Yesterday I had a customer bring in his 2015 Mercedes Benz E550 AMG for an overheating issue. The coolant resevoir was empty and it was scorching hot. After it cooled sufficiently to add coolant and pressure test the car I discovered the radiator had a split tank. It was leaking so bad that I couldn't fill it fast enough to pressure test it before leaking out. I recommended the radiator and the upper and lower radiator hoses because they were very soft. Parts and labor cost was around $1000.00. The radiator from Napa would have taken 3-4 days to order. We couldn't find one locally, even at several dealers.

The sad part is this customer literally broke down and teared up a bit when he was told the cost of repairs and delay in getting the parts. He had negotiated online the price of the car and flew in from Louisiana to drive it back. He got taken to the cleaners. The seller would only allow him to drive it around the block with him riding along. This seemed normal until the owner turned the car off quickly. In my opinion to hide the coolant leak/overheat issue.

During attempting to test the coolant system and removing the electric radiator fan to better inspect things, it was obvious that the car had been leaking for awhile. The fins of the radiator had streaks and residue from the leak. The residue takes time to build up and become evident. My customer said that he and his wife have always wanted a Mercedes and had saved up "for years" to be able to buy one. Now he was stuck in the Tampa bay area, wasn't sure what to do because he had to be at work on Monday and only had enough money for the drive back. The only lucky part of the story is my shop is next to a budget inn so he had a place to stay.

The cautinary tail part is to get a car inspect by a shop of YOUR CHOICE before buying it. In the 25+ years I've been a mechanic I have seen this time and again. I have seen where the seller will have to prospesctive buyer take the car to the owner's shop and got lied too. My recommendation is to take a European car to an independent shop that specializes in that make of car or at least in the Euopean cars AFTER checking reviews. For most other cars I recommend a independent shop that has good reviews or the dealer. An alternative to this is a chain shop like Firestone, Pep Boys, etc. after checking that stores reviews. I curently work at a chain shop and we charge a whopping $49.99 for a complete vehicle inspection. I add a computer scan to check for any pending codes that may not light the check engine light. With my scanner I can tell how often the condition has caused it to be recrorded as a pending code, a hard code that does light the check engine light, the mileage when the code was set last and how long ago in miles it has been since the code(s) have been cleared. The computer scan would normally be an added charge but my shop doesn't charge extra because I insist on doing it because of all the fraud and misrepresentation I've seen over the years. I also recommend writing down the Vehicle Id Number and making sure the windshield VIN plate matches the door post sticker and also checking for recalls thru the NHTSB web site.

So in summary, if your looking at a used car, ask to take it to the shop of your choice to be inspected before buying it. I would expect the seller to go with you and that you should pay for the inspection.
If the seller won't allow it WALK AWAY.

quote:

Originally posted by Rotndad:
If the seller won't allow it WALK AWAY.

Excellent post. Pre-purchase inspections are just as vital for used cars as they are for used airplanes. The above sentence is the only line I disagree with. If the seller objects to a pre-puchase inspection, RUN, don’t walk away.

Sounds like a car he really shouldn’t have bought if all he could afford was the drive back. We have to know our limitations, that’s why I drive a Honda Civic...

And what’s that idea of not having a German car outside of warranty?

I’m not a mechanic or a smart man but I’ve turned enough wrenches in my life and have enough spidey sense to know when something is wrong.

Seller - what a scum bag. Karma - I hope he gets his.

The guy bought a used Mercedes out of warranty and he literally cried over a $1000 repair? WTF

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
The guy bought a used Mercedes out of warranty and he literally cried over a $1000 repair? WTF

Right? When I had an Audi, front brakes were $725.

I do feel for the poor dude, but seriously? He buys a 5 year old AMG and cries about a $1000 repair???

He better be ready to spend $2-4k a year on that thing...

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:
I do feel for the poor dude, but seriously? He buys a 5 year old AMG and cries about a $1000 repair???

He better be ready to spend $2-4k a year on that thing...

$2-4k if nothing breaks. That's just tires, brakes, and regular maintenance.

Sounds like he was in over his head at that point, vehicle purchasing-wise. If it was leaking that bad, he couldn't have gotten too far...good chance I would have taken it back unless I signed an 'all sales final' and receipt.

FWIW, during my last vehicle purchase, I used a mobile car inspection service...helped me dodge a leaking head gasket bullet...$$ well spent. However, not something I would have wanted to do multiple times...wasn't massively expensive once or twice, but couldn't do it endlessly...

The problem is time...great if you can 'drive on in, no wait...' but if it's gonna be 'well, maybe on Wednesday we can fit you in...' many folks will just pass, and become one of many such stories...

$.02 worth,
Boss

If you start crying over a $1k repair, you really have no business buying an E550 AMG...hell, any AMG

It doesn’t cost that much if you do your own work.
I’m at 70k on my bmw now. I bought it used at 34k miles with no warranty. They did let me take it to an independent to inspect. I do my own and if I can’t I ask my boss. He has a lift in his home garage.


Brakes were about $200 per axle. Did rears at 48k and fronts at 60k.
Brake fluid was $11 for the flush at 60k.
Oil and filter changes are about $35 twice a year.
Spark plugs are $14 each. The last one takes a little work to get to but it’s doable. Did this at 60k. Going to do it every 20k now since I’m running a tune.
Cabin and engine filters are cheap and easy to swap.
Biggest labor pain was replacing some coolant hoses.

I bought my daughter a used car in February. I did take it to my boss to inspect. He likes to work on cars. It needed some front bushings. He swapped them out during the inspection and said $74.

Long ago a guy I worked with was in the same boat as your customer. He'd saved for years to get a Mercedes convertible. He ended up buying a grey market model. Within a couple weeks it had some serious engine issues (head gaskets IIRC, it's been a while). Good friend was at that time a mechanic in an independent shop that specialized in Mercedes work. I told him to take it there. Being at the limit of his budget, he took it to another shop that quoted him a cheaper price. They royally screwed it up as they weren't familiar with Mercedes. And they're a different animal from a maintenance and repair perspective. In the end he finally took it to where I recommended. Ended up spending almost 3 times what he'd spent to purchase it. When all was said and done he said "Almost anyone can afford to buy a Mercedes, not everyone can afford to KEEP a Mercedes."

Great post and warning. The one aspect is the Mercedes thing. One needs to know what they are getting into. A friend bought a MB GL450 under the certified used program. Nice car. He tends to keep cars for a while. When the maintenance cycle started he was OK until the super duper auto adjust shocks needed to be replaced a $5K. He said, just put on standard. No can do. $5K. The MB was fixed and gone. I get it, the ride is made possible by the shocks and there is a cost. One needs to understand that before the purchase.

Back in the 70's I remember looking at cars to purchase and it would be running rough. Owner would say it needed a tune-up and I would mention get it done and call me afterwards. Never got the call back. I always figured it needed more than a tune-up. Caveat Emptor.

When I sell my vehicles I tell the buyer everything and usually sell too cheap. I spend a lot of time and money maintaining my vehicles, I do things most people don’t do. I will change thins out before needed to prevent breakdowns, I pay for quality parts etc.

There are many people that make a living ripping people off. A customer of mine got ripped off from a scammer on a gun trading website. There are people who routinely buy high priced optics from online FFLs, pay by credit card, receive the item (with proof of receipt from tracking) and then do a charge back telling the CC company they never received it. The CC company sides with their customer and the seller loses out plus pays the charge back fee. I’m always skeptical of people I buy from and as good of a community we have here on the forum I still do my due diligence and verify forum members before I transact with them.

My local police department puts out a weekly report of crimes from the prior week. Every week someone’s ID is stolen and someone gets scammed (grandkid is in jail, send bail money via gift card, your computer has a virus send us money, you have a warrant and need to pay by phone, this is the IRS you owe us money. These people lose thousands of dollars from scammers.

As Reagan stated, trust but verify. I hate dishonest people but there are plenty of them out there.

That sucks & is a big reason why I've taken my last few cars overnight before buying. Not really an option for a private sale, but definitely would at minimum rake it for an extended drive.

quote:

The sad part is this customer literally broke down and teared up a bit when he was told the cost of repairs and delay in getting the parts.

I'm not unsympathetic, but high repair costs are part of owning a Mercedes-Benz. For that matter, even with more mundane cars, it is quite easy to have a $1000-plus repair bill. The V6 engine used in, for example, the Ford Taurus and Edge is that much in labor alone for a water pump. The second-generation Toyota Tundra needs the entire engine removed to install a steering rack.

Back to the OP, let's hope the engine didn't blow a head gasket because of the overheating, or he'll have a real problem. Its life has probably been shortened. If an engine just runs hot but doesn't lose coolant, you can fix the problem that caused it and move on. But when an engine is run very low or completely out of coolant, think of a coffee pot or teakettle being boiled dry. It actually warps and alters the heat treatment of the metal, and the same thing happens to an engine.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

I feel bad for the guy but he should have known better

The "Cautionary" is Live Within Your Means, Not your dreams.

Big reason leading to me getting rid of my MB (2015 C300) when the CPO warranty expired.
Loved the car, but didn't want to get stuck with a $$$ repair.