Hello everyone,

I bought this car a month ago and immediately started reading this forum. You folks are a wealth of good information however the side effect is....I am almost afraid to drive my car. I'm like the hypochondriac flipping through the Physician's Desk Reference. Here goes my first question and yes I have read most of the threads on this subject already.

The car is a 1991 420SEL with 155k.
Although I bought the car from a dealer I was able to find the previous owners phone number on some maint. records. He claims to have changed the timing chain, guides, tensioner ect at 110k but the shop he used has no record of that service(the shop owner offered perform this job for me at a discount)

On first start up in the morning the is about 1 second of what sounds like valve noise.

Is there any way a timing chain could last 155k?

Could the noise really be valve noise instead of the timing chain's ominous warning?

Is there anyway to view and asses the guides?

What would you do in my position?



I promise future posts will practice better word economy.

Thank you all in advance