Clocked S124?

[Sorry Pete]

Okay, so I heard that all the numbers on the odometer should line-up nice and straight on an MB, if not then it's likely to have been clocked. I'm thinking of seeing an 1992 S124 230TE that has 89K miles on the clock.

I know low mileage ones do turn up occasionally, and I'll be judging the car on its condition, proof of being well serviced etc, but I don't want to pay a premium for a clocked example, obviously.

So, should the numbers line-up perfectly? The 8, the following 3, and 8 look out of alignment. I'd really appreciate some feedback, have a look at the dash:

[/IMG]

 

[312 Sprinter]

Have you checked its MOT history by going online? You need the current MOT number or the logbook number to do it. It is free. I'd expect low mileage to be backed up by documentation.

Check your vehicle's MOT status and history online : Directgov - Motoring

 

[stwat]

It may be because it's not far off from turning over another 10.000 miles.

The 190's do it and also when about to turn over another 1000 miles. They all line up perfectly again after a few miles though.

 

[Will]

Looks fine to me. At 89.8k miles, it's just starting to wind up for the big '90k' moment in 162 miles time. Once it's passed 90k and a few to settle down it should all start to line up again

 

[c2raig]

My W124 was on 97695 or something when I bought it, it was slightly wonky until it turned 98k, the same when it went over to 99k.

 

[Sorry Pete]

Wow, what a response at this time on a Sat night! That it's just about to click over another 10K didn't occur to me.

I was aware of the Mot test db, and I'm sure to use it when I see the V5 and a current MOT.

Cheers guys, I'm sure to let you know if I take the bait.

 

[219]

I fell foul of this when I bought my 300TE-24 from a breakers yard 'for spares or repairs' : it was showing something like 180K on the clock , but ran beautifully , felt really taut , bodywork was good - so I bought it . It went through an MOT needing only a brake pipe .

It was only when I dropped into Merparts ( a local Indy I buy parts from and get helpful advice from time to time ) that Stef looked at the car and told me the mileage was wrong ! He had known the car when he still worked at the dealership and it had done 'well over 200K' when he last worked on it seven years earlier . Since I had by then received the V5 back and had the address of the one previous owner , I went to see if he had any paperwork - the car had been registered to a company director and had been run as his company car . There was no paperwork but I found out the car had been bought new from MB Glasgow and serviced there ever since . Since I knew the guys in the parts dept pretty well , I went in and asked about it - they all knew the car and said it had had 'everything' done to it ! They rang round to the service desk then said if I went round , showing the V5 and ID they would print out the service history . The history file ran to several pages , showing mileages from almost zero up to 380,000 , at which point a genuine new engine had been fitted due to high oil consumption , with an invoice for a little over six grand and mention of 'goodwill' on the same line ( I wonder what the full cost of an M104 is ? ) . Shortly after that , the mileages went back to 123K (with a note about the speedo head being replaced) then continued up to the 180k showing at the time !

Although I could never know the true mileage - there was evidence of at least 430K !
Due to the no expense spared maintenance , though , the condition of the car and the way it drove fully belied the mileage . I also was told that the owner had retired and had at that point ( about two months before I bought it ) traded it in for a new SL . I subsequently met him at the dealership , he came over and spoke to me when he saw his old car , and enthused about what a great car it was , and that he only traded it because he was retiring ; the dealer had sent it to auction and the scrappy bought it there . I was very lucky to walk in when it had just arrived and before anything was removed .

This just goes to show that you can never be sure of mileages without proper documentation , there was nothing untoward about the odometer as it was a replacement unit that had not been tampered with , and that high mileage in itself is nothing to be scared of as long as the car has been properly looked after .

Far from being annoyed , or feeling that I had been in some way conned , I was highly impressed by the vast mileage and regarded it as something to be proud of .

It is ironic that after it survived all those miles on the road , the car was written off in my drive when an uninsured driver demolished my garden wall and sandwiched the car against my kitchen wall .

 

[MD5]

I thought the steering wheel looks a bit smooth, tbh?

 

[Sorry Pete]

Ah Pontoneer, so that was the one that met it's fate in your driveway. In almandine iirc? I recall the 'after' pics and I certainly wouldn't have thought it had that huge mileage under it's belt.

I'm not afraid of high mileages per se, I simply don't want to be duped into paying over the odds for something that's claiming it isn't. Actually, at the price bracket I'm looking at, it's neither here nor there. I haven't driven a great many cars in my time, though I think I should be able to pick-up on anything untoward on a test drive. I view it on Monday.

 

[jaymanek]

As above, that is perfectly normal for the numbers to go off when coming over to the next 10K.

 

[Sorry Pete]

So, after a round trip of 600 miles to view the car, in Bury just north of Manchester, I can confirm:

1. Cars look better in the pictures than in the flesh.
2. FSH described as "a stack like the yellow pages" means different things to different people
3. Air con's described as "blowing ice cold" means different things to different people
4. 89k miles on the POS I viewed meant absolutely f.a.

If you're in for a cheap, pearl grey S124 230te in Bury, save yourself the effort and leave it for the scrapper. I used it as a bit of a familiarisation exercise and some practice for looking at cars. I knew within 30 seconds I wasn't going to buy it, but did have a thorough poke about.

Here's the charge-sheet:

2 new front wings, well fitted, poor colour match, lacquer peeling. Front grille chrome beginning to rust. Both ns doors having seemingly been cleaned with brillo pads and jif (sorry Cif) at some point. Ditto the rear bumper. Dog hair all over the seats, and a medley of vibrantly coloured, scented trees adorning the rear view mirror, just aided in making the interior a putrid place to be. NSF door trim all askew.
Air con pulley bypassed. 3 corners of the lenses cracked and mossy. ALL 4 road springs corroded, and rear brake lines corroded (gleaned from the MOT advisories sheet). Front windshield with advanced delamination. Rainbows of oil in the expansion tank. And yes MD5, what I had assumed was a leather steering wheel, was in fact a textured moulded plastic steering wheel, with all the texture worn off.

FSH consisted of a grubby handful of bills dating from pre-2001. It had been well looked after at some point, with a huge service sheet from a reputable Wimbledon indie garage. A fully stamped service book ending at 70 odd thousand miles in 2002, and a current MOT with advisories sheet.

I didn't bother to start it. In its favour, it was practically rust-free: none whatsoever under the jacking point covers, and slight bubbling on the lower cargo window edges, viewed from the inside, the same on the tops of 2 of the door frames.

On the plus side, it gave me the opportunity to give the SL a nice blast before she goes back into hibernation. I fitted the hard-top, for the first time in 3 years and it makes a huge difference to off-line acceleration. I've decided to keep it, at least till next year.

The hunt for a sound pre-1994, sub £1500 S124 continues...

 

[d w124]

Sorry to hear about,I know exactly how you feel
I did 600 miles 3 yrs ago,to have the very same problem
What do you mean pre 94?Do you mean prefacelift?

 

[OneCarefulOwner]

The hunt for a sound pre-1994, sub £1500 S124 continues...

Does it *have* to be pre-facelift? ...

 

[Sorry Pete]

What do you mean pre 94?Do you mean prefacelift?

I'm not actually too peeved by the trip. Like I said, it's all just a bit of experience at giving a car a once-over. What does grind a bit, is that I asked specific questions eg. does the A/c blow cold, and I got bare faced lies down the phone. I knew the car wasn't going to be perfect, but far from being a useable workhorse, this was ready for the scrap heap.

I'm looking for a pre-facelift car. I know there are 220 TE's that are pre-facelift and that would be ideal. A 300 TD would also fit the bill. It means I'll have to sell my current 300D, which I'm loath to do, as I know I'll not find one better.

 

[Sorry Pete]

Does it *have* to be pre-facelift? ...

Hi OCO, erm, yes. There are a few reasons; losing my garage in the move, and having just got a few other insurance quotes, a 220TE isn't viable either. For some maddening reason, a 220TE is almost double the insurance compared to a same-year 230TE.

I might be a bit old-school on this, but something changed with the whole company after the heritage grilles were ditched.

 

[219]

Ah Pontoneer, so that was the one that met it's fate in your driveway. In almandine iirc? I recall the 'after' pics and I certainly wouldn't have thought it had that huge mileage under it's belt.

Yes , that's the one .

As bought

That fateful day

 

[Scott_F]

A terrific find in a scrapyard - a case of right place right time.

 

[219]

At least she missed the 190E !

 

[c2raig]

JESUS WEPT.

I'm glad, at times like this, I live in a Cul-de-Sac, both in the UK and France.

 

[finisterre]

What a sad story and it must have been extremely aggravating..

On the bright side it kept the uninsured out of your kitchen.