MBLover
New Member
Hi,
I recently bought this car as the body is in immaculate condition and the previous owner said it was in excellent mechanical condition (however this is not the case).
I took it to the mechanic the next day to have it checked out and he found a few problems which he didnt think was a big concern.
I wonder if you could give me an idea of what could cause these problems to either put my mind at rest or let me know if I should try and repair what is faulty.
1) The thermostat has been removed, and the coolant is very dirty and rusty, there is no presence of antifreeze. The radiator was redone and has a sticker on it, but I know the company very well and they would not have released the vehicle without antifreeze. This leads me to believe that the vehicle has had over heating problems and the coolant has been replaced with plain water over some period. Why would someone remove the thermostat if this makes the car less economical and also causes overheating? I have yet to test the aux fans and their sensors (on radiator and a/c receiver bottle I assume), and possibly clutch fan). I wonder if they didnt remove the thermostat because one of these problems might be present. I am not sure it is actually removed, but the mechanic confirms it is not working but hasnt opened the housing. I havent heard of a thermostat that gets stuck in the open position either.
The car however does not overheat though in city driving, freeway driving at high speed does raise the temperature even after extended periods to just under the line I imagine would represent 100C. When you put the heater on, it does not seem very effective. Could that be due to low running temps of 60C or likely be the aux water pump. (when will the aux water pump turn on and off?)
2) What are the chances the head could be gone? It drives really nice and has plenty of power (easily drops a Golf TDi without effort)
3) Valve seals suggested to be replaced at some stage, mechanic says its no big deal and to check the oil periodically. It only makes a little blue smoke (barely noticeable) for a few seconds after very hard driving (say 180km/h for a few mins on the freeway)
3) Vibration at certain speeds/revs only, thinking propshaft center bearing or universals as the chassis vibrates, not a wheel.
4) There appears to be some oil ( or rather I think fluid) but the power steering is quiet. I am thinking this might have to do with the auto-leveling suspension (rear only). Could that be the pump leaking? Does the powersteering pump control both the leveling or is there a seperate pump on this model? I noticed the big "dump" tank was empty and I refilled it with the wrong fluid which the mechanic is going to flush.
I am wondering if the system is still active or if the shocks have been replaced which such do not have the hydraulic leveling capabilities, but I havent had the car since I bought it a week ago to verify this.
The shock (possibly) mounting makes a thud noise at times and am told this might be stabilisers, but I now also am considering this might be due to a changeover of shocks that dont work with auto-leveling as I believe they wont fit correctly.
Do these leveling systems give much trouble, and what should I look for. Cost of repair approximately?
5) The gearbox skips 3rd gear. It launches in 2nd gear which I am told is normal for this box, but then revs quite high before changing into fourth. The mechanic thinks it might be something small like a "switch box" as if you manually shift into 3rd it changes fine to that gear, but will not do so in when Drive is selected.
Also how does one make the vehicle launch in 1st gear, or rather, when would the car "know" to use 1st gear - I dont believe it used first gear in the short time I drove it.
I have a very steep driveway, and stopping at the steepest part, releasing the brake, the car does not roll back at all. How does the topograprical sensor work, or how does it achieve this.
6) On cold startup, the revs go to about 1200-1500 approximately for a short while and then come down to maybe 700-800rpm - is that normal?
As the engine performs very well even with a little oil leaking from the usual places, the mechanic is not concerned with a head problem and intends to do the following to the car.
Find problem with gearbox this coming week.
Flush cooling system and replace with proper coolant.
Replace thermostat (assuming it has one) else install new one.
Sort out prop vibration and shock / stabiliser noise if applicable.
Should I insist he do a chemical test to see if head was damaged? There is no white smoke, no sign of oil in water or vice versa.
Should i insist he check the sensors and full operation of the aux fans including relay etc?
Should i also insist he repair the self leveling suspension if the parts exist on the car and fix the pump if it is a problem - could this be very expensive?
Lastly, if the gear stick is placed in 2, is that second gear only or 1+2?
and in 3 is that 3rd gear only, or 2+3?
It looks like I may have bought a lemon, or rather something that will need some work. Mechanic took it for the roadworthy test and it passed fine.
Please offer any advice you may have. I am new to MB though have always loved this particular car, though I might have been a bit hasty to buy to it without proper investigation.
Thank you in advance for your contributions.
Mileage is 267000 Km's or 166000 Miles
I recently bought this car as the body is in immaculate condition and the previous owner said it was in excellent mechanical condition (however this is not the case).
I took it to the mechanic the next day to have it checked out and he found a few problems which he didnt think was a big concern.
I wonder if you could give me an idea of what could cause these problems to either put my mind at rest or let me know if I should try and repair what is faulty.
1) The thermostat has been removed, and the coolant is very dirty and rusty, there is no presence of antifreeze. The radiator was redone and has a sticker on it, but I know the company very well and they would not have released the vehicle without antifreeze. This leads me to believe that the vehicle has had over heating problems and the coolant has been replaced with plain water over some period. Why would someone remove the thermostat if this makes the car less economical and also causes overheating? I have yet to test the aux fans and their sensors (on radiator and a/c receiver bottle I assume), and possibly clutch fan). I wonder if they didnt remove the thermostat because one of these problems might be present. I am not sure it is actually removed, but the mechanic confirms it is not working but hasnt opened the housing. I havent heard of a thermostat that gets stuck in the open position either.
The car however does not overheat though in city driving, freeway driving at high speed does raise the temperature even after extended periods to just under the line I imagine would represent 100C. When you put the heater on, it does not seem very effective. Could that be due to low running temps of 60C or likely be the aux water pump. (when will the aux water pump turn on and off?)
2) What are the chances the head could be gone? It drives really nice and has plenty of power (easily drops a Golf TDi without effort)
3) Valve seals suggested to be replaced at some stage, mechanic says its no big deal and to check the oil periodically. It only makes a little blue smoke (barely noticeable) for a few seconds after very hard driving (say 180km/h for a few mins on the freeway)
3) Vibration at certain speeds/revs only, thinking propshaft center bearing or universals as the chassis vibrates, not a wheel.
4) There appears to be some oil ( or rather I think fluid) but the power steering is quiet. I am thinking this might have to do with the auto-leveling suspension (rear only). Could that be the pump leaking? Does the powersteering pump control both the leveling or is there a seperate pump on this model? I noticed the big "dump" tank was empty and I refilled it with the wrong fluid which the mechanic is going to flush.
I am wondering if the system is still active or if the shocks have been replaced which such do not have the hydraulic leveling capabilities, but I havent had the car since I bought it a week ago to verify this.
The shock (possibly) mounting makes a thud noise at times and am told this might be stabilisers, but I now also am considering this might be due to a changeover of shocks that dont work with auto-leveling as I believe they wont fit correctly.
Do these leveling systems give much trouble, and what should I look for. Cost of repair approximately?
5) The gearbox skips 3rd gear. It launches in 2nd gear which I am told is normal for this box, but then revs quite high before changing into fourth. The mechanic thinks it might be something small like a "switch box" as if you manually shift into 3rd it changes fine to that gear, but will not do so in when Drive is selected.
Also how does one make the vehicle launch in 1st gear, or rather, when would the car "know" to use 1st gear - I dont believe it used first gear in the short time I drove it.
I have a very steep driveway, and stopping at the steepest part, releasing the brake, the car does not roll back at all. How does the topograprical sensor work, or how does it achieve this.
6) On cold startup, the revs go to about 1200-1500 approximately for a short while and then come down to maybe 700-800rpm - is that normal?
As the engine performs very well even with a little oil leaking from the usual places, the mechanic is not concerned with a head problem and intends to do the following to the car.
Find problem with gearbox this coming week.
Flush cooling system and replace with proper coolant.
Replace thermostat (assuming it has one) else install new one.
Sort out prop vibration and shock / stabiliser noise if applicable.
Should I insist he do a chemical test to see if head was damaged? There is no white smoke, no sign of oil in water or vice versa.
Should i insist he check the sensors and full operation of the aux fans including relay etc?
Should i also insist he repair the self leveling suspension if the parts exist on the car and fix the pump if it is a problem - could this be very expensive?
Lastly, if the gear stick is placed in 2, is that second gear only or 1+2?
and in 3 is that 3rd gear only, or 2+3?
It looks like I may have bought a lemon, or rather something that will need some work. Mechanic took it for the roadworthy test and it passed fine.
Please offer any advice you may have. I am new to MB though have always loved this particular car, though I might have been a bit hasty to buy to it without proper investigation.
Thank you in advance for your contributions.
Mileage is 267000 Km's or 166000 Miles
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