450 Parts Shortage ???

[450ken 21]

I'm planning on going through my 450 end to end over a period of time and most likely will change the clutch so what parts are becoming hard to find ? When I buy a clutch I want the assembly including the Flywheel I see some that don't include the flywheel and considering shifting is automated machining a flywheel and changing a dimension might not be a good idea.

[MikeT 737]

Any shortages should be temporary - Mercedes keeps parts support for older models for decades.

[Willys 741]

12 hours ago, 450ken said:

I'm planning on going through my 450 end to end over a period of time and most likely will change the clutch so what parts are becoming hard to find ? When I buy a clutch I want the assembly including the Flywheel I see some that don't include the flywheel and considering shifting is automated machining a flywheel and changing a dimension might not be a good idea.

Again, I will say it again.....learn to deal with that german company as they will save you hundreds if not thousands depending upon if you follow my rebuild magnitude...lol.
But hey....it's your wallet after all...lol.

[smart142 602]

16 hours ago, MikeT said:

Any shortages should be temporary - Mercedes keeps parts support for older models for decades.

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but...... the London MB dealer tells me that the fuel pump and rear glass for the coupe are no longer available for the 05/6's!

[Willys 741]

I have 2 rear hatches in storage jut in case...one brand new the other lightly used.  I also have side windows and many other parts that may come in handy one day....These cars will only get harder and harder to find parts for a reasonable price....it was the rear glass that shocked me into hoarding good parts....$450 was the price quoted at my local wrecker 2 years ago for the rear glass.....augh!!!!

 

[MikeT 737]

I bet they'll remake the parts when enough people ask for it. Fuel pumps last pretty much forever if you don't run the car low all the time (à la Eddie|Eddie|Eddie).

[Willys 741]

10 hours ago, MikeT said:

I bet they'll remake the parts when enough people ask for it. Fuel pumps last pretty much forever if you don't run the car low all the time (à la Eddie|Eddie|Eddie).

Personally I think that they will allow the cars to die out....they don't want to repair them, supply parts for them and if they do it's at such a high price no-one other than a few of us will pay for it.....so imho....not enough owners willing to front the production of these parts.  Also a very niche type vehicle as well, no power, very small and slow....then add the dirty fuel as most think and it's basically dead already....sad to say!  Just look at our site....yes we have many members but.....in the big scheme of things it doesn't move enough or get enough use to show the need for these manufacturers to start production  unfortunately....I hope I'm wrong ..?  There are far too many vehicles that have a far stronger following to profit from.
I don't agree with this but it's what I see will happen one day I'm sure.

[smart142 602]

It should be remembered that only 10,000 cdi's were sold in Canada.

I would bet there are less than 5,000 still on the road. That's a tiny market!

[Willys 741]

2 hours ago, smart142 said:

It should be remembered that only 10,000 cdi's were sold in Canada.

I would bet there are less than 5,000 still on the road. That's a tiny market!

And out of that 5000 when the next big repair hits, they'll scrap the 15 year old car whether it can be fixed or not.....imho....speaking of which I was told this afternoon of just such a car.....slight accident and they have decided to scrap it.....Yes I have shown interest....lol.

 

[450ken 21]

How many CDI's where sold else where ? besides Canada ? It does concern me that some Dufuss could smash into my car and it would be considered scrap because of the repair cost. It's kinda like having a mint 57 Chevy and the insurance company values the vehicle at $1500.00

[MikeT 737]

Something like 150K of the 770,256 450s were cdis. Another 200K or more of the 451 were cdis.

 

I'll still be driving mine 15 years from now.

[450ken 21]

With the Price of Gas constantly rising and the cost of running my CDI I hope to run mine for years to come. As a Retired person I don't have time for concerning myself with the price of fuel in fact since buying my 450 I don't really even look at it when I fuel up anymore other than out of curiosity.

[Willys 741]

3 minutes ago, 450ken said:

With the Price of Gas constantly rising and the cost of running my CDI I hope to run mine for years to come. As a Retired person I don't have time for concerning myself with the price of fuel in fact since buying my 450 I don't really even look at it when I fuel up anymore other than out of curiosity.

Yes, even with the price of fuel more than doubled over the past year or so, I still don't get upset about the price of a fill up considering the distance I can drive on the cost of a fill up.  No the other day I did put in the most i have paid since owning it at $40 and the light wasn't even flashing....but, again...I didn't worry much....just caught me by surprise was all...lol.
I also will keep driving mine until it won't drive any more...!

 

[Willys 741]

IF you have somewhere to keep a second car as a parts car, you should if you can afford to buy one that is.....you should always keep your eye out for a parts car. One that may not run or has been in a small accident.  Even at $500 or close to it you will be able to take parts from it to help keep your main car on the road for far longer at a much lower cost. I don't consider brake pads or shoes usable type parts but if in really good condition why not. I'm more speaking of fuel pumps, windows, seats, injectors, computers wiper transmissions, wheels and tires if still in good shape....the list is extensive that's for sure.   The one thing that got me into this mindset was the cost of the rear window assembly at $450 used..!!!!   Something I thought may have been a $100 unit but floored me at $450!
So if you have the space or budget to be able to get one.....or even a shed where you could take all the useable parts and store them off the vehicle, it's a good idea...imho.
I have a garden shed full of semi-useful parts that I'll probably never use but, IF I do need one of them perhaps it will keep my car on the road and out of the scrapyard?

 

[MikeT 737]

Not a bad idea. I do have a covered spot.

[Mjolinor 85]

I bet the guy with the $450 tailgate still has it.

 

In the UK there are very few 450 CDIs because they never made it with the steering wheel on the right(correct:)) side.

 

If there were one I would buy it as I prefer the 450 to the 451.

 

You need a Canadian version of this: https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?q=smart+cdi&commit=Search

[MikeT 737]

That site says there are 35 Peugeot 404s in GB in 2022.

 

This site that I run says there are over 50 that still exist and we have photos of them. https://recensement.leclub404.com/browse.php?country=GRANDE BRETAGNE&page=1

 

So I'm not convinced that "How Many Left" is especially good as a source.

 

10,239 fortwo cdis were sold in Canada and about half are likely still on the road, if not more.

[Mjolinor 85]

1 hour ago, MikeT said:

That site says there are 35 Peugeot 404s in GB in 2022.

 

This site that I run says there are over 50 that still exist and we have photos of them. https://recensement.leclub404.com/browse.php?country=GRANDE BRETAGNE&page=1

 

So I'm not convinced that "How Many Left" is especially good as a source.

 

10,239 fortwo cdis were sold in Canada and about half are likely still on the road, if not more.

 

The site just parses the data available from the government website. You can check it at source but it takes a long time.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/driver-and-vehicle-licensing-agency

 

[450ken 21]

Oddly a Tesla is far cheaper to run than our CDI's.

 

[Willys 741]

17 minutes ago, 450ken said:

Oddly a Tesla is far cheaper to run than our CDI's.

 

Hmmmm...?   Don't think so....you have to buy this Tesla  so you must include that into it, but yes after that of course.....but not by much.....I did figure it out a while back and we weren't that far off considering....lol.

 

But there is NO way I'm falling for the EV mentality......maybe the big "H" powered vehicles but never the EVs...lol.

 

[450ken 21]

1 hour ago, Willys said:

Hmmmm...?   Don't think so....you have to buy this Tesla  so you must include that into it, but yes after that of course.....but not by much.....I did figure it out a while back and we weren't that far off considering....lol.

 

But there is NO way I'm falling for the EV mentality......maybe the big "H" powered vehicles but never the EVs...lol.

 

I'm talking cost of energy per KM the Tesla costs peanuts to run, my friend has one I'll get a little more info.

[Mjolinor 85]

6 minutes ago, 450ken said:

I'm talking cost of energy per KM the Tesla costs peanuts to run, my friend has one I'll get a little more info.

 

 

You can't really do that, well you can but it means nothing. Any comparisons have to be done across the board.

 

If we can do that then clearly a push bike is the thing to have, cost per km is way low or maybe a pair of roller skates is the thing to own.

 

Service costs, longevity, costs per year are all part of any comparison along with a thousand other things to consider. I reckon a Smart CDI will come out way in front.

Edited November 9, 2022 by Mjolinor

[LooseLugNuts 555]

i doubt the tesla would run on peanuts

 

but i bet a smart cdi would probably run on peanut oil

[MikeT 737]

In the real world a Tesla 3 might average 15-20 kWh/100 km, so in BC that would cost maybe up to $3.00 per 100 km.  That is damned cheap, but the car isn't, so total running costs including purchase price, makes a cdi look like good value! 

Edited November 9, 2022 by MikeT

[Mjolinor 85]

Do you not have to add the same tax level to the fuel in order to do that comparison in dollar terms?

 

Like for like. One barrel is about $100, that is 191 litres.

 

4.7 litres per 100km (60mpg, a reasonable real world figure) = $2.46 = 47 kWh.

 

If the Tesla 15-20 is correct then that number for the Smart is way more than I thought it would be. I probably got the numbers wrong somewhere.

 

The random amounts of tax that different countries attach to different fuels should not be part of this comparison.