E280 - Dry Belt ?

[eyelight]

Had a look at a 1995 E280 the other day with a view to buying it. It has a very noisy fan belt, not audible while inside the car, but definately noticable outside. Not the intermittent squealing of a loose fan belt when you rev the engine. This is more of a constant noise.

Anyway, dealer said it was a "dry belt" and says a bit of WD40 will cure it. Doesn't sound like the best thing to put on a fan belt to me,but I'm open to correction on that.

Is it more likely to be one of the asssorted pumps that the belt is powering, or the alternator that is making the noise though?
Is this a car to avoid?

Thanks

 

[stumpy]

Mine used to do this but it turned out to be the belt being 1 groove out on the bottom pulley. Run the engine and pour some water onto the belt. If it silences it, then it is the belt.

 

[bigasotonuk]

If its only the belt get them to do it before you hand over the cash.

 

[Amphiscian]

And never put WD40 on a fan belt.

 

[eyelight]

Thanks for all the advice.
Yeah, putting WD40 on a fan belt seemed a bit crazy to me. If a dealer's saying things like that, then how much can you trust anything he says.

 

[Ade W124]

Same thing happened here - specialist advised WD40 as temporary stop gap. Squirted a bit and noise went away for a bit... and then came back. Took the car in for belt change, tensioner damper had seized.. replacement belt, tensioner assembly, including pulley wheel & damper set me back around £400 (inc. VAT & labour) from a well know indy

Ade