Mercs a mystery to me

corktina

would someone like to explain all the model numbers you keep using...

PaulK_CCI

Can imagine it's confusing if you're not sure what is what:

Problem is that Mercs share engine across the model ranges, and they use the engine capacity to denote the specific model: 200, 220, 250, 280, 300 etc... So to distinguish between the different model ranges, (more or less the way you distinguish the cortina's with Mk1, 2, etc... ) we tend to the use the specific model designation that Mercedes benz uses themselves for their ranges. The fact that these "W" numbers are not to be found on the car itself, is what makes it confusion.

Here is a quick shortlist:

W110: 4 door, 4 cyl 'Fintail' saloon


W111: 4 door, 6 cyl 'S' class 'Fintail' saloon (with the W112 for air suspension 300SE)
(W111 and W112 is also used for the Coupe and Convertible version, right up to 1972!)


W108: 4 door 'stacked headlight' "S" class saloon, that followed the 'Fintail (with the W109 for the airsupension, long chassis 300SEL)


W114 (6 cyl) / W115 (4 cyl) 'small' 4 door saloon, running along the W108 's' class


W116 mid seventies, big bumpered "S" Class saloons


W126 eigthies "S" class saloon, following the W116


then there's the W123, following the 114/115:


The SL's were the
W113 'Pagoda'


and the
W107 (which is weird that a smaller number follows the W113)

corktina

wow!that was quick! ( I wont say they all lokk the same to me, would be a bit ungrateful :-)

PaulK_CCI

corktina wrote: »

wow!that was quick! ( I wont say they all lokk the same to me, would be a bit ungrateful :-)

You mean, just as all Ford Cortina's seem to look the same .

I guess they all got 4 wheels, a steering wheel, an engine, brakes, a couple of doors and windows... yeah, I guess you're right :D

2cv

PaulK_CCI wrote: »

You mean, just as all Ford Cortina's seem to look the same .

Ouch :D

mike65

I guess Mercedes Benz could have been a bit clearer themselves. W123/W124 so why no W125/W126 (ie a W210 and W211) instead we already had the W126 which is an S class which succeeded the W116, so it should have been a W117. German logic.

tc20

the letter prefix also denotes the body type, for example

C107 is a fixed head coupe version of the SL that ran from early 70s to late 80s

R107 is the roadster variant of this model.

W is for wagen (car)

S as in S124 is the estate version

V is the stretch version of the (usually S class) saloon, as in V126

then there's notations for the engines too...but this is a bit more simple as there's only two types, there's M followed by three numbers (eg M180) for petrol engines, and OM followed by 3 numbers for diesel engines (oel-motor)

1948Wolseley

There was a W125:



Also, things have got slightly more logical in the last few years. The 190 (C-class predecessor) was designated W201, the first C-class W202, then W203, and the latest C is the W204. Similarly, after the W124, E-classes went W210, W211 and W212, the latter being the current model.

Big Nasty

Quite similar to the BMW 'E' classifications.

PaulK_CCI

1948Wolseley wrote: »

Also, things have got slightly more logical in the last few years.

I'd rather have a totally illogical model designation system, and well / solidly built cars, as opposed to the other way around

1948Wolseley

PaulK_CCI wrote: »

I'd rather have a totally illogical model designation system, and well / solidly built cars, as opposed to the other way around

No argument there.

Seweryn

1948Wolseley wrote: »

Also, things have got slightly more logical in the last few years. The 190 (C-class predecessor) was designated W201, the first C-class W202, then W203, and the latest C is the W204. Similarly, after the W124, E-classes went W210, W211 and W212, the latter being the current model.

There is also a full factory code which describes the body and the engine, for example:
S124 D30 - 124 series estate with OM603 3-litre Diesel engine (first and second series)
S124 D30A - 124 series estate with OM603A 3-litre Turbodiesel engine (all series)
S124 D30/2 - 124 series estate with OM606 3-litre 24-Valve Diesel engine (third series cars after the face lift in second half of 1993)...
And so on...

zilog_jones

Do these numbers appear in the VIN like with Japanese car chassis codes?

Seweryn

zilog_jones wrote: »

Do these numbers appear in the VIN like with Japanese car chassis codes?

Yes, but not exactly the same way... I will give you an example.
There is a car, an S123 D30 (123 series Diesel engined estate), and the VIN of that car is as follows:
WDB1231901F048XXX (I removed the last 3 digits).
So the 123 is the body and the 190 stands for 300TD (WDB123190 = S123 D30; I know it may sound a bit more complicated now); DB stands for Daimler Benz by the way.
Position no. 10 just before the "F" (1 in this car) stands for LHD (if there is 2, it would be RHD).
You can decode the VIN number by putting it through a free VIN decoder. For this car the result is as follows:

VIN WDB1231901F048XXX
Model 300 TD
Chassis 1231901F048XXX
Engine 617912 10 212XXX
Transmission 717400 00 058788
Order 0 3 218 01461
Approx. year 1983
Lights HELLA
Cab 00736
Dealer Fulda branch (218)
Interior fabric pine green (056)
Paint
822 forest green (T) (с 01.01.1982 по 31.12.1986)
Options
411 mechanical and hydraulic sliding roof (с 01.10.1965 по 31.10.1993)
428 manual five-speed transmission (с 01.01.1970)
466 central locking system (с 01.04.1970 по 31.10.1993)
534 antenna, mechanically operated, without radio set (с 01.01.1963 по 30.11.1990)
550 trailer coupling (с 01.03.1965)
682 fire extinguisher (с 01.04.1970)

Slidey

I work in a Mercedes dealership (granted it is commercials) and didn't know this

Thanks. Everyday is a school day!

mike65

Merc VIN decoder

kyote00

Who knew Taxi's were so complicated....:D

corktina

cortina owners are the same the world over....

MercMad

That Merc Vin decoder is a Russian site, and mostly, but not fully accurate. Damn hadny too if you dont have access to the Factory Parts site.

On the older cars obviously it was less complex, in the 60's there were about 10% of the variations there are now, but the factory still has records and you can get the original data card for your car, which I have for both, and it even shows the original tyre and battery make, together with all original options. It will show the original order number, where the car went and what date it rolled off the production line. Pretty cool.

There has been a lot of talk about how they arrived at the various chassis codes, which as mentioned seem to follow a more logical process nowdays, but some of the abbreviations were/are applied retrospectively by Daimler Chrysler / Daimler AG and didn't exist when the cars were new. All cars carried the "W" Wagon at the start of the chassis code and things like "R" Roadster and "C" Coupe were not actually used until the mid 80's> early 90's when they started appearing in brochures and references but still not on the cars themselves.

Even with these chassis codes there are several inconsistencies.