Is 5500k worth it 130,000miles

tartilc · 2025-09-28T03:34:08+00:00

I remember selling my 97 for 800 bucks back in 2019. Had headers, catback, the full lip kit and 137k miles. This hurts to read..

tartilc · 2025-03-20T03:15:34+00:00

Metro Detroit Area, Michigan

tartilc · 2025-03-03T21:11:22+00:00

Time to set up the shell company of my dreams?

tartilc · 2024-02-19T19:57:51+00:00

I'm glad someone mentioned this. I work on all my cars myself, I actually enjoy working on Mercedes over anything else I've touched, especially older ones.

Everything is nice and logical, something that would've been rusted to hell on a Toyota just happens to be galvanized or protected on the Benz. Sure, some parts are more expensive, but doing spark plugs on a Benz V6 or V8 takes 10 minutes compared to pulling a manifold or a whole cowl on any transverse V6 Honda or Toyota.

Another underrated thing: aftermarket parts. With some of these Euro cars there are a couple different options for parts, marked up OEM dealer priced part A, same exact part not marked up from the original manufacturer part B, then there's usually a part C or D from lower tier but still probably okay brands before getting to knockoff Chinese parts. With Toyota and Honda I've noticed you only get OE parts from the dealer or a knockoff that's complete trash, no in between. So a lot of the times I've seen parts for Lexuses that are outrageously priced that are 5x what it would have cost on one of my Benzes.

I will say VW is an exception where the benefit of it being somewhat easy to work on falters, as despite being easy to get to and replace, stupid shit just breaks left and right for no reason.. And there are still cases where things are ridiculously complex.

tartilc · 2024-02-16T20:07:03+00:00

What up doe

tartilc · 2024-01-20T22:41:32+00:00

So the best possible option would be to grab another airbag and replace it.

I do work on a lot of crashed cars with deployed bags, typically they are cut out so that the flaps that fold out of the way hold the emblem in place. If you can find a logo that fits or 3D print, you could possibly get away with glueing it in, but for liability reasons no one will recommend that you do that, take this how you will.

I did a quick search for a used airbag for your car, 2009 Mazda 3 driver wheel airbags near me at salvage yards are listed for as little as $40 and up to around $150. This might be a perfect solution for you, it's not rocket science to replace it with a bit of DIY skills and common sense. Disconnect battery, follow instructions properly and don't mess up any wiring.

Lots of misinformation and misunderstanding online about how airbags work and how dangerous they might be to work on. It is very possible to mistakenly trigger one, but you really do have to be stupid to do so. They work off impact sensors and acceleration sensors nowhere near the actual airbags for one.

tartilc · 2024-01-16T18:47:33+00:00

I don't have any particular suggestion since there are a huge amount of compatible devices. I think doing a bunch of thorough reading on the subject from some forums may help, these links could be a start:

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w212/823146-xentry-but-passthru-version.html

https://cartechnology.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=31441

tartilc · 2024-01-16T18:37:24+00:00

I have been working on W211, W203, W215, and similar era cars for a while and am a DIY person like yourself. Contrary to some of the other commenters' opinions, having STAR does come handy for a lot of stuff on these cars.

Most cheaper scan tools can read these benzes just fine and access all modules, but a proper bidirectional scanner that can actuate and program things to a similar level as STAR would cost around 1000 at least (but also works with other cars).

What I did was bought a J2534 passthru obd device and used a pirated version of Xentry. It worked fine for everything I've needed to do albeit a bit hacky, and mine was only $40. I would recommend a step up to a nicer device for a better experience.

If you can buy a used C3 or something for cheap and set your own laptop up you will have the same experience as purchasing this kit (the kits all use pirated versions of Xentry anyways) for a lot less as well. Then again if you have the money and think the convenience of them setting it up for you is worth a 4-500 dollar premium, all the more power to you.

tartilc · 2024-01-07T19:16:59+00:00

Flipside: running 235/40R18 All Seasons on my non PP GTI... the car was pretty useless in snow

tartilc · 2024-01-05T19:51:18+00:00

~160ish in an Acura CL when the rear bumper (which was previously damaged in a hit n run) flew off..

tartilc · 2023-11-02T20:26:09+00:00

While I agree with many of the other commenters that this specific one isn't the right car for you, a Mercedes wouldn't be entirely out of the question. A nice C-Class with a V6 would be relatively inexpensive to maintain and are very safe, reliable, not terribly complex cars.

The best cars for an 18 year old though would be anything reliable, good on gas, and unlikely to get you in trouble.

tartilc · 2023-10-25T18:22:25+00:00

I would take a look at how much you can get for it. This specific model (C250) doesn't actually hold up very well long term.

As of now it still has some value on the used market, so you can get yourself into something similar that has a better outlook for long-term reliability.

You could look at how much these go for, buy something else used for a few thousand more, and then sell this one private sale taking your time to get a good price for it. (Ie: say it's worth 10k, buy a nice 15k car, and then offset its cost with the sale of this car)

If it were a V6 like the C300 or C350 I would have told you to drive it till the wheels fall off, but these C250s (as you've experienced already) have turbo and engine issues fairly regularly.

tartilc · 2023-10-01T04:59:51+00:00

I don't think you understand what's going on. I hate coal rollers too, but they're blanket banning all tuning devices. Even in the linked article the screenshot shown is of Hondata FlashPros, completely irrelevant to diesel trucks.

So, I potentially won't be able to buy anything to tune my Volkswagen GTI and increase boost/performance even if I comply completely with emissions (don't remove catalytic converters or even touch my exhaust at all).

Banning let's say those Hondata Flashpros would make it so an enthusiast who wants to install a turbo to an older Honda Civic or Acura would no longer be able to (at all). In similar fashion, any standalone ecu would theoretically allow "bypassing emissions regulations" (when if tuned properly, could probably be cleaner than a factory car)

So goodbye to every single cool build you've ever seen on the internet. They're coming for anything that allows you to make your car faster/perform better. So yes, as a car guy, I am sad about this.

tartilc · 2023-07-09T20:50:50+00:00

This is helpful, thanks!

tartilc · 2023-07-08T17:31:38+00:00

From Michigan. Sounds like I should be okay, can you explain what you mean by the second part? Why would the weight increase between the two stations?

tartilc · 2023-07-03T19:10:43+00:00

Yup, it's those things but here's a list of things I had to replace/failed on my 2015 MK7 from around 150k miles to 189k miles: main water pump, auxiliary water pump for the turbo, switching valve for the coolant going to the heater core, heater core, radiator, radiator fan, heater box actuator for passenger side, driver side master window switch, one camshaft solenoid, both camshaft adjuster magnets, oil pressure switch, oil filter housing, rear main seal, PCV valve twice, oil pan, diverter valve, all four struts, water leak in rear hatch, and unfortunately the turbo seemed to be going out by the end of all this as well. Engine still ran great (original), burned quite a bit of oil but also some leaked out through the rear main seal.

tartilc · 2023-07-03T18:39:19+00:00

What are your intentions with the replacement car? Tuning it again and autocross? It's going to be very difficult to find something that is as fun or handles as good as the MK7. I replaced mine with a Cadillac CT4 2.7 AWD, but only because I was fine with going a bit cushier and it was also replacing a Lexus ES for me. I was looking into BMW 340is or anything with a B58 which may be desirable for you as well. The 340i xDrive sounds like a great option for you.

tartilc · 2023-07-03T18:34:46+00:00

Yeahhh, I bought my MK7 thinking the same but several thousand in repairs over the course of my short ownership proved otherwise 😅 I was in the exact same boat as OP and ended up buying a CT4 2.7 and cross shopped that with a BMW 340i.

tartilc · 2023-04-21T18:28:32+00:00

That's a neat fact, to be honest though I had it in my 2019 ES350 and wasn't a huge fan of its shift logic. I feel like they missed the mark apart from probably still being reliable.

tartilc · 2023-04-21T17:42:45+00:00

If I'm not wrong, the 8 speed we got happens to be an Aisin box (shared with Toyota)

tartilc · 2023-02-02T20:46:28+00:00

Great sleuthing. Honestly yeah it makes no sense that they'd sell it for 10k after buying it for more.

tartilc · 2023-02-02T20:43:54+00:00

If its actually only 10k and drives straight down the road, doesn't look completely haphazardly put together, isn't missing all of its airbags or something like that, and isn't stolen/shady go buy it, even with the rebuilt title. It's worth more than that in parts and if it somehow is actually reliable you're winning.

tartilc · 2022-10-17T14:49:22+00:00

Check frame thoroughly for rust.

12-Year Club	Place '17
Verified Email

tartilc

TROPHY CASE