DIY'd 12C accumulators today
Discussion
Did the 4 suspension accumulators on my 12C today, on the driveway, so to speak. Car is quite new to me but was definitely riding firm, with no discernible difference between Normal,Sport and Track...
..had no doubt they were shot
Bought 4 MLR 40.140 accumulators direct from MLR in Canada, total £864 including fast UPS shipment and no additional duties due
Took me 3.5 hours, not rushing things. It's a very uncomplicated job, and most time is spent removing trim, wheel arch liners, battery etc
I honestly believe the units removed are the original ones. The car has good history, with main agents and the best thought of independents. Nevertheless, owners of this car in recent years have not had the benefit of how good a 12C is
The car is transformed,with a suppleness just not present before
A good afternoon's work..
..had no doubt they were shot
Bought 4 MLR 40.140 accumulators direct from MLR in Canada, total £864 including fast UPS shipment and no additional duties due
Took me 3.5 hours, not rushing things. It's a very uncomplicated job, and most time is spent removing trim, wheel arch liners, battery etc
I honestly believe the units removed are the original ones. The car has good history, with main agents and the best thought of independents. Nevertheless, owners of this car in recent years have not had the benefit of how good a 12C is
The car is transformed,with a suppleness just not present before
A good afternoon's work..
Edited by meridian on Saturday 25th April 17:47
Edited by meridian on Sunday 26th April 07:35
Good effort. It is always satisfying to do that type of job and the bonus is you save a lot of money. You also did well not having to pay any additional customs duties. I imported some headlights from the US in December 2025 and some gearbox potentiometers from Germany last month. In both cases I ended up paying double the amount of customs duty that was due. I have been reimbursed for the additional £400 that it cost for the headlights, but have almost written off the money for the gearbox potentiometers because it is impossible to contact Royal Mail about it via email, post or telephone.
BAMoFo said:
Good effort. It is always satisfying to do that type of job and the bonus is you save a lot of money. You also did well not having to pay any additional customs duties. I imported some headlights from the US in December 2025 and some gearbox potentiometers from Germany last month. In both cases I ended up paying double the amount of customs duty that was due. I have been reimbursed for the additional £400 that it cost for the headlights, but have almost written off the money for the gearbox potentiometers because it is impossible to contact Royal Mail about it via email, post or telephone.
Yes, I was expecting some import duty, but resultantly the items cleared customs and were delivered immediately. Might have got lucky ! Sorry for your import experience. As you say, satisfying to do some of this stuff yourself. Don't get me wrong, the car has just had a belt and braces major service completed by a specialist, so i will only complete some of the jobs myself...650S said:
Well done, the 12C is a superb car for many reasons, and the accumulators are a key part of that.
Precisely this. The Super Series cars' suspension is very much a great part of what makes them Super Series. With failed accumulators the system just cannot work as intended. It's a shame to have such an incredible car, that's ultimately not driving as it should. Very pleased to have completed this...Good effort ...... It's a much easier job than I had expected when I did mine.
One thing worth noting though - one of the front ones can be a clearance problem for the aftermarket cylinders (which are taller than the MC ones) against the pipes coming from the suspension manifold next to the battery. The other 3 are fine.
As you said - it's easy to see if the old ones were any good once you've changed them. ...... "Night & Day !"
One thing worth noting though - one of the front ones can be a clearance problem for the aftermarket cylinders (which are taller than the MC ones) against the pipes coming from the suspension manifold next to the battery. The other 3 are fine.
As you said - it's easy to see if the old ones were any good once you've changed them. ...... "Night & Day !"
speedick said:
Good effort ...... It's a much easier job than I had expected when I did mine.
One thing worth noting though - one of the front ones can be a clearance problem for the aftermarket cylinders (which are taller than the MC ones) against the pipes coming from the suspension manifold next to the battery. The other 3 are fine.
As you said - it's easy to see if the old ones were any good once you've changed them. ...... "Night & Day !"
Absolutely, the rhs front (as viewed from front) clearance is marginal against the hydraulic pipe, but nevertheless ultimately fits. It's just a matter of technique, which one eventually will work out. For what it's worth, the difference in length vs original is 2-3mm, just enough to make it a little tricky, but as I say the MLR slots in there without modificationOne thing worth noting though - one of the front ones can be a clearance problem for the aftermarket cylinders (which are taller than the MC ones) against the pipes coming from the suspension manifold next to the battery. The other 3 are fine.
As you said - it's easy to see if the old ones were any good once you've changed them. ...... "Night & Day !"
'Night and day' apt expression for the difference between new and knackered units. The difference really is huge and transforms the car back into what it was designed as...
Edited by meridian on Wednesday 29th April 16:29
Had a chap on Facebook who wanted the old ones, so that he could look at developing a future refurbishment/fix on worn items..
..I explained that p&p via Parcel force 48 would be £12-£15 as quite heavy, and given that I needed to box up and take to Post Office suggested £30 would be fair. After all, I have paid £800+ to enable the knackered ones to be moved on
He thought I was taking the 'mickey' I genuinely wasn't and thought that given the opportunity the old ones would afford him, all was fair
What do you all think ?
In any case, he won't be getting them from me now, mickey take or not !!!
..I explained that p&p via Parcel force 48 would be £12-£15 as quite heavy, and given that I needed to box up and take to Post Office suggested £30 would be fair. After all, I have paid £800+ to enable the knackered ones to be moved on
He thought I was taking the 'mickey' I genuinely wasn't and thought that given the opportunity the old ones would afford him, all was fair
What do you all think ?
In any case, he won't be getting them from me now, mickey take or not !!!
Edited by meridian on Thursday 30th April 06:44
meridian said:
..I explained that p&p via Parcel force 48 would be £12-£15 as quite heavy, and given that I needed to box up and take to Post Office suggested £30 would be fair.
He thought I was taking the p#ss. I genuinely wasn't and thought that given the opportunity the old ones would afford him, all was fair
What do you lot think ?
Let him show you some cheaper ones! It's more his loss than yours. His accumulator refurbishment isn't going to get very far if he won't pay £7.50 for failed accumulators for research purposes.He thought I was taking the p#ss. I genuinely wasn't and thought that given the opportunity the old ones would afford him, all was fair
What do you lot think ?
belfry said:
meridian said:
..I explained that p&p via Parcel force 48 would be £12-£15 as quite heavy, and given that I needed to box up and take to Post Office suggested £30 would be fair.
He thought I was taking the p#ss. I genuinely wasn't and thought that given the opportunity the old ones would afford him, all was fair
What do you lot think ?
Let him show you some cheaper ones! It's more his loss than yours. His accumulator refurbishment isn't going to get very far if he won't pay £7.50 for failed accumulators for research purposes.He thought I was taking the p#ss. I genuinely wasn't and thought that given the opportunity the old ones would afford him, all was fair
What do you lot think ?
meridian said:
Had a chap on Facebook who wanted the old ones, so that he could look at developing a future refurbishment/fix on worn items..
..I explained that p&p via Parcel force 48 would be £12-£15 as quite heavy, and given that I needed to box up and take to Post Office suggested £30 would be fair. After all, I have paid £800+ to enable the knackered ones to be moved on
He thought I was taking the 'mickey' I genuinely wasn't and thought that given the opportunity the old ones would afford him, all was fair
What do you all think ?
In any case, he won't be getting them from me now, mickey take or not !!!
Tell him to get bent, not to mention https://www.autoaccumulators.com/ can do them for about £ 40 as long as the bladder is not shot, so he is barking up the wrong tree...I explained that p&p via Parcel force 48 would be £12-£15 as quite heavy, and given that I needed to box up and take to Post Office suggested £30 would be fair. After all, I have paid £800+ to enable the knackered ones to be moved on
He thought I was taking the 'mickey' I genuinely wasn't and thought that given the opportunity the old ones would afford him, all was fair
What do you all think ?
In any case, he won't be getting them from me now, mickey take or not !!!
Edited by meridian on Thursday 30th April 06:44
IainWhy said:
Tell him to get bent, not to mention https://www.autoaccumulators.com/ can do them for about £ 40 as long as the bladder is not shot, so he is barking up the wrong tree.
Not worried about him, I guess we all want something for nothing...Just over the moon with the transformation the new accumulators have brought to the car, and reasonably happy with the cost having done it as cost effectively as I could utilising new accumulators..
12C is a great car, and I think good value..
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