kevinkevinson

EvoTechnik

My e63 had no service records on the carfax and no records but a buddy of mine checked the VMI and they had always serviced the car at the Mercedes dealer. It had a hole in the record for about 10k miles but I assume it was done somewhere else.

N_Rob

failboat

equitiesguy

A PPI is as useless as a home inspection when the inspection is "not guaranteed." If there isn't any physical records on the vehicle, assume there aren't any and nothing has been done to the car.

One example: Is the mechanic going to remove the transmission pan and look for clutch parts in the oil from the owners failing to properly change the transmission fluid/filter at 25-35k intervals? No. So a new transmission is on the table for "severe" repairs.

That being said if you take the VIN to your Mercedes dealer they can usually print out all the VMI service records for you (and there's always some). If you don't know how to row a car through the gears looking for issues with the transmission shifting into gear (particularly in reverse), and about 80 other things I check when buying a car --- including voltage charging, listening to the starter fire up, checking the car with STAR --- then you need to find someone you trust who does.

drothgeb

No, they are not useless. My brother looking at a CTSV just caught a low compression cylinder. They then boroscope it and found signs of detonation on the piston. You could also have the valve cover boroscope without removal(if they have one small enough to fit in the breathers) to find gummed up residue. STAR can hold a lot of saved info if they didnt wipe it. If it has no mods STAR probably hasn't been touched.

While there is no guarantee a good PPI can catch a lot of issues. Buying a used car is always a gamble it just helps to make it a little less of a gamble.

bbirdwell

If the car was serviced using the FSS utility, all of the maintenance records are stored in the Central Gateway. You access the records using the Assyst Plus in STAR.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showpost....postcount=1147

The "Operations Performed" numbers correspond to the service that was performed; e.g. Service 5 replace fuel filter, Service 7 replace spark plugs, Service 12 replace oil and filter, etc.

AMGFreek

In the end, it comes down to who performs the PPI. When I bought my car, it had 60K miles on it, regular maintenance notices on the Carfax (but no records). The first mechanic who looked at said it was clean (I bought the car from another state and had it taken to somebody recommended by a friend); noted it needed the 60K service and rear brakes. My trusted independent mechanic took one look and then sent me 30 photos of repairs that needed to be done (and also a bunch of links to this site to show things that need to be done) and other items the first mechanic missed. I own a lot of cars though, so he knows to be honest with me. He even noted that while the cylinder bolt heads on my car will need to be replaced eventually, not to worry about it for a few months unless I absolutely break the car.

tw2

PPI is awesome. Yes there are a lot of things you still have to gamble on but to have the car up on a hoist and know straight away whether you will need all new suspensions bushes, control arms, new pads and rotors. That could save you up to $2k right there at a shop. Transmission is always a risk but get the clutch lock up times from STAR, that will eliminate half of it. Who cares about the engine oil, most places will have just done it before the sale and you will probably want to replace it anyway as soon as you get it so you know what is in it and that a Mann filter was used. Same with the transmission, new pilot bush, gasket, filter and fluid regardless. Get a compression test and check the fuel pressure too. The rest are visual, I missed a couple of small interior items that my PPI picked up. They should find all leaks, worn brake lines, belts etc. Usually the prospective buyer is a bit too excited and can miss things. I usually go with a list of things to look at.

Yes it also depends on who does it. Get two inspections, if the first one pans out and you want to be doubly sure.

G_Money

So you're saying there aren't any service records, even in the VMI? That means the car has never been to a dealership or MB certified mechanic's shop since it was purchased...

Yuille36

The bottom line, is have someone that knows about these cars do your PPI, have them go over it with a fine tooth comb, to identify any and all issues.
You can then use these issues as a bargaining chip, to lower the price of the vehicle before you buy it.