500E124

I've recently bought '91 w124 500E and ASR is killing me.
Is there any way to completely turn off ASR? I know that
some sort of aftermarket switch can be installed but I can't
find more infos about it.

2PHAST

As a new 500e owner, this is required reading. You will find all you need to know about ASR defeat.

www.2phast.com/500e

500E124

Thanks, a lot of good infos!

arno

it's likely a bad throttle body actuator. what are the symptoms?

a'

500E124

ASR is working OK, but I hate it when I can't have a full control
over the car.

arno

well then, go for it.

a'

190E 16V

You have the V12 which is fraught with problems, anyway.

The wiring harnesses were properly made, no negligence on the part of MB.
Perhaps, in your case, as with the 500E, the harnesses were made of the bean-curd, bio-degradable, insulating material.

The 500E's are at least 16 years old, well beyond the warranty period, as I'm sure your car is.
It is up to you to maintain your car properly.

If you are going to drive these highly engineered, very complex cars, such as an expensive, high performance, low-volume V12, you have to expect to pay to play.
Performance comes at a price.

If you can't afford it, sell the car or see what an independent Mercedes specialist will charge.

190E 16V

Btw,
The "defective" wiring harness issue has already been to court and it got nowhere.

Good luck if you try - your vehicle is 18 years old.

deanyel

Give us the usual - case name/number, the court, the date.

zach1328

Don't encourage him to attempt to press charges against Mercedes. Its the company that made the very cars that all of us on here love, which is why we're all members on a mercedes forum. Why encourage someone to sue a company that you love?

If you're not happy with your Mercedes Benz sell it and go buy a honda civic. Mercedes arn't cheap to maintain, you should know that before purchasing one.

But actually i guess it doesn't matter if you all encourage him, the case isn't going to go very far. Mercedes has PLENTY of money, you will not win against them.
They spend over $1.5 million a day in research and development...my point is, i assure you they have the BEST lawyers out there.

Plus this was not a common issue while they were newer (in the warranty years) so it wasn't neccessary for a recall. If your car were maintained properly, you would not be having this issue right now.

deanyel

If any of that was true they wouldn't have folded like a cheap suit in the sludge case, the 140 front end case, etc. etc. They lose or settle unfavorably quite often - in direct correlation to the volumes of engineering fiascos over the last 10 to 15 years. This one could have been good had it been timely but I'm afraid it's gone stale. Maybe sue the dealer of the $10k repair quote for cruel and unusual punishment.

ds190

I DO NOT love the company; I love the CARS. Big difference.

Standing on my soapbox, the factory's complete denial of the 1992-96 biodegradable engine wiring harness issue affecting 124, 140, and 202 vehicles is shameful and absolutely irresponsible. Back then, MB bragged about how environmentally responsible they were in response to the Green Party sponsored regulation changes, but the MB engineers screwed up big, and MB has known it from the beginning. The company has played the "Americans drive new cars get rid of old cars" waiting game, but those of us attempting to keep "the cars we love" alive will continue to get screwed by wiring harness issues, including damage to the very expensive ETA.

However, I do not know if the 129 harness was changed early model run to the biodegradable cover material.

190E 16V

In hindsight, we can say it was "shameless and irresponsible", perhaps.

However, at the time, they were selling these cars to the New Car Buyer, and biodegrading would not have been an issue. Further, any issues that did arise would be covered under warranty. I don't feel that Mercedes let their buyers down. For those original owners who kept their cars for several years, one would expect them to maintain the cars.
One would expect these harnesses to last 10+ years, at least. Mine lasted 18 years and no issues.
With the M119 V8, the cost for replacement in the US, is about $700-$1,000.
Yes, the M119 in the R129 did have the "bio-harness".
The V12 might not have, though.

All that being said, it's very frustrating and often a nasty surprise having the harness or ASR throttle body actuator go.

I expect that this guy bought an OLD V12 cheap, from a long time owner who discarded it when the $$$ problem cropped up.
Our "lawyer" friend was probably rudely awakened from the bliss of owning an MB V12 so cheaply when this problem wS discovered.
If he is the original owner, you would think he could afford the fix, would be aware of such issues, and lastly, would have been used to maintaining his V12 and its costs. A crucial, complex, safety system cannot be expected to go 18 years with no attention.

To put V12 maintenance in perspective, each of the two cylinder banks of the engine has a coilpack that costs $3,000+ to replace!

zach1328

Good point. Richsl600, you have to consider this car was probably around $90,000 if not more back in 1993? In todays money, I'm sure it was right around the $150,000 mark.

Mercedes didn't make these cars for people with little money. If you're willing to spend $150,000 on a mercedes im sure you've got no problem with fixing a little wiring harness.

My car hasn't in any way been maintained "very well". It did a lot of sitting in the garage, its missed some of the maintnence tune-ups (Spark plugs, air filters, fuel filters etc). Now that it is my car, i take care of it very well.

But once upon a time it was kind of neglected yet its still running like brand new right now. Maybe i just got a lucky car, but it seems like plenty of other W124 owners have been satisfied with its reliability.
Take care of it well, and old mercedes just keep on going.

My W124 has BY FAR passed my expectations of it, which is why when one day it breaks down for good, what am i going to do the next day?
Go out and buy myself another W124!
If you don't let the problems build up the maintnence really doesn't seem too bad.

In the past 11 years the W124 has been in my family it has cost about $9000 in total to maintain. That is including every oil change, new tires, batteries, servicing it, etc.
Not even $1000 a year to maintain, not bad for an 18 year old mercedes.
And figuring that each year $250-$350 of that is just from oil changes.

Right now it has a very very slow oil leak, the sunroof wont slide back (but will crack open) and the headliner is sagging a little bit in the back. Seats are crack free, aswell as the dash armrests etc. Interior looks like it is less than 5 years old. Paint has held up well, its collected a fair amount of small dents over the years which is the only thing that gives up the fact that it is an 18 year old car.

Jim's500E

Everyone knows that pre-96' V12s are not the ones to buy...don't they?

Unless, perhaps, you are a lawyer with money and a good dealer to bring the car to....wink,wink

190E 16V

Maybe he's just not a competent lawyer?

Shoomakan

BAZINGA!

JSe420

Hey 2phast, would my 420 require the same procedure to deleat the asr?