Project : W210 - Removing the Instrument Cluster Pt.1

My next job is to replace the instrumental cluster that I bought used from UK.  I had watched lots of D.I.Y video on Youtube and decided also to tackle this job myself to save some bucks.

 To remove the instrument cluster firstly you need only one tool, a hook!  I cut a cloth hanger into half and bent each end to a hook shape just like the picture above.

Next is to put the hook on each end of instrument cluster so that I can to pull it out of the dash as shown from the arrow below.

Blue arrow show where the hook will be hooking

Once I pulled the cluster out the only thing left to remove are just two cables connected to the cluster.  Then it's all done!  Next post I will be showing the differences of my cluster and used cluster I bought from UK!

 

Project W:210 - Pure Hydrogen Engine Decarbonized

Morning guys, last month I brought my car to this place in Berakas called IZOUCO Moto Services(click here for their link).  They are the first hydrogen engine carbon cleaning specialist center in Brunei.

So a good friend of mine knew about my Project W210 and recommended that my car should carbonize since its such a old car.  I was a bit skeptical at first as I was not familiar with this kind of product or services because I never uses them in any of my car.

  

So I gave it a try because it was on offer for BND$89.00 per car.  Normally this kind of service will cost around BND$160~$190 depend on engine cc.

Me and my friend booked a time slot for his newer E-class and my older E-class.  The process will take around 45 mins to complete.  Several cables were connected to the intake and air-box via these two big machines.  I believe that's where they inject the hydrogen into the fueling system. The system will then clean the injectors, spark plugs and all the combustion area with the engine being kept running for the rest of the process.

So, after an hour of waiting I finally took the car for a spin and HOLY FXXXXKK!!!  What a big differences this things change to my car!!!  The engine no longer shake like crazy and the acceleration is smooth as fxxxxk!

The best part about the Jet cleaning was how smooth the engine kick start without struggling and choking when I left my W210 in my garage for full two weeks without starting the engine.   Normally my W210 engine will struggle to start and sometime even stall because of the dirty injector n spark plug.

I highly recommend this product services to you guys!  I am planning to send my other cars to Jet Cleaning once they get their services done next few months!

New Car In Brunei - Honda Civic Type-R (FK8)

This is a grey-import if you must ask.  Nope this is not officially imported by local Honda agent.  I was told this car you are looking at cost a whooping BND$90K.  This of course needs to be confirm by the seller but I am not surprise if they are asking for that price.

So would you spend $90k on a Honda or would you buy instead spend it on lets say a Ford Mustang Turbo, VW Golf R or AMG A45?  All of these are within the same price of this Honda....

New Car In Brunei - Genesis G70

Wow!  I did not see this coming!  A Genesis in Brunei!  Those who are not familiar, Genesis is the luxury branch of Hyundai.  Just like Lexus to Toyota.  This brand has been around in left hand market for quite sometime and finally made its way in the rhd version!

I wonder how much this model will cost in Brunei.  Quick question, would you choose to buy a luxury Korean car brand which has similar pricing on both Japanese and German luxuries brand?

New Car Manufacturer Returning!

 A new manufacturer is returning to Brunei market!!!

Can you guess which car manufacturer is making a big return after missing in Brunei for more then a decade!

Quick hint...it's not Japanese, Korean, German, French or American car manufacturers!

Project : W210 - MP3 Casstte Player

Now that my car Becker player is in working order I decided to go a bit old skool on the music.  The CD changer in the W210 is already busted and I also didn't want to go back to using CD.  So I went online and did some searching and found this.  A MP3 cassette player!

For you millennial, this was my mp3 player back in the 80s to late 90s!  This particular version I have here is a bit different as it do two things, a cassette tape and a MP3 player.  It can hold at least 64gig of music whereas the real cassette that we have back in the days can hold around 10-12songs only!!!!

This MP3 cassette player came with all the usual buttons and a memory card slot.  Its very simple to use, just pop in the memory card and put in the cassette tape into the player!  When you not using it as a MP3 cassette tape, you can use it as a normal MP3 player on the go!

A remote control is also included

To use this first we need to charge it

And yeah it works!

Project : W210 - Becker Radio Code Part.2

For you younger generation readers.  BECKER was a big supplier of car audio to big players like Mercedes Benz, BMW and Porsche.  Not sure what happened to them nowadays as many car player like Alpine, JBL, B&O are taking over the car industry.  

The player model in my car is called the GRAND PRIX.  As you can see the serial number is located on the side of the player.  Now that I have the serial number of my Becker player the next thing to do now is to go online at RADIOCODE and request the password.  The process is very easy but of course it ain't free!  They charge 8.99pound for my Becker player.  I received the code immediately on-screen and thru email once they received the payment. 

All I need to do is just key in all 4 digits and BOOM! The player is now officially unlocked!  Oh they can also retrieve password for your other branded players such as Alpine, Clarion or other car brands too!

Project : W210 - Becker Radio Code Part.1

Older cars like this W210 comes with Becker player that will system lock itself when you unhook or replace the car battery.  As you can see, a warning "CODE" will be shown asking for pass code.  The car actually come with a key card that consist of 4 digit pass code.  The problem is I couldn't find them in the car nor at my parent house.  So I did some research online and was told there are several website that can actually provide you the pass code!

 In order to get the pass code a serial number is needed from the car player. So I became handy and decided to tackle this job.  So first order of the day is to find the serial number that is needed to submit for pass code.  The problem is the serial number of the player is located behind or beside the player.  So removing the player is imminent.

 To remove the Becker player I recall it needed two keys opener and thank god these keys are still inside my W210 manual or else it will be a big task to remove the Becker player.

See the two tiny hole on each sides?  Plug-in the key opener into both holes

Once the key opener is lock and secure you can just pull the player out!  Simple and Easy!

Project W210 - Boot Handle Replaced!

Remember my boot handle?  Well the driver's side is missing a piece and the handle is showing its age and cracks can be seen and it is breaking apart.

I paid around BND40 to get this item from eBay UK. This part is an easy fix and it took me less then 5mins to replace.  I bought this part used because it came with the same color as my car, so I do not have to worry about painting.  Brand new this part cost around BND$200.00.

The condition of the boot handle is pretty good. No scratch or damage!

This new part came off from a E-Class wagon from UK that will be scraped.  And the car shared the same boot handle part numbers.

Done!!!

Project : W210 - Key Fob Issue

The W210 is one of the earliest car model to use key fob instead of the traditional key.  I have here two version of key fobs from Mercedes Benz that belong to my W210.  The smaller key fob on the left is the newer version and the one on the right is the original version I received when bought the car new.  We actually received a pair of original key fobs when we bought the car.  Half way thru its life my family member misplaced the key fob and a replacement was replaced.  If memory recall the key fob replacement cost a whopping BND$600++ from Jati Transport Mercedes Benz.  

Today I tried to use the older key to start the car and sadly it didn't work.  The newer still work like a charm but I would prefer to have a spare on standby in case of any emergency.  So I opened the key fob to try and replace the battery only to find out something is wrong with the key fob board.

Not sure what happen here but I think the loose wiring is the main culprit here.  I have no skill on repairing this problem so we will have to put this aside first.

Another option is to order another set of key from a third party company.  Recently this kind of shop has been popping out in many countries and I found out our neighboring country, Miri, has a few shops that cater this type of needs.  I called them up and they charged about RM1200 (BND390+) for a set of new key.  It require your car to be physically there for 2 to 3 hours so they can reprogram the key to the ECU.

Don't think I want to spend so much money for just one key so we will have to wait for cheaper or other alternative.