Nice video! I’m in the process of replacing both trunk struts, which experienced catastrophic failure last week. I did the front rubber shock/strut mounts last month - this was easy peasy at $58 plus 90 minutes of my time. I avoided a $700 fee from a local shop by DIY. Over the summer I replaced the blower motor resistor. It cost me $28 and 10 hours of my time. This was far better that buying the OE apart which includes the heat sink for $500 plus labor.
👍 Thank you. I had a lot of fun making this video and sharing these tips with owners like you and the R129 community. This video covered the first 20 don'ts...109 more to go, to get to 129!
@@HandyVal I literally look forward to that Val I enjoy all your videos they add to my library of information that I store that you have taken the time to put together for us. And I just received the port seals from Germany that I will deliver to the dealership on Monday and now they can get started on putting together my R129. Just in time for winter storage.🤣
Mark - The hard work is done for you now. You've sourced the parts and now it's up to the dealership to do their thing and put it all together. The accident will soon be a long-forgotten memory. Can't wait to see you back in the R129, albeit later than originally hoped for.
@@HandyVal Back a month ago I got the R129 back from MB & kept it for a week then set up a maintenance service appointment with them. They put the R129 back together in awesome shape. However, it needed service help to the max - hence all the repairs it required! Sooo all parts are now in - with those they still had in the MB stocks and ALL the MB parts I sourced out. So I’m thinking in two weeks I’ll have it back. And of course you’ll be the first I contact. Blessings…
Absolutely. Jump starting the R129 is a BIG-DON'T. The electronics, especially the roof module are expensive and mostly only available used. Thanks for watching.
@@melvinesquilin7700 Don't jump start it ever and disconnect the battery fully before charging it or you will fry a system. I just blew my roof control module charging the damn thing with one of those new reconditioning chargers!
Very informative, I am looking forward to the following parts. Bought a SL320 from 2001 with 105k kilometers on the clock in mint condition this summer, so I am still a novice regarding the R129. Had a beautiful W202 250TD before this one, I simply adore the Bruno Sacco design. I only gave up the W202 reluctantly, as old diesel cars (without cat's) are no longer permitted to drive in Copenhagen.
Tak! (Thank you) - Congratulations and welcome to the R129 world. You will love it. It's too bad about your W202 but you've followed it with another amazing car. The SL320 is solidly built and its engine is reliable. Let's stay connected on your R129 journey.
@@HandyVal Selv Tak! 😂 (You are welcome). I watched your YT-video "13 Best Winter Classic Car Storage Steps" as well and I have a question regarding my battery: I have a cut-out switch connected to the battery and it actually looks like an original part, could that be possible? Not a lot of YT-videos showing trunks of R129's but I could tell from your video, that it is not present in your model. I have never had such a switch in any of my cars, Merc's or otherwise, but my R129 is imported from Italy, maybe it's common there. Anyway, I have had a battery maintainer connected to the battery since I put the car in storage, and I am considering using the switch and disconnect the battery from the electrical circuit. I guess the radio will need reactivition come Spring when I turn the switch on again, but I can't think of any other electrical parts that will be affected. If you have any thoughts on this I'd be happy to hear from you. Before I turn the swich, he-he.
Cut-out switches were not factory installed by Mercedes. They are after-market. Those cut-offs are good as they ensure no battery power is lost through the car's electronics, like the clock, for example, when the car is not in use. Any time you disconnect the battery (or use the cut-out) you will need to redo your radio code and clock. On some models, you may need to reset your windows (push windows down and hold in the down position for 5 seconds and then in the up position hold for 5 seconds). The resetting of the windows are part of roof modules and I believe it's applicable to the 2001 - check your owner's manual on this procedure. Only do the windows reset if needed. It's certainly safe to use the cut-out. If I were you , I would use the cut-out, but once a month attach the battery maintainer for half a day to recharge the battery. Even with the cut-out, if the car and battery are in a cold garage, the battery will lose some power, so it's good to recharge it with the maintainer when you can.
@@HandyVal Thanks Val, I really appriciate the quick reply. And yes, you are right indeed, after closer examination I can see that the carving to make room for the stick is made by hand. Very nicely done however, and the cut-out installation itself looks very prof as well. I have followed your advice and cut the battery off and unhooked the charger. My HD Forty Eight is trickle-charging 24/7 (even during summer if left for a few days) so I am already used to keeping an eye on that one and will put the R129 on recharge now and again during the winter period 🤩🤩
Thank you. My pleasure! I’m always excited to hear feedback. I’m working on Part 3 of this 6 part series. I’ll keep sharing what I know for as long as possible.
“Don’t boost, could fry convertible module”, is that also true of using number cables? Thank you VERY MUCH Val, great videos, I am consuming them all as fast as I can go!
@@HandyVal Val, I am SO sorry for my proofreading laziness! I meant…you recommended not using booster units to start the SL500-does that also apply to not using jumpier cables from another car? So, pull the battery out of the SL, charge it, then connect and try again, or replace the battery? Or are jumper cables attached in the right order fine? (Excited to pick up my brother’s SL next week to be my next fun car so I am especially grateful for your videos!)
@@buckboy5674 No worries. You can’t boost the car in any way. This includes those power boosters or with booster cables from another car, regardless if done properly. There have been many, many document cases where roof modules (and sometimes other modules) have gotten fried. It’s ok to use those trickle charge/smart charge devices to keep charge with the battery in place in the car. Those devices don’t push out a lot of power and that’s what makes them safe. I personally use a Battery Tenderer when the car is not in use. I’m excited for you SL too. It’s a great car to drive and enjoy. And if well maintained can be problem free for many many years.
@@HandyVal i just read the manual on the 2000 SL and it states jumpstarting the car with cables from another vehicle with a 12v battery is perfectly fine. How else will you get the car going in an emergency?
@@HandyVal I watch them over & over - at my age - I do forget🫣. So I have all your vids in my library too. I’m told tomorrow I find out what this latest problem is & the cost🤑.
You’re not alone. Nobody fancies them. You have two options. 1. Stay with halogen bulbs but you can upgrade to brighter versions. For example, Sylvania or GE sell a few versions of bulbs and their more expensive bulbs are brighter. 2. Move to LED bulbs but these come with problems. Cheaper LEDs bulbs overheat and can harm the inside casing of the headlamp unit. You’ll also need an adapter to ensure compatibility with your cluster ‘out’ bulb. You need to go higher end LEDs. I prefer option 1 by a lot.
Ok,do any of you owners have the 4 second run time and the stop. I believe its to do with the MAF and K41 relay. I assume the MAF will be found on the trunking between air cleaner and inlet manifold but where does K 41 hide. Any help would be great. Thanks
Hi val, I have a strange ticking / clicking noise coming from exhaust area at idle but only when in D. In neutral or when driving no noise whatsoever. Car is a 98 SL 500. Any ideas? Thank you
It sounds like it could be your heat shield that is falling apart due to age. I made a RUclips video on this ‘Rattle Fix’. Mercedes Rattle Noise Coming From The Car's Exhaust Heat Shield ruclips.net/video/39AIBegl2ic/видео.html It sounds awfully similar to the issue I had - no noise in Park, but rattley in Drive with brake pedal pressed. Check it out from my Mercedes Playlist. Let me know if that’s what it is.
Val, I had a flat battery when I got out of hospital last month and tried to charge it with one of those new fangled reconditioning chargers. It would not charge the battery at first telling me it was dead so I gave it a boost with my old charger that gave it 10% or so and then the new charger recognised the battery and charged it. When I took off the hard top for Summer it came up as normal and I thought I would test the roll bar. The roll bar extended but would not retract and consequently the roof would not retract and I had to have the fault codes erased by computer. I wondered if the battery recharging caused this and wanted to ask you how to avoid it happening again if for any reason I need to recharge the battery? Will I have to disconnect or remove the battery entirely to recharge it next time and if I do might that actually have a detrimental affect on the car?
Sorry to hear about your hospital visit. Using battery chargers/tenders while the battery is in place in the car is perfectly fine. It won’t cause any issues. You need to avoid boosting batteries while they are in place in the car. Doing so, can likely (but not always) cause detrimental damage to your rooftop computer. The spike in voltage is too much for these cars to handle. Is this what you did? I think everything is now working for you, after you erased the codes? If it’s not working then you need to reset your rooftop computer. Try these two simple steps…1. Press and hold the rollbar switch in the up position for 10 seconds. Then let go. 2. Press and hold both window buttons in the down position and hold it once the windows have reached the down position for 5 seconds. Make sure the ignition is on for both steps 1 and 2. This should usually restore function to your roof and rollbar. Let me know if I misunderstood anything.
@@HandyVal Thanks Val for taking the time to explain. I did charge the battery in situ, and did those resets to no avail. But a visit to my local specialist did the trick when he reset the computer. Love your series.
Thanks for sharing. In the early years Mercedes would say 5C, it seems like they changed it to warmer, 8C. The warmer the better, the plastic windows can get brittle with age, and with cold temperatures they can crack as the roof it opened or closed.
Thanks for the comment. Head gaskets failures are mostly based on age, mileage and notably overheating engines. I do believe that using the car, and not having it sit for long periods of time, keep gasket material moist, lubricated and make them last longer. Your point is well taken that head gasket materials have come a long way and Mercedes has corrected their past flaws.
The AMG version of the R129 is an amazing car. Storing any car for prolonged periods will give problems. If you have to store, a warm and dry garage is best. Your biggest problem will be with old gas. Keep me updated when you take it out of storage.
My $.02. Tilt your seats forward to keep them cool and the sun off. Regular conditioning of the leather will lengthen its life, even with some “butt rub”!
It’s certainly true. Jumpstarting these cars will fry its convertible roof module. It was not the situation when the cars were newer, but it’s a common problem now, as most of these cars are over 30 years old, and they are sensitive to electric jolts. It won’t happen for every jumpstart but it’s risky, and I recommend nobody ever do it.
![Jack Harlow - Hello Miss Johnson [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q86_nlRoIGw/mqdefault.jpg)
Nice video! I’m in the process of replacing both trunk struts, which experienced catastrophic failure last week. I did the front rubber shock/strut mounts last month - this was easy peasy at $58 plus 90 minutes of my time. I avoided a $700 fee from a local shop by DIY. Over the summer I replaced the blower motor resistor. It cost me $28 and 10 hours of my time. This was far better that buying the OE apart which includes the heat sink for $500 plus labor.
Thanks. Love your DIY comment! With a little effort a lot can done. Keep it up and keep sharing your DIY with us.
Good general advice for ANY car, not just the R129.
So true. Many of the listed items apply to most cars. I tried to focus it on R129 applicability as much as possible.
Thanks for great Video Val. Learned quite a few new tips even after owning 2 r129s for 15 years.
👍 Thank you. I had a lot of fun making this video and sharing these tips with owners like you and the R129 community. This video covered the first 20 don'ts...109 more to go, to get to 129!
Another great video Val!
Thank you! Much appreciate the love I get for these videos.
Great advice again Val - I continue to learn all sorts of R129 information from you - blessings to you🙏
You are so welcome. There's so much more I soon will be sharing in upcoming videos. Thank you for the wonderful feedback.
@@HandyVal I literally look forward to that Val I enjoy all your videos they add to my library of information that I store that you have taken the time to put together for us. And I just received the port seals from Germany that I will deliver to the dealership on Monday and now they can get started on putting together my R129. Just in time for winter storage.🤣
Mark - The hard work is done for you now. You've sourced the parts and now it's up to the dealership to do their thing and put it all together. The accident will soon be a long-forgotten memory. Can't wait to see you back in the R129, albeit later than originally hoped for.
@@HandyVal Back a month ago I got the R129 back from MB & kept it for a week then set up a maintenance service appointment with them. They put the R129 back together in awesome shape. However, it needed service help to the max - hence all the repairs it required! Sooo all parts are now in - with those they still had in the MB stocks and ALL the MB parts I sourced out. So I’m thinking in two weeks I’ll have it back. And of course you’ll be the first I contact. Blessings…
Love my R129 and appreciate the advice biggest point of which is NEVER jump start the car it will fry the electrics.
Absolutely. Jump starting the R129 is a BIG-DON'T. The electronics, especially the roof module are expensive and mostly only available used. Thanks for watching.
What should you do if the car dies?
@@melvinesquilin7700 Don't jump start it ever and disconnect the battery fully before charging it or you will fry a system. I just blew my roof control module charging the damn thing with one of those new reconditioning chargers!
Wow that’s insane, just bought a 95 r129. Battery was died this morning. Good to know, gotta go buy a battery charger.
@@melvinesquilin3534 Just disconnect the battery fully before you charge it!!!
your video is worth a million bucks - many thanks!!
😍 Love it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Part 2 will be coming soon.
This guy reminds me of my junior high school metal shop teacher. Making sure we don't loose any of our fingers while running the machinery.
Awesome thanks for sharing your knowledge
Thank you. Part 2 covering the don’ts 21 to 40 will be out shortly.
Very informative, I am looking forward to the following parts. Bought a SL320 from 2001 with 105k kilometers on the clock in mint condition this summer, so I am still a novice regarding the R129. Had a beautiful W202 250TD before this one, I simply adore the Bruno Sacco design. I only gave up the W202 reluctantly, as old diesel cars (without cat's) are no longer permitted to drive in Copenhagen.
Tak! (Thank you) - Congratulations and welcome to the R129 world. You will love it. It's too bad about your W202 but you've followed it with another amazing car. The SL320 is solidly built and its engine is reliable. Let's stay connected on your R129 journey.
@@HandyVal Selv Tak! 😂 (You are welcome). I watched your YT-video "13 Best Winter Classic Car Storage Steps" as well and I have a question regarding my battery: I have a cut-out switch connected to the battery and it actually looks like an original part, could that be possible? Not a lot of YT-videos showing trunks of R129's but I could tell from your video, that it is not present in your model. I have never had such a switch in any of my cars, Merc's or otherwise, but my R129 is imported from Italy, maybe it's common there. Anyway, I have had a battery maintainer connected to the battery since I put the car in storage, and I am considering using the switch and disconnect the battery from the electrical circuit. I guess the radio will need reactivition come Spring when I turn the switch on again, but I can't think of any other electrical parts that will be affected. If you have any thoughts on this I'd be happy to hear from you. Before I turn the swich, he-he.
Cut-out switches were not factory installed by Mercedes. They are after-market. Those cut-offs are good as they ensure no battery power is lost through the car's electronics, like the clock, for example, when the car is not in use. Any time you disconnect the battery (or use the cut-out) you will need to redo your radio code and clock. On some models, you may need to reset your windows (push windows down and hold in the down position for 5 seconds and then in the up position hold for 5 seconds). The resetting of the windows are part of roof modules and I believe it's applicable to the 2001 - check your owner's manual on this procedure. Only do the windows reset if needed. It's certainly safe to use the cut-out. If I were you , I would use the cut-out, but once a month attach the battery maintainer for half a day to recharge the battery. Even with the cut-out, if the car and battery are in a cold garage, the battery will lose some power, so it's good to recharge it with the maintainer when you can.
@@HandyVal Thanks Val, I really appriciate the quick reply. And yes, you are right indeed, after closer examination I can see that the carving to make room for the stick is made by hand. Very nicely done however, and the cut-out installation itself looks very prof as well. I have followed your advice and cut the battery off and unhooked the charger. My HD Forty Eight is trickle-charging 24/7 (even during summer if left for a few days) so I am already used to keeping an eye on that one and will put the R129 on recharge now and again during the winter period 🤩🤩
Great video! this can save people a lot of trouble!
Many thanks! Absolutely, most trouble starts from doing something without knowing its consequence and I’m hoping this video series helps everyone.
Fantastic advice. Many thanks
My pleasure! Happy to share as much as I can.
Thanks again for your great advice 😅
I learned so much from 1 video ❤
Thank you. My pleasure! I’m always excited to hear feedback. I’m working on Part 3 of this 6 part series. I’ll keep sharing what I know for as long as possible.
Great video once again !!!!
Thank you! I appreciate it.
Thank you very much Sir.
Good info!
“Don’t boost, could fry convertible module”, is that also true of using number cables? Thank you VERY MUCH Val, great videos, I am consuming them all as fast as I can go!
@@buckboy5674 Thank you. Much appreciated. What do you mean by number cables? It’s a term haven’t come across.
@@HandyVal Val, I am SO sorry for my proofreading laziness! I meant…you recommended not using booster units to start the SL500-does that also apply to not using jumpier cables from another car? So, pull the battery out of the SL, charge it, then connect and try again, or replace the battery? Or are jumper cables attached in the right order fine? (Excited to pick up my brother’s SL next week to be my next fun car so I am especially grateful for your videos!)
@@buckboy5674 No worries. You can’t boost the car in any way. This includes those power boosters or with booster cables from another car, regardless if done properly. There have been many, many document cases where roof modules (and sometimes other modules) have gotten fried. It’s ok to use those trickle charge/smart charge devices to keep charge with the battery in place in the car. Those devices don’t push out a lot of power and that’s what makes them safe. I personally use a Battery Tenderer when the car is not in use.
I’m excited for you SL too. It’s a great car to drive and enjoy. And if well maintained can be problem free for many many years.
Perfect, thank you so much for sharing your expertise with those of us who need the coaching, definitely including me!
@@HandyVal i just read the manual on the 2000 SL and it states jumpstarting the car with cables from another vehicle with a 12v battery is perfectly fine. How else will you get the car going in an emergency?
Good advice
Don’t “I” know personally about ALL these warnings - thanks Val🙏
Mark - thanks for watching. You’re not alone with these don’ts!
@@HandyVal I watch them over & over - at my age - I do forget🫣. So I have all your vids in my library too. I’m told tomorrow I find out what this latest problem is & the cost🤑.
Thanks my friend
Hey bud. Always welcome. Thank you.
Thank you!
You're welcome!
I do not have fancy zenon headlamps - the originals on my 320 1994 are not great - any advice on upgrades?
You’re not alone. Nobody fancies them. You have two options. 1. Stay with halogen bulbs but you can upgrade to brighter versions. For example, Sylvania or GE sell a few versions of bulbs and their more expensive bulbs are brighter. 2. Move to LED bulbs but these come with problems. Cheaper LEDs bulbs overheat and can harm the inside casing of the headlamp unit. You’ll also need an adapter to ensure compatibility with your cluster ‘out’ bulb. You need to go higher end LEDs. I prefer option 1 by a lot.
Ok,do any of you owners have the 4 second run time and the stop. I believe its to do with the MAF and K41 relay. I assume the MAF will be found on the trunking between air cleaner and inlet manifold but where does K 41 hide. Any help would be great. Thanks
Don’t look at it the wrong way 😭
Subscribed..thanks
Thank you. I’m happy to have you as a subscriber. A lot more great and helpful videos are being planned for release.
Thanks!
Thank you. Much appreciate your kindness. 🙏
Hi val, I have a strange ticking / clicking noise coming from exhaust area at idle but only when in D. In neutral or when driving no noise whatsoever. Car is a 98 SL 500. Any ideas? Thank you
It sounds like it could be your heat shield that is falling apart due to age. I made a RUclips video on this ‘Rattle Fix’. Mercedes Rattle Noise Coming From The Car's Exhaust Heat Shield
ruclips.net/video/39AIBegl2ic/видео.html It sounds awfully similar to the issue I had - no noise in Park, but rattley in Drive with brake pedal pressed. Check it out from my Mercedes Playlist. Let me know if that’s what it is.
TQ
Val, I had a flat battery when I got out of hospital last month and tried to charge it with one of those new fangled reconditioning chargers. It would not charge the battery at first telling me it was dead so I gave it a boost with my old charger that gave it 10% or so and then the new charger recognised the battery and charged it. When I took off the hard top for Summer it came up as normal and I thought I would test the roll bar. The roll bar extended but would not retract and consequently the roof would not retract and I had to have the fault codes erased by computer. I wondered if the battery recharging caused this and wanted to ask you how to avoid it happening again if for any reason I need to recharge the battery? Will I have to disconnect or remove the battery entirely to recharge it next time and if I do might that actually have a detrimental affect on the car?
Sorry to hear about your hospital visit. Using battery chargers/tenders while the battery is in place in the car is perfectly fine. It won’t cause any issues.
You need to avoid boosting batteries while they are in place in the car. Doing so, can likely (but not always) cause detrimental damage to your rooftop computer. The spike in voltage is too much for these cars to handle. Is this what you did?
I think everything is now working for you, after you erased the codes?
If it’s not working then you need to reset your rooftop computer. Try these two simple steps…1. Press and hold the rollbar switch in the up position for 10 seconds. Then let go. 2. Press and hold both window buttons in the down position and hold it once the windows have reached the down position for 5 seconds. Make sure the ignition is on for both steps 1 and 2. This should usually restore function to your roof and rollbar. Let me know if I misunderstood anything.
@@HandyVal Thanks Val for taking the time to explain. I did charge the battery in situ, and did those resets to no avail. But a visit to my local specialist did the trick when he reset the computer. Love your series.
Handbook says 8 degrees celsius for soft top
Thanks for sharing. In the early years Mercedes would say 5C, it seems like they changed it to warmer, 8C. The warmer the better, the plastic windows can get brittle with age, and with cold temperatures they can crack as the roof it opened or closed.
Head gasket failures particularly on 300SLs have nothing to do with sitting. It's faulty material which mercedes later corrected.
Thanks for the comment. Head gaskets failures are mostly based on age, mileage and notably overheating engines. I do believe that using the car, and not having it sit for long periods of time, keep gasket material moist, lubricated and make them last longer. Your point is well taken that head gasket materials have come a long way and Mercedes has corrected their past flaws.
My 129 AMG Is sitting from 2018 😢😢😢..luckily in a dry and warm garage..but i Will meet more problems
The AMG version of the R129 is an amazing car. Storing any car for prolonged periods will give problems. If you have to store, a warm and dry garage is best. Your biggest problem will be with old gas. Keep me updated when you take it out of storage.
@@HandyVal sure man 👍
An AMG version of the R129 SL was never offered for sale in the USA, only in Europe, and only in extremely limited numbers there.
My $.02. Tilt your seats forward to keep them cool and the sun off. Regular conditioning of the leather will lengthen its life, even with some “butt rub”!
That’s a smart tip on tilting the seats forward - thank you! Regular leather conditioning is ‘a must’, I agree completely with you.
Lol the bit about the jump is bs
It’s certainly true. Jumpstarting these cars will fry its convertible roof module. It was not the situation when the cars were newer, but it’s a common problem now, as most of these cars are over 30 years old, and they are sensitive to electric jolts. It won’t happen for every jumpstart but it’s risky, and I recommend nobody ever do it.
You lost me at "Injen"...