Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 22]

[bolidemichael]

Mikedknight said:

macron said:

donkmeister said:

Mike "iron balls" Knight, if I were you I'd be getting a full STAR diagnostic done at your local Mercedes independent, ask for a chat with the technician to run through it (if they don't do that as a matter of course. In my experience of two they will without needing to ask) and work out your to do list from that. There may be lurking issues, there might be some quick cheap fixes (I got a good deal on my E500 due to some minor issues that turned out to be a couple of hundred in all for the indy to fix)

Pretty sure Mercedes independents go to iron balls for an explanation of what's going on

Suspect this will be sorted by the weekend.

Well another poster gave me the idea of checking the drains. (Thank you) The one next to the front battery was full and the carpet on the passenger side was indeed damp. Just need to find the exact right bit of wire to shove down the drain. Funny in the 20+k of spends at various Mercedes dealers and specialists over the last two years none of them mentioned it.

Clearly this will be a very cheap fix and cement the 600’s reputation for a good value family runabout.

I cleared all codes earlier and took it to Pret. It drove 100% and everything worked no lights full power etc. One Swedish meatball wrap and cinnamon swirl later all the warnings were back. I’ll probably stop posting stuff about it here and do a readers rides thing. Save filling the thread up with my insane luck.

To me, the saving grace of a FMBSH is that they'd follow the service schedule to the letter. Independents will seldom do so, takin ghte default assumption that they should do what's necessary and required, as opposed to superfluous. This extends to lubrication of the sunroof and various hinges, replacement of the cabin filter according to the recommended two year period and checking the drains for potential blockages.

[GeniusOfLove]

bolidemichael said:

To me, the saving grace of a FMBSH is that they'd follow the service schedule to the letter. Independents will seldom do so, takin ghte default assumption that they should do what's necessary and required, as opposed to superfluous. This extends to lubrication of the sunroof and various hinges, replacement of the cabin filter according to the recommended two year period and checking the drains for potential blockages.

I've taken enough 10 year old air and cabin filters out of FMDSH cars to know they don't. One of our posters was a MB tech and tells me of plenty of examples of filters going in the bin and oil going unchanged.

You're more likely to find the loch ness monster than a heavily targeted dealer tech cleaning out sunroof drains.

[tobinen]

Yes, unless BM is lucky with a diligent fitter at a franchised dealer, I would expect worse than a reputable indy.

[bolidemichael]

GeniusOfLove said:

bolidemichael said:

To me, the saving grace of a FMBSH is that they'd follow the service schedule to the letter. Independents will seldom do so, takin ghte default assumption that they should do what's necessary and required, as opposed to superfluous. This extends to lubrication of the sunroof and various hinges, replacement of the cabin filter according to the recommended two year period and checking the drains for potential blockages.

I've taken enough 10 year old air and cabin filters out of FMDSH cars to know they don't. One of our posters was a MB tech and tells me of plenty of examples of filters going in the bin and oil going unchanged.

You're more likely to find the loch ness monster than a heavily targeted dealer tech cleaning out sunroof drains.

This makes me sad.

Shall I swiftly backtrack on my quoted and thus, recorded for all time statement? The principle of the service schedule is sound, but one cannot expect all dealers and independents to follow it strictly unless specifically instructed by the customers and even then, GoL*'s ex-bargeiste mate attests that you're not going to get the service that you pay for anyway.

*bring back Stickleback

[rlg43p]

W00DY said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/315298854657


I'm guessing the original owner was CEO at Werther's.

either that or he was susceptible to rectal incontinence and didn't want it to show.

[TheWokeBlob]

bolidemichael said:

To me, the saving grace of a FMBSH is that they'd follow the service schedule to the letter. Independents will seldom do so, takin ghte default assumption that they should do what's necessary and required, as opposed to superfluous. This extends to lubrication of the sunroof and various hinges, replacement of the cabin filter according to the recommended two year period and checking the drains for potential blockages.

Almost every dealer I've worked at techs are actively advised not to follow the service schedule. Every car gets the same vehicle health check basically designed to upsale you pads and discs and effectively that acts as the service checks. A or B, major or minor, all the same checks, just different extras depending on the age and what has been up sold (brake fluid, plugs, etc)

If you're lucky and get an attentive tech you might get small things like the sunroof lubing and roof locks blasted with wd40... However what is more likely you're gonna get someone that Is chasing bonus for selling 60 man hours in a 40 hour week, and sees binning your cabin filter and not torquing up your wheels as fair game to shave off a bit of time...

150% always say it, either DIY or get a specialist that knows that particular make or more importantly model/powertrain like the back of their hand and keep going to them.

Passion, experience and care is way more important than the stamp in the service book or how nice the waiting room.

[21st Century Man]

bolidemichael said:

GeniusOfLove said:

bolidemichael said:

To me, the saving grace of a FMBSH is that they'd follow the service schedule to the letter. Independents will seldom do so, takin ghte default assumption that they should do what's necessary and required, as opposed to superfluous. This extends to lubrication of the sunroof and various hinges, replacement of the cabin filter according to the recommended two year period and checking the drains for potential blockages.

I've taken enough 10 year old air and cabin filters out of FMDSH cars to know they don't. One of our posters was a MB tech and tells me of plenty of examples of filters going in the bin and oil going unchanged.

You're more likely to find the loch ness monster than a heavily targeted dealer tech cleaning out sunroof drains.

This makes me sad.

Shall I swiftly backtrack on my quoted and thus, recorded for all time statement? The principle of the service schedule is sound, but one cannot expect all dealers and independents to follow it strictly unless specifically instructed by the customers and even then, GoL*'s ex-bargeiste mate attests that you're not going to get the service that you pay for anyway.

*bring back Stickleback

Sometimes it's the customer and not the dealer.

When I had my old Turbo R, there were eight different service schedules, 1- 8, for each year, then at year 9 it would cycle again. Despite many cars being advertised as full RR&B service history, nothing, absolutely NOTHING, had ever had an 8, and very few had a 4 either. The dealers would tell me that even the most wealthy and fastidious owners would baulk and skip an 8 and often a 4.

There's a huge difference between 16 years service history and one years service history 16 times.

[ingenieur]

The thing about servicing which some technicians fail to grasp is the idea that everything has to be done on a major service.

When I ran a workshop I used to say to the individual mechanics "you are the guy" - not in a sort of 'bigging up' sense but it was alongside the explanation that if you see leaves all around the edge of an engine bay and blocked drains it is your job to clear them. i.e. anything wrong with the car has to be fixed by YOU - you are the guy! hahah. Obviously major stuff you would get the customers consent for but all the little maintenance jobs like putting air in the spare tyre are all for the technician on a major service. They had vehicle specific check lists as well. Things like battery health checks would be done, checking drive belts, etc, etc.

[ingenieur]

W00DY said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/315298854657


I'm guessing the original owner was CEO at Werther's.

This is ideal. I think my next barge purchase is going to be another e-class estate though.

[ingenieur]

donkmeister said:

ingenieur said:

Mikedknight said:

Thanks for all the nice comments chaps, wanted one of these for ages. Drove back really well after an iffy start in which the power steering seemed to fail and just about every other electrical system was “temporarily unavailable” after about 50 miles it got much better, after 100 miles better still and the lights started disappearing. Even enjoyed a cheeky fast and vigorous massage and some night Vision. Got within 2 miles of home and it’s definitely misfiring a bit. The weird faults including the speedo going all spazzy came back. It’s had 6 batteries in 3 years according to the service history so unlikely to be that. I’ll check the drains I’m sure it’s just a bit of leaf mulch and reset the Eml.

Very pleased for £3800 I’m sure it’ll be perfect for £4000 all in :-)

Might be the 'aux' battery though. My w211 does not get driven much at the moment and for a while after starting the aux battery will be empty and until it gets some charge from the alternator it will display a message on the dash saying certain functions are unavailable. I could replace the aux battery but if the car isn't getting used much the replacement might go flat as well.

Had similar when I had a pair of duff batteries in the E500, it was a precursor to the red screen of "say your prayers, we have nae brakes!".

Saying that, given that many batteries in 3 years I'd be wondering if the knackered battery is a symptom rather than the cause. Either a dodgy alternator/charging circuit or a parasitic drain.

Mike "iron balls" Knight, if I were you I'd be getting a full STAR diagnostic done at your local Mercedes independent, ask for a chat with the technician to run through it (if they don't do that as a matter of course. In my experience of two they will without needing to ask) and work out your to do list from that. There may be lurking issues, there might be some quick cheap fixes (I got a good deal on my E500 due to some minor issues that turned out to be a couple of hundred in all for the indy to fix)

When I got my CL500 the electrics seemed odd and I diagnosed a faulty alternator using the ordinary voltmeter test on the battery terminals. The replacement alternator was very well priced.. about £150 I think.

[Mikedknight]

ingenieur said:

donkmeister said:

ingenieur said:

Mikedknight said:

Thanks for all the nice comments chaps, wanted one of these for ages. Drove back really well after an iffy start in which the power steering seemed to fail and just about every other electrical system was “temporarily unavailable” after about 50 miles it got much better, after 100 miles better still and the lights started disappearing. Even enjoyed a cheeky fast and vigorous massage and some night Vision. Got within 2 miles of home and it’s definitely misfiring a bit. The weird faults including the speedo going all spazzy came back. It’s had 6 batteries in 3 years according to the service history so unlikely to be that. I’ll check the drains I’m sure it’s just a bit of leaf mulch and reset the Eml.

Very pleased for £3800 I’m sure it’ll be perfect for £4000 all in :-)

Might be the 'aux' battery though. My w211 does not get driven much at the moment and for a while after starting the aux battery will be empty and until it gets some charge from the alternator it will display a message on the dash saying certain functions are unavailable. I could replace the aux battery but if the car isn't getting used much the replacement might go flat as well.

Had similar when I had a pair of duff batteries in the E500, it was a precursor to the red screen of "say your prayers, we have nae brakes!".

Saying that, given that many batteries in 3 years I'd be wondering if the knackered battery is a symptom rather than the cause. Either a dodgy alternator/charging circuit or a parasitic drain.

Mike "iron balls" Knight, if I were you I'd be getting a full STAR diagnostic done at your local Mercedes independent, ask for a chat with the technician to run through it (if they don't do that as a matter of course. In my experience of two they will without needing to ask) and work out your to do list from that. There may be lurking issues, there might be some quick cheap fixes (I got a good deal on my E500 due to some minor issues that turned out to be a couple of hundred in all for the indy to fix)

When I got my CL500 the electrics seemed odd and I diagnosed a faulty alternator using the ordinary voltmeter test on the battery terminals. The replacement alternator was very well priced.. about £150 I think.

Good shout, tomorrow I’ll get the front Sam out and dry. See what happens. The car didn’t noticeably misfire for a couple of hundred miles last night. I’m wondering though if misfires are harder to detect on a v12? Again taking the advice above I won’t be driving it until we get to the bottom of things.

[biggbn]

LayZ said:

May have had a serious brave pill moment and put a deposit down on this



X164 420 CDI with 171k miles.

It has unicorn spec with Distronic, keyless entry/go, quad zone climate, heated and cooled seats and apparently all works. I hear good things of a giant history file. Collection caper awaits. It was cheap - a bit above mid-thread budget.

'andsome....

[bolidemichael]

TheWokeBlob said:

bolidemichael said:

To me, the saving grace of a FMBSH is that they'd follow the service schedule to the letter. Independents will seldom do so, takin ghte default assumption that they should do what's necessary and required, as opposed to superfluous. This extends to lubrication of the sunroof and various hinges, replacement of the cabin filter according to the recommended two year period and checking the drains for potential blockages.

Almost every dealer I've worked at techs are actively advised not to follow the service schedule. Every car gets the same vehicle health check basically designed to upsale you pads and discs and effectively that acts as the service checks. A or B, major or minor, all the same checks, just different extras depending on the age and what has been up sold (brake fluid, plugs, etc)

If you're lucky and get an attentive tech you might get small things like the sunroof lubing and roof locks blasted with wd40... However what is more likely you're gonna get someone that Is chasing bonus for selling 60 man hours in a 40 hour week, and sees binning your cabin filter and not torquing up your wheels as fair game to shave off a bit of time...

150% always say it, either DIY or get a specialist that knows that particular make or more importantly model/powertrain like the back of their hand and keep going to them.

Passion, experience and care is way more important than the stamp in the service book or how nice the waiting room.

This quotation is long since* redundant, would have been redacted had someone not quoted it and has been revised and updated.

*after about an hour of posting

[biggbn]

Costly but look at the miles...and this dealers cars are usually 'right'. That's gotta be worth 10k of someone's money as a wafty keeper?

https://www.westendmotorgroup.co.uk/honda/used-car...

[QBee]

biggbn said:

Costly but look at the miles...and this dealers cars are usually 'right'. That's gotta be worth 10k of someone's money as a wafty keeper?

https://www.westendmotorgroup.co.uk/honda/used-car...

How on earth did the previous owner(s) average under 30 miles a week for 16 years?
Or to put it another way, why buy it in the first place if that's all you are going to do in it?

[Sterillium]

W00DY said:

I'm guessing the original owner was CEO at Werther's.

[Sterillium]

LayZ said:

May have had a serious brave pill moment and put a deposit down on this



X164 420 CDI with 171k miles.

It has unicorn spec with Distronic, keyless entry/go, quad zone climate, heated and cooled seats and apparently all works. I hear good things of a giant history file. Collection caper awaits. It was cheap - a bit above mid-thread budget.

I really like these - like a massive leather-clad limo van.

Are they ruinous or badly screwed together? I always had the impression they were pretty solidly built?

[bolidemichael]

QBee said:

biggbn said:

Costly but look at the miles...and this dealers cars are usually 'right'. That's gotta be worth 10k of someone's money as a wafty keeper?

https://www.westendmotorgroup.co.uk/honda/used-car...

How on earth did the previous owner(s) average under 30 miles a week for 16 years?
Or to put it another way, why buy it in the first place if that's all you are going to do in it?

As it's in Broughty Ferry, perhaps it's one of the stable belonging to one of the Rockstar Games founders, who is known for his collection of supercars.

[danmarr14]

ingenieur said:

W00DY said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/315298854657


I'm guessing the original owner was CEO at Werther's.

This is ideal. I think my next barge purchase is going to be another e-class estate though.

The more I see this the more I love this

[LayZ]

Sterillium said:

I really like these - like a massive leather-clad limo van.

Are they ruinous or badly screwed together? I always had the impression they were pretty solidly built?

Lots to go wrong like any complex old 4x4. Usual air suspension problems. I think this one will need OSF air strut (hence cheap). £700 tax and 25mpg, prob above 30 on a run, so obviously this puts most people off. Chains in the transfer boxes stretch but not a terrible job I believe.

Built in Alabama but interiors seem to hold up very well. Serious performance off-road, probably not far off FFRR. 700mm wading capability, locking diffs, low range.

V8 diesel seems to have similar issues to the V6, oil leaks, turbos etc. Usual stuff. No bluetec on these though which I think causes a lot of issues.

Waiting for the seller to get the V5 After taking his private plate off. More detailed report to follow collection.

Edited by LayZ on Thursday 18th April 08:39