Mercedes 190E 2.6 Manual
Discussion
After two previously failed attempts at securing a remotely respectable six cylinder Mercedes to replace my current; somewhat pedestrain 1.8 190E, this recent purchase will hopefully, make it's way back on the road in a swift, painless manner.
Purchased on ebay earlier this week. Unfortunately our relationship has started on slightly rocky ground owing to the fact that the car, described as "EXCEPTIONAL" on the ebay listing, is not quite so exceptional! A great dirty hole in the sill, the ABS light well illuminated, the FSH which in fact is just a previous owners' signature for the past 15 or so years without a single shred of evidence for a replacement part during that time! Half a V5 aswell. There were other easy to spot omissions which had not been disclosed in the description, and the car certainly wasn't a few hundred quid, which is somewhat frustrating!
I understand the risks of buying on ebay very well and I understand the risks of buying a used car more, however such obvious faults should be disclosed on the listing, well that's if you have a shred of conscience. I don't expect a 150 point inspection by any means, however the ebay seller was somewhat economical with the truth, but that's the risk you take with ebay. Unfortunately the car wasn't a few miles down the road beforehand to view.
Anyway, hissy fit over. The main reason for the purchase was not only that it was another 190E, which I adore, but it was a 2.6 with a wobbly stick in the centre console. The 2.6 manual is a rare beast where most of these cars were selected with the automatic, which is nice in it's own right but it inspires no confidence in the get up and go department.
It's a 1990 with 3 previous owners finished in 147 arctic white. Apart from the faults above, it's generally OK for a car with 152,000 miles. The engine appears good apart from a large oil leak(again not disclosed), as well as noisy lifters on startup(again not disclosed). A comprehensive service is in order.
It's not seen the receiving end of a hose for some time. Autoglym's clean all is going to have a field day.
A little better you'll agree, I'm sure you've noticed the missing distributor cap, well I purchased a brand new cap, rotor arm, reinforcement piece and plastic cover from Mercedes last year for my other 190E 2.6 auto that never made the road.
They even give you a lovely little diagram decal as to where the leads go.
Straight away the car settles to a smoother idle thanks to the new parts, the removed were nineteen years old, so probably past their best.
The interior is generally in good order, I'd have loved leather but you can't have it all. At least it's not grey like in my 1.8 which is an absolute nightmare to keep clean. The seats show dirt like no other. The black cloth is considerably more forgiving at keeping the appearance of dirt down. After all this car will get used every day so will get the usual abuse.
Remarkably there is little wear on the driver's bolster which is amazing for a car of this mileage. The gearknob however hasn't fared as well showing much usage. Still, a worn knob is better than no knob at all.
Because I'm silly I necessitated the need to photo my current Benz's at a jaunty angle! As much as I'd like to keep them both, after many happy miles the red one will have to go.
I'm really not sure why you'd have a towbar on a 190E? Not the sort of car you'll towing a caravan. However, it will not stay.
Towbar duly removed. Unfortunately to allow fitment the boot well had been drilled so will have to be welded up. I really wasn't in admiration for the way it was simply bolted to the boot floor metal which cannot be substantial enough.
As expected after 20 or so years there is many road grimes behind the bumper. So will be thoroughly cleaned and preserved before the bumper is reinstated.
It's not perfect under here, but it was completely black from years of road grime. Amazingly there is not a drop of rust on the body under here, which of course is a testament to Mercedes' build quality of the time. Something of which has never been bettered on a mass-produced vehicle.
The rear subframe will come out at a later date to be completely rebuilt. The diffs are prone to whining which I've yet to hear but I'm sure it will!
I've taken off all of the Sacco panels adorning the flanks of the car to clean all this mess underneath. Fortunately there is no evidence of rust or previous paintwork. I don't actually believe this car has ever been painted anywhere so retaining it's factory paint with 150k is quite remarkable.
Thankfully the front wings are in excllent condition, which is fortunate as they're now £700 from Mercedes!
That's all for now. I'm just getting all the parts together, most of which I'd bought last year, so anything of wear or of a perishable nature will be replaced for, hopefully many trouble free mileage.
Purchased on ebay earlier this week. Unfortunately our relationship has started on slightly rocky ground owing to the fact that the car, described as "EXCEPTIONAL" on the ebay listing, is not quite so exceptional! A great dirty hole in the sill, the ABS light well illuminated, the FSH which in fact is just a previous owners' signature for the past 15 or so years without a single shred of evidence for a replacement part during that time! Half a V5 aswell. There were other easy to spot omissions which had not been disclosed in the description, and the car certainly wasn't a few hundred quid, which is somewhat frustrating!
I understand the risks of buying on ebay very well and I understand the risks of buying a used car more, however such obvious faults should be disclosed on the listing, well that's if you have a shred of conscience. I don't expect a 150 point inspection by any means, however the ebay seller was somewhat economical with the truth, but that's the risk you take with ebay. Unfortunately the car wasn't a few miles down the road beforehand to view.
Anyway, hissy fit over. The main reason for the purchase was not only that it was another 190E, which I adore, but it was a 2.6 with a wobbly stick in the centre console. The 2.6 manual is a rare beast where most of these cars were selected with the automatic, which is nice in it's own right but it inspires no confidence in the get up and go department.
It's a 1990 with 3 previous owners finished in 147 arctic white. Apart from the faults above, it's generally OK for a car with 152,000 miles. The engine appears good apart from a large oil leak(again not disclosed), as well as noisy lifters on startup(again not disclosed). A comprehensive service is in order.
It's not seen the receiving end of a hose for some time. Autoglym's clean all is going to have a field day.
A little better you'll agree, I'm sure you've noticed the missing distributor cap, well I purchased a brand new cap, rotor arm, reinforcement piece and plastic cover from Mercedes last year for my other 190E 2.6 auto that never made the road.
They even give you a lovely little diagram decal as to where the leads go.
Straight away the car settles to a smoother idle thanks to the new parts, the removed were nineteen years old, so probably past their best.
The interior is generally in good order, I'd have loved leather but you can't have it all. At least it's not grey like in my 1.8 which is an absolute nightmare to keep clean. The seats show dirt like no other. The black cloth is considerably more forgiving at keeping the appearance of dirt down. After all this car will get used every day so will get the usual abuse.
Remarkably there is little wear on the driver's bolster which is amazing for a car of this mileage. The gearknob however hasn't fared as well showing much usage. Still, a worn knob is better than no knob at all.
Because I'm silly I necessitated the need to photo my current Benz's at a jaunty angle! As much as I'd like to keep them both, after many happy miles the red one will have to go.
I'm really not sure why you'd have a towbar on a 190E? Not the sort of car you'll towing a caravan. However, it will not stay.
Towbar duly removed. Unfortunately to allow fitment the boot well had been drilled so will have to be welded up. I really wasn't in admiration for the way it was simply bolted to the boot floor metal which cannot be substantial enough.
As expected after 20 or so years there is many road grimes behind the bumper. So will be thoroughly cleaned and preserved before the bumper is reinstated.
It's not perfect under here, but it was completely black from years of road grime. Amazingly there is not a drop of rust on the body under here, which of course is a testament to Mercedes' build quality of the time. Something of which has never been bettered on a mass-produced vehicle.
The rear subframe will come out at a later date to be completely rebuilt. The diffs are prone to whining which I've yet to hear but I'm sure it will!
I've taken off all of the Sacco panels adorning the flanks of the car to clean all this mess underneath. Fortunately there is no evidence of rust or previous paintwork. I don't actually believe this car has ever been painted anywhere so retaining it's factory paint with 150k is quite remarkable.
Thankfully the front wings are in excllent condition, which is fortunate as they're now £700 from Mercedes!
That's all for now. I'm just getting all the parts together, most of which I'd bought last year, so anything of wear or of a perishable nature will be replaced for, hopefully many trouble free mileage.
Looks like a basically good car just needing a thorough mechanical fettling.
Best of luck with it, I'll be interested to hear how you get on with the manual as l never really bonded with my Sportline in the way that I'm sure I would have if it had been auto.
Also, What on earth did you use to clean that wheelarch? I need to know!
Best of luck with it, I'll be interested to hear how you get on with the manual as l never really bonded with my Sportline in the way that I'm sure I would have if it had been auto.
Also, What on earth did you use to clean that wheelarch? I need to know!
Interesting thread OP - your car already looks worlds better after initial fettling!
I had a manual 2 litre some years ago and really liked it, but I wanted a bit more grunt and ended up getting a W202 C280 Sport (sadly an Auto). The engine was great, but the rest of it just wasn't up to the quality of my 190e.
I think I should probably have looked for a manual 190e 2.6 like yours - hope you keep enjoying it.
I had a manual 2 litre some years ago and really liked it, but I wanted a bit more grunt and ended up getting a W202 C280 Sport (sadly an Auto). The engine was great, but the rest of it just wasn't up to the quality of my 190e.
I think I should probably have looked for a manual 190e 2.6 like yours - hope you keep enjoying it.
Gallons Per Mile said:
Wow! A quick clean up and it looks like you found a really good car. I was dubious at the start of the thread with the first couple of pics but that looks like a different car now it's been cleaned 
Thank you. I was certainly dubious after driving 170 miles to bring it back home after finding the undisclosed nasties. It's amazing the difference after just a clean! It'll be worth the toil I'm sure.
I had a 1.8 and then a 2.5 16 but always thought the 2.6 would provide an ideal sweet spot. Manual always a bonus as far as I'm concerned 
Despite the economical ebay description it does seem to be cleaning up well. Have you checked under the rear screen/parcel shelf?
Sourcing one is always a challenge but swapping the cloth interior for leather wouldn't be too difficult.
Despite the economical ebay description it does seem to be cleaning up well. Have you checked under the rear screen/parcel shelf?
Sourcing one is always a challenge but swapping the cloth interior for leather wouldn't be too difficult.
mccrackenj said:
Looks like a basically good car just needing a thorough mechanical fettling.
Best of luck with it, I'll be interested to hear how you get on with the manual as l never really bonded with my Sportline in the way that I'm sure I would have if it had been auto.
Also, What on earth did you use to clean that wheelarch? I need to know!
I never bonded with the W124 I bought even though it's regarded as a better car, which I believe not to be the case.Best of luck with it, I'll be interested to hear how you get on with the manual as l never really bonded with my Sportline in the way that I'm sure I would have if it had been auto.
Also, What on earth did you use to clean that wheelarch? I need to know!
To clean the wheel arches, I use Autoglym's clean all. It's meant to be diluted to about 1:5, it can dilute even more but it isn't as effective. However on the bad bits I use 50:50 with warm water, agitate then rinse off with a pressure washer after five minutes or so. It's quite aggressive on it's own but I've found it to be the best cleaner by far. Even on the oil covered engine it worked wonders..
Mr Tidy said:
Interesting thread OP - your car already looks worlds better after initial fettling!
I had a manual 2 litre some years ago and really liked it, but I wanted a bit more grunt and ended up getting a W202 C280 Sport (sadly an Auto). The engine was great, but the rest of it just wasn't up to the quality of my 190e.
I think I should probably have looked for a manual 190e 2.6 like yours - hope you keep enjoying it.
The main reason for the purchase was the extra grunt over my 1.8. I was offered a W202 six months or so, for free. However I declined as it was absolutely riddled with rust. How the build quality dropped so quickly is unbelievable. Penny pinching was well and trying the name of the game back then in the mid to late 90's. I don't imagine Mercedes made much money on the W201's and W124's with such exemplary build quality?I had a manual 2 litre some years ago and really liked it, but I wanted a bit more grunt and ended up getting a W202 C280 Sport (sadly an Auto). The engine was great, but the rest of it just wasn't up to the quality of my 190e.
I think I should probably have looked for a manual 190e 2.6 like yours - hope you keep enjoying it.
The 2.6 Manual really is great, and that's just going up a farm track a few times.
Polynesian said:
Keep up the good work! And keep it safe. I've just been for a run and seen this:
Which looked to be in very good condition before something was driven into its arse. Real shame. Hope nobody was hurt.
My word that's had one hell of a smack. It's a shame that such a nice car is destined, but metal can always be replaced so hopefully any occupants are OK which is far more important!Which looked to be in very good condition before something was driven into its arse. Real shame. Hope nobody was hurt.
UberMeister said:
I had a 1.8 and then a 2.5 16 but always thought the 2.6 would provide an ideal sweet spot. Manual always a bonus as far as I'm concerned
Despite the economical ebay description it does seem to be cleaning up well. Have you checked under the rear screen/parcel shelf?
Sourcing one is always a challenge but swapping the cloth interior for leather wouldn't be too difficult.
As much as I love the 2.5-16, I feel the 2.6 has the ability to be both reserved and relaxed, yet with a drop or two of the gears has a very respectable turn of speed. The manual has the extra gear so should cruise a little better than the auto and you never get the impression the 2.6 is overworked at all.Despite the economical ebay description it does seem to be cleaning up well. Have you checked under the rear screen/parcel shelf?
Sourcing one is always a challenge but swapping the cloth interior for leather wouldn't be too difficult.
The first thing I checked was the usual rust spots, under the rear screen is great, the sill not so much. Fortunately I can weld, but it would have been nice not to. As you say the swapping of an interior is easy, I've removed many now, however finding a leather one won't be so.
Shame about that one being hit
Was spotted a few days back by a RetroRides user looking stunning
http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/24449/rr-sp...
Sorry OP
Was spotted a few days back by a RetroRides user looking stunning
http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/24449/rr-sp...
Sorry OP
tobinen said:
I've never seen a manual 2.6 or even realised it was available. Will watch the progress...
It's certainly a rarity. Even though it came standard with a manual gearbox, most went with the optional, somewhat expensive auto which I suppose was appropriate for the mature buyers of these cars back in the day. Not that old folk can't drive a manual that is! Judging by the cost of these cars when new, I don't imagine many young buyers could have afforded it anyhow. I doubt you'll see anyone under probably 35 years old or so driving these cars now, well maybe I'm the exception at 25.
Slammedorion said:
Shame about that one being hit
Was spotted a few days back by a RetroRides user looking stunning
http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/24449/rr-sp...
Sorry OP
Certainly a lovely looking thing until that slight rear end damage. It's now on ebay for sale actually. I quite like the look of the leather interior in it.Was spotted a few days back by a RetroRides user looking stunning
http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/24449/rr-sp...
Sorry OP
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