Dick Regelink from Lathum drove a Volkswagen Tiguan, but was disappointed by the many electronic problems. A V40 Cross Country also passed by as a lease car. And in the past, at little Dickie’s house, there was an Opel in front of the door. But one day his father-in-law came for coffee with his Mercedes E-class. Dick went for a walk around the block and… decided to test drive a B-class of that brand. The rest is history. He is now on his second B-class. When that one had also finished its lease period, Dick bought it from the leasing company, purely because he did not want to lose it. Now there is no less than five hundred thousand on the clock. And because today is a special day, Dick takes his son Ivar to the inspection with the classic car they restored together: an SL. Yes, that’s right, also a Benz. It looks like the TV series Little House on the Prairie! Special seat His first B-class, a company car, arrived in 2013, went up to 200,000 and had to be retired in 2016. “I really liked it. So it wasn’t a difficult story for me which car would be the successor”, Dick looks back. He opted for a B again. This 180d, built in 2016. He did have a special seat installed and he started driving. All over the country, because his employer Landal is everywhere, and has possessions everywhere that Dick has to do something with. “That’s why I’m often on the road in Germany. It’s certainly not a sporty guy, a B, but it’s the perfect car for my mobility. The high seat is relaxing and the range is also nice. If I don’t go crazy, I can easily get a consumption of 1 in 19 to 20. The engine then runs beautifully, far in the background. And I enjoy the Harman Cardon music system on board. That was an option that I really think is worth it if you drive fifty to sixty thousand kilometers a year. I get a real Mercedes feeling in this car, even though it is not the flashiest model of the brand. I also feel safe in it. I think that is very important. I lost a brother in a traffic accident, then you might think about that more.” It was a shame that there were two attacks on Dick’s dark B-class. “An older man had become unwell on a roundabout and sailed into my B on the left front. And I also had a collision with a German lady who failed to give way. Kaboom! Scheisse!” Cheated Inspector Tim is quite positive when he returns from the test drive with Dick’s B. “It drives well, with half a million on the counter. Let’s take a look at the rest of the car.” But first: what does Dick expect from the inspection and what is his goal? “Five hundred grand is of course not nothing. It is also a mileage where you are more concerned about the maintenance costs because more maintenance is simply required. And although I have always had it serviced by the dealer, I recently cheated on him for a job. I am curious about what else is coming and hope that it will be okay. And then I actually want Tim to answer the question: ‘Should I continue driving this?’” Well, we all want that. But Tim can’t see through an engine block or a gearbox either. First let’s take stock of what the points are exactly… Hey, what is that? There rolls a beautiful classic SL into the Carrec workshop. With a young, blond boy behind the wheel, on his way to the entertainment center of Soesterberg. I am sure that he will attract attention there. An American SL from 1982, that looks beautiful. “Home industry of my son Ivar and me,” beams Dick. Here the car of Sue Ellen from Dallas rolls into the story. And didn’t Bobby, JR’s son, also have an SL? Dick surprises us: he comes to Klokje Rond with a nice B with a modest diesel engine, but after office hours he happily gets into a 380 SL with an eight-cylinder engine and 86,000 miles on the counter. “That’s a story too. I always wanted to restore a beautiful, old classic convertible. Well, in 2020, during corona, everything came together. More time to do things at home. My wife had bought a studio space that could also accommodate a car. And I had a son who wanted to join in. This SL comes from the United States and I bought it based on three photos. When the car arrived here, I was shocked. Really everything was worn out. It became a mega project, together with my son. But it has now been inspected, so we’re driving!” No malfunctions Back to the real world, that of the B 180d. Tim still finds some things while we hang around the SL. “Inside and outside the car looks exceptionally good and there are actually no things that give away that the car has more than half a million kilometres on the clock.” Everything still functions perfectly, says Tim. “The electronic parts just work properly, there are no significant faults in the car.” But with those guys from Carrec there is always a ‘but’ at the end and that is exactly what makes them so valuable. The intake and exhaust systems in particular need some work. And a few other things. Tim: “All the other things are related to that enormous mileage. It is not all grand and expensive, but added up it is still something.” It seems like a typical case of: ‘And what now?’ Because basically this is a good car. On the other hand, you do have to invest again in a car that has already clocked up more than half a million. Do you want that, Dick? “That’s a good one. I’m going to think about that some more.” Based on Tim’s list, we would continue with this B. Owner Mercedes B180d Name Dick Regelink Year of construction 1967 Place of residence Lathum Occupation senior asset manager at Landal First car Nissan Cherry Previous car MB B-class and before that a Tiguan. What would you change about the car? ‘The image of an old man’s car… and the windshield wipers are ticking a bit.’ Longest journey with this car Naples and Pompeii. Maintenance history February 2017 Engine oil and filter replaced June 2017 Moror oil and filter replaced November 2017 Air filter, fuel filter, engine oil and filter February 2018 Front and rear brake pads, automatic transmission oil and filter, engine oil and filter September 2018 Engine oil and filter, brake fluid January 2019 Interior filter, battery key, air filter, fuel filter, engine oil and filter May 2019 Engine oil and filter August 2019 Automatic transmission oil and filter, timing belt replacement, engine oil and filter December 2019 battery key, engine oil and filter June 2020 Air filter, fuel filter, engine oil and filter December 2020 Front brake pads, engine oil and filter, brake fluid October 2022 Front and rear brake pads, engine oil and filter Everything is known about the B-class. The costs for maintenance at the official Mercedes-Benz dealer (Wensink, in Zwolle) amount to € 12,000. Dick went out for tires and spent € 1,400 on summer and winter tires over the years. Shortly before the Klokje Rond inspection, Dick went outside the Mercedes-Benz door again for major maintenance, with timing belt and water pump and brake discs all around with pads front and rear: € 1,436. What’s wrong with it? The engine starts a bit slowly during start-stop actions. Air conditioning makes an additional noise. Whistling audible from the exhaust system. Leaking gasket. Steering wheel is crooked when driving straight ahead. Various rattles from the chassis when driving on bad road surface. Car has been resprayed front left and right. Clear exhaust gas leakage traces near the EGR system. Dipstick was stuck in the filler pipe. Minimal dry cracks in a number of suspension rubbers and engine mounts. Intake system leaks some oil in various places (intercooler pipe connections). Cooling hose under the intercooler pipe is slightly affected by the leaked oil. Stabilizer connecting rod front right has play. Heat shield of the rear damper is hanging loose. Longitudinal arm rubber of the rear suspension is starting to come loose from the metal bushing. Rear tires are old (2010) and show dry cracks. The opinion of Carrec Technocenter ‘While driving it becomes a little clearer that this is a car with a high mileage. For example, the steering wheel is not straight when driving straight ahead, the chassis rattles a bit on a bad road surface and the dampers do not feel completely fresh anymore. What is most noticeable is the high-pitched whistling sound during acceleration in low gears. This sound comes from a leak in the exhaust system. There are also a number of things under the car that could be better, but apart from the exhaust gas leak and the old rear tires, it is not a bad car at all. As far as I am concerned, a good performance and worth a thumbs up.’
Source: www.autoweek.nl
