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00:01This time on Car SOS...
00:03Welcome to the 21st century.
00:05The ultimate 90s roadster is well past its sell-by date.
00:10Have we got a problem with just a little sensor that's stopping this running?
00:14Or has something more catastrophic happened?
00:17Tim has a bath.
00:19Fuzz works on his gymnastics.
00:21This is literally a balancing act.
00:23And the stage is quite literally set.
00:26I know this is not what you were expecting at all. It's lovely to meet you.
00:29To make another deserving owner's automotive dream come true.
00:33In 3, 2, 1...
01:00We're in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
01:02Right. I want to make a statement about what we're picking up today, Fuzz.
01:06Yeah.
01:06Because in my mind, this vehicle contains a piece of technology which makes this one the single most important vehicle
01:15we've ever picked up.
01:16Well, we've got to say what it is because today we're picking up a Mercedes SLK.
01:22Yes, at first glance it might look just like another late 90s midlife crisis mobile.
01:29But Tim's right. The SLK was a genuine game-changer thanks to an ingenious piece of technology.
01:35It's folding metal roof.
01:38Because while most of the European competition were still fitting fiddly damp and smelly canvas roofs that had barely changed
01:45in almost a century,
01:47Mercedes walked in and rewrote the rule book.
01:50Stuffing so much tech into their folding metal roof, you half expected it to achieve orbit.
01:56At the press of a button, and in under 30 seconds, this practical hardtop runaround could transform into a mullet
02:04-flapping roadster,
02:05with enough room in the boot for the weekly shop and some essential hairspray.
02:10And the SLK wasn't just a pretty face.
02:13Under the bonnet sat a 2.3-litre supercharged engine with 190 horsepower and 0-60 in under 7 seconds.
02:23Just over a quarter of a century on from their release, the exterior of this modern classic may have aged
02:28like fine wine.
02:29But remember, under the skin, it's still powered by technology from an era when flip phones, DVD players and these
02:36two were at their peak.
02:38So come on, who are we meeting today?
02:40So we're meeting Matt today. Matt is the husband of Lily, whose car it is.
02:43Yeah, okay, cool.
02:44Joanne's going to be there as well, who's Matt's mum.
02:46Okay, cool.
02:46So Lily's mother-in-law.
02:54Hello, mate.
02:55You all right?
02:56Nice to meet you.
02:57Joanne.
02:58How are you doing?
02:59Right, is this where Lily lives?
03:00Yes.
03:00Is Lily in?
03:01She's not.
03:02Does she have neighbours that know her?
03:03Yes.
03:03Do they know Car SOS?
03:04They do.
03:05So where can we go to hide?
03:06Into the garage.
03:07Can we see the car?
03:08Absolutely.
03:08Is that where it is?
03:09Lots of questions, isn't it?
03:12Come on, everyone in, shut the door.
03:14Shut the door.
03:14Come on, come on, shut the door.
03:17Oh, go on then, come on, you can come as well.
03:19Come on.
03:21There it is.
03:22The single most important car we have ever taken on since the beginning of all time.
03:27Since the beginning of all things Car SOS.
03:29What's funny about that?
03:30Nothing.
03:30It's not, it's true.
03:31What do you mean?
03:32I'm talking about the roof.
03:33Yeah, I know you're talking about the roof.
03:35Talking about the roof, I can't see it.
03:37It's down at the moment.
03:38It's hidden, Fuzz, at the moment.
03:39It's hidden.
03:40So is there a reason for that?
03:42It's broken.
03:43It's broken.
03:48It's broken.
03:49No.
03:50Right, okay, so it doesn't run, doesn't drive, it's a bit of rust.
03:52Okay, that's it.
03:53Can you and I, right, us three, go out there, chat about Lily.
03:57Yeah.
03:57We'll leave you here with a calm.
03:59Come on, let's go.
04:00Come on, come on.
04:02So what have we got?
04:03We've got gouges, dents, rust, a dodgy roof and a non-running engine.
04:11I'd better go and have a look underneath it just to see if there's anything good about
04:15it.
04:19Ah, here we go.
04:21Plastic sills.
04:22Now those are great because they don't rot.
04:25Trouble is though, all the bits that rot are hidden underneath.
04:28And I'm just having a little look around here.
04:31I can see, well, all the suspension components are starting to go.
04:36This car is the best part of a quarter of a century old.
04:40And with that comes the slippage of time and rot, rot aplenty.
04:51Tell me about Lily, what's she like?
04:52Just get on, she's funny.
04:53She's a social...
04:55She is.
04:55She likes friends in any room.
04:56She really can't.
04:57She likes supper rooms.
04:58She's one of them people that, you know...
05:00People love her.
05:01People love her.
05:01They love her.
05:02And she's just...
05:03Magnetic.
05:04Yeah.
05:05The little Mercedes SLK beauty in there.
05:07Mm.
05:08How come there is one of those in the family?
05:10It's a mum's car.
05:11It's a dad's car.
05:12Her dad would take it everywhere.
05:14Her mum, she's mentioned to me before about going out with mum in it.
05:17Roof down, go out for meals.
05:18Look, they just...
05:20To see it sat where it is, it's just such a shame.
05:25There's so many memories in it.
05:26It's been in the family for that long.
05:31Now, there's a good reason why manufacturers hadn't come up with convertible hardtops.
05:38It's because they're complicated.
05:40Why doesn't it work?
05:41Is it just one little motor?
05:44Is it just a ram?
05:45Is it a small thing?
05:46Or...
05:48Is it something far more sinister?
05:52The interior...
05:53It does need a good, a thorough clean-up.
06:00So, here's our supercharged engine.
06:022.3 litres.
06:04So, have we got a problem with just a little sensor that's stopping this running?
06:08Or...
06:09Has something more catastrophic happened within there?
06:12That we do not know.
06:17So, why is it off the road?
06:18What happened to it, to put it in that position?
06:20So, 2017, um...
06:25Lily's mum got diagnosed with bowel cancer.
06:28And then, pass forward to 2018, she got a terminal diagnosis
06:33and got given two weeks to live, ultimately.
06:35It was just out of the blue, just a shock.
06:37And she passed away on Mother's Day.
06:43How did that affect Lily?
06:46Significantly.
06:48I'd only known Faye at that point for probably a year.
06:51And I could see the relationship.
06:53Just fantastic.
06:55So, Lily loses her mum?
06:56Lily loses her mum.
06:57She's mega, mega close to her mum.
06:58Yeah.
06:59And then from cancer.
07:00And then within three months of that, Lily's in the hospital
07:04still being told she's got cancer.
07:08Eric, sorry.
07:09It's all right.
07:10You're doing great.
07:13She said...
07:16Come on.
07:17Come on, you can do it.
07:18What?
07:19What?
07:20If I die...
07:21She said that.
07:24Yeah.
07:29Luckily, at the early stage, we'd caught it.
07:32It's cancer, but it's treatable.
07:35You couldn't write it.
07:36It's just literally...
07:37They've literally just got over one thing
07:39and then something else has been thrown at them.
07:41How old is Lily?
07:43She's...
07:4335.
07:4435?
07:45That's enough bad luck for anyone,
07:47and I'm sure anyone watching this will go,
07:48that's more than enough.
07:49Please tell me it ends there.
07:50I'd love to tell you that, but, you know...
07:53So, her dad, Bruce, he got bowel cancer.
07:57Please don't start talking about this guy in the past tense as well.
08:00Yeah.
08:00Yeah, he sadly passed away.
08:06So, she watched her mother pass away,
08:08she got diagnosed with cancer herself,
08:10and then she watched her dad pass away as well.
08:13Yeah, she did.
08:16I'd like to think we're done now.
08:18I think we've had enough for one lifetime.
08:19Well, let's make damn sure.
08:21Let's inject some good news for tonight.
08:23Let's do something good,
08:24and hopefully that'll be the start,
08:25a spiral of good things.
08:26Back upwards, yeah.
08:27I just want her to be able to make the memories
08:29and have memories with it that she's had in the past.
08:33It's one of the last things they've got,
08:34she's got of her mum and dad.
08:36If not the only thing.
08:38So, where does she think it's going today?
08:39She thinks it's going to my best friend's Liam's,
08:42and he tinkers, he's good with his hands,
08:43and he's good with cars, he's good with anything.
08:45So, the story is he's going to take it and diagnose it,
08:48and then myself and him are going to go
08:49and periodically do some work on it.
08:52Right.
08:52So, here's the deal.
08:53I'm going to leave, but it's getting done.
08:55It's happening.
08:56It will just be the best thing that's happened to her
08:59in seven, eight years.
09:07Yes, this little SLK is a treasured reminder
09:10of Lily's mum and dad,
09:12so the boys can't afford to let her down.
09:16Go on, put your back into it.
09:19Okay, that'll do it.
09:20But with Rust eating away at the bodywork,
09:23a lifeless engine,
09:24and a fiendishly complicated roof
09:26packed with turn-of-the-century tech,
09:28they're staring down a monumental challenge.
09:32So, I'm going to do you a deal here.
09:34Right, okay, listen.
09:35What?
09:36I'll deal with the rest of it.
09:37I've got the engine,
09:38I've got mechanical issues underneath,
09:40and Rust, of course, as well.
09:42So, I'll deal with all of that.
09:45You deal with the roof.
09:47I've owed loads of convertibles.
09:48Yeah.
09:49This is the first iteration
09:50of the most complicated one of all.
09:52I have no experience fixing these things.
09:53Not yet.
09:54I think it's very important
09:55that you get your head around this,
09:57because this is one of the most major advances
10:02in car design ever.
10:07The boys have got their hands
10:09on the ultimate turn-of-the-century grown-ups toy,
10:12a Mercedes SLK.
10:15I can't believe that we're doing one of these cars.
10:19Surely they're new.
10:20No.
10:21No, we're just really old.
10:23Yes, on top, it might not look it,
10:25but this little beauty is almost a quarter of a century old.
10:28Right.
10:29Come on.
10:30However, underneath,
10:32it's aged about as well as these two.
10:36Wow.
10:37Oh, and let's have a quick look at the front of here,
10:39at the moving components.
10:40Oh, the suspension, the springs,
10:41the callipers, everything is absolutely...
10:43not just surface rust,
10:44it's actually deep, ground-in, horrible rot.
10:49Yes, it might not look too bad at first glance,
10:52but there's a couple of real whoppers standing between the boys
10:55and Lily's beloved car being back on the road.
10:59First up, the engine issue.
11:01The SLK's power plant was cutting edge at the turn of the century,
11:04but so were downloadable ringtones,
11:06and look how well they've aged.
11:08So, is this the return of the millennium bug
11:10or a good old-fashioned nuts and bolts problem under the bonnet?
11:15Then there's the folding roof.
11:17Tim's so adamant about its importance to the world of automotive engineering
11:21that fuzz is leaving him to it.
11:24So, will it just need a software update, or is something more sinister at play?
11:29Finally, the suspension.
11:31Currently, the SLK's springs and shocks are groaning louder than Fuzzy's knees
11:36after a long day in the workshop.
11:39So, it's going to need some brand new kit on all four corners.
11:43And if they do manage to complete all of that,
11:46it's going to need a full respray and original deep black paint to cap it off.
11:51But, before the team can get to work on that rotten bodywork,
11:54Fuzz needs to work out why the engine's currently refusing to boot up.
11:58I mean, we know it's an on-runner, but why?
12:02I think we need to get some electronic assistance on this.
12:06And, since he thinks Bluetooth is something that requires a trip to the dentist,
12:11he's called in some tech support.
12:13Welcome to the 21st century.
12:15And here to help us, we have John, who has brought in some specialist equipment
12:19so that we can try and diagnose whether we have an electrical fault
12:25that's preventing the engine from working.
12:27So, where are we at with it right now?
12:30Well, first hunch will be this unit here.
12:32Okay, so what's that in there?
12:34There's five relays inside of here.
12:36So, the relays are like a remote switch.
12:38So, rather than having power going all the way through your switches in the dashboard,
12:43you just get the major power going through those.
12:45And they switch on and off when needed.
12:48Yeah, okay, cool.
12:49So, what can we do to check that out?
12:52We can plug it back in and we can physically hold the relays over.
12:55Okay.
12:56And see if we get any comms.
12:58Hey, maybe we're going to get an almost instant win out of this.
13:02Problem solved.
13:03Happy days.
13:04After all these years, you'd think he'd know better.
13:07So, John's going to bypass the module's automatic relays
13:11by manually flipping the switches one by one.
13:14Hopefully, bringing the car's systems back to life.
13:17Right, what have we got?
13:19I think this one will be the horn.
13:20Yeah.
13:22This will be, I think the fuel pump.
13:25Yeah.
13:26Well, something's struck up there.
13:28We've got some comms with the engine ECU now,
13:30but still nothing with the transmission and nothing with the ABS.
13:35So, John's going to replace the faulty module with a new one.
13:38But, will it do the job?
13:42Right, let's see, er, let's see how we go.
13:45Give it a try.
13:47I don't hold that much hope.
13:50We're here.
13:51We've got a runner.
13:53Problem solved.
13:55Ah, happy days.
13:57So, while Fuzz comes to terms with the fact a computer just did most of his job,
14:04Tim's off having a smashing time.
14:08As he demonstrates the history behind how Mercedes created their game-changing metal roof.
14:14Look at it!
14:16Using nothing more than an old scrapper he's found in the yard, some power tools and, more than likely, the
14:22first aid kit.
14:24Right, so late 1800s and early cars were basically just open carriages.
14:28There was no roof, there was no covering at all, the horse had gone and they had an engine.
14:33But, there was a problem.
14:37Everyone got soaked.
14:39So, skip forward about another ten years and they brought out this.
14:43So, to stop everyone getting wet, they basically just slapped a massive pram top on top of the car and,
14:49before you know it, you had kind of the first convertible.
14:53But, the thing about this car is that it didn't offer any sort of safety protection at all.
14:58So, the next thing they did was this.
15:03Well, something that looked a little bit like this, called the Laudolette, which was popular in the early to mid
15:0620th century.
15:07The idea was, we're beginning to see metal creeping over the head of the passengers in this car,
15:13but those in the back, well, if they were the VIPs, they could enjoy either the sun with the hood
15:17down,
15:19or have the hood up if it's raining.
15:20But the problem with this thing was it actually, it wasn't structurally sound, they were kind of dangerous.
15:27By the mid 1930s, it was the French who took a crack at the folding hard top problem,
15:33and typically, they did it rather stylishly.
15:39The Peugeot Eclipse, a work of art.
15:42The world's first retractable hard top roof.
15:47Very similar to what I've done to this one, and I'll show you how it worked.
15:50Now, their one was powered, you could press a button.
15:53This one's not quite the same, I haven't had time.
15:55But, similar operation, opening up the boot to create space to put the roof in.
16:00Like that.
16:02There we are.
16:04And then the roof folds back.
16:06Like this.
16:13Like that.
16:15And then the whole lot fits neatly into the boot.
16:19Like that.
16:22Yeah, exactly like that, Tim.
16:24Now, the thing is, the technology was incredible, but the problem was, people didn't want to buy them.
16:29They were overpriced, they were complicated to use, and they only sold a handful.
16:33But what it had said to the world is, there is a need for a retractable metal hard top convertible.
16:40So, while Tim attempts to replicate decades of precision engineering with little more than guesswork and gaffer tape,
16:48Fuzz has discovered John's high-tech solution might have revealed an old-fashioned problem that's more up his street.
16:54I can hear a little bit of bagginess at the front there. I'm wondering whether that is the timing chain.
17:02The timing chain is a bit like the chain on a bike, but instead of turning pedals into wheel movement,
17:08it keeps the engine's valves and pistons perfectly in sync.
17:13As I turn the crank, as you can see, the tool is dropping down.
17:21And if I keep going round, that should start rising again, as the piston goes up the bores.
17:28And that sound that Fuzz heard could be that there's some slack developing in the chain.
17:33And if that's left unchecked, it could jump a tooth on the sprocket, leading to a catastrophic engine failure.
17:40So I'm now releasing the tension on the chain by undoing this, and once I take it out, the chain
17:47should be nice and slack.
17:52Now I've got to be very careful that I do not drop these bolts down inside,
17:57because if I do, then I have to remove all of the front of the engine and the sump.
18:03One false move, and it all goes horribly wrong.
18:09Right, I'm going to use this chain link splitter.
18:13Now the idea is that this pin pushes the link pin out and through.
18:24There we go.
18:26One of the link pins out.
18:30Right, there we go.
18:33And what I'm going to do is I'm going to draw the new chain through using the old chain as
18:38I turn the crankshaft.
18:40Yes, with a little glamorous assistance from Daryl, the two chains could be joined together and then gently fed around
18:47the crankshaft.
18:49Now, have you sure you've got the tension on that?
18:51Yep.
18:52Until Fuss has both ends of the new one in his midst.
18:57OK, so we are now winding it through.
19:08Thanks, Daryl. I can do it from now. Cheers, mate.
19:12So that's our chain together now.
19:13So what I need to do is reassemble everything and then, well, then we've got to see if it runs.
19:21And that should be one major step closer to Lily's car being back on the road.
19:26Now all it needs is a roof and let's hope he's not planning on fitting that one.
19:32In 1996, Mercedes finally worked out the way of storing the equivalent of all that metal in the boot of
19:42the car.
19:42And although other manufacturers had pulled that off before, it was the boffins at Mercedes who turned it into the
19:49must-have automotive accessory.
19:52What a nut to crack.
19:54And if you doubt me, well, the list of manufacturers that once Mercedes had done it decided to copy were
20:01Peugeot, Lexus, VW, Mazda, Ferrari, McLaren, Vauxhall, Porsche, Chevy, Daihatsu, and the list goes on.
20:09That's how stonking it was.
20:12That's the potted history behind it.
20:14The trouble is that's brought him no closer to working out what's stopping Lily's from moving.
20:20It's that down there. If we just can get a signal to that, that hydraulic pump there will send the
20:26fluids to operate the roof.
20:28But before it says, yes, you can operate the roof, there's like this long handshake going down of every little
20:34sensor,
20:34every microswitch, everything saying, yes, I'm good, I'm good, I'm good, yes, I'm good, we'll operate the roof.
20:40And until he identifies which one's the problem, the roof is staying put.
20:45Ah, I thought it was you. Oi, Tim.
20:48It's not, Tim.
20:49Tim. Right. I need the roof to be working today, okay? This has got to go into the paint shop.
20:55Fuzz, I'm deep in the zone at the moment. I kind of know how this thing works. I'm sorry, it's
21:01not going to be working by the end of the day.
21:03Well, because we cannot paint the roof now, that's going to dictate how we're going to have to put this
21:08car back together.
21:12Tim and Fuzz have taken on this 2001 Mercedes SLK 230, a little roadster with some big memories attached.
21:24It's owned by 35-year-old Lily who inherited the car from her parents, Faye and Bruce, after they both
21:30tragically passed away from cancer.
21:34And if that wasn't heartbreaking enough, Lily's been diagnosed with the disease herself, meaning she's been unable to maintain her
21:42beloved sports car, which has spent more than a year locked away in the garage with a number of serious
21:48faults.
21:48I just want her to be able to make the memories and have memories with it that she's had in
21:53the past.
21:56Since getting their hands on it, the boys have been on a mission to make that dream a reality.
22:02With some technical assistance, Fuzz has tracked down and fixed the electrical gremlin that was stopping the engine from firing
22:08up by fitting a replacement module.
22:12And he's also stuck on a brand new timing chain to ensure things run smoothly well into the future.
22:19Elsewhere, the tired seats and interior have gone off to the specialist trimmers for a deep clean, repair and repaint.
22:27The rotten wheel arches are being cut out and rebuilt.
22:30But it's not all good news. Tim's stumped by the high-tech roof.
22:35And there's the matter of replacing the rusty suspension components.
22:40So, the paint job's on hold.
22:42Right now, Lily believes her car's being sorted by a family friend, but that excuse won't wash forever.
22:49And to pile on the pressure, Matt and Joanne have arrived to inspect progress, or lack of it.
22:57Here it is.
22:57Oh dear.
22:58Oh my God.
22:59It actually looks worse than it did.
23:01You're never going to get it finished.
23:03It's half a car.
23:04We're really close, aren't we, to potential reveal day, and this just looks like a wreck.
23:12We have done work. We've done work on the electronic side of things, but also on the engine.
23:18But the one thing that's letting the side down at the moment is progress on the roof.
23:23Tim has only one job.
23:25And that is the roof.
23:27This is progress.
23:30That is stagnation.
23:33We're going to get the car done.
23:34Yep.
23:34Leave that to us.
23:35Can we talk about Lily?
23:37Yes.
23:37So, we need something big to give her the car back.
23:40What do you guys do in terms of, you know, something which she wouldn't be sus of going to, but
23:47we can bang?
23:48Gigs, theatres, that kind of thing.
23:51Would that be a good opportunity to catch her?
23:53Absolutely.
23:53Yeah.
23:54She wouldn't expect it.
23:57So, with just five days to go before they plan to hand Lily's car back to her, Tim not only
24:03has to find a West End show willing to play host for the big reveal, he's also got to figure
24:09out what's gone wrong with the roof.
24:11And there's only one place left that can help crack that mystery.
24:16You know what?
24:16I've been thinking about this one job I've got to do of fixing the roof on Lily's SLK.
24:21How do we do it?
24:22Where do we go?
24:23How do we make that happen?
24:24And then it suddenly dawned on me, what about here?
24:30Let's hit it.
24:32Yes, one job sure is taking the brat by the verst.
24:36Look at this place.
24:37It's called the cathedral here at Mercedes-Benz Museum.
24:40But look at that.
24:41What even is that?
24:43Yeah, me and you in one now.
24:45Let's do it.
24:45Come on.
24:46He's jumped on a plane direct to the birthplace of Mercedes.
24:52That thing would cost you 12 million squid if you wanted to buy that.
24:56And home of their global headquarters located in the car cradle of Germany.
25:01Oh, wow.
25:03Stuttgart.
25:05That is an absolute treat to see.
25:07The year is 1886.
25:09And this thing, believe it or not, is actually the first car, like ever.
25:14And the top speed of this thing was 10 miles an hour.
25:18And you might notice it's missing something.
25:20Yep.
25:21A roof.
25:22Yes.
25:22A bit like lilies then.
25:251893.
25:25This is the Benz Victoria.
25:27People in the back, they stay nice and dry wet in the front.
25:29Very similar to the multiple.
25:31Let's hope fountain of SLK wisdom, Tobias Wahlberg.
25:35Tobias.
25:35Yes, it's lovely to meet you.
25:37Has the answers Tim so desperately needs.
25:40I mean, it is a wonderful piece of engineering.
25:42When the company makes something like this and they think they've got it,
25:45what sort of testing procedure is that?
25:47The rooftop, they tested it for 20,000 times.
25:50They opened and closed it.
25:5220, what?
25:5220,000?
25:53Yes.
25:54And not one car, but 30 cars they tested.
25:56Well, all they're in a big line doing that.
25:59Exactly.
25:59And when it was successful, the test, then the car went into production and took the customer.
26:04And is that because never until this date has a company managed to make it commercially viable?
26:09So when you were going to release it to the world, it had to work?
26:12Exactly.
26:13This is the reason why.
26:14Was it popular if you walked into a dealer?
26:15Could you just go and buy one like that?
26:17What was the deal?
26:17Of course you can, but you have to wait for two years because the waiting list was so long.
26:22Two years?
26:23Two years, exactly.
26:24In the beginning.
26:25Is it fair to say then that this little teeny weeny car is of huge, scalable significance?
26:31Yes, this is more than fair to say because it was a milestone in the history of Mercedes-Benz.
26:37A small little car, a great success.
26:39But before we go to the roof, let me show you the boot of the car.
26:43The boot?
26:44The boot, yeah.
26:45Come on.
26:45Why do you want to show me the boot of the car?
26:49Right.
26:50So the boot works and the storage space?
26:52Yes.
26:52You got it?
26:53Okay, I've got it.
26:53Okay.
26:54So let's close it.
26:55And now we open the roof.
26:57This is what I've been waiting for.
26:59This is where we go from a hard top coupe into a full convertible.
27:03The windows go down.
27:05Hang on.
27:06Stop.
27:06Stop.
27:07I get why you showed me the boot.
27:09Did you notice that?
27:11Because the boot opened like a normal boot, hinged here by my elbows.
27:14But now the roof's going down somehow.
27:17The engineers have worked that way for it hinging.
27:19What?
27:21Okay.
27:22That's impressive.
27:24It is.
27:26It's a robot.
27:27It's beautiful.
27:29It's like Mercedes-Benz Ballet.
27:31Mercedes-Benz Ballet.
27:33God, that is incredible to see.
27:35And just to check.
27:38It still works.
27:41Right.
27:42Can we talk about Lily's car?
27:44The problem that I've got on that roof.
27:46I have done what I can and I've checked what I can.
27:49But I cannot get it to even start working.
27:52One small detail you may have to check again.
27:55Yeah.
27:57It's related to the ABS.
27:59Anti-lock braking system is for the brakes, right?
28:01That's got nothing to do with the roof.
28:03When the ABS sends a signal to the ECU of the roof,
28:08it needs a speed signal that the car is not running faster than 5 km per hour.
28:14It gets the speed from the ABS.
28:17That signal goes through to some ECU somewhere that goes,
28:20yes, we're below 5 km per hour, allow the roof to go up and down.
28:24Yeah.
28:25But if that speed is not being sent to the ABS, it thinks,
28:29whoa, we might be doing 100 km per hour, do not allow the roof down.
28:33Exactly.
28:34So the ABS, what, control module or what?
28:35I'm confident, yes.
28:37Thank God I came to Germany.
28:39You're welcome.
28:39When was the last time that you had a strange hug from an Englishman?
28:43Sorry about that.
28:44Come here.
28:45Come here.
28:47Seriously.
28:47You don't know what this means to me, man.
28:49Seriously.
28:51Yes, Tim may have made a new special friend and got to the root of the problem,
28:55but now we're just three days before the reveal.
28:58Faz has run out of patience.
29:02Right, Neesmus here, we're so far behind, we need to get this car painted.
29:06So I've been looking online and I've found a solution which uses this.
29:12There's a way of manually raising the roof, apparently.
29:17Yes, when your other tool disappears off to Germany and lets you down,
29:22it's time to swap Tim for Alan.
29:24Alan Key.
29:26Because to get the perfect finish on the paint job,
29:29everything needs to be sprayed at the same time.
29:32All I need to do is undo this here, just to release hydraulic pressure.
29:40Is it going to?
29:42Yeah.
29:44OK.
29:47Ah, yes.
29:48Look at that.
29:49Here we go.
29:50Hold on.
29:51Up it goes.
29:57There we are.
29:57Well, at least now we can get the car painted.
30:02Brilliant.
30:03But we've still got a non-functioning roof.
30:07But hey, that was a useful little tool, wasn't it?
30:12Yes, unlike his partner in crime.
30:15So, with the roof now accessible, the car can take another big leap forward
30:20by heading off to the sprayers for a fresh paint job.
30:23Leaving Fuzz to tackle the final big job.
30:27I'm absolutely delighted that we've got our new suspension components because I want this
30:32Mercedes to look as good underneath as it's going to look on top.
30:37So, all of the original worn out and rust covered components are being replaced.
30:41But before Fuzz dives in, it's time for a quick car SOS crash course on how it all works.
30:48Straight from the walking Haynes manual himself.
30:50What we have on a car is two sorts of weight.
30:54One is sprung weight.
30:56Now, that includes the body shell, the seat, the people inside the car, the engine, the gearbox,
31:04everything that is attached directly onto the body shelf.
31:08All bouncing on this spring.
31:11But then, everything that is below the spring is not sprung.
31:16The wheels, the brakes, the tyres, all of that, it's unsprung.
31:22And that unsprung weight is trouble.
31:25Because when the car hits a bump, all that mass bounces around,
31:29which can make the tyre momentarily lose grip on the road.
31:32Definitely not what you want on your sporty little Mercedes.
31:36Now, there are components that help the unsprung weight stay in contact with the road
31:42so it doesn't bounce around uncontrollably.
31:44Now, the main component there is the shock absorber.
31:51Without the shock absorber, inside the car, very quickly, it might start going a bit green.
31:58It would be like a boat on choppy water.
32:01So, now, there's our shock absorber helping to control the unsprung weight at the bottom,
32:08keeping it in contact via the tyre and the wheel with the road.
32:13Above us, our spring is holding the body and the engine, all those components and others inside the car,
32:22and giving us a nice, smooth ride.
32:34And without all of these components working in unison,
32:38things can get pretty hairy and exciting on the road.
32:42So, now, well, might as well attach these onto the car.
32:48Can't have built it.
32:53The international fully Mercedes-brained playboy returns.
32:57Come on then, Jet Set. Right.
32:59What have you found out?
32:59The ABS.
33:00So, the ABS does the job of sticking the brakes on to stop it sliding, right?
33:04Yeah.
33:05Stop it skidding.
33:06But it has another job, to sense speed.
33:08Yeah.
33:08And if the car thinks, because that's broken, the ABS control module is broken,
33:12it will prevent the roof from going down.
33:15Okay, fantastic.
33:16Right.
33:16So, it's the module.
33:17You reckon it's the module?
33:18I reckon it's the module.
33:19Where is it?
33:19Here.
33:20Go on then.
33:20It's landed.
33:21Where?
33:22Here.
33:22The module's here.
33:23Cool.
33:23The placement module is here.
33:24Right.
33:25Well, nothing has arrived here.
33:26I can tell you, nothing has arrived here.
33:27I've been working around here all day.
33:30So, we are still in the same position.
33:32You had one job.
33:33You've been all that way.
33:34Nah, shut your face.
33:35I'm not listening to that.
33:36And you've come back without it.
33:38But, there's a bigger problem on the horizon.
33:41Tim's lined up a very special West End show to surprise Lily at.
33:45But the tickets she's been sent are for tomorrow.
33:49So, while he crosses his fingers the missing module arrives in time,
33:53the rear axle is ready to be raised back into position.
33:57Oh!
33:59This is literally a balancing act.
34:06Right.
34:07Okay.
34:08We are roughly in position.
34:10So, what we will do now is drop down these arms, insert the rear springs, and start actually doing the
34:21final fixing of this rear axle assembly.
34:24And while Tim's killing time, waiting for the replacement module, Fars has decided to keep him busy with refitting the
34:31interior.
34:32Have a look at these.
34:33So, these have been massively refurbished.
34:36For me, the colour, the smell, the texture of a car is all nostalgia.
34:42And I really hope that when Lily sits in it, she's taken back to some good memories.
34:53That's the first piece to go, right?
34:57We're just fitting the centre console to the car here.
35:00And I want to show you something.
35:02The button to operate the roof.
35:04And look what it is.
35:05It's a mini hardtop.
35:07I mean, it just rubs salt into this wound even more.
35:09Yes, with the team frantically reassembling every nut and bolt, time is running out for Tim's missing module to arrive.
35:17Yeah, hi.
35:18I've got a parcel that was supposed to be delivered today by midday.
35:23Right, let me put it this way.
35:24I absolutely have to get my hands on that today.
35:29Honestly, this is catastrophic for us.
35:38It's at the hub.
35:39The hub?
35:40The hub.
35:41Okay, could you go there?
35:42No.
35:42It's in the hub, in their system somewhere, and I can pay to get it re-delivered.
35:47What do you mean, pay to get it re-delivered?
35:49Possibly to a different location tomorrow.
35:51Where?
35:52To the theatre.
35:53The theatre?
35:55So...
35:55Let me explain.
35:56No, this sounds...
35:57Well, hold on.
35:58That means that we are going to give Lily her car back, and there might be a chance that the
36:05hood is stuck down.
36:07So, while the team burn the midnight oil doing what they can to get Lily's car ready for its West
36:12End debut,
36:13come tomorrow, it might be curtains for Tim.
36:16This is the first time in our history that this has ever been so close to the wire.
36:26It's taken a whopping 700 hours of fault-finding, grinding, repairing and renovating.
36:34And still, the roof's not fixed.
36:38You had one job.
36:40You had one job.
36:42Do you know what?
36:43You had one job.
36:44Yes, and he's not even managed that.
36:47Because reveal day is upon us, and the missing ABS module is still missing.
36:53I've been waiting for this for weeks.
36:56But in true West End fashion, the show must go on.
37:00So, while the boys cross their fingers the courier arrives in time, they're into rehearsal for the big reveal.
37:07It's the DeLorean.
37:08It is the stage at the Adelphi here for Back to the Future.
37:11Lily is coming down here with Matt.
37:13Yes.
37:14There's a matinee today.
37:15She's going to be sitting down there.
37:16She's won a backstage tour, or so she thinks.
37:20Brilliant!
37:20Right at the end.
37:22No, she's not getting the backstage tour.
37:23She's being led up onto the stage where you and I come out here and car SOS her.
37:28That is absolutely fantastic.
37:32So, completely unaware of what's about to happen, Lily's arrived at the theatre ready for the show.
37:39And outside, Great Scott, the missing flux capacitor has arrived.
37:45Tell me if you've got a parcel for us.
37:46I've got a parcel for Mr Shaw.
37:48Mr Shaw?
37:48Yes.
37:49Yes.
37:49Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
37:52Right.
37:52Get it, fit it.
37:53You're a legend.
37:54Thank you very much.
37:55Cheers to you.
37:55Take it easy.
37:56Thank you, Matt.
37:58The question is, will it actually do the job?
38:02I hope you'll forgive me, but I cannot bear to watch on this.
38:05Because I feel just my gaze at it will break it.
38:08The show's reached its big finale.
38:12So, it's now or never.
38:15Please.
38:17Please.
38:18Move.
38:21It's not going to do it.
38:28Hallelujah!
38:30Yes!
38:32Yes!
38:32Yes!
38:34Mate.
38:34If you think I'm giving you a high five now, you've got something else coming.
38:39We've got a car to give back to them.
38:42With the car finally complete, it's over to star of the show, Brian Conley, to turn Lily's
38:48world upside down.
38:50Ladies and gentlemen, we need to now have you at a good time.
38:55I have a confession, I am not really Doc Brown.
39:01I'm not an American, so there you go.
39:04But the reason I come out of character is because we have a very important announcement for
39:07me.
39:08Because you see, backstage right now are two people that think they have won a competition
39:15to have a backstage tour, but they haven't.
39:19They have no idea that I'm going to welcome them onto the stage now, they're called Lily
39:23and Matt.
39:24Where are they?
39:25Lily and Matt!
39:27Yes, Matt!
39:29There's Lily!
39:31You're now on stage, Lily and Matt!
39:34So, Lily, you're probably thinking, why?
39:38Why are we on stage now?
39:39Well, I have two people that will explain why.
39:42Here's where I've got seven files.
39:43There they are.
39:45Hey!
39:45How are you doing?
39:46Have you got a mic?
39:49Hello.
39:49Hello.
39:50How are you doing?
39:51I know this is not what you were expecting at all.
39:52It's lovely to meet you.
39:53My name's Tim and this is Philz and we do a television show called Car SOS.
39:57Yes!
39:57Lovely to meet you.
39:59Now, our television...
39:59Let me explain.
40:01It's all right, it's all good.
40:01Our television show is all about restoring somebody's classic car, somebody who's been
40:05through a tough time, somebody who needs something lovely, needs a break in life.
40:09Now, I know that you very sadly lost both your parents.
40:11We also know that you struggled yourself.
40:13Yeah.
40:14And you struggled with cancer.
40:15Yeah, yeah.
40:16And not only that, but you've beaten it.
40:19Yeah!
40:21So, Lily, we've been waiting to meet you, greatest.
40:24And the car is outside.
40:27So, we'd like...
40:28Tonight, you are where you're going.
40:30You are going to need roads.
40:31Yeah.
40:31You'll be driving home.
40:33Yeah.
40:33In your little SLK.
40:35Yeah, it was my mum.
40:36She loved it, yeah.
40:37I was back on the road.
40:38Can we have a round of applause for Lily and the future?
40:42Thank you very much.
40:43Come on.
40:43Woo!
40:47No peeking, all right?
40:48I've got my eyes...
40:49No peeking, no peeking.
40:51Matt, come on out, come on out.
40:52We're going to walk forward, okay?
40:55I don't know.
40:56I think he is good.
40:57You ready?
40:58Yeah.
40:58Right, if I'm ready.
41:00Are you ready?
41:00Yeah.
41:01Can we have a three, two, one?
41:02In three...
41:04Two...
41:04One!
41:09That is your car.
41:13Look who's here!
41:16You might recognise these guys.
41:22When Lily last saw her treasured SLK, it had been consigned to the garage as a rusting
41:28non-runner with a roof that simply wouldn't budge from the boot.
41:33But with a sprinkle of car SOS magic, the boys have bought it back to the future.
41:39Outside, the rotting wheel arches have been rebuilt, the body resprayed, and just in the
41:45nick of time, the robot roof bought back online.
41:49Inside, every inch of the interior has been cleaned, repaired and repainted to factory
41:55fresh standard.
41:56And under the bonnet, the engine fault is a thing of the past.
42:00So it's ready to hit the open road and create a whole new set of memories.
42:06What's your first memory of this car, Lily?
42:09My favourite memory is something so silly.
42:12We went shopping a couple of weeks after Mum got it.
42:16Yeah.
42:16And I saw our reflection in the supermarket and I was like, we look so cool!
42:27And that's seared into your mind, you can see that.
42:29Forever, yeah.
42:30So what does it feel like to sit in this car now?
42:32You're in the driver's seat.
42:33This is your car.
42:34It's road ready.
42:36OK, that face says it all.
42:38That's brilliant.
42:39You don't need any words to go with that.
42:41No.
42:41We've hung on to it for so long and I was just really worried when Matt told me that Liam
42:47was going to fix it.
42:48OK.
42:48That by the end of it, it would be like, we can't do anything.
42:51And I would have been really sad to see it go.
42:54So this is everything, really.
42:55Yeah.
42:55It's like I'm going to start crying again.
42:59It represents my family.
43:01And the new family I've got as well now.
43:05And how, yeah, it was broken, but it can be fixed.
43:10Yeah.
43:10Like me and my cancer.
43:12This is about a new chapter now.
43:13No, actually, scrap the chapter.
43:14This is a new book.
43:15Absolutely, yeah.
43:17Lily, there's only one thing left to do and that is to give you your keys.
43:21Thank you very much.
43:22To tell you that you've been Car SOS.
43:24Absolutely deserve it.
43:30I never thought that we would get this car driving again.
43:33It literally looks like how it looked when Mum walked it home.
43:37Yeah.
43:37And in all of my wildest dreams, that's exactly how I'd want it to look.
43:42What do you think she'd think if she saw it?
43:44Well, she'd ask for it back immediately.
43:50Why don't we test it?
43:52Let's see if we can get to 88 miles an hour, shall we?
43:54Yeah.
43:56I'll be right back.
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