cracked cylinder head 617???? - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

lietuviai · #31 07-03-2007, 11:49 PM

What's your current feedback?

mdisav · #32 07-04-2007, 07:27 AM

I did have 100% feedback until she gave me negative without contacting me. She is willing to withdraw the feedback once I compensate her. She did have problems from the start all of which were not present with me. The ignition did not turn when the car was taken off the shipping truck. One brake caliper seized shortly thereafter. Then after her mechanic fixed that stuff it started to smoke white smoke when it got up to temp and run for a bit.

I do not know what happened to the ignition. Possible shipping company problem or just its time. The caliper thing happens and I do not know if something happened when it was with the mechanic or she overheated it just after picking it up.

She is stating she has hardly driven it and she has not even been able to register it yet.

t walgamuth · #33 07-04-2007, 09:08 AM

If you can ascertain that the story is in fact true, the best solution IMHO is to buy the car back from her.

A cracked head is not something that, if present upon purchase, is reasonable to ignore even if sold as is, unless the car was sold for a very low price ... like for parts car prices.

A judge will say that the car must be able to be used for its intended purpose to be a fair deal.

I had a similar thing happen to me. I sold a guy a ford van with, it turned out a cracked block. It was sold as is for a deeply discounted price, and I did not really trust the guy who bought it. In addition, in the whole process he had lied to me and pissed me off so I just told him to go pound sand. He sued me and in the end the judge awarded him every pennny that he had expended in the deal. It seemed preposterous that such a result could be made in an as is purchase, but the judge decided that I must have known that the block was cracked. I didn't, but my attorney used an argument that was really stupid IMHO and so I lost. It cost me almost $10,000 in the end for all costs. Ouch! I had not used a written bill of sale with him.

Since then I have made it a point that any cars that I sell either are no excuse good cars or I disclose in writing in the WRITTEN BILL OF SALE every known problem no matter how small.

How much did you drive the car before selling it to her? Is it possible it had a cracked head and you didn't drive it enough to find it?

Tom W

kerry · #34 07-04-2007, 09:28 AM

I thought it didn't have a cracked head, just a bad head gasket. It seems that the head gasket problem has arisen 3 months after the purchase.
A bad ignition switch and a sticky caliper are not totally unexpected problems on a car this old. A person who buys a 25 yr old car should expect such things.
A bad head gasket is another thing. A bad head gasket on a 617 is a rare enough occurence on this board, that one's mind immediately jumps to operator error as an explanation.
I think part of the problem is that the purchaser apparently does not do her own mechanical work. I suspect that this results in unrealistic expectations about the amount of maintenance that must go into cars of this vintage.
If the head gasket was leaking immediately upon purchase, I think the seller might have an obligation to cover the repair. Three months later it's a different issue.
Also, did the buyer do a pre=purchase inspection? If not, I say caveat emptor.

mdisav · #35 07-04-2007, 11:16 AM

It is just the gasket. I drove the car 75 miles at above 75 mph speeds. Then around town hard. No smoke, no coolant in the oil, no overheating, nothing. Everything appeared totally normal.

She got the car about a month later and everything started to happen. It was at one mechanic then the white smoke started after she drove it from his place. Then it went to this next shop. They say the symptoms only appear after the car gets really warm. The head is not warped and they did not have to machine it.

GreenMedallion · #36 07-04-2007, 02:28 PM

Have her take it to Enrique aka Mr. MB in Tarzana. Very fair, completely honest. Seriously the best mechanic I've ever come across. He'll give her the straight story on what is wrong.

Like others have said - a deal's a deal once the money changes hands.