Fixing my old Mercedes then realising I’ve been scammed

In this video I begin work on my 1992 Mercedes S-Class (W126) to turn it into a nice daily driver for myself. As I start getting into it, however, it turns out that things aren't quite as they seem.
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[@RichPober]

Report the MOT stations about this car - and tell them you have reported them. The DVSA will investigate any malpractice, as this is a public safety issue. It sounds like the seller knows the MOT tester. A lot of MOT stations have to hire in their MOT testers as temporary staff. The MOT tester, who issued this MOT certificate, won't have a vested interest in the future of the MOT station, as he's probably only a temp. The DVSA has a vested interest in ensuring the MOT certification process can be relied upon by the public, as an accurate measure of the state of a vehicle. The DVSA can suspend an MOT station's licence if they have allowed the MOT process to become corrupted.

[@6581punk]

Yep. I'm pretty sure a lot of badly modded cars get through MOTs via dodgy mates. Massively illegal tints, non-legal numberplates and loud exhausts. Your exhaust can't make excessive sounds vs the standard part. "unreasonably above the noise level you'd expect from a similar vehicle with a standard silencer in average condition"

[@harryjamesstoutt8840]

@@justso1823what are you talking about? Anyone with eyes can see how bad that rust is

[@mickymarvin3241]

It's bad but it's worth saving

[@johncoldwell340]

We failed a car that had a wanky air suspension kit he fitted himself arb arms disconnect, brake pipes and hoses Insecure, and rust holes near the front jacking points were he murdered his sills, he left Fuming and got a bent Mot 45mins later just north of the thames he had a baby seat in that car and he gives zero fucks just that the car looked stunning on the outside🤬

[@johncoldwell340]

​@@mickymarvin3241probably if you like welding

[@FoMoCo123]

My advice, bide your time and find another S Class from same year and colour . Use this car as a donor . Trust me , I have been there with a couple of cars before . Don’t panic .

[@merlin1346]

My wife had the W221 fully loaded version, I was glad to see it go after four and a half years of failing sensors.

[@AlfaAddict]

+1

[@andrewnevermind4902]

​@@merlin1346 I wonder, was it one from the period of biodegradable wiring. Another bright idea.

[@pahooper99]

Great advice, donor car is probably the best option.

[@ricolasroc5890]

Your polite suppressed anger is quite something. Good man, you have helped people by being so open and informative. Someone else may dodge a bullet because of this.

[@markclifton14]

I had the same thing happen to me . I brought a Land Rover series 3 county from a garage with 12months MOT on it. I drove it for nearly a year but always on my own , so never noticed any problems with it. I done the usual maintenance on it. When I looked underneath it looked in really good condition for the year , so thought it had a new chassis some time in its life. I then got another MOT on it ready for a holiday to Norfolk. This was a ten seater vehicle. So we had ten family members including my self , and one of these was my 1 yr old lad. On the way I noticed that the Land Rover handled like a boat around bends. When I got home I had a Land Rover specialist look at it. I was shocked when they told me that I was lucky that the chassis did not snap in half as it was badly corroded. This had not happened overnight. They told me that the chassis had been wax oiled to cover up the bodged repairs to the chassis. Now this had been MOTed by the garage that sold it to me and a local garage to me 12 months later. Both had not mentioned the corrosion on the chassis which was so bad that the chassis was nearly rotted in half. This could have killed or seriously injured my family members. I did report the 2 MOT stations and they said they would investigate them.

[@PaulRansonArt]

As an ex - tester I had hoped that these sorts of shady MOT stations would have been a thing of the past. Pass the details to VOSA and they will do an under cover visit. Qudos to you for taking the hit. Lastly - I love a Merc. But they are prone to rust and this is very common. I don't know if the super rubber underseal was to blame. But I regularly found corrosion lurking under what appeared to be unblemished factory underseal. Hope your next project is a better one.

[@dan123maddy]

VOSA does not exist anymore its DVSA now

[@Djwatzy]

You can get MOT's over the phone no problem. I've seen them advertised on marketplace 😂

[@ratgreen]

@@Djwatzy 99% of those are fake FYI they just take the payment and vanish.

[@justinreid-po9yg]

Yeah I consistently get adverts on FBMP for £60 ‘ghost’ MOTs. They’re rampant still

[@7eis]

​@@Djwatzymost of the time those are scams because the 'victims' are unlikely to report themselves trying to get one over on the government and getting screwed over in the process

[@kyleattrill7232]

Thanks for being so discriptive with your videos. I'm totally blind and used to do a lot of car repairs and engine removal work. Your eexcitement and passion makes me miss the hobby a lot! Thank you for all you do.

[@fr33dumb0]

Im pretty sure I saw a video of a blind mechanic once. It's been a while and I don't remember the details.

[@kyleattrill7232]

@@fr33dumb0 I miss it a lot! Working in a call center now, big change. Will get back to it in a few years once i get a house. I was in new zealand then and friends with owner of a recking yard. I don't yet have those connections in the u.s :)

[@Riothamus]

Perhaps the workshop should be called NEVerland?

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Ha I like it. The place where projects NEVer get finished.

[@lifeisfilth]

@@NotEconomicallyViable 😂😂

[@LostMySpark15]

@@NotEconomicallyViable sounds like my place 🤣

[@Iosif.dumitru01]

😂😂😂

[@PigCity69]

@@NotEconomicallyViable Call the workshop ‘The Neverlands’ because most people would require some ‘Dutch Courage’ to even attempt starting most of your projects…. I’ll get me coat.

[@siriax1691]

Dude... dude dude... your workshop is a place of repair, and honestly you did nothing wrong in my eye and your fans on this channel, don't beat yourself up and pride yourself on taking it off the road.

[@evilla7579]

I had a couple of these W126's. When the chrome of the rear bumper is rusted like that, usually the whole condition of the car is very bad. Also look at in the trunk, and up towards underneath the parcel shelf. If that is badly rusted, another indication of bad condition. Don't get mad. We all learned the hard way..it takes a couple of these cars to get experienced.

[@elvisburgerking8675]

under the parcel shelf is always bad, even more so on the coupe unless someone has either looked after it very well or done some work on it chrome bumpers are not a good indicator of body condition as can easily be replaced, ( assuming you can afford the ridiculous price the chromes are now selling for ) I bought 2 complete sets of 6 brand new from Mercedes for £450 a set including all fittings, a while ago, the parts are probably twice that now if you buy them second hand. Interesting point is MkI bumper chromes are twice as thick as MkII chromes, have twice as much plating on them and last twice as long. The MkI euro bumpers also look better than MkII euro bumpers which were extended to meet later collision testing standards, and the US bumpers are a complete abomination of Bruno Sacco original design. you can inter-change bumpers but you can't fit MkI chromes in a MkII bumper

[@fireplays_official]

@@elvisburgerking8675 personally I like both the EUR and USA bumpers of both MK1 and MK2 of these W126's. BUT, the USA R107 bumpers on those SL's THAT's a true abomination.

[@Richoncars78]

Give the guy a break he’s an amateur and is learning as he goes. Personally I would report the mot station for giving out a certificate when it’s definitely not road worthy. Keep up the good work love this channel.

[@markcampbell3147]

As a MOT tester and Unfortunately I've seen it all, and it's not all that unusual, but the only way to find out how bad it is, is to put it in for a MOT, the DVSA won't be at all interested, it's been a year, and the MOT bare minimum, I'd love to go over it with you and do a pre MOT inspection, and we could really see what we're looking At.

[@benwinfrey]

Soldering tip - put an elastic band around the handles of your pliers and they will hold onto whatever you’re trying to solder so you can have a spare hand to hold another tool,like a solder sucker

[@elvisburgerking8675]

you don't need to on an old Mercedes, those old thick type copper connectors solder on and off wires very easily you don't even need solder, a bit of flux and connections are back as factory

[@joelfcant]

I have had a very similar experience with a Landrover Defender, it passed an MOT two months before I bought it, then I found that the chassis was repaired with newspaper, headlights didn’t work, and lots of other bits that should have never have passed an MOT. I reported the garage to the DVLA/DVSA and turned out he had been doing dodgy MOT’s for 200 quid on the side. Absolutely report them and let them get investigated, you are probably not the only one.

[@christhomas6116]

Naaa came from the factory like that🤣🤣

[@ratgreen]

You might have bought my mates old landrover. If it had a dented rear pillar, it probably was 😂

[@bekabeka71]

@@christhomas6116😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Raaanch]

New name for the workshop should be The Money Pit. Sorry to hear about the nonesense happening with the car, at least the kit and wheels are worth money. On to the next one and I'm looking forward to watching!

[@MK7Volkzy]

I’ve got a ‘96 S600 that was imported to the states from Germany in the early 2000’s that I refused to work on until I started watching your videos on this. Giving me the confidence to go and try it on my own! Much love❤️

[@elvisburgerking8675]

good luck bro ! the MkII s600 w140 like yours ( and mine ) is the hardest and most complex Mercedes to work on BY FAR even Mercedes mechanics don't want to go anywhere near one, and/or are incapable of working on it. saying that, if you can't fix problems on it yourself then you are going to have to re-mortgage your house.

[@MK7Volkzy]

@@elvisburgerking8675 Hah! Yeah, even my local dealer refuses to touch it because it is “too old”. But, slowly and surely working out some of the wiring gremlins and dealing with the 7226 transmission having to get parts from a Chrysler dealership! Such an odd car but I honestly love its quirks and its story.

[@elvisburgerking8675]

@@MK7Volkzy he is probably just saying " too old " because he doesn't want to admit " it's too complicated for him " and it doesn't have an ODBII diagnostic socket. Older cars were simpler and much easier to work on, however difficulty and Mercedes complexity PEAKED with the W140 with the facelift s600 being the hardest and most complex of them all. last time I checked there were only 20x roadgoing s600 saloons in the UK and 8x W140 s600 coupes in the UK.

[@MK7Volkzy]

@@elvisburgerking8675 yeah I have a limousine class S600 sedan, just grateful it isn’t like the generations previous with the biodegradable wiring harnesses lol. Will slowly but surely figure this car out, it is my mission!

[@elvisburgerking8675]

unfortunatelly for you, it's much worse, i had a january 98 coupe with very low mileage, i literally scraped it for parts ( and profit ) in favour of a 93 coupe with over 3 times the mileage, i still drive the 93 coupe every day/10,000 miles a year/ average 20mpg for past 15 years without any problems, the 94-98 i would never touch again except to break it for spares. it all went downhill for Mercedes in 1994, so many changes to cut production costs, all the known problem of the 3 engine wiring harnesses on the early models 91.92.93 can easily be rebuilt in a day at almost no cost to you whatsover, the problems with 1994 onwards Mercedes are many, constant, difficult and very expensive.

[@herbie53opf]

Definitely my new favourite channel. I came for the Range Rover rebuild and stayed for every video since! I also love how long and in-depth your videos are compared to other channels! Keep it up

[@michaelmurray7379]

I had a a very similar thing happen to me. I bought a 1981 Mercedes SLC with a brand new MOT, got underneath to do a small job and i was horrified with the rust. The person i bought the car from, owned a coach business transporting children too and from school. And guess what, the same MOT station who had done my car also done his coaches. I reported him to VOSA. He also paid for all the repairs which needed to be done on my car.

[@BER-UK]

A tip for soldering - use 60/40 leaded solder only. The lead free stuff is a nightmare to work with.

[@salazar1104]

More than an hour long video, You are treating us very well :)

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

I try my hardest 😁

[@clivehutton7754]

I love the content and the way its presented, but if I was to have a small criticism (hopefully constructive) for me, a video thats 1hr 18mins is too long. Maybe cut it into 2 or 3 smaller video’s? My reason to suggest this is that I haven’t got the time to put that much time aside to watch a video in one sitting, and if I switch it off to come back later I will forget to do so, or other shorter video’s on my subscriptions will be watched first. Maybe more people would be inclined to subscribe if the videos were shorter, say 25mins, and could be watched in full whilst they sit down for a cuppa. As I said, thats just my opinion though, and definitely not said to be a negative comment on your excellent work.

[@sifi7]

Me too - I’ve been dedicating time to binging the longer series playlists (while *ahem* tidying the garage) but I love the feature length ones. Perfect Sunday eve viewing. Thanks Nino, great to see a bloke living his dream.

[@jimdavis5230]

Compared to all the car repair / restoration videos on KZbin, yours are by far the best. Please keep making them. Best regards from Blackwood, South Wales.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Appreciate that 🤝

[@linwoodlane5721]

Just the no advisory part red flags me , cant think that a 33 year old car would be absolutely fault free

[@michaelkeane4680]

Was well impressed with your perservence on the k jetronic system She was idling nice. Was a pity about the rust but you should have spotted it first. Dont bother reporting mot stations , just break her and get your money back and put it down to experience. Buying stuff blind is a no no , the motor trade is full of scoundrels as you are finding out. I love your enthusiasm and enjoy your channel. Not the end of the world bud just move on , thank you for your channel. Mick Wexford Ireland

[@karlfell3768]

As an ex M.O.T. tester and mechanic that took pride in my work, (Not a fitter as they all seem to be now) I would strongly advise to follow up via the powers that be. Not only for your benefit, but to protect everyone else on the road, and probably more importantly the innocent kirbside victims that aren't protected inside a metal box. As someone else eluded to about temporary staff in testing stations, we know that this insn't the case here. This is a career tester, which I would suggest is very well known to the "customer". Just my 2cents worth. Karl

[@asdreww]

Can you see anything that would be a fail though? That rust up near the front shock mounting looked like surface rust on first glance until poked with screwdriver, so would have been a pass at MOT. I'd wager it's a similar story underneath - a nice even coating of the brown stuff across everything (I have 30yr old cars that are like this)but no holes showing, so looks entirely surface.

[@karlfell3768]

@asdreww It had been seen and advised 3 or 4 years earlier according to the MOT records.

[@fanfeck2844]

@@asdrewwthat’s why even surface rust at shock points is a fail, as stated in the video. Perhaps a tester can clarify

[@asdreww]

@@fanfeck2844 Not sure that's totally correct - I think the failure is 'excessive corrosion but metal not perforated' or something like that. Basically, the metal is obviously very weak/thin from the rust, bends when pressed etc. just plain surface rust on solid metal won't be a fail.

[@dougsmith1560]

I love this channel and your openness and honesty

[@panz3r696]

I feel for you mate, id be fuming aswell, that seller and mot station literally put your life and your familes life at risk, thats disgusting. So glad your all safe. Live & Learn 🙏

[@Wauto-R]

The rear footwell filling up with water can also come trough your venting system which ends under your front seat. Regarding the injection system, the plunger in the distributor can get stuck. Just a push on the inlet flap normally get's it unstuck. It can prevent getting fuel pressure to the injectors. My benz regularly has it after standing a while.

[@MCLEO983]

"Freeze-Off" can also be used in place of heat sometimes. That doesn't help when thread locker is present, but maybe it helps next time when an open flame is not suitable --> CRC Freeze-Off Super Penetrant

[@ahmedmed4174]

I've been watching you since the very beginning of the channel and you got me into working on my car, wish you all the best brother ❤️

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

That's very cool to hear 🤝

[@Highran56]

MOT only tests if the vehicle is road worthy at the time of the test. However, in this case, it is clear that the MOT station has just passed the car with holes in the structure of the car. I would report the MOT stations.

[@lifeasajunglemc]

Don't be too down mate. It happens to loads of people. At least you have content. Maybe this could be a long term project.

[@spencereagle1118]

A mate had his car written off by a red chesterfield sofa like that, it had blown off the back of a pikey's flat bed transit. Being at night with all the red bits exploding everywhere he first thought it was a deer.

[@AlfieTheHammer363]

😂

[@tstuart7333]

Pikey is a discrimination expression Keep yourself covered and use the expression tinkers

[@ReviveAndDrive-mk1]

Wtf 😂

[@stephengreen9663]

Oh dear

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Haha what are the chances

[@jhindle7883]

I feel your pain young man and you dealt with it better than I could have done. I'm really old now but back in my early motoring days, when almost anyone could work on their own cars with a set of spanners and a screwdriver, there were plenty of dodgy garages about. The thing was that most folks knew about them and used them for their own purposes, whether it was just to get another 12 months out of their car without spending any money, or downright dishonesty to sell a death trap to some innocent person. Some garages were known to provide MOT's without even seeing the car. In those days the MOT only covered brakes, lights and steering, nowadays the test is, rightfully, much more rigorous and I thought that this had weeded out the bad apples, but it seems that I was wrong.

[@mikes747]

That M.O.T is dodgy as hell! Report the person responsible!

[@carsnanidiot]

lol

[@trevatkin4869]

Sadly there's so many scam artists, and when it comes to money and cars some people just don't care what they sell. You're not alone in this mate, it happens a lot sadly.

[@Gary-the-Berry]

Call the workshop "The Money Pit" bit of a double meaning and ties in with the name of the channel 😂

[@dungbetel]

Beat me to it.

[@domweaver3488]

THIS!

[@richardevans2829]

I had exactly the same with my last car a Mazda 6.... loads of rust on one MOT, then next day clean pass, yet when I got not long after, lots of rust still in exaclty same spots!

[@ciararespect4296]

I don't understand why someone would go to so much trouble and expense for what's basically a couple of hundred pounds scrap value?

[@ciararespect4296]

Mazda 6 are great.They just keep going. Don't worry about the rust just keep driving

[@mrcogginsgarage7062]

If nothing else you have learned a valuable lesson,don't forget that you bought it as a piece of scrap regardless of weather or not it has an mot certificate, there is no substitute for experience,and your still new at this game ,However you look at it you will learn from this and won't make the same mistake again Better luck next time best wishes.

[@MrShuthwaite0578]

Gutted for you, it's a good looking car, invested quite a bit of time and all for nothing! Your content is brilliant, and the journey you're sharing is amazing 👏🏼

[@someoneisnotherenow]

I can always tell your vids are intresting, i find it interesting and entertaining 100% of the time :) Amazing work keep it up!

[@gertjevanpoppel7270]

I have quite some experience with car electronics in my 30 years career car mechanic. I would start this quest by looking for a few basic answers.... 1 ) when starting is their a spark... 2) if there is no spark... a) when ignition is on does the ecu get power (+12v>) B) when starting is the ecu under power (+12v) power ?... You must answer these questions first before you begin the rest of your search... When troubleshooting You must learn to work systematically and answer questions 1 by 1... After these checks you should check if there is fuel pressure when starting... This is important to check that during starting there is correct fuel pressure... Then check / measure compression in all the cilinders... These 3 basic conditions are necessary to check because you need spark , fuel and compression for the engine to run. By systematically doing these 3 you will get the answer to your problem. Is it electric... is it fuel or is it mechanical... Also important ( which is difficult) ignore people on social media who have clearly no experience or clue on troubleshooting.

[@Lemko1235]

I’m confused, you purchased a car that was on its way to the scrap yard and you purchased it sight unseen, it’s a gamble that didn’t pay off surely, I’d report the garages though

[@simonmunden5046]

Yes but, based on the MOT history, he did not expect it to be a potential deathtrap. Structural point failure is not something I would like to experience at any speed.

[@PaulJones-bu2ho]

Missing the point, you're supposed to trust an MOT

[@Lemko1235]

@@PaulJones-bu2ho nope, you are missing the point, why spend hundreds if not thousands on something you haven’t even seen, don’t trust anyone expect yourself

[@BigCol78]

I’m gutted for you, this should have gone differently. Yes, It’s always a risk buying sold unseen, that would be a different story though if the car was already off the road. You would have just chalked it up to experience, the sad thing is, this car clearly shouldn’t have been on the road, probably for some years now. The car could have been a potential death trap. I’m just glad that you or someone else hasn’t been injured. Don’t let this experience dampen your enthusiasm, it’s just a chapter in your life’s journey. I’m really proud of you for putting this out and not just sweeping the rust under the carpet. Looking forward for the next project, or project revisited 💪🏻

[@landmonkey22]

The big boss in his own workshop❤

[@sean9595]

You have opened peoples eyes on what workmanship is like today from certain M O T garages. They are just there to just rip you off. Well done, Ned keep up the good work.👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@Yodagave]

Nice that you can view the inspection (MOT) history. Can't do that in USA. Also crazy that a garage would pass that. Fun fact, at least in North Carolina USA, older cars do not require annual inspection even if you drive it. My '89 and '72 BMWs are not required to be inspected. I just have to renew the registration / pay property tax on an annual basis.

[@colinsmith364]

That's only if you have antique plates. Any car with regular plates, whether 30 or 50 years old requires a safety inspection each year prior to renewal.

[@Yodagave]

@@colinsmith364 Not in NC. I haven't had to inspect my '89 or '72 for as long as I've had them, and the '72 is due for renewal this month.

[@neilg3364]

The scary thing is, cars in the UK over three years old need an MOT, a caravan or trailer doesn't! Plus the amount of Porsches I've seen with slick rear tyres at 2 years old is frightening

[@dungbetel]

@@neilg3364 I remember seeing a report in the papers back in the 70s where they tested new cars straight out of the showroom and a fair percentage of them wouldn't have passed an MOT

[@bobbyedal2737]

​@@dungbetel,,,yeah. I remembered that show. I think it was 'nation wide" or maybe 'that's life " showing my age now! 😢

[@aidanbarrett6981]

Really sorry to see how this turned out mate. Cut your losses, walk away, your decision to report or not, social media can open your family up to things you never expected from people you never expected and it’s not a nice world. Check everything from now on, learn from it and move on. Great content, keep the nerve and keep going.

[@wrightfamily4373]

For me, it have to be called viability HQ where all cars go to have the viability tested and questioned on whether they are not economically viable.

[@seanfxsho]

Mann filters are probably oem fitted by Mercedes from new as do vw use them today when you buy genuine filters,, and are very good quality . Old Mercs are rust buckets and are not what people think they are..

[@UndertheJDM_Hood]

Have been watching since you got the VW. Can't believe I have not subscribed sooner. Really love the content you produce. Keep at it! The way you approach the repairs and the aura you have is excellent. There are other KZbinrs out there creating content of similar but I just can't get grips with it. However your content is spot on. After you had discovered about dodgy MOT's, unfortunately I had a similar experience with my first car a Vauxhall Corsa B 2000 - headlights held on by a cable ties, none stop oil leak, entire suspension was off right from the start and not forgetting the huge Rust discovered in every corner. I now own a Mk7 Honda civic 3 door. Brilliant car, serviced every 12 months, repairs carried out after every MOT albeit, ball joint, track rod etc. Only issue now and then is the headlights discolouration which again is shown by the MOT tester. Sorry for rambling on. But personally, like others have said you should report that MOT station/tester, they could be passing cars left right and centre and the owner of them cars is have a last laugh when they come to sell it on affecting other individuals. Like you say, we trust this test every 12 months, to be carried out by competent people.

[@drz-boy9601]

The seals in the injectors are the most important part to change 🤦‍♂️👀🤣🤣🤣

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Not at that price lol

[@christhomas6116]

@@NotEconomicallyViable it ran call that fixed!!

[@ratgreen]

@@NotEconomicallyViable check out polymax and see if they have the right sizes (youll have to measure your ones)

[@simmonsrenos9111]

Maybe he should cross reference his project vehicle...I bet those injector seals are a common size....why pay Mercedes prices.

[@darrellmorris-t4k]

Don't beat yourself up about this, you are a decent guy , people like them have a broken morale compass and that will direct them in the wrong direction in life. Keep at it, move the car and keep positive !

[@robious8333]

Take it to the last mot test center, tell em to fix it or they get reported to DVSA. Make sure there is documentation in place to say they agree to make it mot worthy free of charge. I assisted a friend with this kinda thing. The garage had a dodgy tester who was suspended at the time I called but agreed to collect the vehicle from 70 miles away, fix it and re deliver at their expense.

[@KrisDouglas]

This is worth a punt

[@danielhooper8138]

Report the tester. it is disgusting that there are testers out there that are willing to put a death trap like this on the road. i do all my own work on all my vehicles (both motorbike and cars) apart from MOT 's and i use a trusted MOT tested that WILL fail anything that is not perfect. I have my kids in my cars so i appreciate the scrutiny and maintain my cars to a high standard. Please for the love of god report the tester

[@b300y2007]

Need to treat your self to a decent ball pein hammer mate. The claw hammer makes you look like a carpenter 🤣

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Trouble is I need to treat myself to one of everything still, so I prioritise certain tools. I tend to get new tools when I really need one for a specific job or if the last one breaks.

[@YangGQ]

W126 of 1990 vintage? mine is 1983 vintage 280SE. Warm starting problem just means you need to replace the fuel pump and or fuel accumalator. I live in a country where it is really fun to own an S-Class. We have super cheap petrol and super experienced mechanics. Welding, petrol and paint is cheap in Malaysia.

[@robertmagee8223]

You don't need the hassle, as you say you win some you lose some, move on to better things.

[@borntolate1]

I had the same problem back in the 70s and i thought i knew all about cars .So dont take it to heart .. My purchase was a Jahuar 3.4 it had a buiscuit tin welded to the floor pan.I told Trade Desciription and they took them to court . The Jaguar also had a MOT certificate fot 12 months .good luck with whatever plan you do ..

[@NotMarkKnopfler]

How about NEVerland? 🙂

[@Thomsonicus]

This is a win. The amount of experience earned is astounding. Financially yeah, might be a downer, but you'll get your money back in the future by being able to spot a lost cause rust bucket in the future.

[@petercollyer9783]

Call your workshop, the Death Star

[@itsmephil2255]

The Death Starter 😂

[@Hellndegenerates]

Death car

[@evilla7579]

That would be a nice nick for this Benz!

[@nihildegrasse1700]

That's heartbreaking knowing the condition of the car. Hope for better luck for another project! Oh, thank you for this video! I'm really looking forward for having second hand benz and this video really give me some insight about the innards of benz in this era (especially the ke-jetronic injection thingy. Already skimming through internet and some people have said most of these systems already have seen better days and needs some love). I'm quite fond for these 90's mercs, especially the 124s.

[@bertone122]

from what I remember, this car was supposed to go to the scrapyard, now you see why, you weren't cheated, you cheated yourself by getting your hopes up

[@thejudge-kv2jk]

He was cheated because the MOT was faked. The MOT history gave the impression it was free of issues which it clearly wasn't.

[@bertone122]

@@markpalmer9844 kupił samochód po cenie złomu, myślał że zrobił interes życia, gdzie tu oszustwo? Dostał to za co zapłacił a to że zaczął w tego gruza pakować kasę zamiast go najpierw obejrzeć samochód to jego błąd i więcej go nie popełni, widzę że tam u was w Anglii stacje kontroli pojazdów idą w złym kierunku...

[@bertone122]

@@thejudge-kv2jk u nas w Polsce mało kto ufa diagnostom niestety, rzadkością jest uczciwa stacja kontroli pojazdów, jeśli jesteś Anglikiem to ty i twoi krajanie powinniście z tym robić porządek na bieżąco żeby to nie stało się codziennością

[@YHBW1001]

It had a fake MOT. Regardless of where the car was headed!!!

[@leonivich]

Refreshing to see one making fun of oneself , in the face of adversity. Bravo!!

[@antoniocalimero1173]

It's not a scam. The car is clearly in poor condition and very little was paid for it. Conclusion: The viewers are being fooled for likes 😊

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Dictionary definition of scam is to deceive someone intentionally for gain. That's what happened to me. Therefore scam 😊

[@HardstylePete]

It is clearly fraud. The seller knows the MOT provider to write a fraudulent passed inspection status.

[@gregrussell5374]

You are doing a good job. It’s ok on the Merc, a learning experience. I enjoy learning stuff with you.

[@ksouster6839]

The Merc seems very much like my MGTF, had a ‘good’ mot history but when I got the ‘records’ with it I wondered why the previous owner sold it. It was motd for me last year and had some minor things but seemed ok. Even doing the tap on the potential iffy areas sounded good. But there is a big hole in the rear of the sill on the drivers side, expertly covered up with fibreglass and filler which trapped water and caused a hole so big I’ve decided to scrap the car. Had another explore today and found more filler over a dent in the sill done by what I think was a jacking error. But filler over rust doesn’t help the rust. So no more 20 year old cars got me I’m going back to 40 + years old as they seem to at least get repaired better Perhaps the body is where all investigations should start on these 15 year old and older cars ? Bit boring but would save a lot of wasted effort Keep going life’s all about learning from experiences 😉

[@G-ra-ha-m]

*:40 when applying heat, doesn't have to be a flame, a red hot bar (or a scrap allen key to plug in) will also do the job. Also some stiff joints require time. Just leaning on a bolt for a while will cause it to loosen, rather than trying to snatch at it. Another useful thing is to tap it with a metal hammer, to loosen the bond. Tapping, heat and then lean, works in many cases.

[@joakimcarlsson5564]

This channel is the best. Your humble personality goes so well with the content. It makes it both genuine, relatable and entertaining. Please continue for a long time.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Appreciate that 🤝

[@mingiasi]

btw intermittent coolant leaks can happen if screw tighten clamps are used. check non-spring ones but be careful, ive managed to crumble plastic t's and alike with ease by tightening, Best to replace with spring clips as they play with "heat expansion/contraction"

[@49toddy]

You need a solder sucker tool - removes all melted solder and leaves a clean work surface for re soldering.

[@colinevans7134]

How can you put the car through a MOT test when it don't run, have fun with the car because I love watching the videos anyway, forget about all the negative people out there we love watching you and it's your channel, your learning as you go along that's what we love. Just carry on ❤

[@michelod.i.y.5202]

Your not alone, I all ways get a kick out of fitting new parts on old vehicles

[@elvisburgerking8675]

I've been playing with these for 40 years Mercedes steering wheel removal Buy a quality 1/2 inch drive Hex socket from a good brand like Sykes-Pickavant or Snap-On you won't regret it and then use your extending wheel brace and two hands, one to keep it centred, to undo the bolt also get a strong friend to hold the steering wheel very tight in opposite direction while you undo it, to prevent damage to the steering lock mechanism. otherwise you are going to be drilling it out and on ebay each time buying a replacement bolt for £15 including postage. P.S. as you are about to find out, there is no need to remove steering wheel to get at the Ignition lock as ignition lock removes very easily with just 1 easy to get to bolt ( so long as you have Ignition key ) without a key, the steering lock is made to be very resistant to the type of kick steering wheel and hot wire car theft common to cars like Fords and Vauxhalls etc., infact all other cars. P.M.S.L - and as you are also about to find out, they all rust badly in the same places, UK = rain, it's not like California or Texas, there are very few around that haven't been welded and don't need welding. Good news is there's plenty of Ukrainian welders around that can sort out all the structural bodywork issues relatively cheaply.

[@kathyn8780]

Just catching up mate. But we had the same with a garage who gave us a clean MOT as we were going to buy a car through a second dealer that they used. Never passed a second one as after six months steering failed and we went to get fixed man showed me the rust which said looked as if it had been parked in sea for a year especially if it passed 6 months ago. We reported mot garage to DVLA and VOSA and left it with them. You spend a lot of money on these thing. Car binned and money lost. Report them if you don’t want to send them to court as people are devious and nice people don’t need the hassle. Take care and say it’s a learning process Cheers Alan

[@timcoop6227]

You could name it “The theatre of dreams”, then name the 4 walls, “no hope” tools, “last hope” tools,…. Keep it going

[@hero-wp7tm]

As a person who’s been burnt multiple times buying cars new and old, you’ll learn do your research and checks especially with old cars nothing is ever as it seems. The older the car the more likely it is to have issues. Great video tho enjoyed the watch.

[@RHP9898]

I went in Mercedes taxi from Birmingham to Gatwick airport last month. The suspension was awful plus a whole bunch of other things that made the ride and braking really worrying. The driver said it'd been MOT'd the previous month. I photo'd the number and checked it and yes it had been MOT'd the month before. The car was unsafe, I promise you.

[@YootubeUK]

Those IRWIN nut/bolt extracts are fantastic. Everyone should own some.

[@maxey2112]

Happened to my back when I was living in Germany with TÜV (German MOT). It was a beautiful black Porsche 911 from 1983, full history, fresh MOT for 2 years, no issues found whatsoever. Turns out it was completely rusted out which was invisible to the naked eye. Drove this thing 400 miles home on the Autobahn, no issues, and then suddenly a control arm snapped while driving. Luckily no accident. Upon further investigation we realized the whole thing was patched together from 2-3 cars in a really way and that control arm was welded together. Every attempt with the TÜV to get an explanation or compensation led to nowhere. I was completely left alone and they wouldn't even give a real statement or offer investigating this. People always think the German TÜV is like extremely strict and correct, but it's all fake. No one took responsibility! Eventually made peace with it, repaired it so it was safe to drive, and then sold it off at the same price I bought it for luckily, but of course I was transparent about the issues to the new owner who apparently did a full restauration. Wonder if he still owns it.

[@Nix_sound]

When I bought my current daily from a garage 100 miles away, I asked if they would put the car through an MOT because it had a few advisories and was due for renewal within a month. One of those advisories was very low pad life on rear brakes, which was in my mind fixed, as the new MOT they put it through was clean of any advisories. However after the two hour motorway journey home when coming off the sliproad, the rear pads disintegrated to nothing, making a very alarming screaching noise. It seems that their mates did the MOT and didn't bother to fix anything, nevermind replace the brake pads. You seem to have placed faith in this MOT system too and have been duped by a scumbag. Great video regardless, thanks for making them and I look forward to the next upload.

[@mikiethebikie]

I had one these that came really difficult to start. Next to the thermostat is the unit that measures the temperature of the block, I added a new one and bingo. The starting problems disappeared. Best of luck .

[@BeemerTwelve]

I've been trying not to subscribe to you channel but I give up. The way you cope with adversity makes a fan of your work.

[@chrisalfie3326]

Love your vids and the way you come across. You're a natural, lol. Regarding the leaking sunroof, make sure the drains aren't blocked. They usually are and the recess fills and leaks into the car. Good luck

[@davidstiglitz4341]

Beautifully handled given the extent of the scam. Love your sense of humour and may it return speedily. I would definitely report the issues to VOSA. Let them manage the situation while you enjoy the rest of your life in peace. Great channel. It just keeps getting better. Well done. PS. Workshop neane suggestion: Neva-Again

[@HorstFarina]

This looks like a real scam. If this exact problem was present in 2020 (but not anymore afterwards) and now you see that this same problem (probably) appears much worse for you. For me that means that there has been manipulation here. I also had a problem with my Mercedes 220CDI last year. I am a trained old-school car mechanic myself, and I was under the vehicle with the TÜV inspector and looked because I wanted to be sure that everything was really OK. This inspector knew that these models, with these years of manufacture, have significant problems with the rear axle. And that's why he hit certain places that he knew really hard. But everything was OK. Two days after I got the TÜV sticker, I noticed a strange driving behavior when I accelerated and then took my foot off the gas again, then I always had to countersteer. So I drove to a workshop on the lift and when we checked that the steering linkage on the top right side had been torn off the axle, the workshop employee said I'm not allowed to drive it anymore. And I had to bring the car home with a trailer. That's very annoying and many people who saw my sales ad claimed that I had committed fraud with the TÜV inspector. But that was definitely not the case, because at the time of the inspection this problem was not apparent!

[@SamGriffen-p6p]

A Good name for your workshop/Unit NEV's Mancave.

[@tzrrsdave]

Use to have loads of merc vans in the 80s and if someone tried to nick one the dash would be a mess but the ignition would still be there intact, saving the van

[@MrMrremmington]

1992 Lexus LS400 that’s the one which successfully challenge Mercedes. Sold it to a friend with 120 K, Kms on it. After 400,000 km my friend didn’t want to fix some deteriorated fuel lines. Mechanic said he’s taking the engine out, it’s a fantastic engine as it was. There was no rust on the car. I parked my 2001 LS 430 Lexus beside an S class and there was hardly anything left of the S class. I had ordered a brand new 2000 E434 Matic. I’ve seen one of those too 2024,,,,, Rusted beyond belief. My 2001 Lexus LS 430 still looks fantastic. It’s my daily driver. I also have a 2010 LS 460 long wheelbase all-wheel-drive. I live in Canada. Ontario. Salt land you might say. I love Mercedes and I love the S class, but Lexus is the only way to go.

[@justcarcrazy]

26:54 This is why I hate sunroofs, and why I was incredibly lucky to find a 2nd gen W126 (300SE, like yours, but with the basic 5-speed manual transmission) without a sunroof.

[@KrisDouglas]

Same, I overpaid for my discovery 1 with no sunroof because body work is easy to fix, but if the roof is rotted through they're a nightmare, new body job.

[@Marty-C62]

Nev your not alone, we purchased a 2004 golf with 45000 miles & clean MOTs with no advisory’s at all, a year later & only covering 6000 miles, both front & back subframes have an advisory for rust, one of the headlamps failed because it was for a left hand drive model, + rear shock casings rusted through, & front brake pipes to callipers were so bad we had to have them replaced. Have reported all mot stations !!!

[@marknichols7861]

Makes me thankful to be living in Southern Arizona USA. We have zero rust. Paint (clear coat) burns off from the sun and rubber dry rots. We have 40-60 year old cars that have no rot whatsoever. I used to live on the east coast of Canada and suffered the same MOT inspection and rust issues.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

That's not me scrolling through properties on Zillow in Southern Arizona 😅

[@ivor1689]

I'm going through a similar issue with a Mazda 5 from a used car dealership I bought a year ago. It came with a 12 month MOT with an advisory on the rear brakes which I was aware of. A year later with the latest MOT it has came back with major corrosion issues that should have been picked up 12 months ago. I'm now left with an unusable car so I am left with it on finance at least it wasn't a lot . The garage all together with the corrosion being the biggest issues quoted at £1700.

[@hojo9115]

Great to see a new video, something worth watching while the Mrs watches corrie. I just did a check on this car. It shouldn't have passed the mot some time back by the look of it unless the mentioned faults had been rectified

[@justinjones4252]

Sorry to hear about the Mercedes.. Can't believe the MOTs. These people shouldn't get away with that. Love yr videos. JJ.

[@glennhilton4567]

Great video and I like the new work shop 😅

[@petesmith9424]

Gutted for you. Keep up the good work, best channel by miles👍

[@GaryMoore-nw3gn]

As you’ve said, you’ll get the money invested back, live and learn, definitely report the garage/ tester. Loving the channel 👍🏼

[@exasperated]

That MAPP torch set comes with three nozzles... One of them has a small, pointy, flame ideal for doing more delicate stuff...

[@lesliebaldwin7588]

The Best content on youtube sir keep it up .

[@ianmckeand2265]

If you bought the car unseen but described as a non runner with two days mot and paid less than the value of its wheels I don’t think that’s a scam. You got what you paid for.

[@jimamizzi1]

The words I’ve been scammed is all over YT, I don’t normally watch videos if it says this, this one caught me off guard

[@christhomas6116]

Some good lessons in there for us all, at least you learnt some stuff wrenching on the Merc. Well now you can solder, sort of. I honestly thought hooky MoT's were a thing of the past in the UK but I recently had some bad luck. Worst for me was a garage looking at the past history advisories and telling me the work needed to be done.Was quoted £45 to polish each headlight on my wife's Honda CRV due to hazing, advisory last year and now a fail. Went straight to the MoT center, took the car away and refused to pay! The owner started to kick off then I pointed out the two brand new headlights I installed because of the advisory last year!!! He let on my way without a fuss blaming it on a new tester. How many customers has he cheated like that. 🤬🤬🤬