W124 4MATIC Estate

[mj2k]

W124 4Matic Estate (oops, v old ad!)

Bonhams : 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300TE 4Matic Estate Chassis no. WDB124 2902F102640 Engine no. 10398522006813

...Erm, looks like that was a Bonhams glitch, the car actually sold in 2011

Oh well, wonder if it's claim to be the last working 4Matic in the UK was true?

 

[brucemillar]

Oh well, wonder if it's claim to be the last working 4Matic in the UK was true?

Most certainly not. I know of mine and Syncropaddy's (on here) that are both fully working and (I would say in better nick) than that one. Take a look in my album (see below)

 

[Charles Morgan]

An example of auctioneers dedication to factual statements

" the expertise of W124 marque specialist Nick Froome at Riverdale Cars, Brighton, a factory-approved Mercedes-Benz workshop"

One, it's Rivervale. Two, the last time I looked Nick does not and has not worked for Rivervale and runs his own business W124.

Why you should never buy from auction unless it's really cheap lesson 617

 

[brucemillar]

Never, ever let the facts, or the truth, get in the way of a potential sale.

 

[Doodle]

Given the inaccuracies at the beginning of the section, odds on Nick actually having made that statement as reproduced, without any misquotation, interpretation or embellishment on Bonhams' part?

 

[wemorgan]

Much cheaper 300TE 4Matic have been available only a few years ago

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/spotted-ebay/192711-mercedes-300te-4matic-w124-sale-1992-a.html

 

[Charles Morgan]

Possibly because it needed a full restoration and had a problem with the 4matic?

There's a world of difference between cars like Bruce's and the one in the Bonhams auctions and the ones in need of a lot of work that you can pick up for very little.

Nick mentioned that 4matic had been restored at vast cost using mostly new parts sourced from Mercedes and that some had taken forever to turn up as they were so rare. He did not restore it though (again that statement is wrong) and I think I recollect it might have been John Haynes, but could be very wrong.

 

[brucemillar]

Syncropaddy's (Alan) on here has beauty, that has a great provenance. There is also another that was owned by Amy Winehouse that is about (I think on the FB page)

 

[Sjmw]

300te 4 - coupe&cabriolet

This one looks nice. I don't know the dealer or if that's a fair price

 

[mj2k]

Most certainly not. I know of mine and Syncropaddy's (on here) that are both fully working and (I would say in better nick) than that one. Take a look in my album (see below)

Mmm, yours definitely is lovely

I get the feeling 4Matics are going to become something of a museum piece if they really are that difficult to keep running, so hope you keep on using yours for many years

Of course if they do become museum pieces, it won't really matter if the 4Matic works or not, as long as it's intact. Oh, the irony.

 

[mj2k]

Much cheaper 300TE 4Matic have been available only a few years ago

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/spotted-ebay/192711-mercedes-300te-4matic-w124-sale-1992-a.html

Yeah, looked at that thread earlier. Wonder what became of it? The new owner only made 1 post.

 

[gunning]

300te 4 - coupe&cabriolet This one looks nice. I don't know the dealer or if that's a fair price

The guy who runs coupe and cab Richard is a very nice guy indeed. Preps his cars extremely well and it's his passion/ hobby so he won't sell junk.... I expect any TE he has is spot on.

 

[grober]

Problem with the 4 matic in the UK was that due to their rarity dealers hated 'em.:fail For their time they were pretty complex bits of engineering and needed dedicated test boxes to fully check out their systems. Without adequate training and familiarity of workshop staff the many checks necessary to keep them running would often lead to problems. Things weren't helped by design faults - in particular in the transfer case and steering angle sensors in the early models. I imagine that faults were on a par with todays complex electronic laden models but if you remember this was the era of the bullet proof w126,w124,190 2WD models this did not play well with customers. So much so that when Mercedes developed a new simpler 4matic system in the later models it was decided not to offer the new 4matic in RHD ------ Till very recently! Judging by the numerous GLC threads it would appear MB UK have yet to throw off the 4matic ghost that continues to haunt them.

 

[Darrell]

I always thought they were lhd only.

 

[grober]

No the W124 4MATIC was available in RHD and LHD from the off. In contrast to the later 4matic system the forward propshaft ran from the central transfer box to the front differential on the nearside of car [ RHD] Rumoured that this was because it was inspired by the JENSEN FF system although there were many detailed design differences.

 

[brucemillar]

The sad thing is with lot of the 4-Matics, was that once the 4-Matic system developed a fault? Lot's of owners, perhaps wrongly, assumed this would demand extensive funds to put right. They would disconnect the 4-Matic, in any way that they could to avoid spending money.

The reality was that most of the issues were possibly down to a lack of routine maintenance. The hydraulics did/do require the correct amount of the proper spec fluid. Running the car low on fluid (usually the result of a simple leak) would result in damage. The system itself has an ECU that will deliver blink codes and offers up a flashing dashboard light if it is not (for almost any reason) happy. That could be as simple as simple as an under-inflated tyre or as complex as a failed transfer box.

Anybody who drives 4WD machines will know that, not a great deal has changed over the years in terms of the physics that these systems rely on to determine they are operating correctly. We may have more sophisticated computers and sensors etc. But they are still looking at the same old parameters.

Low fluids and low tyre pressures give the same issues today as they did 30 years ago.

As a vehicle they really are fabulous things to own and drive. They have a timeless appearance that still draws admiring looks and conversation. The 7 seat option is not just a seat stuck in the boot, the rear of the car was engineered to accommodate it safely. The roof rails, that look decorative, are actually structural and load bearing. The seats were designed to lie completely flat and be locked in that position, allowing for a massive load area.

Being a 124, they were incredibly over engineered, with the achilles heel of all 124's being rust. If you can get a rust free one, you are onto a winner.

Biased I am.

 

[mj2k]

The sad thing is with lot of the 4-Matics, was that once the 4-Matic system developed a fault? Lot's of owners, perhaps wrongly, assumed this would demand extensive funds to put right. They would disconnect the 4-Matic, in any way that they could to avoid spending money.

...

Being a 124, they were incredibly over engineered, with the achilles heel of all 124's being rust. If you can get a rust free one, you are onto a winner.

Biased I am.

I bet back in the 90s when they were about 5-6 years old many traders 'fixed' the flashing light by disconnecting it. And I bet the odd one or two ended up with totally mangled transmission after new owners drove them for x thousand miles without realizing there was anything wrong.

Can't fault your logic on the W124 front, I owned a 300TD auto estate on about 120k (though it was a bit too unwieldy around town for me) and I've just bought a 'barn find' (or is it 'basket case') 250 diesel saloon on 300k to recommission / swear at

 

[mj2k]

Just found a 4matic 300E in Ireland for £995!

https://www.gumtree.com/p/mercedes-benz/1986-mercedes-w124.-300e-4-magic-4x4-needs-tidied/1220007997

Looks like it's pretty darned rusty and it's described as a '4Magic' but might give some good parts to someone, or a nice long-term project.

 

[a111r]

"4Magic". You chop it in half.... drum roll... both axles appear to be still motive.