The 240D has a name!

I have never been able to name a car. Something in me cringes at the concept. I have had a series of vehicles with lots of character, all of which deserved a name but none of which received one. Until now, that is. In the Mercedes 123 community there is a driving force (no pun intended) to name your 123 chassis.

For a while now my wife, Sue, has called our 240D the Grandpa Mobile. It was owned exclusively by the grandfather of the person who sold us the vehicle, it is light ivory in color, it is slow and deliberate, it has MANY miles on it, and it smokes a little. While this will sound trite, the name came to me in a daydream.

Why not name the car after my grandfather? Traditionally, vehicles of all kinds are named with female names, but this car is definitely male in character. My grandfather's full name is Charles Frank Haas, but the 240D will be known affectionately as Charlie. Here is one more similarity; the 240D has a great stereo (see previous posts) and my grandfather was musically inclined - he was a trombone player in the Hull House Boy's Band (along with Benny Goodman) in the early 1900's in Chicago!

Front View Modifications

Here is a photo of the front that shows the new diamond-cut headlights and the smoked corner lights - neater appearance and a little more modern without changing the essential character of the beast.

Radio Head Unit

Here is a photo of the radio head unit as promised in a previous entry.

Bio-diesel Fill-up September 25, 2006

Efficiency summary:
334 miles of in-town driving

General conditions: in-town with various passenger loads, mostly to and from work

September 25, 2006 B20 Bio-diesel Fill-up in Albuquerque
15.52 Gallons @$3.099 per gallon = $48.11
334 miles @ 21.51 MPG - city/highway driving

MAINTENANCE
During September, the speedometer cable started whining above 20 MPH; i.e., every time the car accelerated from idle. Of course, a trip to Jim's Fine Car Service took care of the problem. While there we fixed several additional problems.
1. Speedometer removal and repair
2. Driver door - replace check strap and door handle
3. Replace burned circuit board on secondary gauge cluster - idiot lights work now!
4. Replace single hole passenger washer nozzle with dual hole model - nice update
5. Replace shift bushing - no more buzzing from the shifter
6. Replace idle cable - now the idle can be adjusted in the cabin - manual control is great
I noticed that Mickey gave me over a 10% discount on both parts and labor again - thanks, Mickey!

Bio-diesel Fill-up August 21, 2006

Efficiency summary:
300 miles of in-town driving

General conditions: in-town with various passenger loads

August 21, 2006 B20 Bio-diesel Fill-up in Albuquerque
14.72 Gallons @$3.26 per gallon = $48.00
307 miles @ 20.86 MPG - city/highway driving