cpbeasley

http://www.akebonobrakes.com/aftermarket/euro/index.asp

dont worry, akebono didn't send you a fake set of ceramic brake pads, no conspiracy

you worry too much man!

tommy

I'd have to agree with that.

He's right on both accounts; on the box itself, you can see where the sensor goes. And for the record, you could have pulled up the product on Tirerack yourself - they show the same box for the ceramic application.

Now go put the sh*t on and enjoy your car. Don't forget proper bedding, and I don't mean goose down.

Crna Mechka

I do worry too much - but I think that's because I just dropped $10k on just the car itself.

That's not including the additional two to three grand that I'm putting into the car to get it back in shape.

Its a lotta money for a young guy like myself fellas...I dont come from a rich family nor was I born into one. I worked hard to save up the money for this car and I'd like to be 150% sure of what I'm putting into it. It's kinda like baby...my pride and joy, ya know?

Rotors are arriving early next week, so brakes will have to wait until then.

Glyn M Ruck

You are allowed to fuss LOL - most of us put as much attention into our cars as we do our ladyfolk - sometimes the car gets the upper hand

Crna Mechka

Thanks Glyn. I definitely see your point and in my case (at least lately) the car has been getting ALL of the upper hand. Luckily the lady understands - you can't separate a man from his car

Hey - I got another (quick but possibly stupid) question - I noticed a cracking (almost like a can of pop after you pour it in a cup) sound coming from underneath the rear end (where the exhaust is) after I took her for a drive earlier this morning. Is that anything to be worried about?

Crna Mechka

How bout some eye-candy for everyone? Took these last night, let me know what you think!

Crna Mechka

Brand new front brakes and rotors are going in today

I know they are not drilled/slotted, but they are damn sure good enough for me

Lemme know what you guys think about the 'Dark Knight' up above!

ao125

I wish I had kept my stock grille, and painted over it with matte black paint, and a clear coat, instead of going to the CL grille.

*shrug*

It's something to think about before buying a new grille.

Crna Mechka

I removed that part of the post cause its making me wanna go spend all my money

You don't like the CL grille? I actually love the look of it, was even thinking about going the 3-fin option.

Here's what I'm talking about...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/3-FIN...item2302a6961e
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...item53e480933e

I don't know about just re-painting the stock grille. A, because I want the star on the grill, and B, because if I decide to sell the car, I want to have all the stock items ready to be put back in their place. Don't wanna deal with the hassle. That's also why I decided to not just re-paint the stock side marker black to match my paint, would rather just order a smoked set off eBay and be able to switch between the two if I feel like.

Here's the smoked side-markers I'm talkin about.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

ao125

Nice.

I'm looking for a pair of euro impact strips. The paint looks like it is starting to come off mine, around the edges. I'm not really sure why.

Crna Mechka

I was thinkin about those too...but figured I'd rather spend that $100+ on something more important.

Glyn M Ruck

The cracking noise from the exhaust is just thermal expansion/contraction. Nothing to worry about.

Crna Mechka

Ahh good news, I figured it can't be anything too serious. Thanks again for your input Glyn, always helpful.

Crna Mechka

This vehicle is so strange.

After the transmission fluid/filter transfer case fluid change at the stealership couple weeks ago, all of the fancy electronical things worked for a good week or two.

Well it rained here couple days ago and I noticed the auto wipers would not turn on, I had to manually put them on. The parking mirrors worked too for a while and now those don't work either. Also, this is the strangest thing I've experienced to date, I tried to adjust the steering wheel - nothing happens, like its dead. The power seats on the drivers side also ceased to work today suddenly. Yet the passenger side works fine (power seats adjustments).

Does anyone know WTH is going on here? It's like the electrical components of this car have a mind of their own.

Crna Mechka

After further thought - could the battery be going bad? I have no idea when it was last replaced, as the previous owner did not mention anything about it.

tommy

It could be - I'm assuming you don't have a voltmeter?

Have you topped off the battery when necessary? I would assume that there has to be some kind of date on the battery somewhere - I would check for one, at least you'd know when the battery was made, which might give you a clue about its remaining useful life.

Crna Mechka

Tommy,

Thanks for your input. The battery 'seems' to be the original that the car was manufactured with, can't seem to find a date on it. It's the Varta, Made in Germany battery. It showed 90% when tested and is being topped off as I type this...

I'll post back the results after it's finished charging.

Crna Mechka

Topped off the battery - showed 100% - voltage was around 16.0 while charging and dropped to about 14.0 with the car ON.

Everything works except for the parking mirrors - they should move when I put the gear in R, but don't.

Do I maybe have to re-program the parking mirror positions in order to get them to work again? I'm not sure about this, but at least everything else works.

pcy

You can access the menu [to turn on/off the auto adjustment of side mirror while the gear is in reverse] via the buttons on the steering.

tommy

Do a search - there has been at least one long thread on the side mirrors not dipping on reverse thingy. Serves you right for getting a slushbox.

Crna Mechka

Lol thanks dude, but what the heck is a slushbox

Crna Mechka

Most def bro, I read the manual FTW, lots of useful information in there

I'm just confused as to why it was functional after getting serviced at the stealership then suddenly stopped working a week or so later. There's got to be a reason for that, almost like the battery lost power momentarily and reset the settings.

Anyway, haven't experienced any other issues since the day when my power steering and seats stopped working, so I'm good...for now.

Crna Mechka

Slushbox...I understand now.

You should come by and feel how my baby shifts...smooth like buttah baby.

I would drive an automatic over a manual any day. Got more important things to do with my right hand anyway, like caress my female, and roll phatties

ao125

I personally miss owning a manual. My 9-3 Viggen was manual and that was fun as hell.

I got an automatic so my GF could drive my car. If only the 4Matic came with manual (maybe it does, and I just don't know)

Difficult tradeup... AWD vs. Stick.

Crna Mechka

So finally got the front rotors and pads installed today. Now I just gotta find a long, quiet road in my area to perform the bedding in process.

I was also notified that my anti-freeze fluid needs to be flushed immediately as the current fluid in the car is CLEAR and dirty?

Previous owner is apparently a complete meathead when it comes to taking proper care of the car.

So my questions are:

-What kind of fluid and where to purchase (other than Genuine OEM MB if possible)?
-How many gallons for a full flush?
-What percent mixture (50% antifreeze/50% distilled water)?

Suggestions and opinions would be much appreciated as this is sort of an emergency.

Thanks in advance guys.