Upgrading a 1982 W460 with keyless central locking
Hi All,
I've decided to upgrade to keyless central locking. I'm sure many of you have gone down this road before with your older G's and I'm looking for help.
I see from ebay & google searching many different systems, do you have any recomendations?
DeepSub
Dont do it !
More trouble than it is worth
Spend the money on waxoyl
By keyless, I think you mean remote operated central locking (as well).
The kits on ebay look impressive, as I do not know of all the kits out there but your choice depends upon whether you already have central locking (c/l) currently or not. If you have no central locking, then the kits seem fine as they do supply the door solenoids; you may at this stage consider your kit to incorporate engine immobilization as anti-theft device but for them to be approved types by the Markham Thatcher standards. Get an approved list from vehicle insurers, it may help reduce on vehicle insurance.
If you have c/l, then; I do not know if any kits are available just to add on to the solenoids you may already have.
I often go to Spal Automotive for advise; they are helpful.
http://www.spalautomotive.co.uk/acatalog/AFTERMARKET_VEHICLE_ACCESSORIES.html
One fitting tip to consider is to encapsulate the c/l modules in plastic to protect from any potential water ingress, latter affecting the c/l system.
Hi DeepSub,
The G-Wagens can have tendencies to leak water in from excessive wiper spindles or around windscreen. Central locking controller modules will be literally thrown in amongst the wiring clustered under the dash. If ingressing water got into the electrics of the control module, this would render problems for the c/l system. To avoid such issues take some plastic sheeting to cover the module so should water come in, the plastic sheet would prevent water from getting into the electric connections.
I am of old school; "prevention is better than a cure"; I would go as far as packing some Vaseline into the connecting sockets to protect the connections from moisture, hence any connectivity issues. Bit 'OTT' as some would say.
I will try and get the Thatcham approved listing.
If you really want to do this follow the advice from Rakesh
My life experience is that I have removed many more of these systems tnan I have installed
If it aint Graz then leave the wiring alone please
On a lighter note I'm off to Ghana now and the worlds largest spare parts market [Suame magazine , Kumasi ,see you tube etc, No central locking kits here
Chain links welded to the door and a padlock maybe
I shall be back to annoy you all in 2 weeks
Happy New Year
The 460 system is not really compatible to alarm systems as the driver's door is basically a switch .. however the other drivers are "slaves" so you can use them; I have replaced my driver's door with a passenger module so plan one day to put in an aftermarket Clifford system I have lying around.. not done it yet but behind the glovebox seems like a nice roomy space.
Tips for systems is that best door actuators are Swiss made but they also need a flap of plastic over them to protect from water.. the cheapo ones used to die in 2 years or so...
What happened in your experience Tony?
Solenoids breaking, bad controllers or hard to get the right installation?
DeepSub