Tip for Car

1. Start with a car you like 

2. Regular interval service maintenance

3. Use fuel from a high volume station

4. Don't forget to warm up the engine (3-5min) before take off

5. Don't let fuel almost empty before refill

6. Reasonable speed (don't over stress, unless that car purposely for racing)

7. Measure when oil change uses the correct engine oil

8. Dun save the money for your air filter and park plug

9. Check your engine oil in every 1000km since m/benz normally makan minyak hitam

10. Check the water tank before start car

11 .Check the tire pressure. Always remember your car have 5 tires

12. Spend a few minutes a week checking under the hood.

13. M/benz gear box is every sensitive for water like when in driving look at the road have water dun try to pass it because your gear box breather air is at bottom so easy let the water go inside ur gear box.

14. When you park your car at a slope, make sure you pull the handbrake before you put your gears into P. That way, you make the brakes work for you and not the gear as a brake. This would minimise jerking when driving.

15. Develop a good working relationship with your mechanic preferably Mercedes Specialist workshop.

16. Periodically check the condition of the bonnet foam under the bonnet. I think we'll all learn not to take the condition of the bonnet foam for granted.

17. Apply Vaseline Total Moisturizer Cream from Watson to the seam and edges of the leather seat to prevent irritating noises.

18. Do not use any untested third party electronic enhancers or pour any undocumented lubricants or fluids into your engine, transmission or fuel system.

19. Let the engine idle a few minutes after your drive. Meaning if you have speed your car to soem 120 kmph, let it idle down so that all the parts could be lubricated and the engine can be normalized. This is just like turbo cars where they have installed a turbo timer to help them obtained the idling. Since we do not install one, then leaving it idle a few seconds can help.

20. Don’t change the cylinder oil immediately and in a hurry after getting to the workshop. Just wait for about 10 to 20 minutes and do it while the engine is warm where the dirts have still not settled down and can easily flow out while draining the oil. 

21. If your model is 93-95 W124 line, W202 model and the early batch of W210, check the condition of your wiring harness cable.

22. Make sure every time a warning light comes on or something feels wrong it checked immediately.

23. One of the best ways to keep ur car lasting longer is,dont use it..try not to take ur car to places where u can walk to or practice car-pooling

24. Try not to wash the car engine. Clean it by rubbing with wet cloth & apply the wax for non-metal part.

25. Ideally for daily use like go to work,pasar,hantar anak sekolah use the 2nd car.Let our belove car relax a bit.

26. Do cycle thru all your gears at least once a week. reason being, those seldom used gears may be "dry" due to disuse. oil doesn't manage to coat the gears. so it's a good idea to cycle thru all the gears just to ensure sufficient oil coats all of them. 27.Remember our oil change dun just follow the mileage remember engine oil also have lifespan mineral oil is 3 month synthetic oil is 5 month

28.Use correct type oil to your car

29.Do the same with your ATF 20000km or one year with ever come fist 

30.Don’t put your spot rim too over size as it would damage your car suspension

31. Ideally, around once a week u should take ur car on a 50-100 km drive.

32. If your car smells petrol after refilling, open the fuel tank Flap. Check the Fuel Tank NECK rubber seal to the Boot Compartment and check if it is seal properly.

33. If you suspect current leakage, you may check it easily
by removing the battery (-) terminal and re-connect back. If there is great spark, the system is consuming a high current or could be some system in-car is still consuming current. Get a mechanic to check.

34. If your rear seat belt cannot auto pull-back (masuk semula), chances is that the return spring almost kong. Try this, pull out the belt until finish n release, try 2 3 times, spray with WD40 at the return sharf that attach the return spring which covered with black plastic cover...

35. Make sure you have a duplicate keys for your car.

36. When your car makes a funny noise, listen to it. 

37. Once in a while check your charging voltage. It must be the range of 13.5V - 14.5 V to ensure that your your alternator is OK. For some car like W203, the maximum voltage is 12V. Anything more, it can burnt the car circuitry.

38. Dont drive when that happen. The biggest hint is the smokey burning smell. Thats a flag for you to stop the engine.

39. It's okay to pay tow charges and send to a reliable workshop than to go to one just because its convenient

40. If possible, wash your car almost everyday. 

41. Polish your car every week or if not once every two weeks with you hand and once every month with machine. Open up the engine area to wash or wipe it once a month too. For interior, wipe it as often as you can. 

42. For selection of your radiator Visco fan, the Visco comes in two colors read and yellow. For Malaysia, choose the red Visco due to our hot weather. The yellow Visco is suitable for UK, for cold climate. The choice of colour has something to do with the fan speed. Red spin faster while yellow is slower. This has something to do with providing your W124 engine with optimal temperature. For W140 cars, it is recommended to use the yellow Visco radiator fan to provide optimal temperature for the W140 car.

43. When dealing with anything major and in doubt, always seek a 2nd Opinion.

44. If you use the red fluid then on your dipstick it shows pink, its contaminated. If you use the clear tranny fluid and on your dipstick it shows a milky color, its contaminated. Early detection is essential so look at your tranny dipstick at least once a week. If you see the symptoms early enough then serious damage can be avoided. And most importantly, if you do find any contamination don't drive the car - have it towed to a garage. If contamination happens, it is a slow process and can take weeks for the tranny fluid to become useless, so another warning sign is bad shift points. Which means, if you check your fluid colour once a week you can protect your transmission from serious damage

45.Check your coolant and look for oil floating in it.

46.When it's time, consider de-carbonized your car.

47. Be selective in choosing your car battery.

48. Allocate a decent among of money for your car. maintenance.

49. Be careful with imitation lubricant oil,gear box oil etc..buy these products directly at the petrol station or from ProAuto. 

50. It seemed for aircond to give better result it is advisable to have it done/checked by MB specialist and not by any "typical" aircond shop. 

51. Always carry a spare fan belt in your car.

52. When it's raining, avoid using cruise control.

53. Refill the petrol with 'Shell V Power' or a Higher RON

54. Be careful when making engine conversion to your car. Make sure the engine dependable component are in line with the car design specification. Always get a competence mechanic to do the conversion. 

55.Send your car to m/benz man for under carriage CHECK. Make sure all the arm, linkage, booth, suspension system all in good condition to avoid any mishap(skid during cornering).

56. When your electrical wire in the engine bay is brittle, time to pay a visit to your mechanic or wireman. Replace the affected area.

57. The best mechanic is yourself and you are responsible for the well being of your car.

58. If Electric seat spoiled, dun repair it, nanti girfren,bini,anak mau pakai.. leave it to ur settings OR change to bucket seat with manual adjustment, no more headache on electrical motor faulty & get more sporty ride 

59. Open engine hood when arrive at home. Heat is a big enemy to plastic & rubber parts in the engine bay. So is the cable!! Engine bay is very hot, especially when the car stationary.

60. Don't lend car to other people. 

61. Check all the drainage hole and wells to avoid any clogs or block, failing so can lead to internal rust of your car, especially at sunroof area, rear boot, door panel and screen panel.

62. Always use GENUINE MBENZ parts; imitation is no match and very much inferior in comparison.

63. Do a regular check out on your radiator water. If the water was brown and rusty, flush the radiator, use original Mercedes Coolant. When servicing your radiator, also change the radiator cap.

64. If you experience erratic idle during start up (after park overnight) and the problem goes away after a while and came back, try servicing throttle body. Carbon collects in between the idle air control valve and the butterfly valve. It's not that expensive. Estimated price range is between RM60-150.

65. If your ABS lights is off, it could be due to the bulb or in the worst case, wiring problem. If your ABS lights is on, it could be due a faulty sensors or even a dirty sensor. Normally, the abs light on the dash will come on (together with all other warning lights) when you are about to start the car, just right before you cranked the car but it will go off after the engine is started/running.

66. If you experience Spongy Brake i.e. braking is only effective when pedal is fully floored…brake pedal is really "soft", try changing the brake fluid 1st before going to those expensive stuffs like brake pump, sensor or master pumps.

67. If your brake squeals, first get it inspected to make sure there isn't a problem with the braking system. Check the brake pad, calipers or the rotors (disc). Use original brake pads.

68) Do regular fold & un-fold exercise for your side mirrors. I noticed mine get stuck if not do that for long time, have to slightly force with hand.

69. Try sharing as much as possible any information re servicing,repairing,maintainance,DIY and restoring of your car among friends.This can help u keeping record for your personal reference.

70. If you see 2 indicators (ABS & BAS/ASR) light up on the dash, check your brake switch or stop lamp switch.

71. When choosing tires, if possible, make sure Semua size / make / model are the same. Kalau Tak Boleh, At Least the Left and Right Tyres must be the same.

72. Wiring Headlight Tinggal Bare Wire, temporary use the black tape that electrician use and then get the said wire changed by a good mechanic.

73. If your car temperature increase suddenly, check the that fuse connects to the aux fan.

74. If your car air cond blower switch off, check the fuse.

75. If your car won’t crank, jerking and have a tendency to stall, check your fuel filter. Recommended interval every 50,000 miles.

76. If your car suddenly noticed a lost of power, engine died and unable to start the engine, check the TD box, coil, distributor, and plug cable.

77. If you are driving a CDI car and experience a loss of power, check the Air Filter and Air Mass Sensor.

78. If you press the pedal all the way down, the gear should shift down (kickdown mode) to allow for better acceleration to overtake. The gear should shift up when your rev hit the red line. If this does not happen, please check the air mass.

79. Please use good judgments if you are using an unfamiliar workshop.

80. If you are draining your oil, use the ‘meleleh” method.

81. If your central locking is not working, 1st check the fuse.

82. Never took out the battery while the engine was still on as it may damage your car ECU. 

83. If your coolant is missing, check the following components; radiator cap, expansion cap, lower and upper radiator hoses located at the top and bottom of the radiator is properly clamp and top gasket. If this is still not OK, perform a pressure test. 

84. If the coolant leaks and can be seen on the drive way check your water pump or your radiator

85. If your are driving a car with a kompressor engine, ensure that you have the correct air filter. Wrong air filter may damage your car kompressor. 

86. If your are driving a car with a kompressor engine and you experience a loud knocking sound, chances is that your kompressor is starting to give way.

87. If you have noise from Aircond... tick tick tick or 'tuck tuck tuck tuck ''''' chances is that the air con steeping MOTOR or Operating Lever or gearing had damaged. The dashboard need to be removed to replace the operating lever or plastic gearing.

88. If you want to use eibach, please ensure that you know the right part no. D’ont rely on those people who sell goods. You must check yourself with the manufacturer.

89. Use S when in town and E when you are traveling long distance on a highway.

90. Here are some tips to avoid being rif-offs in Car Repair
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7813&forum=1

91. If you want your car to have a cool interior, here are some recommended tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7769&forum=1

92. Always carry a fire extinguisher in your car. See enclosed thread for detail.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7333&forum=1

93. If your car need towing services. Here is a contact no compliment from benzers :
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=5433&forum=1

94. If you want to save your fuel bill. Here are 21 recommended tips. 
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=7397&forum=13

95. If you want your car to look brand new, contact KC2 @http://thedetailers.blogspot.com

96. Enclosed are additional tips on how to help you to keep your car fresh or odor free.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7769&forum=1

97. If you are not sure sending your car to a particular workshop, read the following tips:
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8631&forum=1

98. If you are not happy with any of the recommended mechanic. Read these two threads.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8620&forum=21&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&start=30

http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=DESC&topic_id=58&forum=13

99. If you want to know how much to run a car per year. Please see the enclosed thread.
http://www.mybenz.org/zoopp/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7603&forum=1

100. When you have time, please take time visiting a Mercedes Museum as it will remind you that if you don’t take heed of the above advice, your car may one day landed in one of these museum..

101. Wax the paintwork at least once in 2 months.

102. Make it a point to park in the shade as the sun/heat will kill your exterior and interior.

103. Use saddle soap on your leather seats monthly to prevent them from cracking.

104. Keep your engine bay as clean as possible so that you can spot any leak or loose clips easily.

105. Change your brake fluid at least once in 2 years, auto transmission fluid also.

106. Always inspect your distributor cap, rotors and the aluminium arm, since the distributor and roror are made of ceremic ,they become brittle in time and breaks when you least expect it

107. Wash regularly, use gentle shampoo , spot clean with stronger detergent on hard to remove stains

108.Wax monthly , this can minimize the fine scratches you get from sands on the road. Sands and stones will just slide off and makes washing easy

109. Use MB approved dashboard cleaner, I use KIWI shoe polish for my dash board, centre console and door cards and tyres( It works for me )It has a natural shine not oily shine

110. To Muslim members, I practice cuci kereta pada pagi Jumaat dengan berselawat. Amalan ini saya perolehi dari seorang guru kerana banyak merantau. Ini bukan syrik tapi seolah memohan agar kenderaan tersebut tetap di perliharakan perjalanan nya. Alhamduillah sehingga hari ini saya belum lagi mengalami kemudaratan. Selain dari tips tips penjagaan kenderaan yang telah dipaparkan, mungkin boleh diamalkan. Pada saya, Rasullullah membela kuda dan unta sebagai tunggangan sama ada untuk berniaga atau pun berperang dan wajarlah kenderaan yang kita gunakan untuk mencari rezeki serta mengziarahi sanak saudara kita pelihara secara Islam. Ada sesiapa yang boleh berikan sedikit idea. 

111. Another thing that I learn from my mother is bila you sayang sesuatu banyakan baca "Masha Allah la kuwatailla"...this may include your car, wife, anak..anything you love...ia akan sentiasa di jaga dan perlihara oleh Allah..

112. Service intervals as recommended by the service manual are:
• eng oil chg - approximately 9,600kms 
• air filter chg - approx. 57,900kms 
• auto trans oil chg - approx 57,900kms
• spark plugs chg - approx. 19,000kms 
• fuel filter chg - approx. 57,900kms
• fan belt chg - check condition at 19,000kms and change if necessary
• radiator hoses chg - check condition at 19,000kms and change if necessary. When comes to radiator; if the radiator water is brownish , after cleaning it up , try to get the softer coolants; some parts are already rusty, such as water jackets , piping’s and such , so if the coolant are corrosive type , it will bore a hole at the rusty joints. If all this while have not been using coolant, don’t bother to use it, coolant will dissolve the rust and therefore, rusty parts are vulnerable to cracks. Good brands suggested are Toyota, motul and redline. Ratio for coolant should 30%-50% coolant and top up with water of the total capacity of the radiator.

113. Mercedes Standard Operation temperature is 90'c - 110'c
• When The Engine Coolant Temperature reach the Maximum 110'c, the Cooling Fan (addition air con fan @ auxiliary fan). The Suction Fan (control unit operated) should Cut-in with Fully Operation (High Speed) to cool down the system to prevent the engine from overheating
• 120'c is a maximum temperature (OVERHEATED). The engine Should STOP ... For Cooling Down (You May realize THE AIR CON SYSTEM is WARM)
• 130'c is too late ... ENGINE IS ALREADY OVERHEATED !!!
• If your magnetic fan is not giving you the desired temperature, try opt for the electrical fan solution. Members here have used the Volvo electric fan with success.

114. If your aircond blower is driving you nut, try to take out the AC speed selector and spray it with a contact cleaner.

115. If your steering has too much free play, please check the steering system see whether any connection loose. Most of the time this is due to the wear and tear in the steering box itself. Adding a metal ball in the steering box will help.

116. Steering rack, ball joints, tie rods ,subframe mounts and stablizer bars and other suspension parts are what makes the ride in a Mercedes comfortable. These are designed in such a way that the passengers dont get a rough ride. That doesnt mean that you could whack through every pot hole or bumps because the car takes that impact so that you are comfortable and safe. Now I try my very best to avoid pot hole , humps and bumps and I realized that these parts last very much longer. These are very common problem with most continental cars because most of us think hantam sajalah, tak rasa ape ape. I think we need to change our driving style and remember that these cars were meant for the smooth roads in Europe and not our Malaysian road where you avoid one and fall into another.

117. To stop steering leak, you may try any of these least expensive options:
• Wynn's Product (Power Steering Treatment) may helps ...
• STP
• try hydratrans ( hydraulic + transmission)
it can improve or reduce the leak by adding to the power steering reservoir. It’s not a glue or gum. This treatment helps to soften the rubber seals...

118. If you want to make your car smell fresh, read this thread:


119. If your mirror berkabus or berminyak, try COKE..

120. If you want to clean your chrome pieces in your car, try COKE

121. If you are thinking of using Iridium plugs, please also include a good set of spark plugs cable.

122. If you need to decide between comfort vs handling, here is a good rule of thumb compliment from renggrun:

"It all depends on the driver of the car. It does NOT mean if you put on big wheels combo that you're a stylo-milo guy..not necessary.

1. If you drive aggresively, i.e pantang jumpa koner, mesti nak sebat/sesah....macam Brotha Mal kita, MatCossie tuh...,you gotta have the optimum set-up for your car. You'll need bigger wheels and low-pro tyres to render more outright grip and also more feedback from the steering. 

a.) When you run Low-Pro tyres,i.e 45/40/35 series tyres, your steering will offer more feedback since the tyres are 'nipis' to the ground and you can feel everything..sampai puntung rokok pun boleh rasa...!!

b.) Low profile tyre will have less sidewall flex and your car can steer faster and more precise. Thus, you can tackle the corners better. In a straight line fast driving too, your car will feel more stable and the steering feels planted.

2. Problem is, people just simply slap on the big wheels and tyre combo without doing suspension mods. PLEASE understand that the fancy/bigger wheels and tyres can only work well in CONJUNCTION with an upgraded suspension characteristics. 

a.) The original specs for a car will read suspension designed for a car with 16" wheels and tyres at 55 series. The engineers will calculate the damping characteristics of the tall sidewall (55 series) and the wheel size and WEIGHT and all these will be computed and extrapolated to ensure hat the car will ride comfortably and handle okay.

b.) Now, when someone simply ikut suka aje, pi letak tayar and rim besor WITHOUT doing the suspension mods...apa lagi..melompat2 ler keta deme !!! Apsal???
Pasal, the original dampers and springs are NOT designed to counter the upgraded tyres/wheels thingy.... They are esigned for the original specs fitment. Once a heavier wheel (katalah 17/18) and bigger tyres, low profile, (katalah 235/245 on 45 or 40 series) is fitted, please remember that the tayar dahlah nipis...bila nipis dia lagi tegang and senang meloncat. Wheels lagi berat, bila berat, loncatan lebih momentum......

c.) Heavier and stiffer tyres/wheels will kasi itu standard springs/dampers kacau lah... So, kena lah pasang spring keras sikit and dampers pun keras sikit. Bila tayar terlompat, spring akan 'absorb' the force and akan naik ke atas 'perlahan' sikit and dampers pulak akan melepaskan hentaman itu kembali ke jalan secara perlahan sikit pasal spring and dampers uprated bisa menagkis serta menahan hentakan dan serapan yang perlu dilakukan.......So, uprate your springs and dampers and fit the big wheels combo if you'd like...Go ahead..make your day. Just do it right and the 'dis-comfort' will be so minimal......So, tuan tuan dan puan puan...tepuk dada tanya selera"