Several years ago Bonnie and I splurged on a vehicle most would consider having very little practical value. We were looking for something which in a few moments of free time could give us a sense of freedom, a conduit for quickly and momentarily releasing daily stress…a mini-mental vacation if you will. This sounds like a tall order for an automobile and it no doubt says more about us and the American lifestyle then it does an actual vehicle. Still, either through our selection process or luck we found such a vehicle in the form of a used Mercedes Benz SLK sports convertible. An hours drive on a beautiful sunny day soon results in smiles and forgotten stress. If it doesn’t happen quickly enough I simply press a little harder with my right foot.
As transportation this SLK has been more practical then we expected. We’ve taken a number of trips in it and it’s small luggage capacity is a blessing, simplifying packing to the essentials.
Back in the days, before working on an automobile required an engineering degree, I use to do the majority of my own vehicle maintenance — I enjoyed that process and still do. Going through the careful mental and physical process required to complete a job fixing or prolonging a precision piece of equipment can be much like meditation if your mind is in the right place. These days I limit most of my tinkering to preventive maintenance on the SLK and our lawn equipment.
Note: If I had my career path choices to make over again I’d enjoy design in some way vs. IT. I find beauty in well designed things, be it systems, machines or architecture.
For my annual pre-spring maintenance routine this past weekend I grabbed a camera to take a few shots during the process. Now I can bore you with the results. :-)
Beneath this pretty plastic lies the SLK’s heart – a 3.5L V6 engine. The metallic finned piece in the center is the Engine Control Unit (ECU) placed in this position for cooling purposes.
Not your standard drain the oil via the plug in the bottom of the oil pan. The recommended Mercedes Benz method is to extract the old oil through the dip-stick tube using a fluid evacuator. A few pumps on the evacuator gets the oil started and then it’s just a matter of waiting. No fuss, no muss.
With a well designed engine compartment the oil filter can be access from above while the engine oil is being removed.
Out with the old oil filter and then in with the new one. They look different because they’re different brands. New rubber gaskets and O-rings are also added.
A single value flip allow the used oil to be transferred to a container where it can then be taken to a oil recycling center — a local auto-parts store.
New motor oil is added — Mercedes recommends Mobil 1 synthetic oil so that’s what I use. With the limited milage this vehicle gets (3000-5000 miles per year) I usually only change the oil in the spring. I do however make sure and run the car regularly to evaporate water/moisture which may condense over time.
Next comes an air filter check which requires removing the plastic air filter cowling.
The air filters (2) are “Green” both in color and brand name. They are life time filters so only require cleaning and re-oiling as required.
Putting everything back together, with still lots of sunny day left, it’s time to find some where to ride for lunch — perferably a place at least an hour away! :-)
Wow, sure is a beautiful car Earl. And that fluid evacuator – how cool of a thing is that! I have never heard of those before. My experience and knowledge of oil changes is crawling underneath the car to try to find some oddly placed plug that you wrench out to have oil pour all over your hand, and hopefully into a readily placed pan and not on the driveway. Hence, all of my self oil changes have stopped! :-)
Leave it to an elegant car to have an elegant way of having its oil changed!
Hey, thanks, Mark! We’ve never for a moment regretted this purchase even if it seems impractical. It’s fairly economical as well — at least when I can keep my foot out of the gas — getting about 28mpg on the road. The worst part is it requires premium fuel, making each gallon more precious.
Yeah, that fluid evacuator is amazing. When we first purchased the SLK and I was thinking of doing the first oil change I soon discovered a smooth molded plastic piece covering most of the underside of the front end. This piece would need to be dropped to get to the oil plug — which I understand does exist. Upon seeing this I turned to Google to find out what the heck the trick was for changing oil and found out about using an evacuator. It goes fairly quickly and there’s no oil on my hands or the garage floor and I don’t have to worry if I got that oil plug tightened enough!
There’s something about having a “special” car that does a soul good. Although that feeling is most likely engrained by years of marketing exposure I think there is some validity to it. I’ve got a 1989 Mustang GT that I bought brand new, and I keep promising myself that I’ll drive it more. Hopefully as soon as I’m done living in a construction zone I’ll be comfortable keeping it at home again. Right now it is safely tucked away in a storage unit, which I try to visit a few times a month.
I think we’ll need to plan a road trip for one of these upcoming weekends and give our machines a workout!
Tom, I’m looking forward to seeing the Mustang GT one day. We were thinking of taking the SLK on the upcoming end of March trip if the weather cooperates. ;-)
I’ve never been a huge car fan but I can well appreciate the allure. That’s a nice looking car you have there Earl. I have no doubt it gets the adrenalin flowing. Perhaps I too would become hooked if I was to drive something like that though I suspect a Kombi is more my style.
May I say, as someone who is totally useless when it comes to mechanical things, that I am impressed that you self-service such a vehicle. And your photos are worthy of being in some top class motor vehicle magazine.
Cedric,
My father was one of those who kept a piece of equipment “forever,” maintaining and repairing it as needed. I learned from watching him about how things worked and the reward of doing basic mechanical chores. Heck, I even worked a couple of my younger years as a Kawasaki trained motorcycle mechanic rebuilding engines and transmissions as well as doing tuneups.
Still, this is only the second automobile “love affair” I’ve ever had. There first was a very early and small 1973 Honda Civic with 12 inch wheels and a tiny 4 cylinder engine. At 6’2″ I know I looked funny folding and unfolding myself in and out of it but I loved zipping around with it.
I do appreciate your comments on the photos — thanks. I burned out last year on simply going out and pushing the shutter release to capture thousands of photos “just like” the thousands other people were capturing. It may not go anywhere but I find I enjoy telling a story or supporting a story being told by using photography — more photojournalism style I guess. It takes more planning and forethought and at this point my results are still very conceptual. The resulting stories are usually short and probably boring to most thus far, but hey, a work in progress! :-)
Neither photos nor stories are boring. Keep them coming Earl.
This post and the images made me smile. I’ve never had a fine car like your but I did have one of BMW’s finest sport-touring motorcycles, the BMW1100RT. I took good care of that motorcycle. And, I can relate to the adrenaline rush something like this gives. My ride to work in the morning would take about 25 minutes but it sometimes took me 2 hours to get home. Great way to clear out the head.
Monte, yeah, you know the feeling — I’ve got motorcycle history and the BMW1100RT is certainly a fine machine that would place highly on my “lust list.” Bonnie doesn’t care for motorcycles so I guess I’ll stick to four wheels.
Side car?
:-)