OzBenzHead
Master
Not W116, but I crave Admin's indulgence ...
Magic carpet ride time! Sort of.
For my own air-suspended Benz (W112 300SE coupe) and a friend's two (W112 300SE sedan - early version - and W109 300SEL 6.3) I have decided it would be a good idea to start collecting unwanted air suspension valves, particularly the two front leveling units and the rear-axle leveling unit, but also the master valve (the one near the compressor at the front of the engine bay).
These things have, it seems, a quite limited lifespan - from friend's and my experience about six years from new or following a rebuild, regardless of distance traveled. They are becoming harder and harder to find, and it would be good to have a few spare sets for advance rebuilding so that when one (or more) fails, there is a ready replacement for it rather than having to wait for a Sydney or Melbourne rebuild to happen when needed.
Apparently Syd and Melb are the only places in Oz where these things are rebuilt; there is also a bloke in the US who does them - for a price very similar to the Oz operators. All rebuilds are done on one's own valves or on an exchange basis - new stock is virtually unavailable - and certainly unaffordable.
So, if you're reading this and have some old valves lurking in a dark corner (beware the redbacks!) that you'd like to be rid of, let me know. Perhaps there are those who have done the conversion to steel springs who haven't thrown out the air suspension parts.
Thanks.
Magic carpet ride time! Sort of.
For my own air-suspended Benz (W112 300SE coupe) and a friend's two (W112 300SE sedan - early version - and W109 300SEL 6.3) I have decided it would be a good idea to start collecting unwanted air suspension valves, particularly the two front leveling units and the rear-axle leveling unit, but also the master valve (the one near the compressor at the front of the engine bay).
These things have, it seems, a quite limited lifespan - from friend's and my experience about six years from new or following a rebuild, regardless of distance traveled. They are becoming harder and harder to find, and it would be good to have a few spare sets for advance rebuilding so that when one (or more) fails, there is a ready replacement for it rather than having to wait for a Sydney or Melbourne rebuild to happen when needed.
Apparently Syd and Melb are the only places in Oz where these things are rebuilt; there is also a bloke in the US who does them - for a price very similar to the Oz operators. All rebuilds are done on one's own valves or on an exchange basis - new stock is virtually unavailable - and certainly unaffordable.
So, if you're reading this and have some old valves lurking in a dark corner (beware the redbacks!) that you'd like to be rid of, let me know. Perhaps there are those who have done the conversion to steel springs who haven't thrown out the air suspension parts.
Thanks.