I Bought a $1,500 Mercedes with a Mysterious Engine Issue & Fixed it for $170!

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This Rare Mercedes R500 was listed for sale with an Engine Issue at the Dealer Auto Auction for nearly a month. When they dropped the price to $1,500 I snapped it up, but the problem was a bit tricky to track down...
Instagram: / samcracc
Facebook: / samcracauto
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[@Samcrac]

Whether you're a Michelin Man or a Linglong Lady Get 5% off any tires and accessories on Priority Tire's site with the code 'PTSAMCRAC1123' until November 30th at: bit.ly/Samcrac_PriorityTire

[@user12122]

The best content for long time.

[@abigalanderson7494]

Range Rover

[@stevendegonia]

OMG! Guys, Sam bought, started and ACTUALLY FINISHED a project car! 😂👍👍🎉 LOL I'm just having a poke at ya, Sam!

[@elhakimism]

Will you be selling this R500? If so, i'm interested.

[@josephmayotte8879]

Linglongs? I'm not too sure about Linglongs.

[@buddysinsight9834]

My wife is a manager for Mercedes Sam and I have driven every type of Mercedes out there. I can honestly say the R class was my favourite car to drive on long distance. Huge wheels and totally comfortable you can drive 8 hours and not really feel very tired.

[@publicjeremynumberone]

I used to have one and loved that car. And I drove it from NYC to LA and back. But whenever a Mercedes goes out of warranty, it’s time to trade it in. The out of pocket repairs will bankrupt you

[@thegusk520]

@@publicjeremynumberone I guess you didn't watch the vid.

[@ccacace1]

Recently sold my 2012 R350 Blutec drove from LA to Dallas straight thru and I can attest to the fact that it is the most comfortable car I've ever driven on the open highway. And I am 69 year old fart 😂😂😂

[@petarcotic]

looking at the amount of cars, Sam can easily open a used car dealership

[@russellhltn1396]

Depending on state laws, he may have to have a dealership license to buy & sell that many cars in a year.

[@alxgu198]

But … they’re all broken 🤷🤭

[@poplaurentiu4148]

@@alxgu198 Not all of them at least this R 500 got fixed and some others but after a while he will sell them to who ever want them at online auctions so he can get some money back for future projects..

[@trigun989]

dont you need to have one anyways to bid on these auctions without a broker. Im sure he does@@russellhltn1396

[@randomchannel9331]

@@russellhltn1396 He probably already does, As far as I know there are a lot of cars on copart that require one to buy them

[@InsaneBimmer]

Ah some good old fashioned Samcrac content. I've been around since the RS7 days and always enjoy my weekly fix. We do need a fleet update though!

[@philipdavison3862]

it'e more like a scrap yard.

[@trigun989]

I love these simple single video car repairs.

[@seanblomeley611]

This content is old school SamCrac! No KZbin shot outs or collabs, just Sam and his passion of finding good cheap auction vehicles and fixing them as cheap as possible. Bravo SC, bravo!

[@Gus-hb8bi]

I really like the fact that it was able to be fixed without much time and didn't cost thousands. I'm weary of the Amazon ignition coils though. OEM R-500 coils can be had for around $50.00 per coil and provide some added safety because the coil is firing exactly within the parameters that the ECU is expecting.

[@JayMaverick]

Yeah, would never use no-name coils on anything. Maybe not worth getting the most expensive MB-brand coils, but still.

[@ic1815]

They made the R550 for one year, 2008. The R500 was available for two years, 2006 and 2007. The R63 was also only available for 2007.

[@mdotdavies]

Sam, keep up the good work,love the channel and the cheap car rescues. Super relatable content.

[@zipazzz]

Bought a clk500 witha diagnosed bad transomtion. replaced a gear shifter and transmition magically healed. Sold that now got a S500 (S550 in the us) with a coolant disapearing from an engine. Found the issue, coolant distributor valve (4 way valve) under the wipers had a crack and because it is right next to a drain cooland was leaking through the drain an they could not diagnose it. Love these cheap mercedes

[@scottahrens9331]

Pretty excited by this video too! No, it's not an exciting car, but the value proposition is awesome! Plus, fixing stuff for cheap is one of my favorite things to do too. Well done, Sammy!

[@zachf6256]

Well done Sam! I have always liked the look of the r500. Very sharp I recently replaced my door card module on my 03 sl55 AMG. After trouble shooting circuits, and the multiple fuse boxes; all fingers pointed to the module. The initial issue was that my power convertible roof top and windows stopped working. $26 with shipping to my door, I swapped it out and had everything working again. I’m truly amazed! And ecstatic to inform you - as I know you enjoy inexpensive repairs and solutions. Looking forward to your next car challenge and troubleshooting video!

[@dscoduc]

Had a R350 when they first came out and loved it - super nice to drive and extremely comfy. Right after my warranty expired the front 4MATIC differential started eating itself and they wanted $5000+ to replace a non-servicable part. It was the last straw to a car that has extremely expensive maintenance/repair costs (e.g., $500 to replace the battery under the passenger seat).

[@MrOnemanop]

Good job Sam. So simple of a fix. How does this slip by the professionals, either mechanics, or other dealer/buyers?

[@danielcipriano8411]

I love all your videos! I’m from Brazil and I current live in Florida! Thanks for your videos they are very good!! Best car KZbin channel!!!

[@Igivegoodhair]

You are so well informed, with real maintenance items that we as regular consumers can easily handle. Thank You.

[@middleagedbaldguy6774]

Family is in the salvage business. Love Sams content. I also admire his optimism. 98% of the time that you see "Major Mechanical" on an auction vehicle it is in fact a "Major Mechanical". Ive picked a few cherries over the years but for the most part you find magic glitter in the oil, if there is in fact oil.

[@S2NAZ]

I always look forward to seeing your videos, thanks Sam 👍🏻

[@geneard639]

"This could be an electrical" uh... the clock is going backwards at a high rate of speed. So.... yeah, electrical gremlins are in the car.

[@fromaggiovagiola9128]

Bong Rip will slow that clock down.

[@cascalheira]

My E class can do something like that to the clock when you change time or connect the battery. It seems to reset the clock to 00:00 and then it goes to the right time. (I didn't see that for quite a while so maybe I don't recall it that accurately but I remember something like that.)

[@ItsCleto]

Mercedes do that when theres a loss of power. Its a reset basically

[@jeadie2273]

Had a Mercedes of this vintage..did crazy things until I noticed a slightly loose battery cable. Reset everything and it was perfect.

[@freibier]

It's just setting the clock to the correct time it received via GPS signal. There was a loss of power (due to the battery), so the time it showed was not correct.

[@taurota1554]

Awesome as always.Thanks for sharing and taking us along

[@heuster]

This is great stuff Sam!! I wish I had deals like this here in Phoenix that I could buy without a dealer license!

[@tony66au]

Sam Its nice to see you demonstrating how with some time and methodology these cars can be brought back to nice condition properly, I used to do this with Jags and Range Rovers and knowing the cars well id often pick up a bargain and return it to its former glory with a lil elbow grease and a good parts supplier, Euro cars as well with FCP Euro saving me a ton and Rockauto for service parts from the USA weirdly and inc shipping saving me as much as 80% over Aussie Prices often buying OE or genuine parts when I could. :-) Love your work mate!

[@grimmace45]

I had bad coils on my ford triton 5.4L, One failed, $70 at autozone, couple weeks later, another failed, another $70, and again. So I just bought an 8pack off amazon for $60 and most of them worked. One catastrophically failed but I had 8 and 2 good duralast, and a few of the stock motorcraft were still good. No issues since.

[@BogusQuacky]

Denso is the OE manufacturer for the 2V and 4V coils. They originally only had the sticker over the OE PN, then they used a sharpie. I was disappointed with the sharpie and accidentally got some fuel on the sharpie and it wiped away revealing the OE PN again :)

[@JUSTME-lt4ed]

I have a 2003 Ford f150 horrific miss so I am gonna try coils and plugs hoping it fix issue same motor triton

[@LEOhopeful]

You're really pushing your luck with any coil that isn't from the OE supplier, but you're insane you buy those Amazon pieces of trash. Those will be THE LAST coils you ever install on it, as they will short out, and melt/disintegrate in the spark plug tubes. But you saved $200 on them! ONLY OE electronics! Rockauto for realistic prices

[@narvul]

@@LEOhopeful Yeah tell them like it is, you scared puppy.

[@kalleklp7291]

Great finding and job. :) Yes, aluminum rims are notorious for oxidizing once the paint has come off. Most of them are powder-coated and will chip off once moisture has got to the metal. I had several such issues and the only way to deal with it is to take off the tire and restore them by grinding and painting. You can make a quick and dirty solution by deflating, grinding, and painting it over. However, I prefer to dismount the tire completely and start from scratch.

[@JamesChurchill3]

They hid the battery underneath the electric seat, so when the battery dies you can't get to it to replace it. Genius.

[@The_Phill_A_Blunt]

If you put a booster on you can move the seat but if battery is shorted out you have to remove the seat 😢

[@arifmesfin2610]

Great info 👍 yes I will like to see more videos like this. What auction did you go?

[@dougmcilwaine7078]

Sam, you are really amazing in picking out diamonds in the rough. I really admire how you are not hesitant to tackle a challenge head on. Just curious, how many cars do you own, and do you sell some of the ones that you buy and fix? Thanks for your videos, they are fun to watch.

[@leon198818]

Great vid!! Love the fact that you were able to finish a project! Heck just the fact that you fix something 😂, you are great! Keep doing these affordable auctions!

[@portugausa]

pretty cool. Got an w211 e500 wagon, so basically same engine, and it does stumble a bit at idle. Gonna have to check that egr valve to see if its still original. Mine has 252k miles.

[@RicCross]

Range Rover … this Mercedes is/was a screaming deal… like that you pointed out the “mechanical” nature of the seats, that interior looked fairly pristine… great buy, great content, wish we were all so “lucky”

[@mattyb7607]

I am looking for an R500 for the wifey to tote the kids around in. They are hard to come by and if in good condition are 5x what you paid for yours. ...This video will ensure these stay hard to come by and will keep those prices high... Thanks Samcrac, great video.

[@bettersteps]

You totally scored with that Mercedes. Good for you. Hope you score this well on the next car.

[@ThatDudeMrRoyalty]

The biggest headache on R Class trucks is the air suspension. Mine is converted with the Strutmasters conversion.

[@Samcrac]

But the ride just isn't the same!!!

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

I love my S-Class air suspension, not chance I would ever convert it to a conventional one. Bought it well used, 7 years later, no issues.

[@jsloden1]

The air suspension is dead simple compared to the abc hydraulic suspension. The parts are a lot cheaper too.

[@ThatDudeMrRoyalty]

@@Samcrac strutmasters kit is pretty good. The ride height is perfect and the comfort is good. I've driven the R500 and the R350 with Airmatic and the Strutmasters kit rides pretty well on my R350.

[@tschuuuls486]

I mean the parts for an airmatic suspension aren't super expensive and you can diagnose it with a cheap autel Ap200 just fine. You might need a bootle of leak detector spray, though. And if you go aftermarket you can get airbags and struts for reasonable money.

[@sailorman263]

Owned a 2007 which we bought new. At 60k it just started to fall apart. Engine issues predominantly, some electrical but the dealer was able to keep up with those, the monthly check engine light and the ensuing $1200 to $1400 a month MB dealer repair bills became comical. Kept it on the MB service schedule, 100% MB dealer maintenance. Never, ever considered buying an MB again.

[@Nitroat-xo4tj]

i call bs on that

[@floridaman5125]

@@Nitroat-xo4tjcan confirm the 1000 a month repair bills. Every time I save up to get a new car I have to spend it to keep my current one running.

[@getsufuma2597]

Modern BMW and Mercedes vehicles are usually like that, running beautifully until the warranty period is over.

[@consumercellc1109]

Anything post 2004 is junk when it comes to Benz and BMW

[@Iam_Yu627]

Very in formative. Like seeing DIY fixes on these cars.

[@dieselpwr782]

I’ve had several of these, bought a couple cleaner, lower mile ones as low as 1400 from dealer. Most are the 3.5 with balance shaft sprocket worn out. These 500 and r6.3 sure run nice.

[@davidsoutar8508]

Way to go Sam! I get all of my parts for my wife's Mercedes from FCP Euro. They're the best

[@AutoAuctionRebuilds]

Omg you bought an r class! I’ve been debating buying one of these hideous cars for a long time.

[@Samcrac]

It's actually beautiful when you consider the price

[@AutoAuctionRebuilds]

@@Samcrachey it’s all about perspective. I’ll admit the white is a good color for it.

[@MM_in_Havasu]

Good score, Sam! Glad it all worked out well.

[@seanhollis8268]

Love this type of content, Sam.

[@Czechbound]

I love seeing Sam getting a bargain and a big win !

[@andrewjordan1380]

Love your show keep up the good work

[@gofiqure8927]

Great job Sam, thanks for the video

[@timcrain8308]

Thanks for the tire website and discount. My tires are dry rotten and my local dealers want $1400 bucks for a set of 4 mounted and balanced. I spent a little over $800 with a mount and balance of $191. Save me over $400, thank you Sam!

[@TiptronicSS]

I love the Benz collection in this video! I hope you make a nice series getting them in mint condition. I approve of your purchaces! 😄

[@daveh2612]

Alright, finally an R class!! I love these. Such a unique car.

[@Samcrac]

They only made the R500 4matic for one year! Pretty unique find for the $$$

[@ThatDudeMrRoyalty]

I got my 2007 R350 for $1,000.

[@sharkyu2010]

Hi Sam, love you channel. Your mystery car is a range rover. 🎉 can't wait for that video.

[@momcramer3920]

👍I'm rooting for you. You made it man. I've been watching since the Domino's car 🚗

[@sebdries]

Great collection of Mercedes' - love the W211 and the SL600, but the R-class is a really good value for the money!

[@Samcrac]

Totally agree!

[@1glopz]

I am surprised at the knowhow of this gentleman and the ease at with he quickly pin point the faults

[@AliviaDeHavilland]

Love watching you work on the engines trying to determine the issues. I been thinking of buying a Corvette, but im not sure at my age that would be wise. My daughter asked me, are you trying to be the lil old lady from Pasadena? Im 73 but i always wanted a Corvette. 😂

[@JeffXram]

Yes, more of the non-exotic and non-high performance content will be a nice switch for a while.

[@Potatofarmer1898]

Can never beat a $1500 Mercedes.

[@neisjo]

Great Uber vehicle

[@Minacious_Shenanigans]

@@neisjo Yup

[@keasbeydave]

Great find Sam! I am very jealous.Nice diagnosis.

[@youtoobe169]

Thanks for the tip on priority tire. I got tires for about 1/2 the going rate everywhere else

[@rhiantaylor3446]

Have to hand it to you - your skill at fixing these problems has come a log way since I started watching and you take risks !

[@Autocreatorz]

Thats what you tube and google and asking other people and shops whats the issue

[@mikejennen3117]

Agree. When he started out he seemed lost but willing to learn but now he looks like a pro!

[@nigel9897]

Welding has always been a strong skill 😅

[@pcar928fan]

Great job Sam! Well done! Next time get your step mom to lay down across that engine to change the hard to reach part! :)

[@davidhowell4309]

Love your channel bro . I need to watch more so I can learn more

[@1keykneedeep]

Great video Sam. Ur new Benz sounds amazing. Butter smooth.

[@ShadsGarage]

I think you could have gotten those seats a LOT cleaner before you added the color. I've had good luck with Folex carpet cleaner. It really dries out the leather so follow it up with a good leather conditioner.

[@moneyshifters]

Yes, they were still dirty before adding the colour rejuvenator but I think he just wanted to move the video along

[@kevinm8715]

So what do you end up doing with all of these cars? Do you just flip them back to auction as fixed? I want that blue C4 ZR-1. 🙂

[@thechosenone2587]

Man, I have no idea about cars but I love to be an assistant for Samcrac. He teaching me those little stuff. Hope he is a patient kind boss.

[@phishhead96]

Can't wait to see some cheap one love all this good content.

[@johnelectric933]

Love it. Just a note, the EGR system isn't what you would normally think it is from the name. It supplies cool oxygen-free air to the cylinders during part throttle and stops ping on tip-in when going down the highway. It doesn't use enough exhaust gas to clean the exhaust, it takes advantage of the exhaust being oxygen free. As you can see though it causes weird problems when it doesn't function properly.

[@narvul]

EGR doesn't deliver cool air, that's just what they tell you. Every EGR will fail and cause more fuel consumption and bad performance.

[@kenlaub4158]

My daily is the diesel version of this I got for free. Bought for 3k and got a check from Mercedes 3300. On top of that they gave me 4 yr 48k warranty lol

[@user-pb3yt8yl3b]

Great JOB! Keep it coming!

[@ronniebruzer]

A new Range Rover. You are asking for trouble sir. I love it. Thank you for the content.

[@korbendallas4232]

Love a wagon. Looks like it would be great to haul the kids around.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

They're basically minivans without the sliding doors.

[@jaskajokunen3716]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH Yeah the R is a minivan not a wagon 🤔

[@TheRoman1]

Did anyone else notice the clock running backwards really fast?

[@CApainMD]

Great Video restores by faith in the American Dream. Stlll some good people out there not abusing their automobiles.

[@scottsmall9898]

I love my r63. I always get looks at it when I show up places and the kids pop out the back doors. It cost around $11k when I got it but nowadays I can get more than what I paid for it.

[@KarelBeelaertsvanBlokland]

These incredible deals are nearly impossible to find in Europe as mechanics are still of better quality overall, but lack of qualified labor is becoming a problem here as well...

[@patrickmaloy5262]

People in the U.S. tend to throw away cars when they become high mileage money pits. It's not that you can't get the parts (some of my rare M-B parts are from Slovenia), but skills and special tools needed to diagnose and repair the newer M-B can be outrageously expensive.

[@bullhornzz]

Nice fix, my first guess would have been the idle air control valve system, but EGR majes just as much sense 👍

[@jfv65]

On older cars it pays to clean EGR, throttlebody and IAC.

[@shitsugane]

This is a great, great channel. Really enjoying it

[@dmsbroadcast9386]

Great content Sam. Love the show. Greetings from Germany, Martin

[@chubbzcornner9900]

Next car is a Range Rover you can see it on the invoice 😂

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Yep. HSE.

[@georgemartin1436]

"Running and Driving"...FAT CHANCE!

[@wondermaid6452]

Running and driving if you push it down a cliff

[@Todd66]

I would drive the wheels off that thing for that kind of money. Cool video

[@daeshbagcentral5298]

I like those R Class because they are huge. Plenty of R320 CDI's here in the UK though finding a good one is key.

[@iansmith3975]

Been around since the flooded Jetta. If Sam can fix a car, anybody can! LOL!!!

[@brianjonesg8aso403]

I had a 600 SL for 15 years. a marvellous car, 1 of only 160 in the UK. The only real issue is with the air suspension, but mine was trouble free. You can get a set of lowering "levers" and set the car much lower, it is dead easy to do, just set a lower level and keep position 2 or 3 for ground clearance. Another good modification is to remove the rear exhaust boxes and replace with straight pipes, stainless steel. It will then sound like a proper supercar, accelerate quicker, but best of all it will do many more miles to the gallon. I had mine done at a custom exhaust maker, it only cost UK £160.00. Well worth it. Advice, do not try to update the entertainment system with a Chinese modern one!

[@porsche928s4]

Those OEM Mercedes screens are iffy the one in my e classes worked fine but S and SL have always had issues😅

[@williamegler8771]

I bought one brand new back in the day! My wife and I were actively showing German Shepherds and needed a roomy comfortable vehicle. Drove it for seven years and 250,000 miles. Maintained by the book and problems were few and far between and mostly minor. We traded it and months later saw it at a Buy-Here-Pay-Here lot in the sketchy part of town and then occasionally being driven around.

[@narvul]

Dogs in a car will ruin it.

[@williamegler8771]

@narvul The vehicle was bought with the express purpose of transporting the dogs. The dogs were also not loose in the vehicle they were secured in crates. They probably did less "DAMAGE " to the vehicle than human children or smokers!

[@narvul]

@@williamegler8771 I was referring to the dog smell and only bad parents let their children ruin a car.

[@williamegler8771]

@narvul Why do you assume the vehicle smelled of a dog? Show dogs are frequently bathed.

[@davefelber1456]

Ordering some tires thanks for the recommendations

[@johnt.848]

The original ignition coils had one and two swapped. Also when replacing with new coils do one at a time and test run the engine.

[@RickeyBelafonte]

Sam is a sucker for Range Rovers

[@AlisonCassidy]

Weirdest thing watching the clock running backwards.

[@ThatDudeMrRoyalty]

I think they all do that when the batteries are low. My R350 did that until I changed both batteries.

[@ricaruba]

Love that SL!! Waiting for the content! Greets from Amsterdam

[@dennypoole7815]

Great video as usual but what's happening with the Aston that was flooded update?? Please

[@ThatOneChannelinAZ]

The problem with tires from another shop is most tire shops charge you a mount and dismount and recycling and it costs more some charge more for not buying them at there shop.. The days of buying tire online and having them mounted elsewhere is becoming expensive. I got four nice tires for my car and by the time i had them installed it cost more than if i had bought them and had them installed there. Discount tire charges $45 for each dismount and mount of a tire that's a $180 for dismount and mount of four tires. unless they're free it aint worth it.

[@dewservices]

You're exactly right. I just did the same thing. Bought 2 Goodyears at Walmart and took them to my local guy to mount and he charged me $80. OMG. Seriously? Also, since I paid the State EPA fee on the tire at Walmart, I took the old tires back to them and left them at the door for them to dispose of. They were pissed and yelling at me but I showed them the receipt where I had paid for the fee and the manager said, "Just take the damn things.: LOL Anyways, to what you said, best to just buy and mount at the same place. Also, by doing this, most of them warranty the tires for free and do free rotations and retighten the threads.

[@marksmallman4572]

​@@dewserviceshey, its like taking your own food to a restaurant..

[@fraserthomson5766]

1500 nice! Now you'll just need $10k/year to run, tax and insure. In the UK, about £15-20k/year. And that's before fuel costs.

[@thebigcheese6606]

Great work, thanks. Love the seamless promos entered into the videos. Now I have four tyres and don't have a car😂

[@praveshramsoonder4455]

I'm a dealer in South Africa Durban and we say "what a luck" 🤣🤣 Merc boy now lol, nice cars, very finiki electronics, blast to drive, enjoy the ride

[@ThatDudeMrRoyalty]

Removing the intake hoses will make it misfire. Secondary air injection codes are common on those. It can be a bad hose or connection.

[@robj2704]

You're lucky on this one. Of course, most people will shy away from used M-Bs because a major component failure will exceed the value of the car.

[@glennjenkinson1103]

Great film,very informative.

[@walnutz03]

I've been looking at the r500 would be cool to have a V8 mini van good find also next one is a range Rover can't wait to see what you do with it😊

[@HereForAStorm]

Next video: "My $1,500 Mercedes BROKE Again! 😞"

[@The_journeyy]

Samcrac will be the first guy to buy a car with no engine and make it run without the engine🤣

[@slowery43]

huge fail on trying to be funny

[@glassvial]

He'll just pour a bottle of something in it and it'll be fine.

[@paulkenney1074]

Awesome video one of my all time favorite cars I’ll never get to own or drive

[@robburns4176]

I had a 03 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution that needed coils. Stock coils were hard to find, aftermarket were plentiful. my Evo blew them up one after another. After a lot of experimentation and a lot of blown coils, I found out that many of the aftermarket coils had resistors built into them. The ECU sensed this and raised the voltage, nuking the coils. I finally found a set of coils for more $ without the resisters, fixing the issue.

[@JustLetTheBadTimesRoll]

The transmission just went out in my car I could use this in my life and I'm in Florida. Sam let me buy this off you. I will pay you what you've got in it and you'll be helping out a single father.

[@RollingShutter]

an aging v8 Mercedes van is not what you want for sure.