Just a rant. e300td. MOT. Honesty etc.

[ComfortKing]

I thought I was onto a good buy when I purchased another E300 a nice tidy and surface rust free example, only 145k on the clock and nil advisories on the MOT.
However after two weeks and nearly 1000miles driven the list of problems is growing!
electrical issues, glow plugs need doing, now suspected fuel and oil leaks, funny noises on throttle liftoff...
Even changing the sodding bulb on the headlight requires you to take out half the contents of the engine bay! (yes I know its an exaggeration) It is so infuriating.
Perhaps it just needs a good service? (ALL the filters etc.)
Why do people have to be such screw overs? This bloke has obviously got a mate to put a blank MOT on the car So he can sell it. This isn't the first car I have had where this has been the case. I thought there were rules against this sort of thing? Oh yeah I forget that the rule makers are more bent than a plumbers Ubend...
The day honesty is held in the highest regard is the day that humanity will truly become human.
The few ruin it for the majority, everytime...
It really grinds my gears

Needless to say I will be paying a visit to one of the local indie MB garages to asses the damage. YaY more money to spend!!!

 

[Scott_F]

But apart from that you're really happy with the car ??

 

[Charles Morgan]

Contact VOSA asap and get it re-tested by them.

However, nothing you list is a failure item, and advisories really do depend on the garage doing the test.

 

[a111r]

From a used car dealer or ebay / Gumtree?

18+ year old MBs are seldom bargains if bought cheap...

 

[ComfortKing]

The NSF wheel seems to steer where it wants, surely that is an MOT advisory? Ball Joint or track rod end or something right?
Also low bake pads, inner edge of front tyres bald... these are things which I have found out because I took the car to my local to have the wheels balanced.
Yes I am happy with the car... well I was. It is warm, comfortable and has less issues than my previous w210s.
I thought I was getting a good deal but I am discovering the hard way that these fabled things do not exist!

 

[ComfortKing]

From a used car dealer or ebay / Gumtree?

18+ year old MBs are seldom bargains if bought cheap...

FleeBay
I did spend a good hour and a half checking the car over before even thinking about handing any money over. I just couldnt get it up on a ramp or take the wheels off..

 

[Peter103]

If it looks to good to be true, it probably is.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

How much did you pay for the car?

 

[a111r]

FleeBay
I did spend a good hour and a half checking the car over before even thinking about handing any money over. I just couldnt get it up on a ramp or take the wheels off..

75 % of the cheap-ish, old cars I've bought from ebay (inc. all 6 MBs) were 'bad buys'.
Nothing terminal, though.

Yours sounds like it needs a few hundred spent. If it's really not rusty, then that's no big deal, really.

 

[ExMercTech]

When was the MOT done.
Just checked what's been sold on Fleabay.
Did you get it from Bournemouth?.

 

[brucemillar]

I only have to whisper MOT in the vicinity of my cars for bits to start falling off them. Last week as the tester drove my Pajero onto the test ramp ready for it to sail through its test! BANG. A rear shock snapped on its chassis mounting pin.

 

[flat6buster]

Ooooh you-ll all hate me......But.........An hour and a half to check it over and you didn't have the wheels on lock to check tyre wear at all?

I check cars for as long as my ability allows. That means dents, clonks, tyre wear, really obvious damage. If the thrust capacitor has gone, the thribbety widget bearing disintegrated, well, that's the price I pay for my ignorance.

I would not advertise the fact that I bought a 145,000 mile car and forgot to check tyre wear in an hour and a half inspection. Jeez, even I can do that, and I think I'm clever being able to change a fuse at home.

I now await the flaming.

 

[Flyinspanner]

....that queue behind Callum is growing

Seriously, they sound like 'minor' ish things, as you say maybe with a decent service it will give you sterling service for years, if it's rust free that's most of the battle won.

 

[ComfortKing]

I did check the tyres actually and the front tread was low so I was going to replace them anyway. They are only bald on the inside inch or so.
The rust isnt that bad no and like Flyinspanner said it probably just needs a good service and all filters changing etc and it will give me many more miles of sturdy service.
The car itself has only done a few hundered miles in the last couple of years.
I am no mechanic and have a bad back so I am limited in what to look for and check with a vehicle. I am ignorant in that respect.
Who is Callum?
I tend to assume the worst until proven otherwise, I have it booked in with pentangle next week so we will see how bad it truly is.
I dont agree with people using friends who are MOT testers to shift dodgy cars. That being said I don't really think it is that bad. I guess I just expect humans to be honest and trustworthy.
Not from Bournemouth no somewhere south east near Brighton. only paid 520 for it so am willing to pay for a service and tyres as expected. I just hope that there is nothing too serious hidden under there!
The MOT was done in October 2016.

 

[Rob77]

With an old car, I've found to my cost that often nobody tells you a part is on its way out whether that's during a service or an MOT. So, the first you know of it is when it fails.

I'd take it to a respected place like Olly's for example and get it checked over:

Mercedes Benz & Smart Specialists | Prestige Car Service | Horndean, Hampshire

Then either get him to fix it or get a list of all the problem areas and get them seen to at your favourite/nearest trustworthy garage whenever is convenient/safe.

Then do that every year. That way, you'll see the problems coming before they become emergencies.

 

[Doodle]

I tend to assume the worst until proven otherwise,

....I guess I just expect humans to be honest and trustworthy.

Those 2 statements would appear to be mutually exclusive.

If it was a dodgy ticket to get the car sold, I'd expect it to be brand new (not 2-3 months old) and out of sync with the others (which isn't mentioned?).

MoT testing is notoriously variable, it's not surprising that a 40 minute test misses things that show up after extended usage, moreso if as previously mentioned, some of the faults wouldn't generate a failure ticket.

 

[ComfortKing]

With an old car, I've found to my cost that often nobody tells you a part is on its way out whether that's during a service or an MOT. So, the first you know of it is when it fails.

I'd take it to a respected place like Olly's for example and get it checked over:

Mercedes Benz & Smart Specialists | Prestige Car Service | Horndean, Hampshire

Then either get him to fix it or get a list of all the problem areas and get them seen to at your favourite/nearest trustworthy garage whenever is convenient/safe.

Then do that every year. That way, you'll see the problems coming before they become emergencies.

I was going to take my last w210 to PCS however That one has now gone and I have discovered Pentangle who are a little closer to me (Southampton rather than portsmouth). I am also blown away by their customer service! Found them through the merc forum too.
Which is why I am driving the extra 20 or so miles from my local merc indie to pentangle. My local one lost the business because his attitude was a bit off and was going to charge me an hours labour just for plagging the car into the Star system!

I am not the greatest communicator in the world as I am autistic so I do come across obviously different from "normal".

 

[ComfortKing]

Those 2 statements would appear to be mutually exclusive.

I dont understand what you mean by "mutually exclusive"?
Do you mean they depend on the circumstances?

I see the rest of your point, the MOT's do tie in with the previous years dates. I have been told in the past that it is also down to the discretion of the tester. For example corrosion to the outer casing of a shock may go down as an advisory for one tester but not another.

 

[ComfortKing]

From 2015/2016 MOT.

Advisory notice item(s)
nearside front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)
offside front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)
nearside Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement front bush (2.4.G.2)
offside Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement front bush (2.4.G.2)
offside front Anti-roll bar linkage rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)
chassis corroded in various areas
various parts of suspension corroded
nearside front Shock absorber has slight corrosion to the casing (2.7.2a)
offside front Shock absorber has slight corrosion to the casing (2.7.2a)
nearside rear Shock absorber has slight corrosion to the casing (2.7.2a)
offside rear Shock absorber has slight corrosion to the casing (2.7.2a)

The brake hoses/pipes have obviously been done, as in you can see the entire pipe has been replaced.
However, for all those corrosion advisories to just simply disappear?? With no evidence of the work done (aside from the brake hoses) it sparked my suspicion..

 

[tonysmb]

The problem is that the MOT was over 3 months ago, so you can't even be sure that the tyres are the same ones that were on the vehicle at time of test.

Most of the items you mention aren't Mot items; the steering might be, depending on what the problem is. Whether the fault was there 3 months ago might be difficult to prove.

Was the previous owner advised that various items were okay at time of test but would need attention before the next Mot, who knows?

It's an unfortunate aspect of buying older cars, things deteriorate and many people don't want to spend £500 servicing a car worth £500, not that that helps you.

You might be assuming that the Mot tester knew the owner.