Bio-degradable era.

[Zephyr]

The times we live in.
Had a chat yesterday with a friend who had to replace his entire wire harness on his Mercedes SL 600 as it turns out that the wires and many other parts are designed to be defradable over time, meaning that for “the bebefit if our planet” modern cars are designed fo deteriorate to dust and there is nothing we can do about it.
In our every day life we dispose a ton of plastics, from shampoo bottles to plastic bags that we get from the supermarket carrying them in a hypocrite “i do care” paper bag, we inhale tons of Co2 and particles of toxic waste that mega factories literally spit in the air and what is going to save the planet is a biodegradable wire harness in a car.
People pay thousands for a “modern classic to be” but what they dont understand is that there will be no modern classics.
not any sense in the future.

just bio-degradable life cycles.

 

[Daz7401]

My other car is a Smart Roadster with the same Mercedes bio-degradable wiring loom from the early 2000’s. Rotten wiring is becoming a problem for those as well. It seems to be particularly the brown ground wires that are failing first. If you rub the insulation between your fingers it crumbles when it’s been exposed to the elements for almost two decades.

 

[Richard29]

Car wizard on youtube done a programme on an old sl merc, superb looking car ut worthless due to wiring

 

[the Nefyn cat]

modern cars are designed fo deteriorate to dust

Did you never have a Morris 1000? Or a 70s AlfaRomeo? Or a Metro? There's a reason why there's so few of them left.

 

[RB2]

The new insulation is also Soy based which attracts rodens to dine on it. My parents friend have had a loom replaced twice now due to it.

 

[Zephyr]

Did you never have a Morris 1000? Or a 70s AlfaRomeo? Or a Metro? There's a reason why there's so few of them left.

Actually I had a 70s Lancia Beta and an Alfasud.
My wife called the Lancia the “cancer car“ and the Alfa rusted so much that the windshield flew off while I was driving on the highway. I did not murder the people following behind me just by luck. (Theirs I guess).
but spending almost 70k (back then when new) for a Mercedes that will catch fire or deep fry the driver because the cables are DESIGNED to deteriorate is totally beyond me and does not compute in my mind.
I had a 70s Audi 100 coupe that I sold to a relative and it still going strong with just a respray. Believe it or not, I even had a Zastava Yugo that I bought in order to benefit from the “cash for clunkers” program that I consider one of the most turdish vehicles I ever owned and the harness in it was so strong and well made that you could pull a boat with it.
I just wonder, how on earth these modern (expensive) cars like the M6 or the 8 series will hold on time since they are designed to fall apart and what will be considered “classic” in 30 years time…
But I will be dead, so I do not really care… I just enjoy my humble Z3 as much as I can.

 

[Zephyr]

The new insulation is also Soy based which attracts rodens to dine on it. My parents friend have had a loom replaced twice now due to it.

So we now have vegan vehicles. Great.

 

[Robert Wiles]

Many years ago I worked in the automotive electrical connector industry. At that time (late 1970s), Mercedes were alone in specifying silver plating for the connectors in critical connections on their vehicles whereas everyone else used tin plate throughout which also was reliable due to its corrosion resistance. Cable insulation was universally made from PVC and wiring harnesses lasted and lasted.
Forty-odd years later, PVC is on the hit-list and many of the best electro-plating materials have already been banned or are on the SVHC at risk register. So we now have connectors that corrode more easily and go open-circuit and insulation that degrades leading to short circuits.

 

[Andyboy]

I detest Mercs with a passion tbh.

All that corrosion, bad design, indifferent quality/finish, expensive parts AND a bland driving experience in one pricey package. Google 'Mercedes rear subframe rust' and you'll see cars from 2013/4 failing the MOT on subframe rot.

The biodegradable engine loom nonsense goes back 30 years.

Yet folks just continue to lap it up. If they could build a car as well as Toyota - or even Fiat - I'd have more respect.

They were last really good cars in the mid eighties.

 

[Jam03]

The times we live in.
Had a chat yesterday with a friend who had to replace his entire wire harness on his Mercedes SL 600 as it turns out that the wires and many other parts are designed to be defradable over time, meaning that for “the bebefit if our planet” modern cars are designed fo deteriorate to dust and there is nothing we can do about it.
In our every day life we dispose a ton of plastics, from shampoo bottles to plastic bags that we get from the supermarket carrying them in a hypocrite “i do care” paper bag, we inhale tons of Co2 and particles of toxic waste that mega factories literally spit in the air and what is going to save the planet is a biodegradable wire harness in a car.
People pay thousands for a “modern classic to be” but what they dont understand is that there will be no modern classics.
not any sense in the future.

just bio-degradable life cycles.

I followed a lovely looking early 2000’s SL600 on the motorway last week. Next time I’ll keep my distance.