@@az23252 The conditions in Germany are worst, more bad! You have to check the streets here in Nord-Rhein Westfalen very very bad and the people here don't care. I live here for 20 years. It is not better in 2022.
Thats the general ideea. The truth is these old cars are almost gone from the roads, because they are hard to fix. No parts available anymore. The working ones are very rare.
@Jakub Ulbrych not completely true There are some cars which will destroy new parts like nothing. Bmw e60 is the best example for a car that will be dead in 10-20 years
I’m impressed that this W140’s owner manages to maintain this complex and relatively high-tech car and keep it running. It’s expensive and not that easy to do so in the USA, so I can only imagine in Congo.
you'd be surprised, labor on vehicles in the states is overpriced and mechanical parts are perceived as disposable meaning just throwable and swappable for an eBay part. In developing countries labor is extremely cheap and mechanics are more keen to fix parts instead of swapping them.
@@vargasdominick nahh its the same anywhere in the world... A german car is expensive to maintain after 200k kms and it doesnt matter where u live its a lot of money... They are probably great mechanics and improvisers so they make them work but the parts for that car are big money
@@BadMuflon as far as i heard from Scotty (Scotty Kilmer), German cars in the US has a very poor QC thus making them more unreliable than the ones in, let's say, Europe..
@@BadMuflon Compared to Japanese cars, yes, even with the "better QC", German cars still need "more maintenance" than the more reliable Japanese counterpart..
@@BadMuflon lmao dude I have a 430000km (260kmiles) 2.2 CDI and it never let me down and it never was expensive to maintain. Regular maintenance is like 200 euros a year Taxes 200-300 more And every year let's say there are maybe 300-500 in unexpected issues that were never major in so many kilometres. Is that a lot? Trust me it isn't. Do you even own a German car or are you just talking from what you've read on some forums thinking that you're smart?
@SUBSONIC DN Same - 5G is tough, i have 4x benz currently with 722.6, if you have had one thats been faulty you probably didnt look after it. They are very good - i haven't done 400,000, but most of mine have done between 175 - and 260km - all AMG.
@@Leo_B030 yes. They can't even start it up if condition is too poor. S350d probably is the easiest maintainable s class in the segment? Or probably 6 cylinder gas s320/s400. But w221 will dominate Africa's land one day.
@@gilsonrogeriolimaoliveira2807 This one is in limp mode. But probably has over half million miles on the odometer. The newer ones.. are so poorly made. They are not the "tanks" wich Merc used to made in the 80s up to late 90s.. The other brands are not much better either. They make them last like 150.000, first owner. Then you most likely gonna recycle it. Parts and labour will make it unprofitable to fix and keep on the road anymore. It is known that merc depreciate as fast as the car can drive.
@@dan_6915 I know, I do work with current benzes. But the most fragile thing currently are the engines and transmissions. The chassis are just as well made as before. If you don't mind some broken interior bits and a few noises, you can keep chugging along forever. But the engines and transmissions are too fragile, and mostly because of the electronic parts, that cost a kidney to replace, and cannot be programmed outside of the official dealers. If you want a current German car, not only a Benz, to last, you must stuff a simpler engine in it.
Running my foot. The car engine may run but I don't think the gear box was even hodling up plus the electricals at this point are probably non existent.
@@k.m.h.1346 I think scrapping her is a better fate than abusing her like that or rather better restore her but then it's the congo, I don't think parts are available.
@@atakan888 mate,driven and abused are two things. I guess you've never owned a car. Maintaining the car with regular services, checking on tires etc small details like a cut and polish, showing some love every 2000 miles won't hurt. That's when being driven, also maybe tune her with a stage one if parts are available in your country, the love you give to a car comes back. Maybe you ain't a petrol head. If so you won't definitely understand what I'm saying. Have a rule even if it's a lemon, keep it a clean lemon.
Actually this engine is kind of rare, because its the step between 300-24v engine and 320e engine. It already has the displacement of 3.2 and and the redline was reduced from 7000 to 6500. For a more useable torque spread. But instead of the later used HFM-Injection it uses the LH-injection and lacks the resonance intake flap of the later 320e engine. In a w201 these engines are fun.
I have this in my 1992 W140. It's called an M104.990 and yep they are fantastic, much less electronics and computers however they carry over the EZL from older models that can be temperamental if the ignition system is not well maintained. I like them because there's no plastic attached to the engine either. They have a cast aluminium intake and a steel air filter housing that don't crack or leak over time!
This reminds me of cars in Cuba, them boys are experts in keeping their older cars running on whatever they can get their hands on, quite amazing what pride in your car motivates you to do.
If you just keep rebuilding it, anything can keep going. Age and condition isn't a testament to anything beyond the will of the owner to keep a vehicle running, and this example is BARELY running. I bet virtually every electrical item on this car is broken, or it's own way out.
@@AkioWasRight Do you know anything about these? It's a W140 with an M104 engine... It will still be running after every engine being produced today is long dead 😅
I really like your content, it shows not just the cars, but the different lifestyle in Africa. Is it like a normal thing for a middle class to drive cars in condition like this? For example, i live in Serbia, and a average middle class car is between 2001. and 2015. but we also have a yearly inspections that are very strict (not that strict compared to German standards, but still very strict to our Serbian standards), and they are giving us hard times to register our venichles...
In Argentina middle class cars in here are from 1999 to 2017. I own a 2010 Chevrolet Corsa II and it works like a charm still after 11 years. Im sure inspection in here is not strict.
This one is the 300 SE with the 3 liters, 6 cilinders in line, 12 valves. Bullet proof engine as we can see. It has the half engine than an original 600 SE V12
It's a 3.2L M104.990. They are 24V with DOHC and surprisingly they are more bulletproof than the old 12V SOHC M103 blocks because they have double row timing chains and upgraded valve stems and seals compared to the M103
@@19jacobob93 I saw those double timing chains a couple of days ago in a shop with an old Mercedes being rebuild. I thought to myself well that can't possibly lengthen, thats gotta last forever.
@@kevinStyler6299late reply, but yeah they kinda do! I've never heard of a single case of them failing or stretching to the point of issue, even after 500-600k miles
The best thing in old merc that it never dies even if it has failure in some things in the engine but still it runs great even if it’s old I have a merc e350 2005 has tons of issues but still works like 2022
Runs smoothly on two cylinders and only requires a sniff of a petrol, the other ten are resting in heaven, V on the merc symbolizes the Victory... hit the road, Jack!
It appears to me that this Mercedes started life as a V12 but along the line it's V12 was swapped out for an inline 6 'cause they just don't have the means to maintain such an engine. My opinion though.
I dont think anyone has time for that. I dont think the gearbox can be used from a v12 to a 6L Interior doesnt look to be top trim worthy of a v12 spec
@@dan_6915 we’ve got loads of time to make anything work. i’ve seen someone swap out their diesel v6 cayenne 2nd gen for a petrol v6 out of a 1st gen touareg. they also got rid of the pdk in favour of the tiptronic.
M104.990 with LH, they are great! Less computers and almost no plastics... They also had the under-piston oil squirters that were removed after 1/1994.
And people retreat about roads quality in my country (Slovakia) :D this is something else and all the permanent dust would be nightmare for dayli washers :D im wondering if there are even some washboxes or if its there totaly useles great content btw :)
An S-Class with AT. In Africa. And my dad says "nooo, no sonny, don't buy an old car with an AT, it will ruin you financially!". And yet this one is somehow still running somewhere where it's probably difficult to properly maintain a manual transmission properly.
@SUBSONIC DN That's 4G-Tronic AFAIK, early W140s had four-speed transmissions. I wanted to buy a '99 W202 and that one had a 5G-Tronic. I didn't even feel when it was shifting gears honestly. And I didn't buy this one because I listened to my dad's advice. Can't blame him though, he bought a used W123 way back in the day, and that car turned out to be a lemon, which scared him from buying another Mercedes.
I wouldn't say abused. These have done the clock about twice after they were sent off to a 3rd world country by dealers who make money on junk cars that are still drivable. During my time in Afghanistan we found a Wartburg that had most of its components fixed with duct tape and plexi plast.
@@Alex-cc2sw ну, там и мотор меняный), но машина все равно едет. У соседа на Санта Фе датчик распредвала на...ся, так он на отдыхе застрял на несколько дней - горе мастера не могли причину найти, но и машина подвела тоже ( хоть не такой и большой там пробег). А мерсы и бехи ездят до последнего - даже когда за ними не смотрят плохие хозяева, а в хороших руках им сносу нет
Oh dear! That poor, unloved Benz. I've never seen such loose steering on a Benz - any Benz - and I've owned and driven many (including a W140). And what was with the engine surging with low power? Serious visit to the tuners required, methinks. But it's still always good to see old Benzes soldiering on.
@Das Kenshin Thats it! some people live in the first world and they cant understand the prices there and situation there. Living in Europe i can understand this...
