G-ownership - impressions after 1st month
I have now owned my 1991 300 GES for just over a month :)
So how do i feel about the G-wagen now I have had time to live with it for a bit ? ;)
I have driven about 900 miles, including the trip from London where I bought it. I also have a 56reg Audi A4 avant 2.0 tdi 170 that I use for work, the Audi is a superb car & goes like stink, but it lacks character & now when ever I get the chance I prefer to take the G-wagen. The G-wagen is lot more relaxing to drive yet will still stonk along the A1 at 70 / 80 mph. In fact I enjoy driving the G-wagen more than the Audi :shock: . TBH my wife prefers the Audi though :roll: , but my daughters love the G-wagen due to the great seating position in the back
Fuel consumption on teh long A1 run seemed to be about 20mpg, which was better that expected, obviously it is less for majority of my driving which is on country roads. If the fuel consumption was better then I could see me using teh g-wagen a lot more.
I have been offroad a little bit to do some soil testing for some of my customers ( I sell Fertiliser, no jokes please ;) ) but I feel the need to take it somewhere to explore the G-wagens & my capabilities :)
Good points: I love the car. I love the exhaust note 8) I love the fact my daughter pointed out that everyone was 'looking' at us because we had a big G-wagen :lol:
Bad points, the damp carpets :? . Water seems to love leaking in. Hoping to get the wiper spindles sorted soon, along with the heater valve & then run some screen sealant along the windscreen seal. Additionally I think I have water leaking down the inside of the drivers door as there is always a loverly wet area just where my daughter puts her knee to climb into the back :roll: . The only other things are someone has messed with the wiring in the past to fit a stereo & now when the drivers door is opened the interior light doesn't come on ... although the stereo did get switched on & off by opening & shutting the door for a couple of days :?: Also the brakes do snatch a bit when braking hard at less than 5 mph ( coming down steep slopes causes a wheel to lock) . BUT it is a 15 year old car & compared to other old cars I have had these problems are minor & not really an issue :)
So a positive 1st month & I am SO glad I didn't go down the defender 110 route.
Hopefull additions are some side steps, a mercedes logo'd soft rear tyre cover & maybe a roof rack & white lenses, although I think white lenses on a silver car might be too much bling :lol:
Glad to hear you are happy with the G keep it a bit longer and you will love it even more (especially if you get the chance to take it off road) I have got the same model and after 3 years I still love driving it! All the niggly little problems like wiper spindles and stuff can be corrected at your own pace and are not such a problem in the summer. Take the front mats right out for a few days in the nicer weather and the carpets will dry out.
You have had a few years of G ownership condensed down into 1 month with the steering damper and wet carpets etc but the rest is all plain sailing as long as you look after the engine and the gearboxes. Enjoy 8)
Forgot to mention I saw an original 463 soft spare wheel cover on ebay the other day, a new one at about half price. Was being sold by Mercman in Southampton so can vouch for their service, Cheers Alex
Watch out when you order your new spindles from MB as they are very keen on handing out the LHD version which will not fit your RHD car. They have done this on more than one occasion to people on this board. Best thing is to take off the old ones and take them in to compare the new ones to when MB get them for you.
I eco comments from hot66 about the love of Gs, I am in a similar position with my G for about couple of months, love it to bits.
Although I don't have any damp problems but I have noticed that windscreen seems to crack very easily, is it just me or is it the norm?
I have managed to crack (stone chip) my screen in five places while driving on M25 between J10-J15 in just one week. My avg is 80-85MPH
I have a Landcruiser which I have been driving from new and in six years it has only happend twice considering that I have driven it at 100+. I am bit concerned now about my G, do I have to keep the speed low all the time or was it just a bad week with lot of grit on the road. And if too much grit is the problem then should I not drive it in the winter?
Another thing I have noticed with my G is that if I stay at 60 I can get lot more out of a tank then using an avg of 80 which only seems to give me about 70% vs staying at 60. I think my next purchase needs to be a gas station.
Rest is all superp and like hot66 above I hardly use my Landcruiser now I am always in my G.
So a positive 1st month & I am SO glad I didn't go down the defender 110 route.
So are we. :D
The main reason you save so much fuel at 55-60 in any G wagen is the fact that it is very aerodynamically challenged, as soon as you go over this speed the engine has to work extra hard to push the flat windscreen and frontend through the air. Every 10 mph after 60 gets alot harder to achieve, 60 is a good compromise to save wear on the engine unless you have enough power from a G 500 to push through and sit at 75-80 happily.
I would like to see a defender go over 100 without falling to bits, the G has got the looks and the top speed 8)
Glad to hear you are still smitten!It gets worse now!!!!
You will show your affection by lavishing it with bits and bobs like side bars, 463 nudge bar,wheel cover,springs,shocks,etc etc.(like having a second wife!)only difference is the G wont sulk or answer back!!
Imagine the boredom of just getting in a car and just driving and filling up fuel(A4,CLK).All the minor niggles add to the experience of G ownership.The satisfaction of putting right or finding a fault is unexplainable with words!
My G had a total of 3 water leaks and i found the third and final one on saturday!!!It was from the rubber window edging on the drivers side windowletting water through the door down inside the door pocket,over the already rusting door rubber seal and eventually filling up the channel under the plastic entry door sill!!
Hot66,
I would suggest you remove the front screen and check for rust damage to the seal flange. I am sure that many on here will tell you that the G is prone to rot there and let water in.
Bought my G one week prior to you purchasing yours. Could'nt see any leaks from mine but did the screen anyway, rekon it's preventative rather than waiting for it to rot away and leave you with a hole or two??
Did you see my post with regard to side steps on eb*y?
Haven't even used mine yet...... Stripped it apart as soon as I got it back to my workshop. Going to the bodyshop tomorrow for a spruce up, doesn't really need it but I want everything 100% before I start to use her.
Stainlees exhaust is on order from stainless-exhausts in Nottingham, Don is a great guy to deal with. Many on here will vouch for this I'm sure.
Sorry for hi-jacking this thread.
Regards
Peter
Glad your enjoying it. :lol:
Hot66,
I would suggest you remove the front screen and check for rust damage to the seal flange. I am sure that many on here will tell you that the G is prone to rot there and let water in.
This is another of my jobs to do as I do think this is an area my G needs looking at. Problem is the car is being used regularly at the moment. Where do you get new window seals from?
Did you see my post with regard to side steps on eb*y?
yes, thanks :) . I noticed they are the same as the ones sold by the g-class centre.
Haven't even used mine yet...... Stripped it apart as soon as I got it back to my workshop. Going to the bodyshop tomorrow for a spruce up, doesn't really need it but I want everything 100% before I start to use her.
Look forward to the pictures :
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that final leak of yours sounds like the one I have too.
I have a very limited budget for additions to the G. Concentrating getting the niggles sorted first. The car in my avatar is the one that gets most of my attention ;)