Clearly a lot more out there than the "fake news" tells us...You gonna believe them or your own eyes?
coexist wrote: Clearly a lot more out there than the "fake news" tells us...You gonna believe them or your own eyes?
They made many, many R350s and R500s. It's only the R63 that's uncommon.
codrus wrote:mazdeuce wrote: I didn't say it was a GOOD minivan, just that it was one. Between the Odyssey and the R63 we can agree that regular doors do not make for a popular minivan. Check counter counter point!The other non-minivan thing about the R class is that's longitudinal RWD/AWD. Pretty much every other minivan-ish thing is a transverse FWD (OK, except for the crazy Previa).
The aforementioned 1st gen Mazda MPV was as well.
In reply to mazdeuce:
I can't attribute any rise in resale directly to you no, but you have become a bit of an internet sensation and brought a lot of attention to a rather under the radar amg vehicle becoming rare and collectable. Sometimes that additional attention has due consequence.
Also checking in as a new member solely thanks to this thread.
And after reading front to back through this I completely understand how you feel in regards to it not even being a successful rebuild or something entirely remarkable as of yet, because it isn't driving yet. Honestly you came across a high hp wagovan close enough to run and get, drove it for 8k miles and got a tough break, after due process with the dealership you made the sensible decision to break out the wrenches opposed to throwing it away. Though I have done both in my days. I had a e53 4.4 (1st Gen BMW x5) that was fantastic, ccv had plugged and was pressurizing the crank spitting out oil (2+ qts at any given time [loads of fun]) that I tore into and repaired from the valley pan up with all new seals. Had considered going into the timing system because I was so deep but decided against it. A year and a half later, timing guides went out, jumped time, still ran at 80% power and a little knock and chain slap, but between that and some electrical demons I took a loss and sold it to be someone else's problem. Had it not been for the electrical hatch demon I would've done just the same as you!
Anyways keep doing what you are doing, it's great inspiration to see a homemaker Daddy still finding the time to be a functional diyer. And the things you learn within such a community are amazing.
I'm sure there's a few things I'm missing here with the intentions of sharing but I guess that means i'll have to stick around for when they come up!
wawazat wrote: Saw the strangest R class thing last Thursday afternoon on my way back to Detroit from Pittsburgh. Over the course of about an hour I saw 6 car haulers headed east on the OH turnpike each FULLY loaded with R class Mercedes minivans. Seven R's per trailer and all except one were black. No other makes or models on the trailers. What was going on with these? Where were they going??? Why was there one lone silver R class in the herd???
I've been thinking about this all day and all I can come up with is movie cars. They need a bunch of visually identical cars to drive around and wreck. Why the R? Maybe they're going for a euro-luxe-spy thing and they R is weird enough that people won't recognize that it's not new?
As to the silver one, that's clearly for the good guy.
In reply to Nash:
Lots of fun automotive mechanical adventures out there. I wonder if (when?) something else goes wrong if I'll have the fortitude to tear into it a second time.
I would guess they were sold as taxis or bulletproofing for VIP's.
In reply to mazdeuce: transporter VII.....Jason statham awaits further instuctions
759NRNG wrote: In reply to mazdeuce: transporter VII.....Jason statham awaits further instuctions
Transporter VII, the driver changes his head bolts
mazdeuce wrote:wawazat wrote: Saw the strangest R class thing last Thursday afternoon on my way back to Detroit from Pittsburgh. Over the course of about an hour I saw 6 car haulers headed east on the OH turnpike each FULLY loaded with R class Mercedes minivans. Seven R's per trailer and all except one were black. No other makes or models on the trailers. What was going on with these? Where were they going??? Why was there one lone silver R class in the herd???I've been thinking about this all day and all I can come up with is movie cars. They need a bunch of visually identical cars to drive around and wreck. Why the R? Maybe they're going for a euro-luxe-spy thing and they R is weird enough that people won't recognize that it's not new? As to the silver one, that's clearly for the good guy.
MB accountants finally figured out the value of factory re-power to V12. Certified Pre Owned
wawazat wrote: Saw the strangest R class thing last Thursday afternoon on my way back to Detroit from Pittsburgh. Over the course of about an hour I saw 6 car haulers headed east on the OH turnpike each FULLY loaded with R class Mercedes minivans. Seven R's per trailer and all except one were black. No other makes or models on the trailers. What was going on with these? Where were they going??? Why was there one lone silver R class in the herd???
Did they have the "old nose" or "new" nose?
Old:
New:
I ask because the R class is still produced. It is made in Indiana under contract by AM General. Mercedes decided to keep producing it for export. Why going East is a mystery. I thought they would move West since the primary market is China. Anyway, it is probable that you saw new ones being shipped.
JOsworth wrote:wawazat wrote: Saw the strangest R class thing last Thursday afternoon on my way back to Detroit from Pittsburgh. Over the course of about an hour I saw 6 car haulers headed east on the OH turnpike each FULLY loaded with R class Mercedes minivans. Seven R's per trailer and all except one were black. No other makes or models on the trailers. What was going on with these? Where were they going??? Why was there one lone silver R class in the herd???Did they have the "old nose" or "new" nose? Old:
This, I see a lot of trailer loads of export models through my shop.
I love the idea that somewhere, in a land far far away, the R63 is still coveted. So much so that factory workers in Alabama are still screwing them together.
In reply to mazdeuce:
Mazdeuce, I've been following this thread since January and finally decided to sign up. I appreciate the R63, as I have the more sensible (albeit not as fun), '09 R320 Bluetek which I bought used from a buddy about 9 months ago. I had to sort out a couple of issues, as mine had been turned in as a lemon in Southern California before my friend bought it. After owning it three months, I figured out the root cause of it being deemed a "lemon" (caused by a ham-fisted MBZ tech) and it's now perfectly reliable. My wife absolutely loves this thing (as do I) and we get over 28 mpg on the hwy with it.
I'll be following along as you progress and look forward to new posts as you see fit. Thanks for the inspiration!
I'll post a pic of ours and one of my other toys ('67 GTO) when I can.
Thanks again! Chuck
chuckha62 wrote: In reply to mazdeuce: After owning it three months, I figured out the root cause of it being deemed a "lemon" (caused by a ham-fisted MBZ tech) and it's now perfectly reliable.
What was wrong with it?
In reply to m4ff3w:
Apparently, the turbo was replaced early on as a recall. Some dumbass tech at MBZ broke the plastic rams horn plenum right where it mounted to the front of the turbo. The break was behind the dual Mass Airflow Sensors, so the ECM could never rectify the MAS signal with what the O2 sensors were seeing. The break was down under the turbo, so it couldn't be seen without tearing into it. This started a chain of events leading, eventually, to the owner having enough history to have the thing deemed a lemon and he got a full refund after driving it for three years.
I found it when I had to remove the plenum to get to a leaky fitting on the oil cooler.
The upside was that I paid $12k for a $20K car with only 66K miles on it. The downside is that the car has a lemon designation attached to it for the rest of its' life.
Actual work! An impossibly tiny amount, but movement none the less.
This is what Mercedes recommends to clean off the old sealant. I have visions of the cartoons of my youth when someone drops acid and it burns a hole to the center of the earth. I think it's basically aircraft paint stripper.
I need to get all of the black stuff out of the finely machined grooves and bolt holes of the upper oil pan. Not a ton of time today so I'm just working on the end to get a technique down.
Sprayed. Waited. Wiped. Sprayed again. Waited again. Wiped again. It does soften/lift the sealant, but the grooves are sticky.
The grooves are fine enough that the bristles on a toothbrush are too soft/coarse to get in them. Finally settled on a fine brass brush and a little elbow grease and.....success!
The kids have spring break next week so we have an adventure planned. Life is very full. Projects move slowly.
Progress is progress!! 
In reply to chuckha62:
I'll be honest, you're way braver than me. At least my R was known good when I bought it. You waded into the deep end with an absurdly complicated car that was known bad to the point where the dealer couldn't even fix it. Takes a special kind of bravery (stupidity?) to walk into that.
They are damn nice cars though, aren't they?
In reply to mazdeuce:
I absolutely love this thing. Nicest driving road car I've ever owned.
To tell the truth, mechanical stuff doesn't phase me for the most part. I figured, it worked once and if I can figure out what changed, I have a pretty good shot at fixing it.
I'd post a pic of it, if I could figure out how. Does this forum require a minimum number of posts before allowing noobs to post pics? I see the link to hosting sites, but I don't see a way to upload directly. Am I missing something?
As for Benzes, I get parts wholesale since my bro is the owner of a European shop. This also means I have access to all kinds of tools and diagnostic equipment. I generally don't pay people to do that which I am capable of doing on my own.
The site doesn't host pictures. You need to host them elsewhere (Photobucket or the like) and then do the image link thing.
It's amazing what a bit of knowledge and a lack of fear can do for fixing things, isn't it?
Snow was blowing everywhere that day but they did have the new front end. I didn't know they were still being made new. Leaving US via port of Baltimore possibly?
As someone else mentioned, the R class is officially out of production by Mercedes Benz. They are however, being built under license at the plant which used to build the Hummer. They are built exclusively for the Chinese market. I seriously doubt the R63 is being built though.
mazdeuce wrote: The grooves are fine enough that the bristles on a toothbrush are too soft/coarse to get in them. Finally settled on a fine brass brush and a little elbow grease and.....success!
I wonder if a power washer would work?
In reply to chuckha62:
I googled the address of AM GENERAL ASSEMBLY PLANT in metro South Bend. Called up the LOCATION IN EARTH VIEW. Zoomed in on the south end (I think) and found 30 to 50 vans which appeared to be black R63's, waiting for trucks for transport. Wonder if they do the paint there?
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