100 vs 120 Series

[Anwar]

The AHC system is brilliant, no other word for it and if your wife is anything like mine, trust me, you will thank Mr T everyday for it's inclusions. Driving a AHC equipped truck is like floating on silk. It is that sweet! So leave the conventional springs and dampers for the jungle bunnies because they are not needed on the tough urban streets of Birmingham or Tottenham and if things should go wrong, it isn't going to cost the earth getting it fixed, if you follow Jon's advice and see the dudes at Pleiades.

Right now I couldn't be happier with my UZJ100 LPG after a year of happy motoring.

John

Ha ha, sounds like my wife is just like yours. Tried a 120 LC4 and there was much more pitching and head toss than in the 100. I worry she'd just be sick all the time in a 120....

My new worry is VGRS, seems unnecessarily and scarily complicated and ruinous to fix.

 

[Anwar]

The AHC system is brilliant, no other word for it and if your wife is anything like mine, trust me, you will thank Mr T everyday for it's inclusions. Driving a AHC equipped truck is like floating on silk. It is that sweet! So leave the conventional springs and dampers for the jungle bunnies because they are not needed on the tough urban streets of Birmingham or Tottenham and if things should go wrong, it isn't going to cost the earth getting it fixed, if you follow Jon's advice and see the dudes at Pleiades.

Right now I couldn't be happier with my UZJ100 LPG after a year of happy motoring.

John

Ha ha, sounds like my wife is just like yours. Tried a 120 LC4 and there was much more pitching and head toss than in the 100. I worry she'd just be sick all the time in a 120....

My new worry is VGRS, seems unnecessarily and scarily complicated and ruinous to fix. If it breaks are there any pragmatic solutions such as retro-fitting a fixed ratio column? Thanks again guys, this has been so helpful.

 

[Dark Dude]

Anwar

However you cut it, you are going to end up spending money. My truck is 14 years old and I can't avoid opening my wallet from time to time to keep her on the road. In this game, it's a occupational hazard. Period. If you don't like the game don't play and drive with tree huggers and the plebs. If it's one thing I've learned on this forum, there is always a man who can. There is always a viable workaround and a alternative to being ripped off. All you have to do is look for it. Seek and trust me on this, you will find......I'm not mechanical myself and I wouldn't know the first thing about the VGRS system if it went wrong but I know WHO to ask! The problem with you my friend is that you worry too much...

PS: Personally, I would ONLY consider getting a 105 if:

a. I was going to do some serious off-roading and
b. If I was going to import or drive overland to Africa or the Asian Sub-Con.

I've got plans for doing both but NOT in the UK and that's why I'm sticking with my LC100 because in the UK, I deserve a little bit of luxury (and dare I say, so does your wife LOL).

John

 

[Anwar]

Thanks John.

I'm not averse to four-figure bills but E34 M5 has left me allergic to nasty surprises (and five-figure bills). One of the reasons for replacing the 80 is to aim for a couple or three years of routine bills only. Perhaps the extra complexity of the 100 makes this the wrong choice.

An Amazon is a wonderful car and is the only one that meets all my needs. I am very grateful to the forum for helping me evaluate the pit-falls.

 

[uHu]

Advantage of t0yota is that what they make is generally well tried out and solid. Not much that breaks/fails.
The VGRS has had only one general problem, and that was a potential one - which was sorted on a recall. And vgrs came only on the petrol iirc.

BTW, I don't think there is more complexity on a 100 than on a late 120, and for sure not more problems.

The AHC system is brilliant,...

The Comfort Button = "Delete Washboards button". Mag.

 

[Anwar]

Advantage of t0yota is that what they make is generally well tried out and solid. Not much that breaks/fails.

True, unlike Germans who I think overreach in their tech. Won't be buying a German car again for foreseeable.

The VGRS has had only one general problem, and that was a potential one - which was sorted on a recall. And vgrs came only on the petrol iirc.

Thank you, v good to know. The hunt for nice facelift car is on!

 

[Doodle]

True, unlike Germans who I think overreach in their tech. Won't be buying a German car again for foreseeable.

The cars may get cheaper but the bills stay the same. An E34 M5 was never going to be anything but expensive to run...a largely handbuilt and relatively highly strung supersaloon that cost serious coin when it was new.

 

[uHu]

....And vgrs came only on the petrol iirc...

Comment: http://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/728592-faulty-vgrs-2004-100-series-4-2-diesel.html
Handbook says that vgrs was an option on european models from 2003.
Anyone with more knowledge?

 

[Anwar]

The cars may get cheaper but the bills stay the same. An E34 M5 was never going to be anything but expensive to run...a largely handbuilt and relatively highly strung supersaloon that cost serious coin when it was new.

This is true, but had my pants pulled down financially by one of UK's most respected specialists - the numbers are out of all proportion to any reality. Said specialist is slowly losing private customers.

But I think modern German cars are worse from everything I hear. At least the E34 is still relatively simple. In their efforts to outdo each other I think Merc Audi and BMW have converged in character, and at the same time become so complicated as to make quality control a major challenge. Interdependent electronic systems make them more vulnerable to a chaffed wire or faulty connection that shuts down the whole car. Eg the E61 Touring places some ECUs in the spare wheel well, which is also prone to filling up with water! This takes out iDrive and suspension control, amongst other things. A friend's E61 520d Touring, FBMWSH, needs a new crank at 75 k miles. He also got too enthusiastic in a power slide and the rear suspension mayhem cost £4k. Gearboxes failing regularly at 120 k miles, E-class Mercs from 2005 being written off by £11k electrical faults.

I found a car mag from the 80's when a W123 estate was not only worth 75% at three years, but could also survive the worst of Africa year after year.

 

[Doodle]

Wouldn't be Munich Legends, would it? Legends in their own lunchtime

I have an old Merc SL to keep running...thankfully I can do much of it myself and I have a very trusted specialist who takes care of me on the prices for the bits I can't. But it's often a case of careful evaluation and lots of research to avoid paying through the nose.

Modern cars generally are getting more expensive and complicated - it's not just the Germans although they normally feel the pain first as they're generally leading the advancements. VSA unit on a Honda Accord is a four figure sum, and no guarantee it won't do it again several thousand miles later. Self-immolating Peugeots, the list goes on. The more we chase economy and emissions, the more complicated they get and thus when they break it's big bucks.

New crank required and broken rear suspension from enthusiastic powerslides in a 520d Touring...hmmm, wonder if there's a connection there?

I'd be interested to hear what the £11k fault on the E-class is though...I suspect it's a one off (yes, I have a 54-reg 320cdi estate also)

 

[Anwar]

520d mostly racked mileage under v sedate wife. When I was a lad an LSD was on the BMW options list, which to me suggests corporate approval, back then, for spirited driving. But I was in a BMW service dept today and they confirmed the complexity is taxing customer relations.

It wasn't Munich Legends this time, and his intentions were good but I think he's disappeared up his own throttle body. I have been on the receiving end of ML's fraud many years ago though.

Merc faults reported in anecdotal conversation and on Honest John, but without specifics, sorry.

I hope a LC100 predates the worst electronic lotteries!

 

[Gary820]

Wants to get onto customer services about the Beemer, I'm guessing newer Then a 2007 model? Noisy engine by any chance?

 

[Anwar]

Wants to get onto customer services about the Beemer, I'm guessing newer Then a 2007 model? Noisy engine by any chance?

Yes, it must have been noisy. Timing chain issue leading to new crank. He's a very tenacious engineer so I think will chase hard. Car's a 2008 IIRC.

 

[Gary820]

He needs to use the words common known issue with the engine and push for a contribution ;-) make a noise with customer services is the way forward if has full dealer history etc.

Even timing chain a big job as its all at the back so it's engine out and strip.

 

[Anwar]

Thank you.

It disturbs me that known basic tech like crank and timing chain can be an issue at the same time as so much new tech is being introduced. Stinks of cost cutting.

Said engineer used to work for GKN and will vouchsafe that Toyota's quality requirements were beyond those of BMW or Merc.

 

[Gary820]

Its an engine that came out in 2007, I could prob fit a crank or chain with my eyes closed tbh don't look at repair instructions or tightening torques etc anymore ;-) loads of modified bits for the timing gear for noises. Sure can guess what I do for a living and where lol.

There's a reason I've got a ford focus and a 80series lol.

 

[Doodle]

When I was a lad an LSD was on the BMW options list

As was pretty much everything else, as I recall. If I remember correctly it was sport models that got the slipper diff as standard.

Funnily enough, BMW don't seem to be able to build bikes correctly anymore either...must be contagious

 

[Gary820]

As was pretty much everything else, as I recall. If I remember correctly it was sport models that got the slipper diff as standard.

Funnily enough, BMW don't seem to be able to build bikes correctly anymore either...must be contagious

Keeps me in a job so no complaints here lol.

 

[Doodle]

Keeps me in a job so no complaints here lol.

Fateful irony - had a call from a friend this morning, his E91 330d is making expensive noises. In the garage until next week