This Really Stinks! AND My Tech is Taking Over this Mercedes 500SL

[@louisjones2653]

Wizard seems like a great guy to work for. Good humored and he clearly respects the expertise of the other mechanics in his shop.

[@bernardgoetz655]

He is selective on who he hires.

[@louisjones2653]

@@bernardgoetz655 It shows

[@VIRALLYSPEAKINGTV]

He sux. I used to work for him.

[@VIRALLYSPEAKINGTV]

Jk !! Sorry Mr Wizard 😅

[@CarWizard]

@@VIRALLYSPEAKINGTVNo you didnt.

[@FlashDriveFilms]

The switch at 17:17 is to trigger the automatic rollbar. Basically if you have any road speed and a wheel lifts off the road, the lower suspension arm droops on that side and trips the microswitch, and the spring-loaded roll bar is activated. You can accidentally trip it during "exuberant" driving. It then needs to be reset.

[@JasonFlorida]

Wizard might have been the one to set of the light for it playing with the he did. Hahah😂🤣

[@kar4tube]

I remember these early 90's 500SLs vividly. They were everywhere in Orange County, CA back in the day. I lusted over them and never really thought that the subsequent models were quite as appealing. I sure hope the owner of this one invests in maintaining it and brings it back to its former glory. Loved the video Wizard and Grimes!

[@charlesphiliparthurgeorgep4653]

Im sorry to hear that you’re from California. I hope you’ve escaped since then.

[@cps900]

I'm riding a 98 SL500 right here in SoCal. I'm also a fan of Rammstein. ;)

[@e46m54nissansr20937]

@@cps900 nice

[@e46m54nissansr20937]

This generation of SL was always a head turner especially back in the day.

[@charlesphiliparthurgeorgep4653]

@@cps900 I hope you’re able to escape as well. California, especially LA, is basically like a third world country.

[@reganmahoney8264]

I like that Car Wizard showcases the talents of his mechanics.

[@lynxmh]

Grimes is such a great addition. Such a talented mechanic and a genuine guy. Good work Wizz. Giving him more screen time is a solid move

[@crystalmethking]

Can tell he is nervous in front or the camera, but he knows his stuff

[@luishc77]

Love the fact that it maintains the original Becker 1432 two-piece (yes, the actual tuner is in the trunk for 91-93's) cd changer capable radio.

[@Alex-xi2nz]

You could almost call Grimes “Car Wizard Lite” if he grew a long beard. Couple of super intelligent mechanic dudes!

[@patrickphippspa584]

"Car Wizard Lite" that's pretty funny!

[@David..]

Car Wizard superleggera

[@jackfinucan9785]

I bought a 1993 500SL with 78k miles in 1999; we spent about $500 a month fixing things for 5 months. Had to be towed twice. Traded it for a 1998 BMW 328i convertible even at the MB dealership. Had that BMW for 9 years.

[@fas9667]

the marks on the R tie rod sleeve is from them trying to rotate it to adjust the toe during the FEA, after the L tie rod was replaced .

[@javig5045]

I enjoy seeing the diagnostics, but would also like to see the actual fixing of the items on these cars. Javi G.

[@raygasse6644]

Hi! Old Benz guy here. It has been a while but those switches at the rear lower tables were the 22 degree rollover switches. A tilt of 22 degrees sideways would activate the roll bar.

[@GrimesGarage]

Ahhhhh excellent tip! Thank you!

[@raygasse6644]

There is a way you can deploy the roll bar but before doing that the hydraulic operation of the roll bar has to be in working order. You certainly know your stuff with Mercedes! Nice to see a great Technician alongside the Wizard.

[@carlam6669]

I’m the original owner of a 2000 SL500 with about 50,000 miles on the odometer. Recently, the alarm began activating on its own which would drain the battery. So, had the alarm deactivated. Other than that, just normal maintenance items. It’s pretty obvious to me that the MPG gauge is just a manifold vacuum gauge that has been calibrated to give appropriate miles per gallon readout. This was a build-to-order car where I specified interior/exterior colors and options. Several months later when I came to purchase the car it came with dark walnut wood trim instead of the light chestnut I had specified. The dealer knocked $1,000 off the price because of the screwup. I considered having the wood trim replaced but was quoted $3,000 for this. I wrote a letter to Mercedes USA describing what had happened and my displeasure with the mixup and that I’d gladly return the $1,000 if I could get the car I ordered. About a month later I got a call from the dealer saying corporate Mercedes would chip in $1,000, the dealer would chip in $1,000 and if I paid $1,000 the dealer would install the proper would trim. I took them up on their offer and am still glad I did.

[@GrimesGarage]

Check your alarm siren. There should be a battery inside of it that’s died.

[@carlam6669]

@@GrimesGarage The mechanic who disabled the alarm told me there as a backup battery that had gone bad and was prohibitively expensive to replace, if a replacement could be found. The car mostly lives in the garage and I’m not concerned about a non-functional alarm.

[@logdon17]

Love hearing Grimes, guy is a wealth of detailed car knowledge

[@Lefisher666]

Loving the 'Old Greg' reference. Mighty Boosh rocked 😅

[@MEJECIEN]

Okay, so we are all in agreement that come October 31... The Car Wizard needs to do some Old Greg cosplay.... With Grimes as Howard Moon..... What say you @Carwizard?

[@nerdywolfi]

You don't need a Star Diagnosis for accessing all the modules. A cheapo DS150 mostly also works fine if you're willing to build a manual switch box for switching the separate K-Lines of the round Mercedes diagnostic plug - that's what I did for my old 1998 W202. In my opinion, the DS150 diagnostic box thing is a bit clunky to use, but it gets the job done too.

[@Flies2FLL]

That fuel pump setup looks very much like the setup on a Porsche 928. Only, it was mounted at the rear end of the car, you could get at it by jacking up the rear end and releasing the protective "harness" plate; Right there was the fuel pump and filter.

[@keithgreen9009]

Nice old Mercedes and really clean underneath, definitely kept in a good garage when not doing it 1,500 miles every year

[@watchmanonthewall14]

Interesting that they say that this car is not in too bad a shape for 46,000 miles, while some modern Toyota and Honda models drive like new at 46,000 miles. Mercedes reliability.........

[@mbkomfort]

Please compare it with cars of the same age and era 🙂

[@watchmanonthewall14]

@@mbkomfort Super old Toyota 4 Runners, when taken care of, tend to run for a half a million miles and more. These are 4 Runners of the same era as the pile of junk in this video. That's one example. There are others. This, coming from a person who has never owned a Toyota, so I am not a Toyota nut hugger. Most Mercedes of EVERY era have been/are lacking in longevity and are extremely expensive to fix. Going into the "way back machine", I owned a Mercedes 280 SL. As a daily driver, it was one of the best cars I've ever owned, but it was expensive to fix and maintain.

[@piusg]

Old Greg reference @0:57. Nice.

[@e46m54nissansr20937]

This is my favorite generation of SL the R129.

[@thomascher4916]

That was a beeper not a phone! A pager! In the modern vernacular it would be referred to as Baller.

[@PlanetTwilow]

I had a run in with one of these, my 86' Corvette at 164mph ... the SL just kept on going and vanished into the distance.

[@MollyPopper]

I own one of these r129's. Check your wheel lug bolts if they're overtightened theyre prone to snapping and getting stuck in the wheel. Just had to get about 8 of my lug bolts drilled out by a shop.

[@jamesellsworth9673]

Another interesting diagnostics video...with most of the team participating.

[@mbkomfort]

Had tintermittent trouble with ASR, it was a small amount of soot in throttle body, i just needed to clean and lube the throttle flap. (-93 E280T) went into "limp mode" and needed restart to run right 🙂

[@brandonmorris2513]

Grimes is so cool in a very down-played way. Always like seeing him on all those Wichita guys KZbin's.

[@hooah1986]

Love the old Gregg reference ❤

[@Jon_2218]

Looks like former Dallas Cowboy Emmett Smith's Mercedes Benz as seen on Gas Monkey Garage.

[@BUY_YOUTUB_VIEWS.552]

This is the serotonin boost we all needed. Thank you for spreading joy!

[@WeerdBeard]

OLD GREG REFERENCE! HE'S A SCALEY MAN-FISH!

[@bigbill709]

Used to work for a fella who drove a 450 SL Benz I believe it was a 74 model this was 78 tru 82 when I worked at his company.

[@doorguru168888]

Grimes' knowledge is very impressive.

[@michauw3567]

Could you please do an update video on the break system repair ? 🙏🏻 I have the same problem with my, probably seized brushes… Best Regards 😉

[@whammond511]

Would love to see that car all cleaned up and detailed!

[@adambordas5024]

I doubt there are 2 fuel pumps. The 3 units in one pack are a pump, a filter and a pressure reservoir.

[@ramongomez5965]

I'm living in venezuela, it was selling me a 1985 mercedes 500 2 Doors v8, 53 thousand miles, original, just some tears in seat, 3000$, looks great, but I didn't buy it, I was afraid for the cost of replacement parts, and I heard about that old European carts is a source of issues after 150 thousand milles

[@biggiefitz6275]

Old Gregg lmao

[@croolis]

I own a 1995 W140 S320 which has quite a lot in common with the SL. I was wondering if you could recommend (or test) any generic diagnostic boxes that could substitute for the Mercedes Star from an owner's point of view (at a cheaper price, obviously). I know there are 38 pin diagnostic - OBD II adapters available cheaply, and that my S320 is actually meant to be OBD-II compliant however it's a bit of a gamble as most of these (especially the V8 models) were made before OBD-II was introduced.

[@alanprather8399]

oh the days when mercedes and bmw made beautiful cars that were also reliable. not sure they do either anymore.

[@GrimesGarage]

QC has definitely taken a back seat to revenue and rushed innovation in the past decade, I’d agree.

[@itstheweirdguy]

Grimes is blowing my mind

[@dth2brny121]

Grimes is a definite Benz aficionado in the shop!

[@richknudsen5781]

Remember when Wiz said no more older cars in my shop? Ya, me too, but those pay the bills so that BS went right out the window.

[@CarWizard]

Which old car?

[@richknudsen5781]

@@CarWizardGee Wiz,I don't know, um maybe a THIRTY year old Merc with a DOS interface maybe?

[@jacpfc01]

If you actually listened he was talking about 50s 60s etc

[@richknudsen5781]

@@jacpfc01Wiz was, at the time talking about parts availability making repairs take too long. So imagine trying to get parts for a low production car like a 93 Merc 500sl. And frankly, I work on 60 & 70s cars all the time and parts are not hard to find because so many interchange over a long span of models an timeframes. Find a better excuse next time jack.

[@richknudsen5781]

@@jacpfc01My prior response about parts was about American cars that is. Euro cars are not worth the time because of low volumes mean no parts at any price which would make them very hard to repair in a short time frame. Exceptions would include VW bugs but not many others.

[@theophilevictoria5592]

Hold on, the casual old greg reference ?!?!?

[@jamesjameson2576]

The tie rods look all chewed up from a pipe wrench that was put on it to do an alignment..ask me how I know.

[@shaunmiller3342]

Can you do a video on a GLC 300 if you ever get one in the shop. Thank you and love your videos

[@Ej6daniel]

I was just commenting on a Good Morning KZbin video with Tyler and April about how bad I want one of these V8's! Great lookin' cars!

[@2steaksandwiches665]

These look great in the two-tone, beige and dark brown

[@michaelcavagnaro8387]

Those are not ride height sensors on the rear control arms. They are roll over sensors that pop up the roll bar when car starts to lift off the ground and flip on to the roof. Bad day on the Autobahn, look for videos on utube.

[@e46m54nissansr20937]

Wizard what is that red car in the back with triangle headlights almost looks like a Camaro? Idk what it is but I know it’s something specialty.

[@MrsJustinWilkerson]

Tyler Hoover's Callaway Camaro

[@GrimesGarage]

That’s a Calloway supernatural it is actually a Camaro

[@e46m54nissansr20937]

@@MrsJustinWilkerson Ahhh okay Callaway thats cool I know of them

[@e46m54nissansr20937]

@@GrimesGarage Sweet

[@meddlesome9252]

When are we going to get updates on the gangster truck, the RV, and the French car?

[@CarWizard]

Soon!

[@meddlesome9252]

@CarWizard thanks! I can't wait to see how you get that diesel in, and it to all work and play well

[@stevenatwater7298]

Grimes, I need you and your star tester to figure out what all my 92' Hvac needs. I've had it for a year and a half, changed the head gaskets and performed a lot of maintenance that had been deferred. It has been running and driving great, but it looks like it needs a dash out and several major ac components. If the AC worked on this car I would be stoked to drive it each and every time!

[@GrimesGarage]

If it’s an r129 SL, definitely start with a scan, the n16/1 module mentioned also contains the AC compressor relay.

[@stevenatwater7298]

@tylergrimes1256 So cool that you check and respond! Yes a '92 SL500. It doesn't even have the round port the 93s have. Just a few pin connectors for codes. I see you can get little blink readers for codes but have yet to get one and see what's happening. A local indi shop here looked at it quickly. Needs new evaporator, compressor, expansion valve o rings and that the dash needs to come out to swap the evaporator. I've changed the vacuum block in the firewall / electronic compartment which gave some more use of vents and blend doors but there are still vents not operating properly and I can never fully get the heat off. The shop quoted me $3-4k but I got the sense he really didn't want to do the work and they also put my lugs on so tight that I had to return with the car because I was in fear of then breaking. And if they broke they were going to deal with it. They had to put a large bar (5 feat.. not kidding) and a second guy had to beat the bar at the socket to get it off. They ruined my polished chrome original lugs (extended type, which I haven't been able to find the proper replacement) so now I have stumbles (which people say are less prone to breaking) but it ruins the original look of the rim. Obviously they lost any future business from me!

[@markcarter9476]

How this car has survived in such low mileage, good condition is amazing when the owner obviously has no inclination to clean the car.

[@Keless]

videos with Grimes are cool

[@logwind]

Admire Grime's knowledge.

[@stevengreco1939]

Car Wizard is great!

[@ron8566]

Love the video. BTW, my 2000 SL500 has an OBDII port.

[@mikehatch2114]

It's what happens when you don't maintain your vehicle regularly. I bet that there's a huge trans fluid puddle at where the car lives and I can only imagine how much fluid the owner has poured into it. Also guessing that using an aftermarket fuel pump is most of the problem with the fuel leak as well as only doing half of the job. A partially blocked fuel filter could cause too much back pressure causing the pump to fail again.

[@giannicarguy1750]

Good description of an older diagnostic tool.What's a good diagnostic tool for a 2008 Bentley GT?

[@jay7264]

That fuel pump looks just like a old f250 one

[@michaelhawkins5530]

600 bucks in repairs and this thing is back on the road. 🙏

[@stuartapplestein7027]

Baileys n cream

[@GMCJay_lly]

Wizzard, what's up with the LB7 swap?

[@kevinreed709]

That car still looks good!

[@Vincent-ke5zn]

I don't see why a Mercedes with 46k miles has more problems than my Ford Focus with 287k miles

[@GrimesGarage]

One got used and maintained and one got mothballed improperly.

[@duncanjowett5575]

Don't understand why I watch your channel. I'm not interested in cars at all. But I like watching this. Kinda like watching Bob Ross.

[@s.m.whiteII]

Sorry, this just doesn’t have the “Magic” anymore😂😂😂😂😂

[@user-pb4vg2qh9p]

cool, looking forward to more vids on this beaut 🔥

[@aliengoth]

The moment you start driving that car everything is going to start falling apart

[@corgiowner436]

Why are rear main seals such a problem with leaks?

[@kraigthornhill9166]

The good ole days of Mercedes!! 😢

[@silver750iL]

What would be the best diagnostic tool on a budget for reading this age of car?

[@GrimesGarage]

Honestly before OBD2, your best bet is whatever factory tool is available. Unofficial clone units exist for not a ton of coin

[@Mike-pe1fz]

Wiz... I sure do hope that your compensating Mr. Grimes appropriately? Him and Daniel son are awesome techs.

[@GrimesGarage]

I do make a reasonably comfortable wage. No complaints here.

[@Starship007]

OBD to OBD2 jemission system must be monitored for almost the life of the car

[@stlswagger]

Got me first star. Learning curve for sure. I'm on my 7th Mercedes. Love them (w210/w211) to death. You can only get so far since no one has come up with a Land Rover or bmw type aftermarket reader. The gap iid tool is expensive but works. BimmerCode however is cheaper and great. Makes me wish I learned to code. Money on the table....

[@GrimesGarage]

Once you’re used to the way Benz builds their stuff you start seeing the similarities across a ton of models. By far my favorite brand to work on.

[@jynxclover2996]

2nd!!! hi wizard! caught the gregg reference

[@notDonaldFagen]

4th. And you're ghey.

[@philtowle4683]

Lucky this didnt burn to the ground

[@Angelina-xj5zd]

Mice chewing the hood insulation.

[@RobsNeighbor]

Really enjoy your videos! What a cool car

[@andrewthomason3857]

I bet the original owner of this car had a matching maroon velvet suit.

[@tnasburypl]

Sometimes it's best to nerd out on things. Because you have to in order to get things right. You cannot know everything. These days it's hard to focus when you have so many interests. I'm what's called a Jack of all trades. Master of non. :)

[@JoeSmith-pu9hi]

Mercedes=job security for Grimes

[@GrimesGarage]

I’ll take them all day

[@tracybrooks215]

Go Grimes!

[@QALibrary]

The Wizard could title cars that need fixing in his videos "what broken now"

[@fixyourautomobile]

I'M OLD GREGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

[@TheQuestionableGarage]

The 80s called, they didn’t license that much maroon to be used in the 90s

[@JBM425]

Grimes just brings his tool cart because he knows what’s coming. 😁

[@Ray-hg3ie]

yeah, nothing rehearsed here

[@joansobel3033]

Man, Grimes kicks this channel up another notch!

[@stephencurry8552]

Hilarious how often people say "older technology" as though it is inferior to things made now. Point of fact, many times older things are far more robust than things automotive now.

[@GMCJay_lly]

Because the older cars/trucks were much more mechanical and less electronic technology. Hence being more robust and reliable. The 5.9 12v Cummins for example, way more reliable than the new 6.7's. Less to go wrong with them...

[@stephencurry8552]

@@GMCJay_lly Yes, exactly. Reliable is best. Explains why the B-52 will be flying for a century. And the older B-2's are already being decommissioned.

[@darklordsauron3415]

So how do we refer to older technology in a way that doesn’t offend you, but is objectively accurate?BOT. NPC. Cry harder.

[@stephencurry8552]

@@darklordsauron3415 LOL. Thanks for making me laugh. Your post was entertaining.

[@grntchstrmdws]

These cars had a sticker price starting at $100,200 in 1993. (Taking inflation into account, that would be $219,000 in today's dollars.) It always astonishes me that people can tie up that much money in a car and then use it so little. 45,000 miles is nothing. All of these failures are just due to the rubber deteriorating I guess.

[@JasonFlorida]

I did the math and he basically spent almost $4.90 per mile (in today's dollars).

[@martinogold]

It's a lovely colour. I hope it gets sorted and back out on the road.

[@patrickphippspa584]

Grimes is my new favorite!! Love the channel, but LOVE the addition of Grimes. He's GREAT! Thanks all!

[@GrimesGarage]

What great timing. The base control module (n16/1) checked out okay, but found a mouse nest in the cowl!

[@pfsantos007]

Squirrels made a nest in my dad's W210 a few years ago, fluffy stuff included. They were nice, no damage to the car.

[@oldrrocr]

yep, mice cost me $1000

[@samholdsworth420]

Is this THE Grimes?

[@GrimesGarage]

@@samholdsworth420 aye

[@lanceripplinger8352]

Love these videos, Grimes seems like a great mechanic!

[@dannysublett1014]

I'm really liking Grimes a whole lot. He does very well on camera and is very informative. Looks like you got another great one Wizard

[@Natepwnsu]

Old Greg! OMG wizard you are the best. Thank you for making my day with that bit .

[@WhittyPics]

That car looks like it can use a good cleaning.

[@overthehill1958]

Looks like lazy slobs owned it. Its filthy inside and out.

[@darklordsauron3415]

So does your mum.

[@overthehill1958]

I cleaned your wife inside and out the other day.@@darklordsauron3415

[@cigarjefe]

This car deserves a complete refresh. It’s a beautiful piece of machinery.

[@MichaelBrown-ho5wc]

I own a shop specializing in these older Mercedes and I disagree with you. This is one of the most poorly made Mercedes they ever came out with. We actually have started refusing to work on them there’s just so poorly made.

[@MattyZahorec]

@@MichaelBrown-ho5wc I can second that... Bought one this summer with 45000 Miles and man was that thing ever a nightmare. Luckily got rid of it for what I paid for it but will never go near old Mercedes especially that m119 again

[@MichaelBrown-ho5wc]

@@MattyZahorec I wish people would stop promoting the R129 as there’s not much good about the car. They are extreme money pits compared to other old Mercedes. You’ll be much better off with the 123, 126 or 201 chassis. Heck, even a 109 is better than this car, but not much. One of the biggest issues is the hydraulic top the seals they used were a very poor quality and if you’re lucky you’ll get 10 years out of them. It’s an eight to $10,000 job to pull the entire car apart and replace those seals. Also the plastics in that car regardless of whether or not they see the sun are so brittle they will literally disintegrate in your hand I’m not sure how many plastic pieces we’ve had to replace these cars and Parts are now becoming harder to find. Many of the engine variants have issues with head gaskets another thing that we see all all the time with these cars it’s best to just stay away from them. I suppose if you had to have one get one with a hardtop and just leave the hardtop on and drive it as a coupe.

[@dantheman070]

@@MichaelBrown-ho5wc I owned several of these and they were nightmares to keep on the road... people make statements like "This car deserves a complete refresh" not knowing that would cost over 100k dollars to do, when a pristine one of these can be purchased for between 20-25k. Makes no sense. I would not touch one of these ever again with an 80 foot pole.

[@MichaelBrown-ho5wc]

@@dantheman070 just had another one with a blown head gasket come in the shop this week. I don’t know why these cars are so prone to blowing head gaskets, but they sure are. Owner says he doesn’t want to get it fixed. I don’t blame him. I don’t know what he’s gonna do with his car because it’s super clean low miles but I’m sure he’ll figure it out.

[@typxxilps]

R129 = built to last ! And the genuine Becker Radio which is really rare and even here far more expensive then back in the days.

[@richardgreene3460]

Grimes is awesome! 99% of his weight is in his brain! Brilliant and so young! I can only imagine how he will be when he gets older! Make sure he is happy there! He IS Omega now!

[@typxxilps]

I had one, I mean the 500SL with those yellow blinkers, also the V12 SL 600 and later a SL320 before I went ahead for R230. It had a quite good fuel economy even in germany. The drive train and the automatic suffered over time if not well maintained especially motor mounts. The R129 was the last robust SL that can last for ages cause there is no fancy colour screen no one can fix anymore. It is reliable at least when the renaming had happened, the SL500 sheme took place around summer 1994 or so for all lines back then. I had ordered one and delivery took over 1 year and mine had been upgraded to the new model year and the price in that period had even been lowered, also the A124 which was the E320 convertible, a 4 seater. That had gotten 20.000 DM of extras for free.

[@GrimesGarage]

SL600 would be a dream.

[@lordthorpe2642]

What do you drive now ?

[@GrimesGarage]

@@lordthorpe2642 04 330i ZHP and a 92 thunderbird SC!

[@dth2brny121]

​@@GrimesGarageDoes the Super Coupe have the 3.8 S/C V6, or the 5.0?

[@GrimesGarage]

@@dth2brny121 3.8, we did a video on it recently