W124 4 matic

[MotardMan]

I have the chance to buy a low mileage (<66k) 300TE 4 matic this afternoon.

Can someone let me have the low down on what to look for on these cars?

Regards,

Jim

 

[Rog_E]

Hi Jim.

As you can see from my sig I have a higher mileage 4-matic!

A search on the forum can be frightening for any would be (or even existing) 4matic owner but, to sumarise, these are the things to watch out for:

Make sure the 4matic light illuminates in the lower right of the speedo when ignition turned on and extinguishes after engine starts.

Make sure the 4matic engaged light illuminates (orange triangle with ! in speedo) when ignition turned on and extinguishes after engine starts.

The 4 wheel drive is not pemanent, it engages when a difference in road speed between the front and rear is detected (two sensors front one in diff at rear).

Under the bonnet on RH wing (from drivers seat) you will see an orange plastic lever, make sure this is not in the 'test' position - this disengages the 4matic system AND the self levelling rear suspension.

By the left hand wing you will see the oil reservoir, this contains special MB hydraulic oil for the suspension/4matic system. If this is low it could indicate imminent failure of the 4matic system (£1500 to repair).

If the 4matic engaged light illuminates whilst driving this indicates wheel slip, or as in my case at 80 indicates a faulty sensor! Check all tyres the same size too!

All other stuff the same as any 124 300 (this forum covers them pretty well).

In my opinion the 4matic is a ****** good car, drives well and the 4matic works brilliantly in the snow!

I paid £1800 for mine in February to give you a price guide.

Good luck!

 

[MotardMan]

Excellent response, thank you so much! 180K! Wow. I plan to keep this car a long time, so that is VERY good news.

I'll let the forum know how the car viewing goes.....

 

[MotardMan]

HPI check

HPI checked the car and it is all good news. It would seem the car was off the road for some time as there is a mileage "inconsistency". This is not the same as a "discrepancy". It prolly means that the car has been stored for some time and the National Mileage Database average has not been achieved.

Not the same thing as the "inconsistency", which would indicate the advertised, or odo reading is lower than previous entries in the database from MOT's and reg documents.

I'll check the MOT's and service stamps for the reason. It is a VERY low mileage.....

 

[MotardMan]

RUN AWAAAAAAY!



The car looked mint, the bodywork was 99%. The interior had wear, and a dog had eaten the backs of the rear head restraints. Not good, but on these cars, par for the course I am afraid.

Underbonnet check revealed a fairly clean example, but the "test" lever for the 4WD and self level was in the test position.... A quick look under the car and there was a lot of fluid under there. It was still dripping and the car had been stood for 10 mins or so. Whatever it was, was dripping on the exhaust and burning off! I poked my finger in a fresh droplet and it was not red like PAS or auto trans fluid, it was not viscous enough to be engine oil, so I had to assume it was oil from the 4WD transfer case, and this with the system having been on test for the 40 mile drive to meet me. I am not sure what would have happened if the 4WD had been engaged? More oil perhaps?

Starting the car was a problem, it did not want to idle, very lumpy, worse than the normal pulsing idle on these cars you would expect, even in good tune. New HT leads had not fixed it either, and whoever fitted those had cracked the plastic moulding on the rocker cover that holds the leads in place. Revving the motor from idle showed a bad misfire that cleared if you held the throttle open. Not advancing the ign perhaps?
When the car was dropped into D from P, it stalled. Repeatedly. The only way to get in D w/o stalling the car was to "heel and toe" the brake and accelerator! Even then, the gate would not allow the selector to engage D unless you went to 2 gear and then shifted to D. Oh dear.......

On the road the car picked up in the gears OK, but the action of the kickdown switch was very notchy, like the switch was loose or not mounted correctly. The steering was vague and heavy, almost like the pump was faulty. By this stage I was not tempted by the immaculate exterior anymore, or the low miles, or the MBFSH. This car wanted A LOT of work to get it viable, and then what?

Needless to say I walked back to my own car, disappointed, but with my £3K securely held on to.....
Mostly thanks to all the great advice I have had from this forum, thank you to all of you for the 4MATIC specific advice, I am most grateful.

Regards,

Jim

 

[pentoman]

Hey MotardMan - I live in Dursley
What interior and exterior colour was this 4matic, and how many miles did it have?

thanks

 

[MotardMan]

It had about 68K on it IIRC. Was slate grey metallic, offered fro sale by a Brummie (nice chap), but the car was a mechanical nightmare.

I am in Bussage, if you want to see a proper 300TE W124!

Best,

Jim