Dave2302

LOL,OK, OK, I couldn't resist, yeah fair play to you, I think that'll sell I also like your video appraisals

Me too

EPV, that's great news, did you do a heavy discharge test on the old Battery, I suspect that not only was it low A/hr but also probably losing it's Capacity Stalker, OM651 monitors more Air Flow EGR Flow and Back Pressures in that way than the older OM646, but as long as there aren't any unseen Codes left, it should do a forced re gen, either stationary or driving depending on exact Car. Stationary is a lot easier if ECU will allow you to do it If there is lingering Codes you will need a look at "Actual Values" (Live Data) and do some "Actuations" before you can conclude exactly what is causing the Code(s) preventing Re gen, and even then it can take a couple of goes to nail it completely !! I usually get these 1st or 2nd go max.............. Having done a load of them now, I think what is happening is I look at it all and find what is the last part to fail, cure that and then a second further diagnostic finds the original first failed part that actually caused the whole disaster lol !! No 2 Cars are the same fault parts wise either, a lot of different bits can cause the DPF levels to rise and no Regen Another little tip, OM651's are very sensitive to some "Pattern" Air Filters, even decent ones like Fram, WIX etc, so I always buy filters for these from MB, they aren't that expensive and give a lot less hassle............ Ask me some time how I know that I have to say though, SDS machine is really the only way to work on MB's nowadays, mind, it is starting to apply to many other Mfrs too, hence all the dosh I've spent this last year Cheers Dave

Hi, yes could well be, an Airflow code will prevent regen. Fix leak, Clear both sets of codes, Current and Stored, then do a forced regen, followed by a long test drive. Some of these will not allow forced regen, you have to drive it, and it has to be between certain road speeds etc, which annoys anyone following you at 30 mph I wouldn't trust any other Diag than SDS to do this job, if it doesn't regen it can end up fubar a load of expensive sensors, even if it does drive ok at the time !! HTH, Cheers Dave

Sadly it's not that simple, see my post #6 here, it is all down to the Skye Bridge "high wind" Closures by some D!ck in a monitoring centre in Edinburgh !! Some stupid ancient law means that if a major trunk road is closed more than 2-3 times a year it has to be patrolled by Area cars, and it is them that is giving everyone grief, not the local Plod

I do agree with you, not like he can't afford it lol, but it's still a bit like the 1960's up here, local garages still think Carburrettor, Points and Condenser Like I said, I had them for 23 years before i sold up when I was down South, and I am the first up here to get them, but I know fine well a load more will follow now, and yep, so they should

/\ /\ /\ Like Yeah and guess where the Boost and Waterpump etc Controller Solenoids are ?? These are PWM Solenoid valves, and you have to remove EGR etc to get to them, one EGR bolt is a right PITA even with a 1/4 drive Snap On ETorx on a UJ, 3/8 stuff is too big to get in there You can do the one Solenoid at the back from underneath but expect skinned knuckles lol. There are 2 more Sols under the Glow Controller at the front, so it is important to know exactly which ones are giving grief, I change all the ones under EGR area even if only 1 of them is Faulty, a few quid extra on parts saves a ton of labour and hassle when another one goes a month later Oh also, the Vac operated Cooling Water Pump is hellish dear and gives problems around 170k miles + The Timing Chains, and HP Fuel Pump etc is all on the Flywheel end on OM651, unlike the OM646 which was nice and easy at the front

Hi, I'm not sure a multi-millionaire guy who owns many Van Hool Buses, plus high end Wedding cars, MB Minibuses and umpteen other Vehicles as a long standing father to son family run fleet owner business, which also has a well equipped workshop of 5000 sq m that's open to the public, plus a huge yard would qualify for "Plastic Trader" status The thing is this, in most of the UK areas there is a lot bigger population, and therefore a Police presence who are too busy to worry about minor Trade Plate, collect and deliver, road test or other minor misdemeanours, and our Local Police also would not write tickets for such trivia. Nowadays yes, you do have fixed and mobile ANPR and SCameras to deal with, which up until now, we haven't. We now have "Area Cars" with ANPR, who are here because some Civil Servant 200 miles away did his job wrong and kept closing the Skye bridge incorrectly, (see OP). Now innocent and good honest motor trade are being given a whole heap of hassle by Area Car 'asshats' , who don't want to be here and have nothing better to do than justify their existence by handing out a load of tickets that mostly, will get chucked out of court and achieve nothing but add to the UK deficit We have almost Zero crime, and our local Police would have known this Guys brother, and asked him where was he coming from and where was he going, before scaring the sh!te outta him with a load of paperwork, impounding a Car, and then causing a whole heap of knock on grief which will waste tax payers money....................... Knowing this guy as I know him, he will appoint a very good lawyer for his brother, and when it gets to court, it will get thrown out, because all of the stated facts can be proven, i.e his brothers "learning difficulties", (so he didn't think to tell the Cops the car was being driven from an MOT Fail to a place of repair), etc etc !! Now, if the "Procurator Fiscal", (like England's CPS), prosecutes this, my friend will end up getting awarded his Solicitor costs, the Police's and his own Recovery Charges, plus all other expenses, because the Sheriff presiding will chuck this out of court. So in short, I bet his application for Trade Plates and his supporting documentation will be already winging it's way to DVLA. I also bet the Lawyer in Glasgow has been Emailed all the paperwork and been paid a retainer by now Maybe southern times have changed in the last 11 years since I moved away, but when I lived in SE "Plastic Traders" never had any insurance let alone Motor Trade Policies or other documentation, they never had Trade Plates and they sold dodgy Cars and repaired them at the side of the road on a Council Estate Recent trips south for us just showed me that this trend was worse than ever, and along with Traffic and Scameras, it seems to get worse every time we go down to visit LOL Anyway, it must be time I went and did some work now LOL, Cheers for now Dave

Uh Oh !! , Just had a local fleet owner mate in here, his Bro, (who has "learning difficulties") was Driving a Customers car yesterday on IOS, when he got pulled by an "Area Car". He was taking it from a MOT garage on Skye who failed it in April 18, to their own Workshops for repair, and got pulled. He didn't tell Cops, "I'm taking to place of repair", so Car was Impounded !! ANPR will issue Customer with "NO Tax since December" fine, his Bro might get a "No MOT" unless they defend it with a motoring lawyer = ££ It has just cost him £250 for the Police Recovery plus a night in storage, plus the Recovery to their Workshops. His first question to me ......................... How do I get Trade plates like yours !!

/\ /\ /\ and properly looked after it will do another 100k miles. That C Class i have had 120k on it when I got it 13 months ago, now has 160k due to all the trips south for the Ill rellies. When I got it I did Brakes all round, 2 Tyres, Full Service, Aux Belt and fixed the Turbo Actuator. It passed MOT with flying colours. Last month, 1 year on, Brakes are still like new, (cos I fit em properly and don't skimp, don't bash new Pads into Carriers with a hammer, Coppaslip etc etc). So, I gave it a thorough checking over, fitted a new Sidelight Bulb to a dull one, Oil and all Filters and it again passed MOT with no advises........... Sorry, not "Advises", "Minor Faults" now

PMSL, I just spat my coffee over the Monitor, still it needed a clean

Honestly, we don't get Screamers, much more laid back up here, I actually have to ring and ask folks to come and pick up their Cars when ready.............. I moved up here from Sth London / Kent 11 years ago to semi retire outta the "Rat Race", better Health Care, better Schools, almost Zero Crime etc etc. I only started the business a couple of years ago because I saw an opportunity in the community, and wanted something to do !! I generally do around 5 hrs actual work 4- 5 days a week, and the rest of my time is doing exactly what myself or Mel want to do. I only gave up Water-skiing and sold the Boat 2 years ago because I'm getting too old now for Barefootin' and also we had a couple of family terminal illnesses on Mel's side which were taking a lot of our spare time up and down to Kent England.

If your near me bring 'em in, if not get a good local Indie with SDS, but buy 'em for buttons, then spend a few $$ and sell for top dollar That's how I got into Selling again up here, you gotta be brutal, but can make a good buck for a little effort Oh, BTW, 2017 and above E Class, (and C & S), in a couple of years these will be going for pennies, because when all the Audio / Telematics / Cloud systems go wrong they will be un fixable to the majority When fixed good return I can't wait

They are a brilliant Engine, just an absolute b@st*rd to correctly diagnose when they go wrong, but I have SDS old and new plus i actually know how they work Like any MB, don't guess and chuck parts at it, well same goes for anything modern really lol, but more so on the 'Hermans' One of my Fleet owners has one, in his personal E250 Wagon, that has 220k miles on it, had a major melt down last year, sensors solenoids and blocked DPF, but part of that was because he kept driving it with EML on and it blocked DPF, buggered a load of expensive sensors, like £400 Lambda, EGT etc etc. Causal Part was a £80 Actuator Solenoid My advice, if EML comes on, don't drive it, get it fixed, because like most modern Diesels, a simple Fault Code can and will prevent the DPF from Re-Generating. Good thing about MB's is, unlike VAG, they will allow you to do a successful forced Re-Gen once you have got the original Fault fixed Our own personal Diesel MB's have OM646 in them, not quite as powerful, but even I get 48mpg outta the C Class with "lead foot", my Petrol V8 Supercharged MB, I've had that down to 8mpg

Like /\

Yeah, the sort of folk who buy these are a PITA, and also because there is so many of them out there they can, I suppose, afford to be fussy .................... Thing that really saddens me is when I know it is a sound solid Car, and they walk away and end up buying a shed for £100 less, which usually ends up in my Workshop lol My uniqueness in the area is good though, a lot of folks who buy cars from me know from word of mouth that it will be a good one, and if it does come back for whatever in the first 3 months, I'll just fix it and give it back. I've sold many a Car over the phone and been paid before they've even seen it !!

Thank You, that is what a Forum is all about............... helping. This stuff is the core of my Business, whether it is recommendations from local Garages who don't have the Dealer Level machines and knowledge, word of mouth from locals, and also increasingly, I buy cars with these sort of problems for rock bottom, then fix 'em and retail 'em I have never advertised up here, a good and thorough job and word of mouth works fine I am fortunate, I'm in the enviable position that the only other option my Customer base have is a 120 to 260 mile round trip to Inverness Main Stealers, and then they've got to leave the Car and get home, then go back when it's done, then have hassle when it isn't actually fixed, but they've been fleeced for a load of parts they didn't need etc etc Believe it or not, I now get Mercedes Main Dealer Workshops who I buy from phoning for advice on some problems, usually OM651 Engines Cheers Dave

Brown Bros, now there's a blast from the past, we all showing our age to remember them LOL

Sad thing is that if it's got to 100k then it's probably had the Chain done

Hi, Service history is a waste of time to me personally, unless I actually know who's been looking after it and approve lol, because as we all know, so many Garage Mechanics / Main Dealers etc are rip off, don't do Spark Plugs when they should, awkward Fuel Filters, remove Wheels to check Brakes etc etc. Especially in the £1k car bracket Colour, being a guy not too important but he'd probably wanna avoid Pink etc Verifiable Mileage, preferably below 120k on a Jap but a well looked after Car at 150k is better than an 80k that's never been touched !! 05 upwards, anyone with a 18 plate for a grand call me, I'll buy it and come get it I'll leave today

Well, some interesting replies there Thanks, I've passed on your details and told him to visit. We can even leave the keys in Diggers, Quad Bikes and Cars, Cash, Wallet and Phone on the Bar !! Let a punter walk away without paying, knowing fine well he'll come back with the dosh when he says Mel is my wife /missus / g/f / significant other, etc etc etc lol, suppose you could say mate, but I say partner cos we never did the wedding thing Re Buying, you're kidding me, I never buy anything more that 3 years old from North Scotland, for 2 reasons 1) It will be really really really really rotten underneath, (+2 more really's if it came from Skye), 2) Most of the 'jocks' think a £2000 Car full of sheep ming is worth £4k I buy most of my Cars either Sales or Personal from south of the wall Mel's C Class, I drove a Recovery Truck to Kent to buy it, nicked it off the guy, due to a Turbo Actuator Fault, car was mint inside and out, and underneath !! Cost me £120 and a couple of hours to fix it, hire of the Wagon off a mate, plus the 30hr trip down and back, and still a couple of bags under "trade". Our family bussie, a Viano Ambiente came from Derbyshire, clean with usual electronic faults, got a train down and drove it back, had it 2 years now and would still be quids in if I retailed it, etc etc etc. I'm really sorry, I just don't get any of that whole conversation, obviously been NW for too long now ............ When I say reasonably reliable, I mean like a Yaris, Getz, Micra etc, rather than a Vauxhall or VW which will surely bite his ass etc and the rest of it ??????????????????????? Anyways, thanks for the replies guys and gals Cheers Dave

Anyone on here selling in Medway towns, nr Rainham Kent ?? My partner Mel's son, (34 years old Chef, just doing driving test), is looking for a first Car, so something you may want to trade out, have to be reasonably reliable, as he's 670 miles from my Garage LOL, budget around £1k and not too steep Ins Gp Cheers Dave

What machine did you use to read the Codes ?? I find it difficult to believe that there is nothing there, when all those Sub Systems have put lights on on the dash. What I said earlier, this sort of Fault needs to go on ISTA, even a decent Generic will likely not see this problem, and OBD2 readers forget it Also record a Data Log of Voltages when driving, A new Battery is a good first call, but I think that is unlikely in this case, more likely to be Alternator related

Chinglish

+1 /\ /\ /\ I read and clear all Vehicles when they come into my possession, long before they go out in service or get sold, that way, whatever comes back is a genuine fault