E280 - HT Leads

[eyelight]

Looking at a car on ebay, the seller says...

It gets through HT leads but they cost very little. The dash indicates a bulb out but all are working.

I've e-mailed him a question about this, but can anyone here enlighten me as to why a car like this would be "getting through HT Leads"?

Also, in the same car description he states,

Central locking but remote control battery needs changing (I open manually on passenger side).

Surely if it's just a remote battery, that's an easy and cheap fix for him prior to selling. does that then point to further problems?

Thanks.

 

[jberks]

I suspect his commenat about the cost of his HT leads has some relevance on how long they last - he's probably fitting cheap ones. That said, I used to get 3 years out of a proer MB set on an E240. There isn't much that could kill HT leads but the advert is rather rambly anyway so I would take whatever he says with a pinch of salt.
You're quite right about the battery. If that's all it is, why hasn't he done it? I'd check that this is all that's wrong and it's not simply disguising the fact that the remote locking doesn't work at all. They system is pretty reliable but remotes do die.
As with any purchase at this price from a private buyer, you have to expect a few bits need fixing.

 

[kth286]

Its the coil feeds shorting out you need to watch - wonder if that has anything to do with it ?

My HT ignition cables are original at 155,000 miles - perfect. However the main engine wiring loom has been changed due to shorting of coil feeds.

Did you ask him what the H ring means ?

I would budget for a new wiring loom at £500 DIY if there is no proof of one being fitted.
I would always stay away from a W124 fitted with ASR as they have the electronic accelerator system which can be very troublesome and expensive. Ask the question.

 

[eyelight]

I would always stay away from a W124 fitted with ASR as they have the electronic accelerator system which can be very troublesome and expensive. Ask the question.

Coincidentally, the other car I've been looking at does have ASR. (It's the one where I posted the question about the alarm.) It's listed as Option 471 on the Russian site.
Is this really something to make me walk away from what seems like a good car?

 

[kth286]

They seem to have the ASR system more in the States than we in the UK.

On their forums may cases of problems and it seems not many techs know how it is supposed to work. It's all interlinked with the different type of cruise control that is featured with electronic accelerator as well, adding even more complexity.

Complexity is something you do not need on a 12 year old car.