Another customer scammed! CAR WIZARD shows why this '94 Mercedes SL600 is needing 15K to get sorted!

Buying a used car is more than looking at the paint and condition of the interior. The CAR WIZARD 🧙‍♂️ shows just has bad this 1994 Mercedes Benz SL600 is and why it will take over 15K to back on the road.
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[@Evergreen64]

When you said that the wiring harness would have to be hand made and replaced I thought 9 grand is cheap. That's no small task. Probably takes a month.

[@emmanuelmcallister5412]

I think I have sourced a new upper harness for it.

[@pablopicaro7649]

@Rock MacConcharraigh Getting all the new exact connectors with pins needed could be a big problem

[@gergelyturcsanyi6743]

@Rock MacConcharraigh That sounds good!

[@althunder4269]

$9,000 seems excessive.

[@SeanPennII]

@@emmanuelmcallister5412 what's so odd to me, I have only ever had GM cars, so I wouldn't even know where to begin to find crazy old random parts for a Mercedes, where do you look?

[@lenlowe332]

In Germany there is a company that refurbishes these cable harnesses. The complete set with all 4 harnesses costs 1,880€. The company is called MKB-TEC.

[@davidestate]

What a great find... Maybe the customer will read the comments and look it up. I just did and they have the harness onine

[@chartreux1532]

As a German in general watching these American Car Channels i realised that so many Americans calling all kinds of German Cars "Money Pit" because most Stuff you can get fixed here for little, apparently costs you 10x if you are in the USA. This being another example. Why do they charge so much in the USA? No idea but no wonder so many Americans on KZbin call all kinds of Cars "Money Pits" that aren't Money Pits over here Prost & Cheers from the Bavarian Alps

[@f0nd004u]

@@chartreux1532 that's true of pretty much any car that's not made domestically. In Europe, having a big American truck would be a complete money pit.

[@chartreux1532]

@@f0nd004u 100% agree with you, i just wish KZbinrs would point this out instead of claiming Cars are Money Pits universally, when that's not the case. I don't think there is ill intent behind it, maybe they assume the Viewers know they talk about it being a Money Pit in the US or NA in general because Parts and Specialised Mechanics for BMW, Audi, Mercedes are obviously much more common and easy to get in Germany and of course Europe as well, while finding that in North America is hard and more expensive.

[@aaryeshg.6526]

@@chartreux1532 I say this exact thing about Nissans. In US apparently they're known for being junk. But here in middle east, its the opposite. 😆 All the little issues they have with them don't appear here. Edit: Also being in middle east, ofcourse I see old Mercs here all the time in fairly good running order. Even 15 year old C200s with faded lights and paint because of sand and sun, but they still keep going because people take care of them here. Often older E and S classes are imported from Japan here, since they're low mileage and super clean.

[@cigarsgunsanddiesel8032]

Next on Hoovie's Garage: Cheapest '94 SL600 in the country...

[@godfreyberry1599]

Waiting with bated breath!.

[@HeyhitmeBAM]

Scam Inception

[@Rao_Sahab_7878]

Ya Hoovie needs to buy it.

[@galil_6863]

Wizard will start shopping for private islands 😂

[@dwtrksvc]

Or Legit Street Cars...lol

[@John_Morrison]

I had an old Mercedes mechanic tell me years ago "If you can't afford a new Mercedes, you can't afford an old Mercedes." Doubly true for Porsche.

[@greggbrown0]

Depends on the model

[@mook528]

This is so real. And a v12? The ultimate money pit

[@lopezlopez7132]

Cute, but stupid. I've owned Mercedes cars for many years now. Never bought a new one. Own two 20 year old Mercedes cars now. NEVER had any big problems with any of them. Yes, there were repairs done to all of them, but nothing major.

[@mook528]

@@lopezlopez7132 so your one positive experience with an old Benz negates the many many negative experiences other people have had? Even mechanics that say don’t do it?

[@lopezlopez7132]

@@mook528 Well, it's my 6 positive experiences with 6 different old Mercedes cars, but who is counting...

[@saratc660]

“You guys need to start getting pre-purchase inspections” - Wizard in the last video that no one listened to

[@ckm-mkc]

Or at least try everything to make sure it works BEFORE buying a car. The hydraulic leaks seem pretty obvious. The wiring harness is also obvious.

[@saratc660]

@@ckm-mkc true but there’s also a chance that a person that discovers this issue may not know how expensive and complicated it is. Might think it’s a minor fix

[@kuebby]

@@saratc660 Then they should learn to use the internet, otherwise I have no sympathy

[@ericfleetwood6744]

@@saratc660 Yes, and may have been told that it's a minor fix.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

@@ckm-mkc - The person must have bought this sight unseen, based on the shiny new red paint. lol

[@luisencinas7534]

That’s why, 3 years ago, when I bought a 92 for 5k thinking it was a great deal, then I realized all the harnesses were cracking, I immediately sold it for 3,5k. It’s awful to learn with a mistake, thanks Mrs and Mr Car Wizard for saving someone’s family money! This channel is not only entertaining and informative, but of a public service. Cheers!

[@daveh2612]

92 wasn’t affected. It was 93-95 model years

[@catboi1188]

Sharp ass cars ...it's a damn shame

[@MrTheHillfolk]

I've only been into the mercedes a little more recently,as I picked up a nice 80 240d 4 speed. I also learned it's probably best to not venture into the 90s on most Mercedes as by then they started to lose their way with stuff being repairable. Even though, I'd really like a blacked out 90-91 560sec.

[@markdamstra]

@@MrTheHillfolk my dream mercedes is 80's 300d. turbo. I think they are made real well..

[@MrTheHillfolk]

@@markdamstra I saw one out about 6-8 days ago! Nutty guy ,it's upstate NY and we got snow ! Tbh ,it looked well used, bit was still going down the road. No visible rust ,but the paint was rough. Probably a real road warrior with a few hundred k on the clock.

[@mattjacomos2795]

back in the late 90's and I worked in an MB dealership. I remember seeing a lot of this series in the workshop with the interior completely stripped out and work on the wiring going on. The wiring harness was the first thing installed when the car was built, therefore the depth of the job... There was ALWAYS at least one in the workshop undergoing this job. Now I know why...

[@dfs316]

I've had my 1998 SL600 for 11 going on 12 years now. I've done all my own work except for replacing the trans when it blew. I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone..even with extensive knowledge and doing my own work adding up receipts I am over $40k in parts over the years owning it.

[@Gold171]

In your opinion, has it been a worthwhile ownership?

[@dfs316]

Financially absolutely not..if I totaled it today id get a 1/4 maybe of what i have into it from insurance but I love the car..the only other car like it is a w140 which is another money pit. I daily drive it alot and would probably never sell it.

[@XB10001]

😬💩

[@XB10001]

@@dfs316 well, you enjoy it, and that's the important aspect. No car is worth it financially... unless it's a desirable model that appreciates.

[@dfs316]

Yes and it is a 1998 so it is a far less of a nightmare then the one in the video...the wire harness for the engine, throttle bodies, and trans rot for model years 1991? to 1996 and the ads 1 is harder to work on then the ads 2 found in the later SL600s like the one I own.

[@roberthamzey845]

I had a 2000 SL 500. I found a place in Oregon. They exchange or rebuild your hydraulic CC pistons. It was $1,100 exchange or $750 rebuild. A local independent Mercedes Shop removed the old ones and sent them to the Oregon shop and installed the rebuilt ones for $850.

[@sano0311]

They get better price because they are dealer. They pay a lot less for parts.

[@DuckReach432]

I can remember reading about these V12 Mercedes convertibles when they were new. One of those journalists wrote recently that, to this day, it was one of the finest cars he'd ever driven. I hope the owner (or a subsequent owner) puts the money into saving this beautiful car.

[@don2deliver]

So he is still making interest on the big check Mercedes paid him? I would probably agree with Jeremy Clarkson that the Lexus LFA is the best car ever made if I drove one. The smoothest car I ever drove was a Jaguar 6 cylinder Sedan. Another car that got an unnecessary and underpowered V12.

[@DoudD]

This scenario can happen when you buy any car at the lowest end of the price scale. How was this car represented by the seller? Without knowing that it might not be fair to say the owner was "scammed". It might be more accurate to say that he bought at the bottom end of the market, took a gamble, and lost. Making a poor choice isn't the same as being victimized.

[@patrickanthony3632]

So, there are certain cars that are never intended to be salvaged, they are designed for one-time use only!

[@Calilasseia]

Watching this, I was left thinking that Mercedes took a conscious decision to see how many bad engineering decisions they could load into a single car. Either that, or they didn't care what happened to the car after its first rich owner disposed of it. Given that this car would have been offered for sale for over $100,000 when brand new back in 1994, it really demonstrates the level of cynicism that infected Mercedes at that time.

[@pablopicaro7649]

Go to a MB dealer, it is mostly Dr. and some business guys who lease for two or three years. No person is buying them for longevity. MB has ZERO priority on longevity. just short term snob appeal and tech wizardy

[@justacinnamonbun8658]

I just spent $1,500 (parts & labor) on a new full exhaust for my 2003 Honda Odyssey. The catalytic converter flanges rusted out completely, nothing left to fix or weld, the catalyst itself was still good, no check engine light but the fact there was no more steel to weld and the muffler had some holes it in I just had it all replaced. Has 174k miles and runs OK, there's a little steering wheel jitter at highway speeds that comes and goes, I already had all four balanced for $60 and it helped but still does it, I'm not going to sweat it, I'll keep driving it that way. Apparently this guy that spent $7,500 on a used pile of junk Mercedes-Benz never watched #SavageScotty . It's amazing what people will spend money on. I have to SMH.

[@Nollekeuh]

If you have a good dealer in Europe or the classic centre, they will send you to the right company that makes it for you for a reasonable price.

[@MrBaddebt]

Car is nearly 30 years old….

[@path.1499]

The majority of cars (performance oriented or not) are junk in the long run.

[@Disruptedgarage]

As a long term owner of mid 90's MB, I would full expect to spend 10-12K in parts on this if I had purchased it, knowing most owners defer maintenance on these older cars.

[@andrewkiwi1]

I used to work on these Mercs . Its usually the small hyd rams beneath the back seat. They are junk. Its a shame because they are such a nice looking car and great to drive, when they work. We used to get a lot of W140's into our shop and the loom on the engine and the trans loom . The 6 cyl motor had individual coil packs on the plugs with 3 wires to each coil . The insulation used to break into little ringlets and fall apart and short out and if the customer didn't get onto it quickly, it fried the ecu. Now you are in for a ecu and loom. You cant see the insulation either because the loom is well wrapped. we wrecked one just by taking the loom out of the way to remove the coils, to change the plugs. Then you have the fun fact that there are up to 3 or 4 versions on the loom depending where in the world it was sold . we are right hand drive in NZ and get a lot of used cars from Japan and Singapore. the ones from Singapore had aluminium plugs in the hoes that run to the heater as the heaters are not used in Singapore. so they come to NZ and get sold to a customer. The customer want the heater to work as we need heaters in NZ. We drop the hoses and remove the plugs in the hoses. bleed the cooling system and send the car on its way. six weeks later it comes back on a tow truck with soggy green carpets. yes the heaters leaking. they have heater hoses connected to aluminium tubes to the heater core that have a small 2 bolt flange and "o' ring that's been dry for the last 10 years. LOL People say Andrew why are you banging your head against the wall ? "Because it feels good when I stop. Mercs and Bmws could have been such great cars but they got cheap in their manufacturing processes. The A160 was another example trans ecus that floats in the trans pan, airflow meters and fittings,, dashes that stop working, the trans in general the cheap ass 60km life expectancy of the starter if you were lucky.

[@robi4387]

Agreed. My 1988 BMW 320 is still good. Ok it would be better for new shocks all round but the rubber and plastic on my 2000s are beginning to fail. When I look in the engine bay I wonder why they didn't just use stainless nuts and bolts or at least better galvanising. Even the rubber air box mounts are going on the M5 and the headlight seals. A shop would not replace any of these rubber parts because while it takes minutes to change the air filter, it takes a couple of hours to fit never mind days to wait for dozens of bespoke grommets, washer and rubber spacers. Time that the car is immobile and blocking other jobs. The icing on any premium car is the electronics which date and die and cost more than the car is worth.

[@pablopicaro7649]

Go to a MB dealer, it is mostly Dr. and some business guys who lease for two or three years. No person is buying them for longevity. MB has ZERO priority on longevity. just short term snob appeal and tech wizardy

[@andrewkiwi1]

@@jkeelsnc Here in NZ I think the Korean cars are getting better. Out of most of the larger European manufacturers Volvo seem to be reliable one. In the pickup market it was always Toyota on top with the Hilux and now Ford are having problems suppling enough of their Rangers as they are selling so fast.. The Isuzu pickups are selling well too, giving Nissan and Mitsi a run for their money. We also get Ssangyong and Great wall motors and Mahindra selling pickups here too. I had a ride in a Great Wall one recently. They have come a long way in the past 5 years. It drove well and had plenty of power and looked good too. So times are a changing . It will be interesting how the market for the slower selling brands go in the next 5 years.

[@berwhaletheavenger]

@@jkeelsnc Nissan has been Renault powered junk for quite a few years. Honda Civics and Accords are okay, Mazdas are reliable but rust like a bastard. VW Audi stuff is pretty poor.

[@vw5056]

@@jkeelsnc Yet here in Europe German cars don't have this negative reputation. Perhaps you're the problem?

[@alpac2756]

As a car enthusiast I have been watching your videos for some time and in each of them you always sound like you know your stuff and this video confirmed it to me. I know first hand that everything you mention in this video is spot on. I owned a 1992 r129 500SL for 7 years, sold it last year. I really loved this car, the way it looked and the way it drove but I was spending my time fixing something from small things to big things. I did replace all the 12 cylinders myself in 2 week-ends with rebuilt ones from a company in Oregon. It cost me $700 for the set plus a good 15h of my time to do the job. If I had had to bring this car to a mechanic every time there was a problem I would have gone bankrupt. Since mine was the 500 I did not have the air suspension issue nor did I have the biodegradable harness issue since the bad years for r129 harness were 1993/1994. Still this car required a lot of work to be kept drivable. Big thanks for your videos

[@williamkerdasha5273]

I have a 95’ 600. Did the wiring harnesses. Currently doing the hydraulics. Doing the work myself has saved me a lot of money. The work is pretty straightforward. You can still get the MAF and lower harnesses as of 4/15/2024. MAF is around 120 each (x2) and the lower harness is around 200-300. My upper harness had been replaced and is NLA, but Kurth Classics in Germany rebuilds the main harness.

[@clownworld-honk410]

"Assume anyone selling you a car, most of the time, is trying to rip you off" ... wise words. Soooo true.

[@wronggg]

@Yippee Skippy I was brutally honest selling my F150 in running/driving condition for $500. Explained line by line every single problem I could think of. Took 5 weeks before someone came to see it (and thankfully buy it).

[@E34Benzin]

So is the mechanic whos says 9 grand is acceptable for that job. lol

[@billnasburg1361]

I am really impressed with your knowledge and honesty of these expensive and complicated cars. I wish I lived closer to your shop because a good repair shop is hard to find these days

[@elkillerx]

I always loved the styling of these older SL Mercedes. Very great looking car in my opinion. I've read that Mercedes stopped using this type of wiring after 1996 so an SL made after that year might be a better option but you'd still have the convertible top issues to deal with. I saw a 2001 SL500 in my area with only 72k Miles that sold for $19k. It looked nearly brand new, and had all the service records. I was very tempted!

[@jacobdorph816]

I handled repair of all my 12 hydraulic cylinders (500SL, 1990, in Sweden) for Euro 799 plus Euro 80 for one new contact sensor. I sent them to RSCAuto in Germany, they took less than 24hr for actual work but postal services about 5-7 days each direction. Cylinders now work really well. Leave the car there instead and it's done in 1 working day, including cylinder removal, new seals, cylinder refitting.

[@simplex1]

meanwhile 90’s Hondas and Toyotas still running like a charm while being abused… Shows you who really is best car makers…

[@wide36_vert]

The big question here: Does that $18,400 SL600 in comparison have any harnesses replaced? And if not- what would the actual value of a “fixed” car with that issue already paid for be worth?

[@frostyab7579]

newer models got away from the "biodegradable" harnesses for regular plastic so they don't have that problem anymore

[@helmuthhaass3631]

I cannot imagine an owner of an SL600 replacing the full harness and then selling it cheaply. That would not make sense..

[@AudiophileStooge]

Thanks for this Wizard, I really liked these cars but dealing with the top and wiring issues... these cars are now off my list.

[@jweezywooden4378]

Get the SL500

[@christophers7070]

Wiring harness issues were for all models 1993-1995 aprox, before or after that, no problem. I'd steer clear of the 600 IMO

[@AudiophileStooge]

I’m currently workin in a Series 2a, DMC-12 and 57 Fairlane. Hands full at the moment lol

[@williambrandt9254]

They are great cars. Just make sure the previous owner has attended to these things! PPI and receipts.

[@joesmith9216]

Get a 1998, best year for a sl600, but they still are money hoes, the engine is too unique, I would guess you can't really get any parts for them.

[@christopherkraft1327]

Hey Wizard & Mrs Wizard, I feel bad for your customer getting ripped off. It's a sad state of affairs that there are so many scammers out there. The world needs more people out there like the Wizard that has honesty & integrity!!! 👍🙂

[@jaysfan19]

Bullshit, the guy paid $3500 for the damn car, ever heard of sales term called, as is? In other words, there's no inspection, no warranty, the customer should've done his research before buying the car, pre purchase inspection!

[@golden.lights.twinkle2329]

Buyer beware! How do you know he was scammed? The seller might not have even know of the problems. Anyone who thinks a V12 will be a cheap proposition must be dreaming!

[@mustafastokely4962]

By the way, the bio-degradable wiring harness issue resulted from a (then) new German/EU law, and was not unique to Mercedes. (Affected brands included Mercedes, Porsche, BMW. (Other car brands to suffer a similar problem - though in the 1980s - included Saab's and Volvo's.) I believe Delphi was the manufacturer, for the 1990s mishap.

[@johne6081]

1996 Audi A4 Quattro -- personal experience.

[@21stcenturyfossil7]

I know this reply is to a post two months ago, but it's piqued my curiosity. Do you have a reference to the EU/German law that mandated biodegradable wiring? I ask because 1) Euro cars are reputedly full of all sorts of cheap plastic parts such as cooling system components and intake manifolds and whatever which used to be made out of cast aluminum or zamak. It would seem to me that if regulation were driving the change, easily recyclable metals would continue to be used rather than plastic. 2) Were Japanese cars imported into Europe subject to the same plastic regulations? Did they make biodegradable wiring harnesses for their Euro models? 3) I don't discount the importance of simple cheapness. Was the biodegradable wire cheaper than the old wire? There's ALOT of wire in a higher end modern car and even a penny a foot price difference is going to make a noticeable difference.

[@LLG47]

I had to do a full wiring harness replacement on my 1985 240 Volvo because of the degradation. However in the Volvo's case it was about $300 for the whole harness and took me all of half an hour to do.

[@mjouwbuis]

Was that law really about biodegradable plastics or just banning PVC wiring?

[@scrambaba]

It is easier to blame the government instead of corporate greed…

[@ejsgarage]

I saw a very cheap S600 in Virginia. 8 owners. I did some research on the car. The V12 engine needs 24 spark plugs and the coil pack is $1250 each!

[@cooperredmon3430]

Was it an early w220?

[@rickyhriancik]

@@cooperredmon3430 very likely

[@ejsgarage]

@@cooperredmon3430 It was 2006 S600

[@kensmechanicalaffair]

Says 400$ for one side of coils..

[@russellaycock3703]

Portland Wiring Harnesses lists the SL600 wiring harness for 3,022. Looks to be high quality.

[@michaelbaka4777]

'05 SL500 owner here. When I bought my girl, I knew what I was getting into, financially. But I did go over her before purchase, made a list of the issues, then went home and SLEPT ON IT. After giving it a LOT of thought, I bought her. As much as I wanted this car, I forced myself to wait! [This is my dream car!!!] Knew going in she could be quite expensive, but she was tight and right. I do NOT regret my decision, as we've been happily motoring with almost NO issues! I do ultra-maintain my cars, I think that helps a lot. Hope this guy figures out what to do without taking a bath on it!! PS I did want the 12 cylinder, but my V-8 is just fine for me!! It was hard enough just finding one in black with the blond interior!!!

[@rexultimus1422]

black on blonde sound like a beaut❕

[@michaelbaka4777]

@@rexultimus1422 Thanks!!! She sure is! Almost 4 years now and the love affair continues!!!!!!!!!

[@DDd-hr6mz]

More and more I appreciate the simplicity of my car. All analog.

[@kapioskapiopoylos7338]

me too, the only electronics my car has, is ignition and injection system, sometimes radio. ah yes and the lights, other than that it is full "uga booga", it has failed a good 0 times and service is incredibly cheap which prevents any serious damage. i have reached a point that i could certainly afford buy a "nice" car but ABSOLUTELY NO. people tell me to "buy a new one and stop using this clunker", few hours later, "yes my 2017 whatever car with 5 seat control boards and more wiring than the average server broke, come pick me up"

[@bladieblaat23]

@@kapioskapiopoylos7338 Collision radar detection system that has to be resynched after fantom breaking. It's a blessing all that new crap roflol

[@markbaker6029]

Thank you Car Wizard - very informative insight on the MB 600 Series for those years mentioned. YES those bio-degradable wiring harnesses under the Chrysler years were/are the worst - what were they thinking! As just the heat ‘alone’ from the engine degrades the wiring. So sad as the appearance of this vehicle is nice and yes the customer did get obviously scammed. Basically - the vehicle (as it sits) is just a parts car now and the owner ‘could’ get his money back out of it that was spent on the purchase in just selling off the parts of the vehicle as they are in general hard to find too. However, that takes time (and knowledge) and can be difficult too if you don’t have a storage place/location to part out the car at. Which can be a messy job in itself. Then the shipping aspect of it all. Now regarding the cost factor of repairs you spoke about on this 600 - yep, been there & done that with my 1991 Black 500 SL/AMG that I purchased in December of 2021 out in California . BUT luckily for me (while still living out there) I had a Car Wizard who had previously owned three of the 500’s & when I had the slightest problem with the hydraulics with getting the hard top to release (soon after purchase) he told me to STOP don’t push the button anymore!!! And so I took it into his shop where over a period of two weeks my initial investment of $7,000.00 on a 100,000 mile MB did turn into almost triple (over time) the cost of the purchase - and one cylinder did blow right behind the drivers seat and what a mess that was just from one of the eleven cylinders as the fluid lingers & does “not” evaporate. That took weeks to finally get it all flushed out of not only the places you readily can see but also from out of the frame rail channels where normally rain water goes into and empties out via the drain ports on the bottom of the car. That took time and a lot of flushing down inside the drainage area behind the drivers seat. SO for the 500 - maybe I should have sold it! BUT the original owner (I’m the third) was a well known actor and singer - so the vehicle comes with some pretty impressive prominence - however the second owner didn’t do ANY maintenance on the vehicle for the eight years he owned it. So I inherited ALL the issues. When one cylinder goes OR has problems (you know what has to be done) you replace ALL the cylinders and check all the lines too for possible needed replacement (if you can find them at all) but for me the lines were old but still in good condition (no leaks or breaks). So the replacement on the cylinder rebuilds with LABOR was six grand. And my friend only charged me half of his normal cost for labor. BUT I still had to go through the “full engine maintenance” ordeal, which in parts and cost was another grand+. Then the suspension needed help (ie: the front struts etc.) - Another grand - now at this point I’m back living at home in Indianapolis & paying for local MB Dealership Labor costs @ 195 an hour (OUCH). Then to top that off - there’s the little plastic parts debacle - as 30+ year old plastic parts just crumble from all over the car and finding them ‘somewhere in the world’ ARE harder than trying to find that pesky raccoon that keeps getting in the trash at night time. And even if you find that hard to find plastic part - there’s a reason their hard to find because the owner of the parts wants a kings ransom for the little part that can fit in the palm of your hand - so in plastic parts I’ve spent to date another two grand+ (ie: engine bay; interior; trunk areas)! And it just does not stop there - the transmission so far is holding together pretty well though I know it will need maintenance soon too ($$$). So the 500 isn’t driven much - maybe 20 miles a week just to keep the fluids going. There are more expenditures but for now my total investment has reached a little under twenty five grand including the initial purchase cost. So was it worth it - probably not. But I’m in it for what I’ve spent to date to bring it back from out of its years of abuse of its second owner. And its holding its own right now pretty good. I must admit that the black with beige interior looks great and I do get compliments on it as the original paint still does well once I polished and ceramic coated it. I do a lot of the cosmetic work myself and I’ve come to understand the mechanics of the 500 pretty well - BUT your video on the 600 has given me a lot of insight to think about. Thank goodness my ‘91 does not have those wiring harness issues as they are still strong as ever and look really fresh for a thirty plus year old vehicle. So thank you for your time in making this video for us. Because anyone wanting to purchase one of these historic MB’s (during the Chrysler ownership years) should be ‘buyer beware’ just because of the wiring harnesses issue(s) to start with! Then of course the hydraulics - when one gives you a problem or the system is giving you a problem - then they ‘all’ need to be replaced! So again thank you Car Wizard for such a great video - gotta go - I hear the 500 calling to me for some more maintenance needs…

[@robertmaybeth3434]

brother - Sorry you had to endure all those aggravations, spending a fortune just to keep a car running how it ought to, is an awful waste by anybody's standards. And every word you say just underscores the mystery to me why anyone would consider owning a German car, ever!

[@car_pal]

Such a shame, the best thing for the guy would be to part it out and take a bit of a loss, those wheels, the hard top and the engine alone should bring some nice money

[@dbowen22]

Those wheels are imitation AMG look wheels. They're basically worthless too.

[@zhvonte]

He should keep the car, as a parts car, and buy a nice 18k dollar sl600. In the long run, he will come out ahead parts wise.

[@countryroadautopartsusa6466]

@@dbowen22 Right thought, if he is able to do it on his own.

[@stickit2theman1]

@@dbowen22 damn that sucks I feel bad for this dude

[@rolandroyce7432]

And the catalytic converter aren't 1800+bucks I pay

[@gyllessmyth]

As I was told before I bought my first AMG, always remember, nothing is more expensive than a cheap Mercedes. I'm not sure about the "scammed" part of it, though. Looking at BaT, a few SL600s have sold in the teens over the last year, but most have been between $20K and $30K with some going much higher than that. Just my speculation, but it seems like it might be a case of someone figuring they could pick up a "fixer" for $7,500, put $5K or $6K into getting it sorted, and have a $25K car for half the price. Again, just speculation on my part.

[@marklewis8067]

or any Mercedes BMW Audi etc..... they are endless all money pits..

[@waterheaterservices]

@@marklewis8067 My 1966 Cadillac has needed a alternator, air conditioning compressor, fuel pump, and the clock doesn't work. Lousy junk, may not last another 55 years.

[@marklewis8067]

@@waterheaterservices I was born in 1966 just like your Cadillac so I sympathize with it. At least with your Caddie, its easy to diagnose and work on plus the parts won't cost as much as the purchase price of the car. Today's cars are way too expensive and way too complex with features and electronics that many drivers will never use. Government has a major part to play as well mandating equipment and features that drive up the cost of the car. Like most aspects of life Govt creates more problems than they ever solve.

[@gyllessmyth]

@@marklewis8067 - Oh, I don't know. That first AMG was a 2003 CLK55 that I bought it in 2010 with 60K miles on it. Sold it in 2019 with 145K miles and it was the most reliable and least expensive to maintain car I've ever owned. Other than scheduled maintenance, the only thing that ever needed replacing in almost a decade of ownership was a crank position sensor.

[@marklewis8067]

@@gyllessmyth I am pleased that you had that experience. However, anecdotal experience is not actual evidence of anything. If I slipped and fell in the shower one day would it mean that all or most days i would also fall? no The Statistics don't lie The old Mercedes W123 cars go for hundreds of miles. The new ones do not. There is a huge proliferation of plastic parts that fail regularly as do the computerized modules that run everything. Truth is that these cars have become more unreliable. Partially because the manufacturers don't care what happens after the warrantee expires ( in fact they want the car to fail at that point because it becomes a revenue stream for them in parts and repairs.) and partially because they have become so complex. As logic will tell us, the more complex a system becomes the more likely it is to fail and the harder it is to diagnose and repair.

[@wayneparris3439]

ALWAYS pay for a PRE-PURCHASE inspection. It will cost a few hundred bucks at a dealer and they are happy to do it for you. They will find the issues you had no idea were there. This also gives you another tool to bargain on the price. This has saved me SOOOO MUCH money over the years. This goes for any machine or vehicle. My latest purchase was a Bobcat Skid Steer loader. It was in very good condition and some minor issues were discovered but the piece of mind you gain for such a small outlay of money before you own the vehicle is WELL worth it.

[@stevemonkey6666]

The hydraulic roof thing is horrifying! I wonder if anyone has successfully sued Mercedes-Benz for the environmentally friendly wiring.

[@samfuller6273]

I don't think so cuz all the cars were long out of warranty before the wiring harness reared it's ugly head. Most of the cars were from 93 to 98 and a lot of these problems didn't come out till 2007,8,9 ... So is 8 to 10 years before the wiring got bad. Mercedes used to sell the wiring harness for a rather inexpensive price compared to what they are now. I think a upper W124 harness was only like 3 or 400 bucks from Mercedes12 -15 years ago. I believe Mercedes only made one big run of them and then they stopped

[@amunderdog]

Maybe; .I remember they had issues with rodents eating the wiring out of the cars.

[@wheretheredferngrows14]

The wiring was on every car. A recall would of bankrupted them so it never happened.

[@richbenzer5926]

I believe it was a mandate of the German government, being green and all, to have the biodegradable insulation on the wiring, in 94/95 until it was rescinded.

[@czgunner]

@@wheretheredferngrows14 Ahh yes, too big to fail.

[@jkraich5317]

I bought a 1997 SL 500 for 4K. I knew the top was bad. I paid 3200 for all of the cylinders to be replaced with rebuilt ones. The great thing was that the rebuilds came with a 4 year warranty. It is a wonderful car

[@markb3756]

They're one of the most beautiful cars ever made IMO.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

@@markb3756 - That's a stretch. They look best with the hardtop left on. This example looks nice (probably a repaint) and I don't even like red.

[@bollomcbollo6260]

I've rebuilt these wiring harnesses myself. I can't get the original colours of the wires, but use a selection of PTFE insulated wires bought from Farnell in Leeds. All I have done is taken the harnesses off, got them one by one on the bench and very, very patiently replaced each wire one at a time. It's a matter of opening the plastic plugs with a Dremel and then glueing them back together with epoxy. For the ECU multi-way plugs, I have heard of people extracting each pin but I have never found a way of doing that. I cut each back to about 1/4", apply solder flux to the remaining 1/4", slide a little bit of heat shrink tube over the new wire, solder one, cover with heat shrink and on to the next. It is an absolute pain in the arse of a job. My 1994 SL600 with 40k on the clock needs doing now, but I may just send the harnesses to repair, give them £1600 and let them do the job. That was my late wife's car so I will never part with it.

[@emixmim]

We have a R129 in the family, bought new in 99 I think. It has been pretty much bullet proof, and I think my dad did some upgrades over time to prevent issues. Granted it only has about 35k kms in 23 years so it's not driven much.

[@99Vood99]

Wizard, it's a pity about the harnesses and those hydraulic cylinders. The car does look like a clean example though and hopefully someone with deep pockets can save it.

[@mikeyorkav4039]

Eh, ive seen much cleaner. Mine is much cleaner and i daily it.

[@ViolentMLG]

@@mikeyorkav4039 Good for you Mike.

[@rexleung2761]

I rebuilt all 11 cylinder using $10.00 cheap Chinese O ring. The soft top is now working good. The wire harness has to be bought from the dealer, shop around to get a cheaper deal. Air suspension is something I don't know how to do. Headliner is not a big item.

[@matthewmeaux3450]

That was $125,000.00 retail when new. $30k for a vehicle that will Never be produced again.

[@samfuller6273]

Well it's way too nice to junk so they should just fix it! One repair at a time.

[@yamaha226]

@@samfuller6273 Part it out.

[@emmanuelmcallister5412]

I plan on getting it fully sorted.

[@Primus54]

@@emmanuelmcallister5412 Are you the owner?

[@emmanuelmcallister5412]

@@Primus54 yes I am

[@nelsonserrate9281]

You know, as careful as I am, it’s happened to me with my beloved S400 Hybrid in my profile picture. I had a pre purchase inspection done by a local Mercedes dealership here in Germany. Very minor issues came up. New wiper blades needed, brake pads, etc. my concern was with the hybrid system and especially the power control modules that are known to fail between 80-100k miles. I purchased the car with 68k miles and was told by the Mercedes dealership that it had already been replaced on my car. What they didn’t say is that is was replaced by a used one that still had the problem. Not the new replacement one that Mercedes sells now. There is hope, mine is not failing completely yet, just causing an occasional engine light for low voltage. Luckily I found a guy who rebuilds the power control units at 1/10th of the cost and gives you a 2 year or 30k mile warranty. That’s the route I’m taking because I absolutely love this car. Great video. Thanks for the info.

[@CWS1963]

Complete sets available, rebuilt, exchange for $650. I did mine. It's an afternoon, fiddly job but not rocket science.

[@kensmechanicalaffair]

Not according to these queens in the comment section.

[@mickeymang6]

There are rebuild kits available for the hydraulic actuators for the top. Just just O-rings that fail over time. You don't need to spend the much on replacing them.

[@lawrencebmarshall]

The top seems tedious, but for diy could be done cheaply. The wiring harness is what kills the car though. Unless you have a line on them and a lot of time.

[@richbenzer5926]

True, or swap them for rebuilt from tophydraulics. The biggest thing is removing and replacing them, not a hard job just time consuming

[@markjordan348]

My second thought. Could the hardtop be made permanent removing all of that hydraulic crap? Could the engine be hot rodded with aftermarket controls Etc? And finally could this suspension be simplified? Wouldn't be original and maybe not worth so much. But it might make a fun driver.

[@QuickQuips]

I wonder if the later year sl65 black is more reliable than the cheaper hardtop models as a result.

[@JSchroederee]

ok disable the roof hydralics for a few dollars and its a permanent coupe. not as fun but its a solution. an aftermarket ECU would still need all new wiring and the cost of the ecu, so that's going to probably cost more, and could be a pita to get running right let alone unlock more power. convential suspension replacement, probably a good call. all in all the car is a bit of a money pit anyway you look at it. Id argue that it would be worth sorting but the cheaper solution is still to buy a sorted example.

[@onecarl78]

I had an r129 SL500 and just didn’t touch the convertible top once it started leaking. No problems. I sugru’d half of my cracking wiring harnesses when I had it. Gave up when I had an unrepairable tranny connector leak and the damn OE shocks kept failing every few months. 😭

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

@@onecarl78 - Sugru’d is not a word I'm familiar with.

[@onecarl78]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH it is the act of using sugru- a silicone polymer that cures with air exposure

[@bizjetfixr8352]

Want to know why old US muscle cars and "pony" cars are so popular? A-727/C-6/Turbo 400 overhaul - $1000? (Paid $500 for mine back in 2001 by a legit shop, still works good, no leaks) New/overhauled starter = $100 Water pump= $50 Radiator, correct restoration, Mopar = $400 Carburator = $200-400 Not to mention that damn near everything can be fixed in your garage by yourself.

[@thehoneybadger8089]

I think I would remove all of the garbage roof hydraulic system and throw it away, repair the headliner, and leave it permanently as a hard top. The wires looked good in the harnesses. I would pull those wiring harnesses and install new outer coverings. Replace the headlight and repair the suspension. The drive that sucker for another 400,000 miles with regular maintaining and TLC.

[@CRAPO2011]

I like your tactic ,screw fixing the top

[@dmorga1]

The problem is, the locking mechanism for the hard top is the same as the soft top. There's no way to manually lock it.

[@danieljohnson6093]

@@dmorga1 Wrong there is a tool to do it

[@dmorga1]

@@danieljohnson6093 I guess. Not sure I like the idea of the whole system manual. The jackscrews in the back of the hardtop + the front? I wouldn't trust it.

[@bensimpson3002]

I really dislike power tops. Especially crazy complicated hydraulic ones like this, there’s no way it needed to be that complex. I have a Miata, and it’s of course much smaller than this car, but I’d still never want a power top even in. Miata. Totally unnecessary- I’ve been caught in the rain before, and all I had to do was pull over, sit up in the seat, reach behind me and pull the top up. Two latches, done in 15 seconds.

[@bowlander]

There was a '94 SL500 for sale local to me for $4500 and it looked so good but everyone including a Mercedes mechanic said run.

[@stickit2theman1]

Good on you for doing your research Things can get bad quickly for making hasty decisions with cars, although I still feel for this guy he didn't deserve this at all...

[@kapioskapiopoylos7338]

you dodged a nuke, there are worse but you did your research and saved your 5k$

[@CAepicreviews]

The V8 models are significantly better in terms of parts availability, but with something that old and if you don't know how well maintained it has been, then its a real gamble. Especially at that price. If you can't do the work, it isn't worth it to own an old Mercedes unless it was mint when you got it with legitimately no issues.

[@joesmith9216]

@@CAepicreviews yeah, 500's are fine, just have to have the money to keep them running, forget the convertible tops too, I kept my hardtop on my 2000 the whole 7 years I had mine.

[@pablopicaro7649]

Go to a MB dealer, it is mostly Dr. and some business guys who lease for two or three years. No person is buying them for longevity. MB has ZERO priority on longevity. just short term snob appeal and tech wizardy

[@olafsturmhoebel5124]

The price range for SL600 in Germany lies around 20 to 60.000$. A good one lies around 30-40.000. Fixing this issues is also cheaper. So in Germany it is definitly worth fixing it.

[@sirroundsound9104]

If you can afford to do it, it's always worth fixing one of those. Values will keep climbing and that particular one has an awesome spec

[@mrbenz2392]

Facts.

[@yername31]

it’s an investment in an awesome car

[@mrbenz2392]

@@yername31 They are going up in value big time.

[@robertg.durant8489]

@@mrbenz2392 They were 120 thousand in 1994 which is almost 230k in todays money. 100 years from now they will still only be worth a tiny fraction of their original cost

[@mrbenz2392]

@@robertg.durant8489 You mean like the 500K of the 1930's or the Gullwing of the 1950's. I bought a 2002 Silver Arrow a couple years ago and it has already doubled in value of what I paid for it. LMAO!

[@Vlimable]

I think the Wizard is a bit harsh and biased on this car. Most if not all issues can be fixed affordably if you are willing to invest your own time and some alternative resources. The top has a simple manual override, so no need to have all that fluid piss over the interior. Quite a few companies jumped on the wiring loom bandwagon and with time and a bit of care you can rebuild your own wiring as well. Methinks Wizard is not very Mercedes minded, especially those without OBD2 plugs.

[@Peter-MH]

“Another customer scammed!”.. I wish all garages were this honest!

[@ckm-mkc]

Well, he did buy it pretty cheap given current car prices - that was the first clue there was an issue.

[@scotchegg6422]

No garages are honest. Variable pricing structures, replacing non faulty parts just because he thinks it’s right. How do you think he affords his Ferrari and boat?

[@idontlikecops1]

When you charge 150 an hour per labor like the wizard does. You don't need to scam. Plus KZbin revenue etc.

[@xiukn8]

@@scotchegg6422 partially because of this videos and 800k subs. But mostly by horrendous prices

[@felixrobitaille8170]

Oh every garages it that honest to critic customer’s bad decisions and other garages’ job/diagnostic

[@Arun999]

Thanks for the advice wizard. You are giving us pure reality for us average joes

[@samfungccim]

Repair shop rate in the US is about $150 per hour to $250 per hour (dealers) and the computer program that the shop uses will tell every shop how many hours to fix for what issues for insurance companies purposes. The labor costs add up fast and almost every shop tells you the same repair labor cost. Then the markup of the shop buying parts also adds up quickly. I spent 5k one year on my MB repair bill then I sold the damn car for 5k that year!

[@SG901]

the hard truth, iff you cant do it yourself than you beter bay a new car and not a classic. Even in belgium its about 100euro or more for 1 h laber

[@JohnDavis-ed5sg]

Mercedes had a thing about hydraulic operation of windows, tops etc, starting with the 600 in the sixties. As it was always the top models that had it, their costly leather and cloth interiors suffered badly when the inevitable pressurised leaks started. I like simplicity!

[@chrisstruttmann7322]

Always loved the R129. I looked at one about a year ago and I asked the seller to show me the top opening and closing and he said he'd show me after I bought it. NOPE! There's nothing more expensive than a convertible mercedes top.

[@sckern]

I have a 1998 SL600 which was purchased new for $154k, including all taxes. It only has about 50k miles on it and has always been treated mechanically and cosmetically with the care it deserves. Are services and repairs expensive? Of course they are, especially if you take it to a Mercedes dealer’s service department. However, if you have a local, highly skilled and honest private Mercedes mechanic, as I do, and are committed to fixing anything as soon as it becomes known, I believe it’s well worth the cost to drive and enjoy this pinnacle of Mercedes Benz engineering and build quality at the time it was produced...and arguably still is. bearable

[@XSAILOR65]

I have a 1997 sl280 with the m104, I love the car. MOT approved yesterday, having 272K km on the clock. Runs and shifts very smoot, pretty frugal on fuel on highway. The head gasket need to be done, but will some winter do it my selves. The soft top hydraulics will also leak at some stages, but rebuilt ones are reasonable priced so no worries. Basic maintenance parts are cheap, filters, gaskets kind of stuff.

[@fiily1]

Love my slk 230, it's a tank, great gas mileage, cheap to fix, fast enough, and can park it in the smallest parking spot. Best of both worlds, hardtop and convertible with 1 button.

[@chuckasbury8991]

Surely you jest. Your (and my) SLK230 is a completely different ilk of automobile. It's like comparing apples to baseballs, not even oranges. And just wait until your convertible top goes south. It'll do it when it's down, and pouring rain.

[@fiily1]

@@chuckasbury8991 We drive it during the spring, summer, and fall during nice weather. Car is a beast.

[@doronstauber7285]

While that sounds really pricey, I think that this car is worth doing the work on. It is such a nice driving GT. And the 15-20K put in, means the car will be good to go for another 28 years. Like all cars, you take it to your trusted mechanic once a year, or at least 10k miles (some cars need servicing every 3k miles or 5k miles, so make sure you know the servicing intervals on the car you are buying), service it properly, DO NOT SKIMP ON MAINTENENCE!!!! And your trusted ""steed"" will last.

[@vanwandererx852]

I agree.while the owner maybe paid too much money on a neglected car error has been made and he should fix this car to perfection.Its a v12 convertible,not a Toyota corolla.

[@michaeldunagan8268]

Exactly! If I had the money to buy a Mercedes-Benz like this one, I probably wouldn't worry about the money to fix it up either. I generally think though that to afford German cars built after 1980, you have to be pretty flush. I am not so flush. Therefore I continue to drive my 1999 Toyota Solara 3.0 V6.

[@sully32653]

"Mechanics" are usually the ones that create most of the problems older Mercedes have

[@aussie2uGA]

I owned one of these back in the day. I had no idea this could happen with the top! I thought the biggest problem with Mercedes back then was their vacuum door locks ;)

[@rkan2]

Many many cars have vacuum dor locks - many many volskwagens and audis and they don't have that many problems...

[@jackcpo]

I had a 1985 500SL and every time I put the top up or down I was happy it was totally Manuel and so easy to do. Why did MB over-engineer what was so simple and efficient?

[@Eargesplitten-Loudenboomer]

Kraut space magic.

[@mightymikethebear]

Throw electronic gizmos on it and raise the price!! Auto manufacturers have been doing this for several decades.

[@kendallsmith1458]

Cha Ching

[@w.e.s.]

U must charge 1000 bucks an hour bc noway it cost 6 grand to replace those cylinders. The labor is not that hard or long. They dont always all have to be replaced. Most of that harness can be re0laced and fixed at home. If u dont want to do it just say it no need to scare someone

[@immrnoidall]

I feel bad for the guy that thought he was going to steal that car for half price. I hate it when that happens.

[@pulaski1]

I would love to own one of these V12 SLs, and it is one of the vehicles on my "maybe one day" list, but I look at *the overall cost of ownership* and as I see it, if I buy wisely, I am buying a _fully depreciated_ vehicle. Then the cost of repairs and maintenance, even if apparently substantial, are still going to be better than the brutal depreciation on a new $100k+ car. And there's a good chance that one day it will be worth more than I paid for it. Also the state tax _per valorem_ tax (NC in my case) on an older vehicle is a drop in the bucket compared to the tax on a new luxury vehicle.

[@pabloa7121]

Nice to hear eloquent Mrs Wizard enhance your videos with her own charming perspective. This was a great idea Mr Wizard. And yes “bonnet”. Thank you!

[@SkvalaGaming]

You know things are not good when the car is not in a garage, but in an "Auto Clinic"...

[@rollotomassi8251]

cheap Benz is The most expensive car you can purchase 😢

[@ExAnimoPortugal]

Like Kent Bergsma said, nothing gets more expensive than a cheap Mercedes. Also if you get any old Mercedes, you must be willing to do some of the sorting out and maintenance yourself.

[@czgunner]

You cannot convince people to pay for a pre-purchase inspection. If the seller won't let you, RUN AWAY from that pile.

[@mercedestopseals5792]

I have been selling new and used Mercedes engine harnesses for over 15 years. You also need to check both MAF harnesses! All Mercedes from 1993-1995 and some 1992 and 1996 had defective biodegradable wiring harnesses. I also manufacture premium u-cup seals to rebuild the hydraulic top cylinders.

[@stephencurry8552]

Did the work on one of my BMW's, a five-series. Had the list with me when I went to the dealer for a part. Asked for a quote what they would charge. Would have cost $11,000. LOL. My cost was only $700. Personally I do not trust mechanics or body and paint people. They charge too much. And never actually do good work. Good for you there are people who do not have the ability to do their own work.

[@PaulBCISSP]

The wiring harnesses on these mid 90s Mercedes just turn to dust. I do much of the work on my cars myself but I am not doing that on a 12 cylinder here. As far as the hydraulic cylinders, if you get them all replaced you will buy a few years but these things always break now

[@stephencurry8552]

@@PaulBCISSP Trace one wire at a time. Please! None of this stuff is difficult. Just takes time. As well, I do not trust mechanics.

[@TheAndre8900]

Get in touch with Kent Bergsma from Mercedes Source, he's some kind of genius for mercs. Maybe he has some cheaper but worth way to fix all that stuff.

[@newtonraymond77]

Can't use Kent Bergsma and cheap in the same discussion

[@alant759]

Fixing old German cars is not cheap

[@GhostV8]

Yes

[@petercollingwood522]

@@newtonraymond77 Yeah, you can. I've used his expertise many times. But of course that was on my 123 240D. Not something like this. Orders of magnitude difference.

[@petercollingwood522]

@@alant759 That depends on the car.

[@kertamo6721]

That was a serious reminder to better think twice whether one is able to polish such a gem. Great video!

[@fredvallenet]

I am actually disappointed that Tyler did not show up as the buyer at one point during the video...

[@VikramKrishnan404]

If he's mechanically inclined, I'm sure he could part out the car and make back his $7500 + more. Or find someone to buy it as is for $7500 considering how rare parts are

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Meh, Wizard is exaggerating here, IMO. The customer needs to roll up their sleeves and do the hydraulic cylinders themselves. Someone here posted about a new harness in Germany for $1800. I bet with some resourcefulness, a person could get this car done for well under $10k. You can't farm out a car like this to a repair shop (maybe a few things, like the sagging headliner). You need to do it yourself and be smart about it.

[@TheHamburgler123]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH To be fair, he said this is not a car to buy if you're not a mechanic. And it sounds like the owner doesn't have the necessary skills and experience to do the jobs themself.

[@vnorvi]

I had an s600 of similar vintage.- i had a 80k warranty, and got rid of it at 81k. The many repairs were free. But even with that the TIME I had to devote to constantly having it repaired was horrendous. After I got rid of it, I asked how much had been spent by the warranty company. 45k. Absurd. Never again Mercedes

[@Kewrock]

When you're buying a 28 year old car with 100k on the clock. You get what you get, and should expect the worst. Pay accordingly or walk away. Whether it be an old crappy Pontiac or an old high-end Mercedes. Especially the V12 was known to fail early and mostly too expensive to fix.

[@DGTelevsionNetwork]

My 28 year old Volvo has over 250k the milage and isn't nowhere near as expensive to fix up. Neither is my 10 year old RAV4 with almost 200k

[@Kewrock]

@@DGTelevsionNetwork I had a '99 V70R T5 AWD (850 Estate Wagon). I sold it with 128k in 2015. Always maintained, garaged and never abused or in accidents. Mechanically, it was falling apart one piece at a time. Volvo used a poor grade of rubber and plastics. Rubber mechanical parts and bushings disintegrated as did plastic interior trim pieces. Moonroof leaks, rear suspension failure. sensor failures. Finally, the AWD started making noise. I dumped it. New owner paid me $5k. Even with me doing my own repairs. I felt the car reached the end of it's cost effective life. I don't want to spend every weekend fixing something. But, some fool bought it. Good luck to him.

[@kensmechanicalaffair]

Nobody complains about the engine failing not to mention MB uses that platform in several other vehicles..with a tweak or two here and there.

[@hircine92h]

Truth has been spoken. I mean what did he expect from a nearly 30 year old Mercedes LOL. Even their 10 year old cars are junk that breakdown too often and cost too much to maintain and repair, let alone a 28 year old one LMFAO. I wouldn't go anywhere near that piece of junk.

[@hircine92h]

My dad was a Mercedes lover, he had a 1998 Mercedes S500 back in the day and it was the most piece of junk we've ever had. It brokedown every now and then until my dad got sick of it and sold it out. He never bought a Mercedes ever again. I hear Audis and BMWs are way worse, so I can't imagine that. In my opinion Germans make overpriced complicated junk that would cost a fortune to maintain and repair. If u want peace of mind for you and your wallet you shouldn't go anywhere near a German car.

[@abdelhameedalotaibi3657]

The great thing of living in ME is that there is a lot of good mechanics who try their best to get around these terrible issues , the hydraulic system would be just canceled and the roof will stay on all the time , the wiring harness would be taped , sealed and isolated with rubber materials and the full job to bring the car to reasonably usable state would cost 2K tops ..

[@Nick-ue7iw]

That would never pass inspection stateside, that tape is a fire hazard waiting to happen.

[@thenaturalmidsouth9536]

@@Nick-ue7iw A lot of states don't require inspections.

[@VincentGerardi-q5p]

Love reading your auction reports in SCM! Past owner of some great M -B's. Own now a W 209 500 cab. Wish I was closer to you I would definitely trust you to work on her... Most stuff I do myself but recently waited 3 weeks to get it in the shop for a new radiator. Too much work for a radiator. Love my car only the best for it.

[@rapierce99]

I would fix it! Damn nice car! Fix suspension and wiring harness and later date do the top. They look better with the hard top anyway.

[@bluacuras]

Nope there more to go wrong I’m sure of it

[@Nollekeuh]

I think suspension errors are because of the wiring harness.

[@CheapCheerful]

I've never understood why German cars (Mercs, BMWs) have a 'good' reputation. They're designed to be disposable lease cars that fail within a couple years. Contrast that to any Japanese car, or these days even South Korean cars like Kia, Hyundai, and apart from the wank factor, there's no good reason to buy these things.

[@hircine92h]

They buy them to "look rich" and "classy". personally, I wouldn't go anywhere near a German car. They're piece of junk.

[@averagedev7768]

The more i wathc these car repairs on youtube i cant help but notice that Human labor is very expensive in USA

[@BAD_CONSUMER]

that's comical the way it spits fluid out into the cabin. can you imagine the owner who thought they owned a luxury vehicle. I can't think of a faster way to destroy the sentimental attachment to your car.

[@charleshines1553]

There is a really quick way. For these cars just show the estimate to get it all working.

[@JStryker7]

Some people are into that 🤤

[@mikeyorkav4039]

I bought a 500 knowing the roof was bad and on the way home i hit the roll bar button to see how bad...4 hour drive home with hydraulic fluid on my pants... Still grest cars

[@kensmechanicalaffair]

Actually i'd just fix it. You know like men do...fix stuff...drink a beer. Jeezzuus

[@michaelwhite4368]

I missed the part where the buyer was "scammed." It looks more like he bought an old complicated car without doing due diligence.

[@mikeyorkav4039]

Yep. Hell, it doesnt even look in that grest of shape cosmetically. Buyer was an idiot but it was a 120k car in 1994 money so 15k in work today plus purchase cost is still a steal.

[@---cr8nw]

Tough to say without knowing the full story. Wizard did say the customer believed the wiring harness had already been replaced. If he believed that based on something the seller told him, he was scammed.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

@@---cr8nw - Too many holes in the story. Most people get a PPI on a car like this, especially if you can't view it in person. If you can view it in person, one look under the hood and you can spot the bad harness. Testing the power top obviously indicates major leaks, and the bad stance is also very obvious. Sounds like the buyer bought this over the phone from a 2 line newspaper ad. No sympathy.

[@---cr8nw]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH, that's a fair assessment. But whether he was "scammed" or not depends on whether any of the information he was given was patently false and known by the seller to be false.

[@bladieblaat23]

My 27yo convertible has a manual top. That takes around 30 seconds to open and 30 seconds to close. Each time I go out for a drive I waste an entire minute of my life. Instead of driving it for 1h and 15 minutes with an average speed of 55 km/h I now really step on the gas to make it 55.5 km/h so I can win back that lost minute of my life and drive only 1h and 14 minutes. I know it's terrible to not have 11 electrical powered cylinders that open my top for me and it is a shame to use both of my hands. My shrink tells me that although this really sucks bigtime there is no need to kill myself over this.

[@97marqedman]

Ah, I enjoy reading all the comments - everyone knows someone who can do it easier, cheaper, faster, better, and so on. I’ve been doing custom harness work for 30 years and I’d take this project on for myself - but only if I acquired the car for free.

[@kensmechanicalaffair]

The only way.

[@SmOgER10]

He should probably sell some parts off from it to get his money back. And keep the rest as spares for the sorted SL500/SL600 he gets. Frankly given the price of it, I wouldn't say he was "scammed".

[@SmOgER10]

@@DeltaParadoxLLC But he didn't buy it for 20k what would be worth the sorted one. He bought it for less than 10k. And car market doesn't work like "if it's x money to get it sorted, it's initial price minus x". The car has still valuable parts, regardless of the repair bill.

[@pl7868]

yeps , 7500 doesn't buy much of a car these days he could probably get that for the motor , i would put it in the garage fix it myself

[@whathappened2230]

My old Chevy and Toyoda run run run! Euro cars are just crap for last 25+ years. Old VW 1.8 diesel was good though... 40 mpg too.

[@antoniovillanueva308]

When I see a working-class kid in a complex Eurocar, I experience a moment of sadness. IDK many "rich" people. The ones that I have known tend to drive Japanese luxury cars. The richest old guy I have ever known drove a 10-year-old FWD Chevrolet with a 3400, not the most reliable of cars but he drove it easy and did the maintenance. Trying to look rich makes people very poor. Live modestly.

[@lancairw867]

Yes. Most self made wealthy people got that way by saving and not spending a lot on, depreciation cars and maintenance bills 👍🏼

[@mikeyorkav4039]

Lol, im "poor" and have owned 2 sl500s of this body style as daily drivers. Most relible cars ive ever owned. I dont drive them for flash. I enjoy build quality, smooth and linerar ride and acceleration, the fact that i could in theory rebuild every componet on the car...even circuit boards, and the convertible option. I know my way around a wrench so thst helps..honestly in the age of the internet, everyone should.

[@antoniovillanueva308]

​@@mikeyorkav4039 I drive GMC trucks. I will drive my truck into a blizzard, pulling a trailer in the remotest spots in America. If they do not have a parts store, they will have parts in a wrecking yard. I just crossed from Kingman Arizona through Las Vegas and up to Bear River Wyoming. I can take the back way across the highest parts of the central Rockies in Colorado in January without fear (I have done it). I have pulled a trailer from Deseret Utah to Reno Nevada in November and never experienced a single moment of doubt about having to walk, that section of Hwy 50 is called the "loneliest highway in America, it is). In 4 years of traveling, I put 300K on one 2001 GMC and I am at 260K on the second one, pulling a small travel trailer. I bought the second one for $2500 with flat-spotted tires from a North Dallas Suburb with 190K, I have replaced tires 1.5 times and it has 260K right now. I replaced a shift position sensor lying on my back in rural Nevada (the local parts store had the part, in stock about $100). I have never been forced to walk, not even once. My current vehicle is a base-model GMC Yukon (NOT Denali). This is me in California crossing a mountain in a snowstorm. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKCsY32ohq97gdU I will grant you TRIPLE the parts budget. You cannot even come close.

[@antoniovillanueva308]

@@mikeyorkav4039 This is my 4-year travel hisory. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGXHZ3p-ibx6gs0 This is me on the Mexican border. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3KoooZjpbx6kJI You will not even be in the ballpark on a dollar per mile basis. Probaly about 10X cost per mile and you will spend weeks waiting on expensive parts. Try it, and get back with me?

[@antoniovillanueva308]

@@mikeyorkav4039 If you want to save money, buy a common car with a common engine and transmission combination. Buy proven combinations.

[@houseofno]

I can pretty much tell you what happens with these formerly high end luxury cars. The original owner likely leased this car, wrote it off on their taxes as a business expense then bailed out a few years later before the warranty runs out. The lease return is now a used car, maybe still as a CPO. Business people lease these cars either to impress clients or they have a personal desire to enjoy and discard these vehicles before the warranty runs out. You would probably never know that the so called titan of business might be up to their eyeballs in red ink on their finance sheet while they are tooling around in a high end new car. Nothing like driving a high end new car to convince clients that you're more affluent (or more solvent) than they may actually be. Remember those lease payments aren't going to be anywhere near as high as monthly payments on a finance plan to own the car. The money has already been made and spent on this car years ago. Enter what is likely the 3rd, 4th, 5th owner (or higher) of this car who thinks they're getting an old but still flashy car and they're neither mechanically savvy or anywhere close to an income bracket that can afford the still significant costs of maintaining a vehicle like this. If it were me, I think I would count the cost of either learning to repair these vehicles themselves via wrenches and a service manual and paying over time to acquire the needed repair parts and tools. That or sell it as a parts car or project car. Or off to the crusher to turn this car into a coffee table.

[@TheSmurfboard]

Dude no need for a crusher, just park it in your living room and serve coffee on the hood - its a work of art.

[@Nollekeuh]

Hey Mister Wizard! Here in Europe we have a lot of small businesses these wiring harness are made because there is so much demand and it is offcourse expensive because of the labour involved, but not 9.000 dollar as your friend charges. Let's say 1800 to 2500 euro. All with original electrical contacts but upgraded materials. Just that you and your friend cannot find it on the internet does not mean it isn't out there. Mercedes, Porsche BMW do not make this anymore, but did they ever make wiring harnesses? Plenty of small companies in Poland, Germany and the Netherlands that deliver better than original wiring harnesses. Mercedes and Porsche even order at these small shops for their own inventory, but you as a single client may also order. It is build to order.

[@machtschnell7452]

Last time my friend checked on the harnesses for his SL600, they were $3K about 15 years ago. Labor extra. But this is a great version of this car with the best B12 MB ever made. Probably worth $50K in tip top condition.

[@marklewis8067]

you would have to be financially stupid enough to get to that condition and its not interesting enough or attractive enough to do that with these cars. Much better and interesting restoration projects out there.

[@ic1815]

Ahh yes the good old hydraulic ADS suspension. Fun! Last year for non-extended leather SL600’s - extended leather became standard for 1995 in SL600. SL320* not 380

[@gergelyturcsanyi6743]

He was going to say SL280, not 320.

[@ic1815]

@@gergelyturcsanyi6743 the SL280 was not offered in North America, so no, he meant the 320.

[@redline1916]

I was looking at a few of these in the teens or near teens, kept in storage. I make sure really to keep my eye on 90 - 91 and 97 model years because the harnesses were faulty in the others.

[@bneyens]

14:14 - I could have sworn that you could get Mercedes parts for ANY Mercedes, I thought that was one of the charms of buying a Mercedes. They stand by their products forever.

[@forzer45]

You can, but it's the classic center in Germany that does it by request. And I presume that there is a minimum order number or an astronomical price for them. At least for the w112 chassis you could get the rear axle pneumatics brand new from the classic center.

[@petercollingwood522]

@@forzer45 Used to be the case. But becoming increasingly hard to get stuff now for some of the older cars.

[@Disruptedgarage]

@@petercollingwood522 Parts go NLA every day. 😠

[@petercollingwood522]

@@Disruptedgarage They did'nt used to for Benz's. This is becoming much more of an issue of late.

[@robertinferno7862]

You really should NOT work on cars! Hidraulic cilynders sent to Mercedes? Wtf, they are so easy to repair! Wiring isolation is also easy to fix. You're not a mechanic, you're a part changer.

[@jtamsett]

Looking like a good candidate for an LS swap and coil over suspension.

[@kapioskapiopoylos7338]

i am normaly against LS swap everything BUT this would be a perfect case for it.

[@mikeyorkav4039]

@@kapioskapiopoylos7338 this is the same engine as the pagani zonda... Fuck the ls. Honestly, someone mechanically inclined can fix all these problems for about 1000 dollars. Thats with sending the wiring harnesses plus throttle harnesses to be rebuilt. The m120 v12 is solid as hell and the hydraulic suspension is fantastic. All these failures are due to age and lack of use. The top leaks from a lack of use. When these thi gs work and get exercised, they are reliable

[@kapioskapiopoylos7338]

@@mikeyorkav4039 "Honestly, someone mechanically inclined can fix all these problems" YES "for about 1000 dollars." In your wildest wet dreams.

[@mikeyorkav4039]

@@kapioskapiopoylos7338 the hydraulic sheres for the suspension are about 75 a piece and adjustment/bleeding are needed. Eoof hydrualics can be rebuilt for around 150 for seals. The wiring harness can be rebuilt by someone for a decent price but i will concede becuase a good rewire will be around 1200 from a reputable mercedes guy in new york. This can be done for much less than 15k even with a tech

[@E34Benzin]

You look like a good candidate for imprisonment for blaspheming.

[@jondoes7836]

I’m a backyard mechanic that has fixed, kept & flipped several fixer upper cars. I avoid European cars like Superman avoids Kryptonite.

[@jarydjackson8531]

I work in a specialty mercedes benz shop, and the original owner was a VW dealer tech in the 80s and had a real soft spot for these old 123s, 124s, 126s, and 129s. To the point where he was losing money month over month and my boss, who bought the business after it started going under, was having to spend weeks sorting out these cars in serious states of disrepair just to have customers come right back because something further down the line in the system would give out. It makes me EXTREMELY grateful to be mainly working on W210 and newer cars that are all garage kept and well maintained. Those old 80s-90s mercedes problems can be a nightmare to diagnose and repair, especially the 126 and 129 platforms. Horrendous to work on all this time later. It's sad for the owners, but those cars belong in history museums because they're ancient at this point....

[@dcpete5475]

He was not ripped off for $7500, he was a cheap skate. A good one is at least 20 to 25 grand. He did not do his research but took the gamble. He also could have taken a mercedes specialist with him for inspection. Baldy you tell a nonsense story and you know that.

[@kensmechanicalaffair]

It's disappointing honestly.