Mercedes w124 pre sales checks?
Charles Morgan
MB Enthusiast
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That's West London - pop it up to Wayne Gates in Harrow who can put it on a ramp, or ask Nick Froome of W124 if he'll do a visual inspection.
I've found this lot....Car Inspections The UKs Car Inspection & Appraisal Company
Charles Morgan
MB Enthusiast
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Complete waste of money - get someone who knows the cars inside out to have a look.
jdrrco
MB Enthusiast
Agree. Contact Wayne instead, not far away and a proper expert.
Thanks for the advice.... Wayne Gates in harrow...
Charles Morgan
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See post 5
grober
MB Master
A few thoughts on W124 pre-sales checks. First the advice to get a Mercedes specialist familiar with the W124 model- important detail this- not all are! is the best option as already emphasised. That said if folks are looking at a series of cars rather than one in particular professional inspection may begin to get a bit pricy. So whats involved in DIY inspection- well basically the best approach is to emulate the pros.
1. Do your research first- there is a wealth of information out there on forums like this listing what to look for.
2.Test drive the vehicle and make sure you start the car from cold to test the engine fueling systems adequately
3.Examine the car from underneath with an inspection lamp up on a ramp [ this is where the pros always have an advantage]
4. Check the cars documentation for history/service/ownership continuity [this is a pre digital era car so there should be some paperwork-- which should run up to the present day- a fat wallet of MB services stopping in the 90's is not enough]
5. Expect faults- these cars ceased production in 1996 after all- But this should not necessarily be a deal breaker as long as its factored into the price.
6. Know your market [ autotrader,piston heads,ebay] to find realistically priced cars- as these cars become "classics" there's a tendency to overprice them.
7. look at lots of cars don't confine yourself to just one-this way you will get a feel for the market.
8. And one "off the wall" tip always look at who is selling the car as well as the car itself- honest people tend to send honest cars.
Once you find "that car" then maybe that's the time for the professional inspection.
1. Do your research first- there is a wealth of information out there on forums like this listing what to look for.
2.Test drive the vehicle and make sure you start the car from cold to test the engine fueling systems adequately
3.Examine the car from underneath with an inspection lamp up on a ramp [ this is where the pros always have an advantage]
4. Check the cars documentation for history/service/ownership continuity [this is a pre digital era car so there should be some paperwork-- which should run up to the present day- a fat wallet of MB services stopping in the 90's is not enough]
5. Expect faults- these cars ceased production in 1996 after all- But this should not necessarily be a deal breaker as long as its factored into the price.
6. Know your market [ autotrader,piston heads,ebay] to find realistically priced cars- as these cars become "classics" there's a tendency to overprice them.
7. look at lots of cars don't confine yourself to just one-this way you will get a feel for the market.
8. And one "off the wall" tip always look at who is selling the car as well as the car itself- honest people tend to send honest cars.
Once you find "that car" then maybe that's the time for the professional inspection.
Last edited:
WDB124066
MB Enthusiast
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Billy raised a post a while back - maybe two or three years ago - where we all contributed to a long list of items to check on the 124's. It should be still on here if you do a search...
coupe addict
Active Member
But if you do look at the comprehensive check list, don't panic: not everything will be wrong on every car, nor will every adverse effect occur simultaneously....
