It’s good to see that our 1993 Merc E280 has fired up so much debate in the forums, most of it favourable, but unfortunately the car itself has been faring less well.
So where to start? It was all going so well: the E-class got its oil changed, had four new tyres and went along to Autoglym in Hertfordshire for a full cosmetic makeover. By the time it emerged it looked factory fresh – and worth at least three times the £1000 we paid for it.
Then the gremlins attacked. First the aftermarket alarm system, which had always had issues, threw a proper wobbly and immobilized the car in a busy supermarket carpark.
Then the central locking failed. And then – worst of all – the heater fan decided to pack up.
The last point being something of an issue as the autumn turned into an early winter – without the fan it was impossible to defrost the car and the journey to work might as well be conducted through the Siberian Tundra.
At which point I called in a professional auto electrician to work his magic. Fixing the central locking took a couple of hours to track down a broken connector – but digging the old heater fan out required the disassembly of the entire wiper mechanism.
And then the quest to find a new one began. I never thought that tracking down parts for a once popular car could be such a challenge, but it took several days to track down a brand new blower fan.
Finally, after a week of waiting and with the sparky on standby, it arrived and with Christmas-like anticipation I opened the box – only to discover I’d been sent the wrong part (a single rotor fan rather than our climate control-fitted car’s twin rotor.) My response was succinct, predictable and best not published here.
Anyway, I’m really hoping the E-class will be back on the road next week: I’m starting to miss the old girl. And, apart from the heater fan, it’s in tip-top nick. But in the meantime, consider it’s plight a cautionary tale. And wish me luck.