Hi, gang.
I'm considering getting a W126 300SE--not a particular one, just of all the engines offered in short-wheelbase 126s, I think I'd like the six.
Anywho, how crappy are the US headlights? Most 126s I see for sale still have them. I like the e-codes, but they're expensive.
(I know the standard snarky "Mercedes are expensive" reply might be tempting, but I know that already.)
Thanks.
You can get e-codes for cheap if you are lucky. I have a set of Chinese ones I would sell for $125, and I have a set of real ones I am going to put on my car that cost about $150, and $55 of that was for a new lens to replace the one someone smashed as they were walking by in the junkyard where I got them from. You still need different plugs (you can actually order them at the dealer for like $6), and different headlight wipers to use the e-code lights too though. I would be much more worried about the amount of money you will spend fixing the worn out front suspension components than the cost of headlights though lol.
Travis_K wrote: I would be much more worried about the amount of money you will spend fixing the worn out front suspension components than the cost of headlights though lol.
Truer words have never been spoken. And yes, the DOT headlights REALLY suck. The E-codes wouldn't be such a popular upgrade if the DOTs were better, but they are truly piss poor.
Mine still has DOT headlights, and they are honestly really, really bright.
Are we talking about gen 1 or gen 2 DOT lights? I have gen 1.
That said, for looks alone I'd like some euro lights. Anyone selling?
Tom Suddard wrote: Mine still has DOT headlights, and they are honestly really, really bright. Are we talking about gen 1 or gen 2 DOT lights? I have gen 1.
but really really bright is not the same as having a good beam pattern
The beam pattern is fine, too. And this is coming from a guy who has put Hellas on every other vehicle I've ever owned.
Tom Suddard wrote: That said, for looks alone I'd like some euro lights. Anyone selling?
If you want a set of depo euro lights I have some, they are close to but not quite as good as the hella h4 lights that fit in the stock us spec ones.
We've had 3 Mercedes with DOT lights (W123, W201, W124) and all were much better than the other vehicles we had. I'm sure the euro lights are an order to two of magnitude better, but even these were heads and shoulders above everything else in our fleet at the time.
Travis_K wrote: I would be much more worried about the amount of money you will spend fixing the worn out front suspension components than the cost of headlights though.
Snap. I've heard about the super-secret-sideways w126 spring compressor or whatever it is tool that costs 600 bucks, but am I looking at financial ruin for a few new bushings?
It will be easily $1k to replace all the suspension components a car with 200k miles will need. If you ordered all the parts at the dealer and bought the real Mercedes version of the special tools (ball joint press and spring compressor), I bet it would be nearly $5k just to rebuild the front suspension.
Just looking though the parts prices and adding them up in my head, it looks like the current cost for a front suspension rebuild to make it good as new would be about $1400, plus buying a spring compressor (cheap Chinese ones are $175), and paying someone to press the lower ball joints in rather than buying the $500 tool to do it with.
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