Tyro Part Mart - Item 1 Headlight Lens

Following the rebuild of my headlights, I now have a spare H4 Hella lens for sale.

This is the flat, series II lens, not the earlier bevelled type.
Suitable for all W114 & W115 RHD vehicles: 220, 250 & 280.
Fits both headlight units on left and right side
Quantity - 1 only
Part number 002-115096

In used condition with a few very minor stone chips but has no cracks and is very usable.

Open to offers around AUD $45 excluding postage.

My first Benz: The German Lady

Following the interest I received following the posting of the picture of my first Benz on my Facebook page and Instagram account, I thought I would share with you the story of my beloved W116, known by my friends as "The German Lady".

About tyrobenz refers to how I came to buy my first Mercedes-Benz, but it glosses over how good "The German Lady" actually was.

After paying very little money for her, I got home and I couldn't believe my luck.  A 1976, W116 280SE which had only one previous owner who had obviously loved it.  I bought the car from the son of the previous owner, who was selling it on behalf of his father who had become too frail to drive it. Luckily for me the son had no interest in keeping it.

Externally "The German Lady" was growing old gracefully and sported a few battle scars including a cracked windscreen and some minor scratches to the rear passenger side wheel arch, where the lack of a door mirror had obviously caused some issues with reversing.  Thankfully a tow bar had protected the rear end from any damage reversing may have otherwise caused.

The front number plate showed some signs of "character" which I believed was caused by parking the car in a small garage where the nose needed to touch the front wall to allow the garage door to close.  We have to remember this was not a small car, at almost 5 metres in length, it later became know as the first Mercedes-Benz S-class.

At almost 5m long, no one would say she was small

"The German Lady" came with a fully documented MB service history, and looking back through the service book I could see that the she had been driven across Australia and back to WA. A service stamp by garages on both sides of the country is an insight into how this car was cared for.

For six months I drove her exactly as I had bought her before saving up some money to take her for a service and health check up.  Just by chance, I came across a local garage called Precision Auto Care, where another W116 was parked outside.  I made a few enquires and found out that the garage owner's family had previously been a Mercedes-Benz specialist, so they knew exactly what to look for when servicing the car.

After a full check up, no major issues were found other than the odd oil leak.

During the time "The German Lady" and I were together I had no idea that the MBCCWA existed, and it wasn't until a few years later that I found out Precision Auto Care was a supporter of the club!

As you can perhaps tell already, the "The German Lady" holds a very special place in my heart.  I recall picking up my girlfriend at the time, now wife, in this car and the look of bewilderment on her face.  I suppose you never think the guy picking you up on a first date might be driving a car older than him, haha. (Editor's note: I was actually bewildered by the fact that Simon looked so small! I later realised it was because his car was so friggin' big!)

It didn't take long for the "The German Lady" to become the third wheel in our relationship, but she was lovingly accepted and eventually we both ended up driving her, even taking her on our first holiday to Dunsborough in Western Australia which was a 500km round trip.  We had never taken her that far but she did us proud and didn't skip a beat.

If my friends thought I looked small driving such a large car, 

my wife at 5'3" looked positively hilarious!

"The German Lady", Whalers Cove, Dunsborough 2009

"The German Lady" became so much a part of the family that when my now wife made a gingerbread house for our first Christmas together, the car featured alongside the rest of the family, including the dog, in gingerbread form complete with a marshmallow badge and skittles for lights.  It was brilliant, and tasty too!

Over the months the crack in the windscreen started to spread towards the edges, it was getting dangerous so I had to get it replaced.  I called my Insurance company and they organised the replacement for me.  I agreed to leave the car in the driveway while I went to work. To my horror, this is what I found when I got home:

What you are looking at is the work of someone who had no idea what they were doing!  

By the time I got home the windscreen replacement company had closed for the day and hadn't even bothered to try to call me.  The next day, after hardly any sleep, I called the company to find out what had gone wrong. I was furious but tried not to show it.  The man I spoke to told me the installer they had sent had put the new glass in put had no experience in re-fitment of the chrome trim, so he had decided to just leave the bits in the car and go to the next job!  I was asked to bring the car into their workshop so that their "experienced installer" could complete the work in a controlled environment.  With little option I agreed and dropped "The German Lady" off later that morning.

By the afternoon I was told the car was finished and to come and get her.  I left work and headed over to the workshop. When I got there, what i saw stunned me.

My car was still in the workshop with the chrome trim still inside, the only evidence that someone had touched the car was the massive blobs of black mastic stuck on the bonnet and even on the rear quarter panel!

Needless to say, I lost it!  I stormed into the office and demanded my keys.  The receptionist seemed confused as to why I was so upset.  I took her out to the car and pointed.  I told them to give me all the trim and to do nothing further.  I check all the parts were there and took "The German Lady" home, gutted at the sight of her with her trim missing and the rain water seeping around the side of the windscreen.

I called my insurance company and told them what had happened and they were fantastic.  They told me to take the car anywhere I wanted to, and that they would pick up the bill.  I found a reputable company who evaluated the problem and by the end of the week she was home, as good as new.

To be honest, this was the only real issue I had during our two years together and it was hardly the fault of the car.  Sure, she was big, thirsty and underpowered (especially when the air-conditioning was running), but she was so comfortable and reliable.

I had to have the exhaust manifold repaired and wheel bearing replaced but other than that she didn't really need much else.

In 2010 my wife and I bought a derelict inner city house to call home.  The house had been empty for years and was in a terrible state, but we could see the potential and loved the location.  The downside was that I now had no garage to keep "The German Lady" off the street and out of the weather so with a heavy heart I put her up for sale, and I have regretted it ever since!

Writing this post has brought back a lot of happy memories, but has also made me very sad.  So much so, that I have just checked the Western Australian Department of Transport website and found that "The German Lady" is still registered.  I can only hope she is in good health and still on the road.  I wonder who owns her now, what state she is in, and if the owner would sell her back to me?

Department of Transport online rego check

The German Lady loaded and ready to take me kayaking

If anyone knows where "The German Lady" is, can they please let me know?  Her registration plate is XNN 247. I sold her to a man in Lesmurdie WA, who unfortunately I no longer have the name, address or phone number of.

This is the last photo I have of her at our house under renovation, it would be great to bring her home as a companion for UGU.

Tail lights: too hot to handle

The W114/W115 hit the market in 1968 as the first mid-sided Benz, later becoming the E Class we all know today. It was the year of manufacture that gave the model its other common references of Strich-Acht, /8 and Stroke 8.   

Originally only available as a sedan, a coupé variant was added to the range in 1969 which was the year UGU was built.  Her VIN# ends with the numbers 002510, so perhaps this means she was the 2,510th coupe made?

In 1973 the /8 underwent a face lift creating the series 2 which, to the untrained eye may not appear that different to the series 1.

Externally the changes included a lower and wider grille to match the styling of the larger W116 (S Class) with was introduced to the market in 1972. The /8's front double bumper was discontinued, retaining only a single bumper, and the front door quarter windows were deleted.  New mouldings were fitted to the A pillars to prevent water and dirt from the windscreen flowing around onto the side windows, and finally, with the same consideration for safety, new ribbed tail light lenses were introduced. As with the new front grille these tail lights were similar to those on the W116.

Mercedes-Benz display circa mid 1970's. Note W114 series 2 in the foreground with W116 beyond.  If you look hard, right at the back you will see a crash test W116, presumably to show the cars superior safety features.  You will also see a Citroen sign, making me believe this is a motor show display rather than a Mercedes-Benz showroom.

Image source unknown.

The idea behind this type of lens was that the ribs would prevent the entire lens from becoming obscured by road dirt and therefore making the car more visible to following traffic in poor weather.

Whilst I appreciate the advancement in safety, I personally prefer the original flat lenses with their chrome surround.  The ribbed lens is bigger than it's predecessor which meant the chrome surround was deleted.  In doing this, an element of visual bulk was added to the rear of the car which can be seen in these pictures:

 

Series 1 tail lights. Note the flat lens and chrome surround.

Image source: Mercedes-Benz W114 & W115 International forum

Series 2 tail lights. Note the new ribbed lens with no chrome.

 Image source: www.autoevolution.com

It's not often that you get to see what the tail lights of the car you drive look like at night unless someone has stolen your car and you are in hot pursuit haha.

To overcome this, I often find it useful to reverse up to a reflective surface such as a glazed shop front, so that I can do a quick check to make sure the reversing, tail and brake lights are all working. Indicators are an easy one to identify as the "clicker" and dash light flash speed increases once a bulb blows.

Not long after purchasing UGU I did a check of all the lights and everything was working, so no further inspection was done. It wasn't until my wife followed me home one evening in her car that she noticed that the drivers side light looked "weird" and different to the passenger one.  Once home I turned the lights back on and got down on my knees to look at the lights at eye level. It wasn't until I did this that it became obvious there was something wrong. The drivers side reversing light, located below the tail light, was being illuminated by the tail light above.

The next morning I opened the boot and unwound the two plastic caps that hold the lens in place allowing it to be removed exposing the inners of the lights. The problem was immediately apparent - the inside of the unit was melted and completely destroyed.

I pulled all the bulbs out and checked their wattage against the helpful stamped markings Mercedes-Benz included on the light reflector. This should stop someone installing the wrong bulb, but alas this was not the case with UGU.  All of the bulbs I removed were the correct wattage indicating that the damage had been caused by a previously installed and later removed bulb that had too high a wattage.

Warning: the following images may cause distress!

I apologise in advance and am aware it may be confusing, but the photographs below are a mixture of the left over parts which is why the melted area has no electrical component behind it.

As you can see in the pictures the reflector is extensively damaged and the division between the tail light and reversing light below is very distorted allowing the light to be emitted in both chambers.  You can also see the numbers indicating that a 5W bulb was the correct size to have been installed.

The heat from the incorrect bulb was so intense that the damage was not limited to the reflector but also melted the light lens.

There was further damage to the light reflector too, but not caused by the bulb.  Somehow someone had broken the end of the reflector off, perhaps by standing on it, but regardless of how it happened, I now had a melted and broken reflector that was destined for the bin.

I got online and started looking for a new rear light.  I sourced what I needed in Germany via Ebay, and the new light arrived a week later.  It was in great condition, the coloured lens was bright and un-faded, the chrome surround was in "as new" condition and it even came complete with bulbs!! It was like Christmas.

Removing the damaged tail light from the car is very straight forward and all done from inside the boot.  First unplug the electrical connection, then undo the four small nuts (one in each corner) remembering to keep a hand on the light as you don't want it to fall out of the car and smash on the ground.

With all the nuts removed and the electrical connection unplugged, the light will pull out from the outside.

Time for a cup of tea.

The simplest thing to have done would have been to install the new fitting in its entirety, however I noticed on the back there was a stamp stating it was produced in 1973.  To be true to UGU I decided to dismantle the 1973 light and rebuild it within the original casing.  This could not have been easier and only took an hour including cleaning of each part.

With the fitting complete it was time to reinstall it and check everything was working, which thankfully it was.  The only thing I would say to be careful of when doing this is to check you install the rubber seal carefully as you do not want water getting inside the boot through the light.

With everything working I fitted the new lens and the job was done. Easy.

I now have a few pieces left over that may be useful to someone else, such as the chrome surround and plastic housing.  I will list these in the Tyro Part Mart should anyone want to get in touch.