LUXOBARGE (sub5k) of the week/day

porsche959 wrote: »

While I have no doubt those types exist in Ireland do you think they don't in the UK also?

A car of this vintage and marque could, say, have been bought by a retired country doctor and then gone through all kinds of owners since, including of the wide boy/boy racer/Arthur Daley type.

( I don't mean this specific car, I am just making a general point. )

I think traditionally uk motorists tended to worry about maintenance and service history more than us and while I don't doubt that they have there fair share of drivers like that the fact remains that the vintage car scene here has had more than it's fair share of people who are attracted to cheap tax and more importantly in pre 80 cars no test. In the uk they had to be mot'd regardless so in my opinion ( and it is only my opinion ) it's more likely that if it has been neglected it has happened here.
Sorry if this is off topic.

That XJS is far too cheap unless it is a rotbox / has some serious problems. Keep us updated if anyone finds out more about it though!

serious3 wrote: »

its taxed till xmas now and tested till feb so i'll make a decision then as to wether i walk away or keep her on.

Test it before the tax runs out (December). The test will cost you just €55. If it fails, see what it fails on and decide what your best option is. Dump it or fix it. If it passes, the test will be valid until Feb '16. So tax it & enjoy

ba_barabus wrote: »

The problem is they need constant care. A lot of these cars are now being bought by people who simply just want to avoid paying the tax and nct cost. They buy them and run them till they drop. I've seen some great cars ruined in the past few years by owners who think it's a great tax loophole.

Oh I totally agree, however it wouldn't put me off checking it top to bottom. Which I'd be doing from top to bottom on any car, but paying extra attention for rust and filler.

serious3 wrote: »

well that jinxed it! it stopped today just cut out no warning at all, it'll start and run for maybe 1 second thats all, AA recovered it and we'll see what it is tmorrow...........last time i sing the praises of something:D

Sounds like a fuel issue. A pump maybe.

Ed Winchester wrote: »

Does it have a Mercedes Service History?

I am posting the AA report as an update, Mercedes have refused any help, saying car only covered for 2 years.

We confirm inspecting the above vehicle on 9th July 2014 for the specific purpose of commenting on the condition of the engine.
The vehicle is reported to have been serviced by a Main dealership. The most recent oil changes were in 9/2013 at 130k. km and in 4/4013 at 110k km.
We understand from our client that an abnormal rattling noise in the engine had developed and was more apparent when starting the engine from cold and lasted for some seconds
The vehicle was left with the above repairer for investigation and they renewed the water pump and drive belt and also the timing chain and tensioner.
When the engine was restarted after this work, abnormal noises remained and the engine was further dismantled.
It was found that the teeth of the crankshaft drive gear train were damaged.
Due to the extent and nature of damage, a reconditioned unit was sought and required transfer of the ancillary equipment from the old to new engine.
The rear engine gear train is a complex arrangement of gears and sprockets including the crankshaft gear, balancer shaft gears, idlers gears, timing chain drive gear.
The idler gears are tensioned. The crankshaft end gear is integral and is not serviced as a separate part.
There were a number of gears with chipped or damaged teeth, especially the crankshaft gear and to a lesser extent the timing chain drive gear and LH idler gear.
The engine oil was clean consistent with having been changed when the timing chain was replaced.
The water pump and drive belt showed evidence of having been renewed.
The original timing chain and tensioner were not available for inspection as they had been discarded.
Summary:
Substantial damage has occurred to the gear teeth and we are of the opinion that there would be abnormal and excessive noise from the mechanism in operation.
As the crankshaft gear is integral, seemingly a decision was taken on economic and practical reasons to fit a reconditioned engine rather than overhaul the existing damaged unit.
The timing chain and tensioner are reported by the repairer to have been worn and this would have resulted in abnormal and excessive noise.
Seemingly the noise level after replacement of the chain was considerable. The repairer reports that traces of damaged gear teeth were present in the engine sump when the oil was drained off.

Wear or damage to the teeth could be caused by a number of factors such as inadequate or poor quality oil lubrication, a foreign object getting enmeshed in the gear train, substandard material.
Replacement of the chain may have placed a higher load than before on the gear train the noise level from the worn chain may have been masking that from the damaged/worn gear train.
Further stripping down of the engine could reveal further damage or wear and a metallurgical examination of the damaged gears should indicate the nature of damage and wear and indicate if a defect in the material composition was present.
We suggest that in the circumstances the matter be brought to the attention of the Dealer or Manufacturer for their comment.
Mr X
F.Inst AEA; MFIEA; MSOE, MIRTE; CAE, MIMI; ENG TECH AA Technical Engineer.

I am considering taking a claim to the small claims court, as to go the main courts is long and expensive, anyone any experience of small claims?

Also some of you will know that there is no longer a service book supplied with new Mercedes cars and the records are saved digitally on the key.
A printed copy is available on request, but when I got mine there was one service missing from the report, lucky I had receipt for it, and when I questioned them, they agreed it was a mistake, and someone would be on to explain. that was weeks ago I am still waiting for an explanation and apology.
Who can I complain to about that? anyone know? Bill

Senior Bill wrote: »

Also some of you will know that there is no longer a service book supplied with new Mercedes cars and the records are saved digitally on the key.
A printed copy is available on request, but when I got mine there was one service missing from the report, lucky I had receipt for it, and when I questioned them, they agreed it was a mistake, and someone would be on to explain. that was weeks ago I am still waiting for an explanation and apology.
Who can I complain to about that? anyone know? Bill

This country is a joke , companies make promises to you then you are just forgotten about, best to keep calling them until they know you by the sound of your voice, it seems to be the only way to get anything done.

Also small claims court can only award a Maximum of €2000.

I'm no fan of '65s but that's not too bad looking.

I don't think they're ever gonna have the same following as E38's though.

bear1 wrote: »

I'd love one of those, albeit a 730d

Why? It would cost thousands more than a V8 petrol to buy and unless you are extremely lucky it will cost more to maintain. You only save about €300 in tax. Nothing in insurance. It's far less refined, but yes if you do big miles, you'll save significantly on fuel

So only 1 significant argument in favour. And even that is a non-argument because if you convert it to LPG, your V8 petrol will have a lower total cost of ownership than the diesel.

bear1 wrote: »

it has to be a diesel I do feck loads of km per year.
Does a claimed 26mpg that model. Even LPGing it would take a quite a while for me to break even.

You're making even less sense now

Let's assume you keep either car for 4 years after which they'll be worth nothing.

The purchase price of the diesel car was €2k higher, but the petrol car had to have a €2k LPG installation. So depreciation / cash flow in both cars is identical.

Driving a V8 petrol E65 averages say 22MPG (and on LPG say 20MPG). The I6 diesel say 32MPG

With diesel at €1.45 and LPG at €0.80 this means that 25,000 miles (per year) costs you €600 less in the LPG

We only have to cover the €300 extra tax for the petrol so break even would be after only 6 months

After break even the LPG V8 is €300 per year cheaper to own than the diesel. Or over 4 years total, you save the grand total of about a grand and get to drive the superior V8 petrol, and not a tractor

While I have my spreadsheet open:

- you need to do at least 12k miles per year to drive cheaper in the LPG V8 than in the diesel

- savings in fuel per year at 20k is €500, 30k is €700, 40k is €1,000

Very good point there Unkel.
Not a whole lot you can argue with there, except maybe more expensive maintenance costs.

"Now you're making even less sense"

Shure that's uncalled for

I'd honestly love to have a 3.6 V8 parked in my drive and travel in luxury.
I came very close last year to buying a S320 petrol but chickened out.

4l or more is a bit arbitrary but I'd sure want a V8 over a V6 / I6 but I guess you're right I'd take a 745i over a 735i too - the former wouldn't cost a cent more to buy!

Why, do you need a donor car for parts? Is yours that bad?