's just the opposite. When you are in 3rd instead of 2nd, at say 1500RPM trundling along, your engine will have LESS oil pressure (worse if yer car is dry-sumped)and that will cause more wear and tear on the internals. Vacuum created will also have more fuel unburnt.......

136. Drive the snot out of your car ONCE in a while. Once a week is sufficient. Bring it to the redline. Don't worry, the dang engine won't break....Betul tak Mal..?

A babied motor won't last as long as a well taken care of YET DRIVEN engines. The motor needs to visit maximum revs once a while where it develops it's full piston speed with pins and cranks at their max capability. Macam exercise le...

137. A Cold Start Valve will cause yer engine to wake up at high RPMs. IF you are worried that your oil level is low (say, tinggalkan kereta 2/3 minggu) just crank the engine 2/3 times and shut before engine catches. That will cause some oils to get to your galleries/internals. Then start. Process is called 'turning-over'. e.g RG’s other two cars starts at 3000RPM cold. Settles to 1200 and then 1000RPM. One minute and I drive off. Once the oil temp/pressure gets within spec..I'll let her rip. That and 15kkm and 25kkm on both cars, still healthy and good comp/leakdown numbers. And they visit their 8500/8400 RPM VERY regularly.

138. If you have misfiring issues on your car, check the following tips:

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11000&forum=24

139. If your gear is not engaging well, please first check the brake switch or gear selector level.

140. If your speedo meter not working, most probably problem with cable or memang speedo punya gear dah haus. Quite easy for mechanic to remove the instrument cluster and check for you. Sometimes spraying a WD40 can solve the problem.

141. Do not park your seldom use car on soil ground, the water and humidity from soil will eat/rust car from underneath twice faster than you park on hard surface.

142. Always make a point to have a spare key.

143. If you are experiencing rattling or ticking sound while driving, it could be the tappet noise, annoying but not really a big issue to worry about. It can be fixed by adjusting the tappet or if it is not severe, 1 can thick NASA additive can reduce the ticking.

144. If you have GPS, your speedometer will always read 10 KM/H lower than GPS speed. Here is a good calculation on your speedometer accuracy. Values below may vary between models, here's a typical calculations: -
gear ratio
1 - 4.25
2 - 2.40
3 - 1.40
4 - 1.0
final drive - 3.07
standard tyre size = 195/65/15
wheel diameter = (195 * 0.65) + (15*25.4) = 507.8mm
circumference = pi*D
= 3.1416* 507.8/1000 = 1.6m
say at 3000 engine rpm,
revolution at wheel = rpm / (gear ratio * final ratio)

= 3000 / (3.07 * 1) = 977 rpm

Distant of wheel travel /min = 977 * 1.6 = 1563.2 m

In an hour, the wheel would have travelled = 1563.2 * 60
= 93,792m
= 93.8 km or (93.8 km/h)

145. If your car experience high fuel consumption, check this thread.

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=11460&forum=24

146. If you are thinking of servicing your suspension, here is a good reference thread.

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11459&forum=21

147. If you are thinking of changing tires, check this thread for your reference prices and workshops:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=10203&forum=11

148. If you are losing Coolant and experience overheating, please check your thermostat. Here is a good reference thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12085&forum=21

149. If your speedometer is oscillating at low RPM, check your throttle body.

150. Finally, for continuity and effectiveness of your car maintenance during your retirement age, read this thread.

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12122&forum=37

151. The DRIVER. A car will only perform/behave as well as the driver. Drive badly, and the car will only follow your inputs and in some cases, irreversible tragic outcome . So....drive well.

----------------
Cheers/Mabel

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm
Take time to read. It is the fountain of wisdom
Membership Number: One Nine Seven Seven