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Hi there! I got the physical books on eBay. But you can also find electronic versions of the manuals online too

I try to get the original Mercedes-Benz part whenever possible. You might need to gap the NGKs but they should work great. For spark plug wires, I think that you have to cut these yourself and put it together unfortunately. Because of that extra hassle, it might be worth buying from autohausaz.com. They have a kit ready to use with all the pre-cut lengths

Seems it's NLA (no longer available now) - I would check eBay. There are likely a lot of folks who are selling NOS (new old stock).

Yeah I re-used as much as I could from the 1987. Because my new dash had wood, I had to source a glove box with wood. I turned to eBay for that and found something in good shape. It's a bit rare though as it was only for model years 1991 and 1992 I think? 1993 I believe got rid of the glovebox and put the airbag there. The dash I took was from a 1995 E320 and it fit perfectly. I was able to retrofit the glovebox without an issue. Looks like you found the info for the steering wheel - you'll specifically want to find a 1992 or 1993 steering wheel from the junkyard. 1994 and 1995 can be used, but it requires some modification which is not ideal. I ended up (after my video) finding a 1992 steering wheel and swapping the inside portion.

This is great, thanks! I ended up swapping the actual metal unit itself (where the spinny cable plugs in) with another from a 1987 300D cluster I pulled. I believe someone already did swap this from a non-diesel car with a different ratio. I found out later when taking the car up to higher speeds and comparing with speed on Google maps. It was always off. But finally got it sorted 🙂 Maybe I can do an update video with what I learned

Hi there- I buy the parts at my local Mercedes-Benz dealer. If they don't have it, I check autohausaz.com

Also, do I really need to use the new brass fitting or can I keep the existing one since the air tube is already connected to it?

Nevermind, I figured it out.

@@robertlindsay5931 super glad to hear you figured it out! 🙂Sorry I didn't respond earlier. What was wrong? (it might help others). The brass fitting can be re-used (just swap the o-ring), but it's probably better to cut the line and use the new one. Being a voss fitting, you push the line into the brass fitting and then pull it- that should get it sorted. Let me know!

Only the intro is vertical, I'm sorry. The rest is landscape 🙂

​@@bscliftonSo it is. My apologies jumping the gun.

Hi - sorry for the late reply. This is a tough one - if you changed those, I'd check your 40A fuse. If that is good, it should be supplying power to the compressor (you should hear the noise). If you're hearing that and it's not raising the car, I think there's a leak. If you're not hearing that, you might need to plug in with an Autel (or similar) scanner to see if you can diagnose the problem. It should be raising a fault

Thanks for that I did change the 40 amp fuse and is level now but it Look like don't wanna go up

@@orlynkatracholokoperez1025 what happens if you press the manual raise button in the center console? Does anything happen? Or does it try and then report "Malfunction"?

Did he pull the 40A fuse? I think that's important for the system to reset properly. Just pull wait a bit and put back in place.

Absolutely my pleasure! 😀 AIRMATIC is amazing if you can do the work yourself. Hard to beat the ride quality 🙂 And it's great that you can do this job with basic hand tools and a jack

I'm pretty sure I did repair and sell it on my eBay store. Because the clips usually break, I got an extra one from the junkyard in great shape ahead of time. After having plastic clips break a few dozen times, I just get in a habit of being prepared to replace the entire part.

Hi there! I worked with Nate Rogers at Mercedes-Benz of Chandler. The dealership will make you create a service invoice and provide proof of ownership as this is a Theft Relevant Part (TRP)- but you should be able to actually do the work yourself. If they are not giving you the option to buy the parts from the service advisor you should contact MBUSA and let them know

If the fronts are holding after you turn the car off, the valve block should be good. I had that issue- with rears completely down. When powered on does the rear rise? If so, definitely you have a leaking airbag or the line itself has a leak. It's pretty easy to work on though!

No, I'm in the Phoenix Arizona area

@bsclifton I'm having the same issue with my 2013 gl550 I wanted to see if you might be close I'm looking for someone to fix it

My friend Al refurbishes these- I'll usually get them at the local junkyard and send to him. I pull ones for W126 and W124. Did you need one rebuilt?

@@bsclifton I'm going to try it, I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!

@@thebresident1967 usually, the problem should be obvious. After you open it up, there might be a lot of gunk. Cleaning this helps give more accurate reading. If it's not working, look for a snapped wire. The wire should be repairable if snapped - but I'm personally not familiar with that.

Hi there - thanks for the comment. Funny you mention this - our front struts just went out too. Well, they were working fine... but they would lose air overnight, which means they're due to be replaced. I did the job myself on Saturday and it took a while. I ordered Arnott part numbers AS-3409 (left) and AS-3408 (right). These are the Arnott engineered ones for cars with ADS (option code 214 - adaptive damping system) which your GL should have too. I got from autozone.com for $1500 after shipping/tax and they were shipped overnight. I did buy new axle nuts for each side - those were $10 each.

For doing the job, I followed this video by @MasterTechLou ruclips.net/video/R1jN7cP-4lA/видео.html Hardest part for me was removing/reinstalling the part (not a lot of clearance). I pushed the upper control arm UP and lower control arm DOWN until the part fit. Second hardest part was putting bolt through bottom of the strut (the one that goes through the lower control arm). Since I'm not using a lift, I used a bottle jack under the lower control arm to line up the fork of the lower strut with the holes in the control arm bushing. Once it lines up, you can put the carriage bolt through and hammer in with a rubber mallet. You can use a pry bar to move the sway bar out of the way if needed.

Thanks for sharing - that is good to know! 🙂 I don't really have any point of reference for the OM603 (other than my 300D). My 300D is totally stock (all MB parts) and usually sits 82 - 85-ish

@@bsclifton yeah 80’s is what mine normally runs at when your moving or on the freeway but stop and go traffic it will start to inch up close to 100. Although anything over 100 is abnormal and needs to be looked at.

Wow, that's awesome! It would be cool to meet up sometime. Do you have any pics or videos for your cars?

@@bsclifton yeah anytime! I don’t have any videos up on here but message me on Facebook if you want, Kort natali

@@bscliftonyes would love to meet up, I don’t know anyone else in this area with these cars.

A few other viewers have mentioned doing this - I'll see if I can set aside some time to figure out how to crack open the ignition cylinder. It should be using these same tumbler inserts - I just don't know how to open it / seal it closed again. For sure, you can't remove the cylinder from the ignition unless you have the key - only option there is to drill it out. You're correct that the dealer can only get a key for a VIN that you own... and even then, it's limited (ex: no new door locks, no new trunk lock). If you bought used locks from someone as a set because your door handle locks were broken for example, you won't be able to match your ignition to that unless you had proof you owned the VIN that door lock came from. I am repairing a W126 which was abused and has some broken locks - maybe a follow up video is in the future. Stay tuned! and thanks for watching!

I'm sure it's possible - but the ignition cylinder is still available new from Mercedes-Benz. Part number for W126 and W124 should be 126-460-02-04 and it's about $108 (includes a key). I'd highly recommend replacing - you just need to provide proof of ownership / registration.

Thanks! Working on these old cars is definitely fun 🙂

Do you mean the connector for the headlamps? I can show how to wire this when I get the other H4 bulb in and do the other side. It's a pretty easy one - you just need one part number `011-545-50-28` for each side.

My pleasure! Thanks for watching 🙂

Thanks! These are super special cars. Love getting them back to roadworthy status and getting them driven again 🙂

Excellent cars as you said. My father owned one in 1986 but s 350 gasoline and was great. But diesel is the best.

Sorry for the long response - I think you mean the cylinder and how the back of the cylinder is retained (ex: where I put the clip). Too short might not work. But as long as your key fits into the cylinder when there's no tumblers in place, you're good! You can use W124 cylinder with W126, etc.

It's a great looking car! (the white 1991 300SEL). Well, minus the clapped out interior I've been moving over from the 300SDL 😂The head gasket is blown and head is in a partially disassembled state. Some parts are in the trunk - but I don't think I have tools or talent to properly repair. Once everything good is moved over to the great running 300SDL, I definitely think it would be a lost cause to fix. I definitely don't have the money and time required to get this one back in good shape unfortunately.

Super glad you asked - the way I did it worked... but something was shorting occasionally (every few days). I should make an updated video to share that. I ended up tossing this inside assembly in the trash and replacing it with the inside portion of the steering wheel from a 1993 300E (1992 works also; 1991 is the older W126 style one) and that was already wired correctly

⁠@@bscliftonthanks for the info. Im gonna try to do the same, source one that already has the wiring in place and move it over

I did almost the same thing you did but no horn function so not sure how to resolve this. It sounds like you had a similar issue.

Nicely done! I really like the AIRMATIC system. Super comfortable ride and not too complicated. Cheers 🍻

Good question - when replacing the valve block, you can just jack up the front of the car like I did. The rear being lowered is OK and expected as removing the air lines from the valve block will release all the air in the system. When the car comes back on, the compressor will refill the components. The compressor (when working properly) has safeguards to prevent extreme usage... For example, it monitors its temperature it'll stop temporarily if it's overheated. But filling the system up when empty is not a problem at all. AIRMATIC is a very nice system 🙂

​@bsclifton do you know if the rear air bag you replaced is the same as a gls 63? Thanks

@@brodywinslow1820 unfortunately no, I do not know. AMG models typically have different suspension. You should be able to check on the Arnott website to find the part number and more information

I change 5 compressors in less then 6 months. Now is doesn’t go up at all.

@@Peterson-i8o yikes - you replaced the compressor 5 times in less than 6 months? I think a full diagnostic of the AIRMATIC system is due. Possibly replacing all of the supply lines, o-rings and fittings, the valve block, etc. Or maybe just sell the car 😂 There's definitely a point where it's not worth the headache

You might only need to remove the parts on the underside if you're replacing the distribution block. In my case, I replaced that and had some other "while you're in there" projects. The electrical connector for the sunvisor (what powers the mirror light) was missing on one side, I had some broken parts with the mirror. To be extra sure, I would highly recommend watching the video by TopHydraulics ruclips.net/video/tu16hvKg-a4/видео.html

Super glad you found it useful! It's definitely not the hardest job I've ever done on a car - but it did take a LOT of patience. With some cold beverages, some good music, and breaks when you get frustrated... you can definitely do it and be in great shape. Putting some grease on the end of the screwdriver when putting the e-clips into place helps too! I appreciate the "brave man" comment - although I think I'm more stubborn 😂 Given enough time, anyone can eventually do it - that's more of the boat I fell into. Learned a TON doing this - I can easily see this being easier the next time and then simple the time after that.

You're very welcome - definitely my pleasure to post these types of videos. There wasn't a ton to reference when I was doing it. Parts are absolutely getting harder to find! Kudos on doing the lower wiring harness - I really wish I did that and and MAF wiring. Glad you found the false firewall trick useful! Thanks for watching and commenting 🙂

I have PDF of the owners manual - you can search your favorite search engine for "Brian Clifton Mercedes R129" and you should find my page. I don't think RUclips lets me put links

@@bsclifton Thank you, much appreciated!