is car worth fixing?

[snoor]

i recently took advantage of a free health check offered by sinclair mercedes in swansea. i didnt need to as ive had the car serviced 6 months ago but thought why not its free. i know that the car is not in very good shape but was a bit surprised when they were done with it and gave the report.

the engine is leaking oil as is the gearbox and the differential. all brake pipes are corroding, and steering bushes are worn.

what i would really like to know is has anyone else had these problems and fixed them? how much are we talking to get fixed?

ill be taking it to a mercedes specialist at the end of april for them to give me quote and will then decide if i should do the work or just enjoy the car for as long as i can.

i think it might help if i tell you guys that the car is a 1990 500sel.

theres another part to this problem but ill post that some other time.

any ideas or comments will be much appreciated. i like this car too much to have to scrap it.

 

[The G.F.P]

your brave to throw money at a car nowadays

id spend it on a newer merc as you have lots of cars

from experience any work you dont do yourself is going to cost a fortune

good luck

 

[Swiss Toni]

i recently took advantage of a free health check offered by sinclair mercedes in swansea. i didnt need to as ive had the car serviced 6 months ago but thought why not its free. i know that the car is not in very good shape but was a bit surprised when they were done with it and gave the report.

the engine is leaking oil as is the gearbox and the differential. all brake pipes are corroding, and steering bushes are worn.

what i would really like to know is has anyone else had these problems and fixed them? how much are we talking to get fixed?

ill be taking it to a mercedes specialist at the end of april for them to give me quote and will then decide if i should do the work or just enjoy the car for as long as i can.

i think it might help if i tell you guys that the car is a 1990 500sel.

theres another part to this problem but ill post that some other time.

any ideas or comments will be much appreciated. i like this car too much to have to scrap it.

Just a consideration should you think about scrapping your SEL...

If the Govt bring in the Scrappage scheme, your car is likely to qualify (being over 9 yrs old) and so could be worth £2000 (maybe £2500?) against a new car.

You may not be in the market for a brand new car, but I guess enough people will be that the value of your Merc will be temporarily boosted - so long as it has a valid MOT and Tax.

 

[nick mercedes]

the engine is leaking oil as is the gearbox and the differential. all brake pipes are corroding, and steering bushes are worn.

As you'd expect from any 1990 car.

Provided it drives well and you like it, I'd not worry about any of it.

These health checks are designed to find work...

 

[lynall]

I would agree with Nick how long ago was the mot?, if nothing was mentioned then dont worry
If its due stick it in and see what if anything it fails on.



Lynall

 

[Dieselman]

These health checks are designed to find work...

Absolutely. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

I always wondered whether anybody ever fell for this stunt, but at least you now have had a good free inspection of your car.

 

[Bill_33]

We spend half of our time in France.

MOTs are every two years in France and there is no Road tax.
If it gets thru the MOT and you ENJOY driving the car just keep going.

You should see what the French drive around in - many could not care at all about the external appearance, they are only concerned that the car runs.

We, (most), Brits have to have immaculate paintwork and as near to "new" as possible - I am one of them, but when my French neighbour sees me with a "touch" up brush etc., he just cannot understand my mentality as he never really notices the dints and scratches on his new Renault.

 

[PJayUK]

There isn't such a thing as true value really these days, only what the car is worth to you, and what you consider appropriate to invest in it. I have never really worried about the perceived value of any car I have owned I prefer to judge its worth on how much I enjoy it and what I am prepared to spend on maintaining it.

In other words if you can afford to repair it and feel that you want to continue driving the car then thats is a reasonable argument to do so.

 

[popuptoaster]

Just ignore it all, mine 34 years old and has worn bushes and leaks a bit of oil and still keeps going, oil under the car will stop it going rusty, mines used half a litre of oil in about 2000 miles so its not like its falling out of it everywhere. bushes can be repleced either when you have somer spare cash or when they finally give up and start clonking.

 

[PJayUK]

And the 500SEL is a fantastic car!!

 

[kwakdonut]

We spend half of our time in France.

MOTs are every two years in France and there is no Road tax.
If it gets thru the MOT and you ENJOY driving the car just keep going.

You should see what the French drive around in - many could not care at all about the external appearance, they are only concerned that the car runs.

We, (most), Brits have to have immaculate paintwork and as near to "new" as possible - I am one of them, but when my French neighbour sees me with a "touch" up brush etc., he just cannot understand my mentality as he never really notices the dints and scratches on his new Renault.[/quote]

It's called 'pride' something, at times, we seem to seriously lack in this country! A lot of us spend considerable time and money on our PAJ's - where others only see them as a means of transport.

Us Brits are an eccentric lot!

 

[nickcc101]

I would get the safety items fixed, brake pipes etc, as the last thing you need is a serious accident in a car that has been classed as unsafe. Get a second opinion from someone that won't benefit from the cost of the repairs.

 

[Dieselman]

I would get the safety items fixed, brake pipes etc, as the last thing you need is a serious accident in a car that has been classed as unsafe.

If the pipes were dodgy, they would have been picked up at MOT time, even if only for an advisory.

Best to go under with a soft wire brush and some rustproofing wax, then forget them.

 

[snoor]

thanks for all the replies , out of all the cars in the drive, the benz is my absolute favorite. i bought the lexus back in november as an everyday car and it is nice but even that doesn't compare to the benz. at the time i test drove the new 5 series bm and the 3 series also a t5 volvo s60, although they were good they were missing something. but anywayz.

back to the 500sel. i'll be taking it to a mercedes specialist at the end of next month for the second opinion i get all my serviceing done by these guys so will keep things posted. also i think i may have found a donor car but cant seem to get a hold of the guy selling. if the miles are low and engine and gearbox are good i'm thinking of a transplant.

personally i think engine is good i only need to top up oil once a year after servicing approx evry 6 months then inc serv. however as for the gearbox i think it is slipping, when stopped ant lights or just idleing on start theres a sidwards jerk in the car. but it calms down after a while.

mot was done in october and the brake line have come up as an advisory in the last two mots only other thing to come up was the rust. so will prob change the brake lines next month. reason i havent done anything about brakes in two years is because since ive had car (approx 4 years ) only done 4000 miles max.

and youre very true, my car is my pride and i go mental if i find any new scratches on my cars. ive got a post in the body section as well, trying to find part numbers so any help will be much appreciated.

once again thanks to all i'll see what happens next month and let you all know.