₦airaland Forum

Siena: Personally, I'm a great fan of the OEM look. After market bodykits are garbage. I've fitted them on client's automobile (at their requests) and the fitment is like dogshit. An aftermarket bumper can take hours to get the fitment 100%, and even then, it'll never look right. It all depends on what you're satisfied with.

I'm very ana-l when it comes to automobile, and I won't compromise on quality. I would only fit bumpers / skirts off the equivalent MB Sport / AMG model. Nothing else will do. Some of these kits are also made of fibreglass, and stress cracks are a big issue. It may look average when first fitted, give it six months, and your MB will be looking bad. Such kits are aimed at teenagers, and mostly fitted to Honda Civics and similar automobile. The MB is a classy vehicle, and an aftermarket bodykit will detract from that look.

I've also looked at the bodykits on that site, and they're made of fibreglass, just as I suspected they would be.

Good luck.

Thanks Siena for your valuable contribution. I guess I'll leave off the bodykit then and just show off its classic looks. I thought those were OEM kits made to retrofit to the w124..

yungboss: T-die,
If you would leave the 320 natural body the way it is it would be better, the C43 is not as bulky as the 320, how possible wiould it be for the modification, the picture above, is it the one you are placing an order for?

Hey Youngboss, the modification in the picture above is very possible. The front and back bumpers, as well as the sideskirts are available on www.bodykits.com as well as on ebay.
My only concern would be having them installed on the car properly... That's why I'd probably have it done abroad before shipping the car down.
I think that the body kit makes the car look a bit more modern without totally removing the classic look of the 124...

Ikenna351: ^^^^

After watching Taken 2; after seeing what w124 was doing in that movie, i strongly agree with you, that w124 was over engineered.

An old car but really like its handling/character. I love what the rear was doing when pushed to a corner on high speed, while been chased, coupled with what the girl was doing with that stick. RWD can be such a fun to put stunt on in a corner!

If am a Benz fan, i would surely have the facelifted w124 in my collection, a stick V6/V8 one.

Ikenna.

Lol. Though if you watch the w124 taxi chase sequence (Taken 2) closely, you'd notice that both the pre-facelift and the facelift versions were used interchangeably... Poor acting in my opinion. I promptly reported it on moviemistakes.com.
Anyway I'm getting myself a w124 for my birthday in July. Though it'd be an e320 Stick shift.
Am also ordering a complete c43 Bodykit from the US to go with it (see pix). Would have to use oga inspired and probably have them fit in the bodykit before shipping down to Nigeria... And then I'll race your 505 V6 or your 406 V6

Interesting thread... Quite educative...
Now I know there is life outside the cartalk and autos section
@ OP: keep it up...

kels on point: Here in my area we have a lot of Yoruba folks driving cabs and they like putting a lot of fancies on their car and make use of the horn frequently in fact if their horn is faulty they consider it as a major fault. One interesting thing about them is that they choose a particular brand of car they use for transportation like when i was small i do see them with datsun, from that they shifted over to Mazda and now they are gradually migrating over to this Toyota privia. Why do dey act that way?

Its not a tribal thing. It would be nice if you could rephrase your observations. I also notice a lot of peeps (cuts across all tribes-you see them in Enugu, Kano, Lagos etc) who have the same habit of carrying an artificial gardens (plastic flowers) on the dashboard, lots of fancy chrome fittings, fake antennas, mirrors and truck grade piercing horns... even sirens sometimes

Nice Whip...

IMO I don't think its about being poor or having money... afterall methinks that Japanese cars are actually overpriced...
In the Nigerian Context (as far as owning or driving a Car is involved), i think there are two different kinds of people

a: People who just need a car (whether new or old) to get from point A to B and live their lives with minimal hassles, Air conditioner working, good sound system and good fuel economy is basically all they need. Also important is cheap mechanic labor... and cheaper parts. They couldnt care less bout handling, DIY etc. For this group of people, Japanese Cars are wonderful.
Japanese cars can also take more mechanic abuse (especially in the electricals) without totally dying.

b: People who need a car (whether new or old) to get from point A to B and also want something extra apart from AC and sound system. Minimal hassles for this group is dependent on whether they can get a good mechanic and a good source of original parts. Also they care about handling, aesthetics, etc. they also want good fuel economy. For this group of people (myself included), we have dared look beyond Japan and are not regretting it one bit.

Its different strokes for different folks, and sofar as we dont yet have good car workshops/mechanics the safest for most people to do would be to go Japanese. For those of use who have gone European or American, we are mostly not regretting it and we are also getting good fuel economy and reliablity-because we have good mechanics or have adopted DIY.

Its a free world so begrudge ye not each other...

bigx: Inspired answered on the 7th, 700k

www.nairaland.com/158762/pre-order-car-usa-40/112#13727629

Just saw it. Cool. But dont know whether thats for the convertible or the sedan. Will contact him privately though.
Need more contributions/ Offers

Hallo Inspired. Sorry to derail your thread, but i kinda need your attention on my own thread;
https://www.nairaland.com/1157318/get-me-merc-w124-e320#13760918

[quote author=inspired_m]We can Land this Classisc Merc for 700,000 Naira[/quote]Thank you Inspired. Is it the sedan or the Cabriolet (Convertible) that s going for 700k?
Its actually the convertible I want. Sorry if my original post was a bit ambiguous.
Am ready to do business with you.
Thanks a million.
I would appreciate if you could post pix of the available convertibles that you have.

Bump

omobaba101: I have seen about 2 of such on display in mechanic workshops up north here, but I am on a trip, if next week won't be late, I can help you check them out and get the pictures and details across to you, but they are definitely Naija used

@Omobaba1; I would be extremely grateful if you could find more about the ones parked at the mechanic workshop with pix. Where in the North did you see them?
I dont have much of a problem with Naija used-as far as the interior is still good. Engine and Transmission can be replaced.
Once more, Thanks.
Moderator please can you move this to the front page; Thanks

Bump

bump

Have actually had an offer from the UK. It was a bit on the high side..
My major issue, however, with importation is how to get it cleared from the Naija port. I know Cotonou dealers have their way of getting in these old cars.
Mainland Europe is also not much cheaper. However am hellbent on getting this car. So let me hope that I'll get an offer that won't break the bank.
That notwithstanding, let me have quotes from importers as well...

Moderators, I would appreciate if this can be moved to the front page... Thanks

Hello NLers,
I am urgently in need of the following car. I have placed enquiries on some car dealer threads here on NL, but for some reason I have been largely ignored.- Even inspired blank me
I have money ready to make the purchase. Though because this is an old car (more than 15 years old), I am wondering on the feasibility of shipping it in through a Nigerian port. I already have seen one, but its in the UK and the logistics are just too much.
Anyways here are the specifications; It can be tokunboh or Naija used... I really dont care as I intend to restore the car if its in a bad shape
Make; Mercedes Benz
Model; W124 (Popularly kniwn as V Boot) E Class
Body Style; Cabriolet (Convertible)
Year; 1992-1995
Engine Capacity; E320 (3.2L Inline 6 Cylinder) or at worst E220 (2.2L Inline 4)
Transmission; Preferably Automatic, but Manual is also Ok

Please post pictures of the cars you have available.
Like I said, Cash reaady.

Hi Tadeus.
I need the following car and have Cash to pay. Is it available and how much would it cost?
I would appreciate if you can put up pix of the available one.
I am not based in Lagos so it would be difficult for me to leave my base and come to Lagos/Cotonou except I am sure that the car is available.
Make. Mercedes Benz
Model E320 (V Boot) Convertible
Transmission; Manual or Automatic
Cash ready for immediate pick up!

Hi Tadeus.
I need the following car and have Cash to pay. Is it available and how much would it cost?
I would appreciate if you can put up pix of the available one.
I am not based in Lagos so it would be difficult for me to leave my base and come to Lagos/Cotonou except I am sure that the car is available.
Make. Mercedes Benz
Model E320 (V Boot) Convertible
Transmission; Manual or Automatic
Cash ready for immediate pick up!

What type of titles do the Land Parcels you sell have?? C of O Deed of assignment??
I gather the Enugu has a law that if you do not develop your Land in 2 years, you will have to forfeit it to the state. Is it true??
Thanks

Hi Ademlabi,
Wanna get this car... is it available in Cotonou?
Mercedes V boot (W124 E220 or E320) Convertible or 4 Door Saloon
Model Year; 1993-1996
Transmission; Automatic or Manual (Automatic preferred)

Hello Inspired,
Nice work you're doing on NL. Keep up the good work.
I'm afraid I want to drag you out of your usual routine of getting the newest model cars... Lets go a bit back into time...
Can You source the following car for me, and is it possible to legally clear it in Nigeria (Its more than 15 years old o)-Is there no provision for importing a vintage car into Nigeria?

Make; Mercedes Benz
Model; W124 E220 or E320 Sedan or Cabriolet
Model Year; 1993 -1996
Transmission; Automatic or Manual
Status; Must not necessarily be clean title, but must be in very good shape

Lets do this. Give me your price

Ikenna351: I arrived Abuja, my house, 3 hrs ago, which i left Enugu this morning. So i just logged in and saw your post.

A converted V6? Run for your dear life! Don't even look back while you are on it.

Swapping in EW10 into engine bay of XU10 may not be a big deal. But swapping in ES9J45 in an I4 D9 is a big time big deal. It wont be a simple drop. A lot of modifications will have to be done. Only a person who knows what he is doing can achieve a succesful conversion.

A friend of mine in Australia swapped in ES9J4S in his 406 coupe V6 (D8), which originally had ES9J4 in the engine bay. After reading what he went through to complete the task, it was obvious that such task isn't meant for the road side mechanics. Note that both vehicle originally had a V6, before swapping in another V6, but it still a hard task. Not to think of I4 to V6. Unless you mean RHd to LHD, and not I4 to V6.

The most impotant part of EFI engine conversion is the engine harness swap. How good is the auto electrician that will do the harness swap and modifications in understading wiring diagram of that engine to be swapped in? I studied my wiring diagram and understood the functions of each wires in the engine bay, and where they are coming from and going to. If i would do such conversion, i will do the engine harness swap myself. But since you are not the one that did the electrical part of the conversion, how are you sure they even used the wiring diagram in the conversion?

The issue with the car which the dealer claimed was injectors issues could be a serious wrong harness/wiring connections done during the conversion.

If you want a D9 V6, get a factory/standard D9 V6. Is what I would do. In fact, am working towards it.

Ikenna.

I think the conversion he meant was a RHD to LHD conversion. I don't think any dealer would go through the stress of an engine swap for no reason. There's no profit to be made in that. Maybe he (OP) should throw more light on that.

Pray How is this a hoax?
Would be interesting to know...

Abeg carry on Ikenna;
The foolishness of some NLers is just too mind boggling...
Kinda reminds me of my thread... Though ikenna you blocked my most eloquent replies-lol
Mr friedrice go back to the kitchen where you belong. Run along to your politics section and discuss politics-cars aint obviously your thing....
For the other folks who think driving a 2013 car is the best, I can only say "Different strokes for different folks". Those of us who like and drive old cars are not necessarily poor; and even if we are, so what....??
Make una go hug transformer (for America where power go surely dey) if una no like the thread, and are yet still dropping silly replies...

Nice one...
You travelling to the east this xmas??
Maybe you could do another pic story... Safely o...

Rest in Peace!!!

RIP Bro...
Everybody is remembering the VIPs...
We are remembering you...
May your Family have the fortitude to bear the loss...

Ikenna351: You must not have to prove what you have witnessed with any picture, because its not an impossible thing. Some of us simply refused to believe because the conversion was done in Nigeria, by a Nigerian. After all, nothing as good as this comes out from Nigeria. But it wouldnt have been a difficult thing to believe if this conversion took place in the western world. After all, they know better than us. So if they cant do it, who are we to even give it a trial?! Smh!...

Before i left East in 2008, most mechanics & welders were modifying and swapping in Renault drive shafts into Japanese cars. They claimed the Renault drive shafts were better designed to last longer and they really do, they claimed. Many Japs owners started converting theirs and at a point, Renault drive shaft became a scarce commodity. When i came to Abuja, i realised that no one knew about such conversions. This goes a long way to tell one how creative and good Nigerians can be: formal education or not.

It could take some of us years of training to learn a particular skill. But for few, all they need to do is to look at it, get to work and the work will be done in few hours, without any training on that job or skill. Though, the gifted fellow still need to develop his talent. We are all gifted. Its left for us to put our gifts into use. A gifted fellow in auto mechanics wont find it difficult to get a job done, which a trained one might find it difficult to accomplish or complete in time, irrespective of level of formal education or exposure. If we have problem with that, turn to God and ask him "Why?". The only difference between the two individuals is that the gifted one without any formal training will have the finished job look untidy or will be poorly packaged, while the reverse will be the case for the fellow with formal training.

If I were to do the conversion myself, i would swap in an EFI engine, a V6 one. Because, i can be able to interprete the wiring diagram and transplant the engine harness, ECU(s) and other EFI components, modify and connect them to work as factory or close to factory. But i guess that would be a problem for those mechanics, hence, they opted for fuel carburreted engine. But there is nothing wrong with a well tuned carburetor engine. A well tuned one can give more than 27 mpg, depending on the load its carrying. But how many of EFI vehicles in Nigeria still average more than 20 mpg? As soon as they cross and enter our shores, their engine management will be abused, such that carburetor engines will get better mpg than them. Honestly, if you ask me, i will tell you Nigeria doesnt deserve EFI cars. We are better off with carburetor, sorry to say this. Because any quack mechanic can easily fix one. But then, this section maynot exist. Because most of us are here because we need solutions to the nightmares our EFI vehicles are giving us after been abused or when our mechanics cant figured out the culprits causing the issues. But, there is nothing wrong with EFI either. It just that we are yet to appreciate the goodies of EFI, hence, the OBD & DIY.

Am not the Op, but am not sure i would post any photo here anymore to convince anyone or prove my point,if i was him. I take pictures whenever am working on my car, and usually post them if necessary. But in this case, i wouldnt. Its upto Op to decide, its his thread. But then, "Blessed are those who didnt see, but believed!" . You can read your Bible, if you are interested in knowing the source.

Ikenna.

I agree with Ikenna. I personally do not think the OP would have started this thread if the Engine transplant did not occur and if, at least as far as he is concerned, the car was not serving him well after the conversion. Also he is not obliged to provide pictures though of course the pictures would be nice to see. However I'd rather that we do not use the saracstic tones...
Now the point is not whether it made sense to swap the Engine with a toyota engine or not... I even daresay it DOES kinda make sense... considering all the horror stories we have heard about the K-series Engines which originally came with the freelander. Whether it should be a same engine swap, or a toyota Carburetted engine or EFI engine is purely secondary- probably depends on the expertise of the mechanic in question-afterall another person on this thread stated that his freelander runs the 99 camry engine which is Fuel injected.
That nothwithstanding, Siena's points about catastrophic constructed drive shaft failures should also be noted. Also probably there might be some fuel consuption and reliabilty issues at some point. But that does not change the fact that his engine was swapped and his car is functioning at all.
If you grew up in the East.. like I did, and like Ikenna, you would not be too surprised at such stories. Back in the early 90s, we had a neighbour whose w123 mercedes benz was runnng on a toyota engine ( I really cant say which one because then i had no idea of engines... i only knew that whenever he popped his hood, we would not see the characteristic Mercedes engine, but some tiny engine with lots of cables around which was obviously 'retrofitted')
Also in 2008, i was driving a 2000 Peugeot 306 and at somepoint my mechanic fried my ECU. The car wouldnt start,so I had a team from Autostar (Official Peugeot Dealership in Enugu) tow the car to their workshop and diagnose my car with an OBD scanner. The verdict was that my ECU was fried, and their quote for the cost of replacement with a new unit was almost 200k-which I couldnt afford then. I had already lost hope when somebody told me to ask of a certain mechanic in Coal Camp (kinda Mechanic/Handyman/Artisan Community in Enugu). I did and somehow he was able to mate the ECU of a toyota camry 1994 unto the orignal Peugeot ECU and lo, my car started and until I sold it 2 years later never had any ECU related issues. Even fuel consumption as far as i know remained the same. Mind you this was done without the use of an OBD scanner... (I was there throughout the conversion), All the guy did was take both ECUs to a local electrician, and point out areas to whch he needed wires soldered unto. At the end of the day there were wires criss-crossing all over both ECUs and we had to improvise some weatherproofing with generous amounts of cellophane BUT IT WORKED, AND WORKED QUITE WELL. My Engine rev counter stopped working, but i could live with that. i only learnt recently that its called "piggybacking an ECU"-and he did it without any computer.
Bottom Line;
1. The OP had his engine swapped to a Toyota carburetted Engine, and as far as we know and as he has told us, the car is working fine (we should take his word for it). If he is lying, then its his loss, not ours. Considering my own experiences, I take his word for it.

2. Siena's point about the dangers of such retrofitting should be noted, and if i were the OP, I would discuss this with my mechanic, and also be careful for any strange sounds and sudden changes in handling while driving. I would also be very cautious about drving at very high speeds.

3. The point is not about whether its practical or logical or not, the point is that it was done and done successfully.

4. It would be nice if we do not use sarcasm in discussing issues like this-especially with those who have limited knowledge of the technical stuff behind cars. We were all at that stage at some point (at least I was). In the early 2000s, i couldnt care less about the workings of a car, I was only interested in the car taking me from point A to point B and having a mechanic look at it and fix it when it fails to do so... Lets not discourage those willing to share and learn.

My 2 cents...

t-die

yungboss: wow,
This is kind of ridiculous, you got it twisted Trac,

t-die,
My reason for mentioning the c43 was not predicated on economy, but performance. from the tone of my post, this was obvious ( i mentioned the OP's proposed race with Ikenna, talked about the 0 to 60 time of the Merc. etc)i assumed the C43 was newer, more sporty and elegant comnpared to the E500...
my comment was misconstrued Mr. Trac...really suprised

Youngboss, I appreciate your suggestion. My reply was targeted at Trac. He sounded a bit too brash/brazen. But he's apologized for that. I do not know much about the C43. I only know that Merc qulity took a nosedive after the w124. Can you throw more light on how much of a DIY car it is?

Ikenna351: Am also working on getting a windows 8 laptop too, next week. Will partition about 150 GB, out of the 400 GB HDD, for the windows xp. The rest, 250 GB HDD, will be left for the windows 8. I hope the diagbox runs fine on it.

Ikenna.

150GB is way too much...
I partioned just 40GB for daigbox and I have almost 25GB free. 50 to 60 GB will do just fine considering future updates etc

Ikenna351: Downgraded? Newer version? Abeg explain.

Is yours windows xp version or Windows 7?

Am asking all these because i plan to get the diagbox by end of this month, which i have discussed with bigx. Can it be installed on windows 8 laptop?

Ikenna.

Unfortunately, Diagbox will not work on Windows 8 or even on 7 or Vista. Even when you use the Windows xp virtual environment. I tried all that. Luckily for me, my laptop crashed at the same time due to a particularly bad virus infection so I partitioned my Hard disk and am running Xp on one partition and windows 7 on the other partiton. Diagbox is running perfectly fine on my Xp partition.
I am also lucky that all the important drivers i need for my laptop to function normally with windows xp are available. I dont think the latest laptops have that option. So its either you create a partition on your laptop and install the regular windows xp, or get a second cheap laptop already running on win Xp
For the diagbox versions, I'll explain when I get home. Dont have the various version numbers offhead. Gimme like 2 hours for that.