-
Hi Guest !
Welcome to the 500Eboard forum.
Since its founding in late 2008, 500Eboard has become the leading resource on the Internet for all things related to the Mercedes-Benz 500E and E500. In recent years, we have also expanded to include the 400E and E420 models, which are directly related to the 500E/E500.
We invite you to browse and take advantage of the information and resources here on the site. If you find helpful information, please register for full membership, and you'll find even more resources available. Feel free to ask questions, and make liberal use of the "Search" function to find answers.
We hope you will become an active contributor to the community!
Sincerely,
500Eboard Management -
DISCLAIMER
500Eboard, including its owner, administrators and moderators do not endorse, approve or support any claims provided by sellers as to vehicle condition, history, title status or mechanical operation.
Forum members/sellers are fully responsible for the accurate representation of all vehicles and/or parts they list and describe for sale on this forum. 500Eboard is not legally liable or responsible for sellers who misrepresent their vehicles per US Federal, State and local laws and regulations pertaining to proper and accurate vehicle sales.
Thank you
WANTED Looking for M119 metal oiler tubes OEM if possible
- Thread starter 2gosu
- Start date
It needs 16 correct? How much are you selling those for?
Yes, 16 required plus 32 O-rings.
Yes, Am asking $180 shipped. where are you located?
Thanks.
I’m in Florida, can’t DM you. Can you send me a private message?
what? no, I can send in proof of ownership
Email: joshnathan052@gmail.com
Email: joshnathan052@gmail.com
Send the images here please. thank you
@2gosu Listen, Am trying to be real here and to secure my reputation, if you think the photo is AI, please kindly give me a face time call or WhatsApp video call to show proof
Here: (430) 477-0740.
Explain the part numbers then. send me a unique image where the part numbers aren't gibberish and aligned the way they are in the original picture. i also want the tubes in a straight line instead of the same pattern in every single image. query your model to make a better image
You're welcome, Call me on face time, pretty easy.
This photo has been modified by AI, as noted above. Make sure your phone doesn't have some setting turned on to "help" the image, lol.
A scammer would be selling a fictious set of 16 complete tubes in pristine condition... pretty sure this is legit, but with a bad picture.
A scammer would be selling a fictious set of 16 complete tubes in pristine condition... pretty sure this is legit, but with a bad picture.
That's legit yes - this user replaced the background, look at the grease. take a look at the image that apex posted - it's not legit, that's AI doing slop
![[500Eboard] Screenshot 2026-07-02 at 10.38.49 AM.png](https://www.500eboard.co/forums/data/attachments/238/238453-bc03c6037d737252525ce5cea64472a3.jpg?hash=fNQbRMT1C_ "[500Eboard] Screenshot 2026-07-02 at 10.38.49 AM.png")
If you can't FaceTime me, then don't waste my time.
@gsxr https://ebay.io/m/R8X5Ty look at the placement of the oiler tubes in this ad and compare it to the image. they're all positioned the same way. i contacted the ebay seller as well and confirmed that he's not on the forums.
Thank you.
Still waiting for your response regarding the steering box
You can see below that the first THREE images are exactly the same, with the tubes in the same position but in different backgrounds.
The writing in the "mine" note is just too neat to be generated by anything but AI. The "a"s and the "e"s in the note are literally, identical to one another.
The fourth image is indeed 110% AI slop.
None of this bodes well for this seller. I'm going to step in and ban this seller from the forum, for being sketchy and cagey with images.
Lastly, this individual has IP addresses from Orem, Utah (a VPN provider) as well as two separate IPs from Lagos, Nigeria.
Enough said.
All of this absolutely reeks.
The writing in the "mine" note is just too neat to be generated by anything but AI. The "a"s and the "e"s in the note are literally, identical to one another.
The fourth image is indeed 110% AI slop.
None of this bodes well for this seller. I'm going to step in and ban this seller from the forum, for being sketchy and cagey with images.
Lastly, this individual has IP addresses from Orem, Utah (a VPN provider) as well as two separate IPs from Lagos, Nigeria.
Enough said.
All of this absolutely reeks.
Be banned from this forum, o lovely Nigerian scammer.
Again, a word to the wise here: DO NOT BUY from newly registered members. ONLY buy from people here on the forum who have an established, lengthy track record of successfully selling parts.
That should ALWAYS be the first red flag -- check the registration date of the seller, and how many messages he/she has contributed to the forum, and also how many parts deals he/she has consummated here.
That should ALWAYS be the first red flag -- check the registration date of the seller, and how many messages he/she has contributed to the forum, and also how many parts deals he/she has consummated here.
I have long had a very big problem with folks "liking" too many posts. I even set it, for a time, where likes were throttled to a certain number given per day.
But sadly, I lost that battle, because too many people here wanted their "liking" capability. Sadly, you can't compete against how Facebook has trained people to auto-like everything.
I try to remain vigilant against scammers. And when they are found, they are treated mercilessly.
Alas, though I do log into the forum most days, and am somewhat active, I don't read every new thread, and don't follow many threads on topics that don't interest me, or things where I can't add value.
This one was a scammer who went to extraordinary lengths to try to fool people. He was actually working relatively hard to get his $180 scammed dollars for a set of "11" toobs.
I think this scammer, also, was MUCH more effective than many, in fooling some pretty experienced folks here.
People (including admins) need to be more sceptical, that is for sure......
I don’t think anyone deliberately liked a post from what turned out to be a scammer.
I did feel that the seller protested a little too much after only being on the forum for a couple of months.
Did he have a sales history here during that time?
I would suggest as a further measure to protect oneself when distance buying that a photo of the item for sale is requested along with your forum username and the date written on a piece of paper.
I did feel that the seller protested a little too much after only being on the forum for a couple of months.
Did he have a sales history here during that time?
I would suggest as a further measure to protect oneself when distance buying that a photo of the item for sale is requested along with your forum username and the date written on a piece of paper.
Last edited:
All part of the scammer's shtick.....
Easy enough to fake with AI. This scammer did a poor job with his note, as the writing was just too neat with identical letters.
But if it isn't already, AI will soon be able to create "hand-written" appearing lettering that can include any date, or other phrase/info, that a sceptical potential buyer requests.
The only remedy is as mentioned, not buying from new-ish members, and photos of items for sale that are shown from multiple angles and positions. That's the only way to avoid these scams.
They are only going to get more sophisticated. Trust, ultimately, is the answer, and this is only developed through tenure and reputation on the forum.
Yep - I caught that too. Thought it was odd to change the background, and clearly AI was involved, as it mangled the part numbers on the tube.
I did NOT catch this. Good eye!
Ahhhhh. The offshore IP put the nail in the coffin. I didn't think to check their IP list.
I agree, btw, that this particular dude put a LOT of effort into this scam. I also thought his $500 OEM bumper (non-036) was an odd item to be selling... makes more sense now, since the item was fictional.
Thanks for outing the baddie, Gerry!
i don't want to beat on a dead horse here, but I pointed out patterns that were extremely evident and for some reason it was stated that "A scammer would be selling a fictious set of 16 complete tubes in pristine condition... pretty sure this is legit, but with a bad picture." by a staff member
it's fine to make mistakes, but it's a little bit annoying to have to keep defending a position that's very clear. whatever the case, just be on the look out for AI generated images, they usually have artifacts or patterns
it's fine to make mistakes, but it's a little bit annoying to have to keep defending a position that's very clear. whatever the case, just be on the look out for AI generated images, they usually have artifacts or patterns
Yep - that was me. It was really weird to have a scammer bother with a bizarre, odd-quantity item like this. People want full sets of 16 tubes, why offer 11? Makes no sense to buy that either, as you'll likely never complete the set.
I did not "keep defending" them. The scammer offered contact information to live video chat, and apparently nobody took them up on this. A potential buyer could ask the seller to show, live on video, the items for sale. And also show some sort of proof they live where they claim to live (Ohio, in this case - again, easy enough via video call). If the BUYER does not want to take this precaution, that's on them.
Would I have bought from this particular seller without more concrete evidence they had the items in their possession? Hell no. But it's also not my job to vet every forum member who offers to sell something. That's on YOU.
Buyers can also insist on paying via a method with purchase protection - i.e., PayPal (NOT Friends & Family) and the buyer pays the fees. Cheap insurance. Again, that's on the buyer. NOT the forum, NOT forum staff.
As Gerry said, it's easy enough to simply not interact with any seller that is not a long-time forum member with a reputation of prior sales.
A video chat is moot here and can lead to further phishing. It's just not smart to give out a phone number or email for that matter in order to get into the call. There was another dude selling AMG carbon brake kits for a reasonable but "low" amount - took him up on the offer and the video call ended up being AI assisted lol, he literally had another face. It's a new age of forum scammersYep - that was me. It was really weird to have a scammer bother with a bizarre, odd-quantity item like this. People want full sets of 16 tubes, why offer 11? Makes no sense to buy that either, as you'll likely never complete the set.
I did not "keep defending" them. The scammer offered contact information to live video chat, and apparently nobody took them up on this. A potential buyer could ask the seller to show, live on video, the items for sale. And also show some sort of proof they live where they claim to live (Ohio, in this case - again, easy enough via video call). If the BUYER does not want to take this precaution, that's on them.
Would I have bought from this particular seller without more concrete evidence they had the items in their possession? Hell no. But it's also not my job to vet every forum member who offers to sell something. That's on YOU.
Buyers can also insist on paying via a method with purchase protection - i.e., PayPal (NOT Friends & Family) and the buyer pays the fees. Cheap insurance. Again, that's on the buyer. NOT the forum, NOT forum staff.
As Gerry said, it's easy enough to simply not interact with any seller that is not a long-time forum member with a reputation of prior sales.
I only dipped into this thread as I tend to skim read most threads and post if I have something to contribute.
I'm not in the market for a set of metal oiler tubes and I suspect the vast majority of the board here are in a similar position.
If you search for the email address provided by Mr apex55 in Post 8, you find this:
The thing I did find most strange about those 11 metal tubes was the black stuff on them, like they were coated or anodised or something, can anyone clarify what it was? At least then, we might all learn something out of this unpleasant mess.
I'm not in the market for a set of metal oiler tubes and I suspect the vast majority of the board here are in a similar position.
If you search for the email address provided by Mr apex55 in Post 8, you find this:
The thing I did find most strange about those 11 metal tubes was the black stuff on them, like they were coated or anodised or something, can anyone clarify what it was? At least then, we might all learn something out of this unpleasant mess.
Looks like oil varnish/deposits, those tubes were removed from an engine which was dirty inside. Not a big deal if you have an ultrasonic cleaner, which should get them shiny again inside & out.
I've seen gold / orange / brown coloured deposits but never black...
That was another flag when I dipped into this thread myself, today. The email address he gives, is completely different than the email he has in the admin control panel with which he registered for the forum. Usually that email would be one and the same.
Not to mention, the registration email was a big string of nonsense letters that made no sense. This is something that scammers do - they always use hotmail or gmail addresses, and typically their email will look like "lkhjsdlfkjlkjsdf@gmail.com" That was the case with this scammer's email.
Fortunately Mr. Gosu here was on the ball, and I do give him kudos for not only identifying the marks of a scammer, but for 1) pressing the scammer for more & irrefutable info (which the scammer never really provided), and 2) raising the alarm to the rest of the forum....quite loudly.
