“BMWs are always broken”-tru dat

"BMWs are always Broken!" Brilliant and very true.

The biggest mistake I ever made in buying a classic MB was hiring Lemon Squad to do a pre-purchase inspection. I found a nice looking 1995 E300 diesel in Maryland, about 175 miles from my home in NJ. I hired Lemon Squad to do the inspection. They provided more than 100 pictures and measured paint thickness and test drove the car. It passed with flying colors. So my wife and I travel to do the deal and drive the car home. Every fluid, other than coolant, was cascading out of the car. Diesel fuel, oil, transmission fluid all of it! Still, it drove well and other than having to add oil a couple of times, it ran great. I contacted lemon squad and showed them the puddle underneath the car that I had to deal with every day. They claimed it must have started leaking after you bought it. I then provided them one of their own pictures, where you could see the underside of the car looked wet. They claimed they weren’t able to see it. I spent a lot of time and money making the car right over the next year or two. All the usual stuff like motor and transmission mounts, the wiring harness that’s was still original and turning to dust that lemon squad also missed, transmission pan that was rusted, oil pan and filter housing gaskets and too much else to mention. I absolutely loved the car, though. Solidly constructed, always started right up and just such a secure feeling while driving it. My take away is even after getting a third party to inspect your purchase, still look it over before you hand over the check. And never hire lemon squad!

Thank you mister Hedary for sharing all your Mercedes knowledge!

I'm just about to dip my toes into the classic benz world, these videos are a great help. Just waiting for the right car......

I bought a '77 280SE in California nine years ago, online from an elderly gentleman with extensive Mercedes experience - his add described the car and work done to a tee and also had extensive photos from every angle. We made a deal and he put the car in storage for a few weeks until I could fly down from Canada, and then was kind enough to let me stay at his home while we were transferring the ownership and driving the car around. It was a lovely rust-free car sold new in Oakland and kept by the first owner for 35 years. I headed out and played tourist for a while, then put the car back in storage and flew overseas for three months; when I returned I drove the car 3500 miles home completely trouble-free. I still have it but don't drive it much - and certainly not in our long, cold winters! I've had to do very little to it since I bought it and find it generally not that difficult to work on - and it still smells like a Mercedes inside. Sometimes I think I should sell it but I just can't bring myself to do it - I should add that I also have a parts car with a good drivetrain which comes in handy sometimes! In conclusion I'd like to say that if you are planning a long trip home with a purchase like mine, find the best example you can and pay the extra money - you won't regret it later.

Brilliant advice mate. Many thanks from UK🇬🇧

A few years ago I picked up a 1989 420SEL with 217k miles from the mechanic who had been maintaining it for 23 years. After looking at 75 pages of service history and concluding that the car had been well maintained, I paid $2500 for it and I mistakenly assumed it would last a year and then I’d get a new car. Exactly the opposite happened, the car is literally the salt of the earth and it’s running better than ever and it has been the best damn car I have ever owned and I want to drive nothing else. Sitting at 230k now and I have been following Pierre’s advice from his W126 videos which have been invaluable at keeping me out of trouble. One thing I did not do that I should have done is understand the car’s small weaknesses, one of which is the fuel pump relay. Its a $10 part but when it goes the car won’t start. I almost got stuck because of it (luckily I jiggled the relay a bit and it eventually made the connection and I could at least get home). I now keep one extra in my trunk at all times. I also spent too much time trying to fix the damn mono valve which is thankfully now working. The aftermarket ones are no good.

If you are about to make mistake number 5 - buying a car from BAT - check when the auction is ending. I just got a great deal on an auction that was ending at 1pm on Monday :)

Checking fluids weekly is simple and very important. My Mercedes is a classic only in trim level (1995 C180) but I still do these checks weekly. Pierre when are you releasing the W116 300SD video??

yes...Many rookie mistakes myself after buying my 1984 280ce. shifted the autobox into D while still rolling back and a retaining spring in the diff pinged making an aweful noise after a long run. (cost £150) to put the spring back! 2. Decided to put newer looking wheels and tyres on the car only to discover the ET was completely wrong and the tyre height too high so lots of wheel arch fowling and bent the arch lip out badly causing it to rust prematurely. 3. replaced the airbox with an aftermarket (sporty ) air filter which reduced the MPG and power. 4. fooled around with the idle screw and ended up running too lean so 17mpg instead of 20 for about 1 year!. 5. This has to be the best one... bought new low dust ceramic brake pads as the alloys were always black. Didn't brake in the pads enough and went into the back of a VW Passat and wrote the car off because the new pads didn't have any bite. Spent 9months trying to find a bonnet (hood) in the same colour and pulled out the front replaced lamps etc but it was never quite the same after that. I could on and on but I will quote Pierre and say that I was "just stupid" sometimes. I think we do this especially if we are keen to drive the car and show it off to friends and family or just believe that 'we've got this' thats why technicians of classics tend to be quite un-emotional and cautious. Great Video Pierre and I still owe you money for your time with my 280se W116.

First true mistake I made was not using spring bolts on my exhaust. This was from the end of the cat connecting to the rest of the exhaust. This was during Monterey car week in 2018. Got towed home back to San Francisco and got home at 3am. Check every bolt before a long drive.

I bought my CDI before I knew enough about Benzes but I bought it more for the adventure. I wanted to drive across country and I wanted a California rust free car and that TORQUE. I honestly should have waited because I wound up seeing so many better examples after and actually wound up buying a 2nd one. It's been a learning experience and now I know the difference between a better example and one that's beat. The Car Wizard fixed on my worst example and did a great job. I've since found a great indie mechanic for the stuff I can't wrench myself. I see my 2 CDI's as forever cars. I'm always looking at other models and I will be very careful at picking out the BEST example first rather than later.

Thank you

If you happen to get elbows deep in a bucket, don't discount the value of having a car to practice on. Take the parts off of it and try to put them back on before working on your good one. Turn it into a parts car if all else fails. I'm sure many know this but some dont.

I have had my 88 560SL for a little over a month. First thing I did was an oil change because the oil wasn't showing up on the dipstick. I collected what was drained and determined it only had about 5 quarts in it. All other fluids we good.

Great advice, thank you for your time.

Great advice, really liking this channel.

Great video

Just got a ‘81 380sl, been loving your vids thanks! It was impulsive so I still dont know if the chain was converted. Going to a vintage mercedes mechanic this week, FINGERS CROSSED PRAYERS YALL!

Old diesels... Fuel tank vent!!!! Seen too many plugged by 🐝🐝🐝🐝

With the proper recompense, would you be able to find a classic Mercedes I’m looking for, inspect it and proceed with the needed repairs ? Just curious

Amen brother!

Back in 2001 I flew to Pasedena in Southern California to see a 108 4.5. I met the owner at his mechanics shop. The mechanic told me the owner would always keep up on Maintenance and was confident the car was solid. It definitely appeared that way. After all I was intending to drive it back to Northern California approximately 400 miles. I bought the car and was on my way out of town and came to a firm stop at the traffic lights. Thats when the whole left front side collapsed!!!! The lower control arm snapped at the inner pivot point. The seller was shocked to say the least. We were returning my rental car. He was a good guy and we split the cost. But it just showed me that things get missed. This could have been extremely dangerous traveling up interstate 5 at speed. Check those lubrication points too:) Cheers John 🍻

Even when bidding at the famous Barrett-Jackson car auction in Scottsdale Arizona each year is a risk. Bidders shouldn't believe anything said about the cars without a thorough inspection.

First big mistake I made was a preventative maintenance transmission rebuild

Now that you mentioned Bring a Trailer… what a toxic web site that is. The people that run the comments section (which are different from the ones that run the site itself) are just insufferable and they literally decide what sells and what doesn’t just. When they pick on a car, it doesn’t matter if the car is good or not, they will make sure it doesn’t sell by pointing at stuff that is often not true or just exaggerate it to the point no one wants to bid on it. Whenever a 600 comes up for sale, they always repeat the same old broken record that the main hydraulic pump is this much to fix, that those cars can only be fixed by that really old guy from WI and they always know exactly how much a car is going to cost to sort out without even seeing it in person. Same thing for Pagodas. One wrong hose clamps and they sentence the car... And once the bidding finally ends, they have to provide their verdict on whether or not it sold for a fair price or the buyer end up over paying. I just hate them because is like buyers and sellers must have their approval, their blessing. Same thing is starting to happen at Doug’s BAT. I guess those old keyboard appraisers have nothing else to do.

I've learnt with cars and in life, never assume anything (assume made an ass out of U me) and regardless of how sincere or honest a person seems (i.e. a previous owner) not to take anything they say as gospel... Unless or until I've checked a specific part or system myself, I work on the premise that the system or part is/could be compromised.

My first mistake was not doing HEAVY research into the r107 series prior to buying my first one. I overpaid on a car by $1000 for sure.

Off topic question, does anyone know anyone that does or sells full polished Bundt wheels , 14” . These would be for my 83 300cd.

BAT has ruined the cheap water-cooled VW fun I used to have. First a Callaway rabbit GTI sells for like 35k, and as we were still in shock about that ,it resold 18mo later for 62k or so! Screw BAT ,now a decent time capsule rabbit is 8-10k and now some guy thinks his rusted 4dr rabbit is worth 5k🤬🤬🤬

No matter how many 450SL's i go see.....my shoulders still don't fit.

Mistake 1 not knowing how to use a search function

Not getting a PPI…not getting service history

My advice: find a local mechanic who can work on the car before you buy. I’m still looking after buying a 1970 114. No one wants to work on old cars anymore. Too much effort.