Working On Forever- How Maintaining an Old Mercedes is a Lesson in Future Mortality

Probably the single most fun thing I do- the most enjoyment and happiness that I get out of anything- and despite hardly being a "master" at it, (I will contest, the more I know of anything- the less of a master I know I am) is working on old cars- specifically, my very-own, 1985 Mercedes-Benz Turbodiesel.

Over the years I've dabbled in it enough to do it okay- to a point- I mean, I can't do major engine or systems work- I just don't have the tools, experience or the facilities- but what I can do- I do... and I like it- its one of the few things- besides jogging that makes me feel good about myself.

I fiddle around and tinker more than anything. Since as long as I can remember- I've been screwing with this shit- I've learned mostly by getting frustrated, making mistakes and picking the brains of professionals.

Lately- the old car- well, has been running like shit. Actually it runs okay- just the idle has been erratic. I had a sneaking suspicion that its fuel related- so I purged the mechanical fuel injection system- using a highly-concentrated detergent additive and a 20 oz. Gatorade bottle and some plastic tubing to act as a separate, bypassed, secondary and contained fuel system. Then I replaced both the primary and the secondary fuel filters- the turn of an adjustable wrench and a few screws later- I had new filters and clean injectors.

I then gave it an Italian Tune-Up- ask any real car guy and they'll attest- you can fix most anything with an Italian Tune-Up- think of it like exercise for machines and an excuse to drive in a lower gear and a little crazy, if only in the name of maintenance... It's the automotive equivalent to hitting the side of the television... or the ol' Seeburg if you're The Fonz.

Why am I going through all this? Because working on a car built literally of cast iron, aluminum, real rubber, copper, brass and steel- to last forever- I began to wonder- are the new Mercedes-Benzes today, or any other cars rather, made to last forever like these older ones?

Let me clarify- nothing is made to last forever- just sometimes, rarely- you get a machine that was built during a time and place, for a price, with basic, proven technologies and materials- that could last a very, very long time if well taken care of (read with simple tools and know-how)- like the old Mercedes- call it "forever" if you must.

That's not to say they don't fall apart- they do- but like the Brooklyn Bridge- whatever that eventually breaks- can be fixed or replaced (at a pretty price mind you) if you care to do so- and viola- you still have a great car in the end- or an on-going hobby at least.

Now, there comes at time when something happens and well, it's time to say good-bye. Nothing will last forever... It's just how you care to define forever- or prolong the inevitable?

Many of you who read The Car Guy Gets It know I'm also a bit of a horologist- or someone who studies the arts and sciences of timekeeping- basically I like watches. While horologists can't define forever, gosh-darn-it- they'll try to measure it... One tick at a time...

Ask any seasoned watchmaker and they'll tell you- high-grade watches can last several lifetimes- literally hundreds of years if properly looked-after. Watches like these can cost tens, or hundreds of thousands of dollars... Lots of money. Very few people wear them enough to realize forever, of course and none of them live as long to prove it... So... anyway- they're good conversation pieces for the mortal living at best.

Good, high-quality wristwatches can last maybe 30 to 40 years if worn everyday. Like a Rolex has a real-world wrist-life of around 35 years. That's not to say there aren't 60 year-old Rolex watches being worn- there are- but they're collectors' items at best. Rolex, the manufacturer- won't even support their existence with service, parts and expertise. In other words- they want you to buy a new watch after 35 years... That's what they do. It's business- to sell new watches.

Cheaper wristwatches- like quartz, battery operated-stuff- (stuff with a microchip or a circuit board) have a wrist-life of much less- maybe fifteen years or so... If you're lucky. Then it's a throw-away and an excuse to go to the mall to buy another watch. Again, there are outliers to the "rule," but they're seen as liabilities at best to any a horologist- one tick closer to gone, unless you're a hobbyist, of course- keeping shitty watches alive...

Okay- back to cars. So, I didn't solve my rough idle (but I have clean injectors, new filters and a better idea of- now- what it is...) and I got to talking to an old mechanic friend of mine- of whom I've been trying to re-connect-with for months... I was feeling like a mechanic all-day- why not try to talk to a friend who actually is a mechanic?

Lucky for me- I made contact- it was really nice catching-up. In talking about the business of fixing cars- my friend- an accomplished Mercedes-Benz mechanic for many, many years made a very good point to me- discussing about the virtues of older verses newer German cars like the Mercedes-Benz or the BMW... These newer cars, like the ones they're making today- just aren't going to last forever- forever is bad for business.

If it will be ten to fifteen years- it will be forever... Okay- maybe twenty years... But will you see people like myself wrenching the new cars of today in their backyards twenty years from now? No.

He continued... "look at the cars of just ten-fifteen years ago- the wiring harnesses go, they dry-up- and then that's it... you're screwed... what a nightmare..."

Like the watchmakers- the car manufacturers are in the business of not only selling new cars, but also fixing them... rather, making sure you can't do it without them... And cars today are sporting technologies and sciences that make The Apollo Program look like wind-up Mickey Mouse watches in comparison. That, and the materials they use today just aren't meant to survive- some car makers like BMW boast how environmentally friendly their cars are; able to be broken-down quickly and friendly too, of course.

Makers today are more interested in selling a recyclable product than building anything forever- not only is it good business but it's a good image and a marketing tool.

Toyota once ran a commercial where they made, out of sticks and leaves- a pile of bio-degradable shit made-up to look like a Prius- and time-lapsed the decomposition in an open field. Nice... if you're into John Denver too, of course.

But like the cheap, throw-away, battery-operated wristwatches- the technologies behind today's cars relies heavily on computer chips- silicon. Once the silicon chipboard or motherboard dries-out, breaks/shorts... it's throw-it-away, say good-bye.

Now if you dig deep- you'll learn- there's a big to-do about making sure the suppliers and venders of all these high-tech auto bits of today will still be available, if need-be tomorrow, forever from now. There are agreements and plans in-place- but... It's complicated and well, no one knows what the future is going to bring. Forever is not guaranteed for anyone, and alas not anything- especially new cars.

As for my old Mercedes, well, I'm literally a two open-ended-wrench-turns away from a fix, I think... I'm 99.9% sure I know what it is now, thanks to some online reading and some friendly advice from an old friend... I'm also 99.9% sure that twenty, thirty years from now, I'll be bent over the left fender of some old Mercedes (quite possibly the one I'm driving now...) trying to figure-out something on a nice, Saturday afternoon.

I could only hope- after all, the future isn't guaranteed for anyone you know.

But maybe, just maybe there will be a fix for the future tinkerer. Maybe there will be an app for that... Or something... for making an old pile of whatever- quite literally- last forever.