129 Don'ts of R129 Mercedes-Benz SL Ownership - Part 2 - Avoid these to save on costly repairs

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Handy Val

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 48

@rioraton 11 ай бұрын

Excellent info especially about the top which I did NOT know...Thank You

@HandyVal 11 ай бұрын

Thanks. The top is such an important part of the car, so let's treat it right!

@markbaker6029 11 ай бұрын

Perfection Val - as always🙏 - Mark

@HandyVal 11 ай бұрын

Thank you and more thanks. Much appreciate the great feedback. It motivates me to keep making more videos.

@markbaker6029 11 ай бұрын

@@HandyVal you better😂

@brandonfowler6013 11 ай бұрын

Another great video Val!

@HandyVal 11 ай бұрын

Thank you! We now covered 40 of the 129 don’ts. Part 3 of the series is already in the making, which will cover 20 more.

@DevinFife23 11 ай бұрын

Really leaning in on this channel for my recent 1990 300SL purchase... Thank you for making these videos. Any plans on doing a video on swapping out spark plugs and/or transmission fluid & gasket replacement?

@HandyVal 11 ай бұрын

Thank you for your support in watching the Handy Val videos! My goal, which is ambitious, is to keep the world’s R129s looking and operating as if they just rolled off the assembly line. Thanks for the video ideas. I’ll put them on my list of future videos. The 1990 SLs were the first to hit the streets and because of its age has had the most admirers! My pleasure to help.

@DevinFife23 11 ай бұрын

@@HandyVal you’re the man!! Swapped out my engine & cabin air filter today!! Looking forward to your next video!

@edwardrivera206 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for all your hard work VAL ❤ you need my broken bolt i make sure the bolts are snug by hand when i put my wheels on

@HandyVal 11 ай бұрын

Thanks Eddy! Those broken bolts are a serious pain to remove. Hand snug to torque specs is the only way!

@SirPierreSe 11 ай бұрын

Another great video =) I shared this one as well in my blog. How do i test the Rollbar sensors?

@HandyVal 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and thanks for sharing. Much appreciated. The R129 rollbar will pop-up anytime one of the rear tires is off the ground. It does this by applying pressure on those rollbar sensor ‘wings’ which act like a switch. The sensor has two settings - either on or test mode. The settings are visible on the switch ( granted you need to squeeze yourself under the car; you don’t need to jack it, as there is enough space).If you turn the setting to test then all it takes is for you to drive the car about 20km/hr and then forcibly hit the brake pedal. If the switch is working the rollbar will pop-up. You try this on both switches, one at a time. The other thing to note is that the switch needs to be carefully calibrated, so if the tire leaves the ground it can pop-up. If not calibrated properly it may never sense that the tire is off the ground and never activate itself. Given, the age of these cars, we never know if someone along the way ‘fiddled’ with the sensors and incorrectly or accidentally moved them. There’s I believe two screws holding each sensor in place. I should probably make a video on this, as I’m going by memory for this comment and there’s likely more. In the meantime, I hope this helped.

@SirPierreSe 11 ай бұрын

@@HandyVal Ah so they CAN be calibrated! On all years? Mine is a 95. And the problem is that the rollbar pops up way to easy. To much speed in a roundabout or driving over a traintrack and it jumps up. The car is lowered with AMG dampers so I guess they need to be calibrated then. I was thinking of buying new ones but they cost over 400 usd each here in Sweden...

@HandyVal 11 ай бұрын

They definitely need to be recalibrated - that’s why they activate on the slightest road bumps. The 90 to 95 models can all be recalibrated. You need to loosen the screws holding the sensors and lower the ‘sensor wing’. Finding the right spot is a bit tricky as you need to lift one side of the car (using a jack), and ensure that the suspension part hits the ‘sensor wing’ to trigger it. It needs to trigger when the tire is barely above ground. You don’t need to buy new ones. Your sensors are working.

@SirPierreSe 11 ай бұрын

@@HandyVal Thank you VERY much for this! 🙏🏼 I hope I help you get some views on your videos :)

@HandyVal 11 ай бұрын

Thank you! Happy to help as much as I can.

@markobrien6586 9 ай бұрын

Val always great info & videos 5 stars!!!!!!!

@HandyVal 9 ай бұрын

Thank you. I appreciate that!

@h.google 5 ай бұрын

So many great tips….Thanks HV

@markx369 9 ай бұрын

Keep up the great work Val👍🏻😁 I love your SL videos. The R129 is my favorite car😎☀️ Would love to see you giving us an overview of the cars' main components and features (engine, gearbox, chassis, electro-hydraulic system for the soft-top,...) Greetings from Germany😊

@HandyVal 9 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. It’s motivating. Your suggestions for future topics are interesting. I will consider the topics for future videos. Look out for them in the near future. Danke.

@billrbca Ай бұрын

Thanks . I have a 90 300SL did not know about the oil level #33...I've done the head gasket already so who know if that what killed it.

@HandyVal Ай бұрын

The M104 engines used in the 300SLs were originally prone to head gasket failure. Mercedes noted that the oil level can contribute to early gasket failure. I don't think it killed yours, but likely contributed. Further, the new head gasket materials are better now than the original ones and so should have a much lesser leak problem, if any. Now, that you have a new gasket, I would keep the oil level a bit less than mid-level, change oil regularly and ensure the oil temperature doesn't exceed the 105/110C. Following these tips should keep that new gasket lasting for a very, very long time, likely never needing a replacement.

@KlaasRijnks 9 ай бұрын

On running hot (engine M104, and I assume the M103, M119 and M113 as well), this can be caused by an underpressurized and/or leaking AC system. The auxiliary AC fans come on at around 95 degrees Celsius when everything is well. However, when the AC system pressure is too low, the fans sometimes don't come on at all. Your best bet in that case is to switch the AC off (EC on the climate control unit) because then the fans will come on at around 105-110 degrees Celsius and cool the engine down to around a 100 degrees. Toasty for the occupants of the car, but at least they can continue their journey. In my experience, if you drive over 30 mph or 50 kph, the outside airflow will keep the engine cool enough. It's just very inconvenient when you have to stand still in traffic for a long time.

@HandyVal 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the R129 running hot. I made a video on the auxiliary fans. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2nKnn6kprSYb6ssi=eYlen1t9hJVJagoc I agree, it’s heavy stop and go traffic that create the ‘hot’ temperatures.

@yuriyv4239 8 ай бұрын

super amazing education for the future owner like me! Thanks a lot Maybe you can help to make final decision M113 or M119 for SL500. Options more or less the same and both around 100 kilometers. Both after 95 Once again thank you!

@HandyVal 8 ай бұрын

Thank you. They’re both very good engines. And it’s tough to say which is better, so I would focus on the maintenance history of the cars and make that your deciding factor. Choose the one with more maintenance history. You’ll also want to make sure you like the colour combo too….and that’s personal preference. I hope this helps. Good luck with the purchase.

@jonboy9912 7 ай бұрын

I have always considered my R129 as an unexploded financial bomb parked on my drive ready to explode at any time! Just looking at it the wrong way tends to cause a failure somewhere! I just got out of hospital to find none of my family touched the car when I was incapacitated and the battery was flat. Knowing never to jump start the thing I used a new "Conditioning", charger and guess what it fried the roof control module that cost £1100 to replace with an OEM part! If your battery goes flat disconnect it from the car before charging it! Having said all this I still love the thing!

@HandyVal 7 ай бұрын

Hey. Thanks for sharing this. Nicely described. The R129 community love their cars. Nothing, even expensive repairs, can’t break our love for them.

@mashalaboudinasari6930 11 ай бұрын

Thanks

@HandyVal 11 ай бұрын

No problem. Thank you.

@GillyBerlin 7 ай бұрын

Waiting for Part 3 👀

@HandyVal 7 ай бұрын

It’s in the works. 😃

@GillyBerlin 7 ай бұрын

@@HandyVal thank you 🙏

@davidcchi3373 11 ай бұрын

I used 87 gs a few times, it’s was just fine on my m113 r129. This was in winter time. I would not do it in summer.

@HandyVal 11 ай бұрын

The M113 engines are amazing and are usually referred as bullet proof. I would avoid 87 octane. Once in awhile won’t cause any long-term issues but try not to.

@stevenatwater7298 5 ай бұрын

I have the same rims…. They are a PITA to clean!

@HandyVal 5 ай бұрын

Oh… I know, the suffering we endure to keep them clean. I use two rim cleaning tools. I now use a ceramic paste wax specifically made for rims (McKees is the brand). It’s better. My fronts have Akebono ceramic pads so the dust is minimal, but they still get dirty from road grime. The rears are standard brake pads (I bought Akebono for them too, but I haven’t installed them yet), and so they get much dirtier, much faster.