Durability of the 1995 300D engines and beyond

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gator_mech - 10 May 2005 03:58 GMT

I had seen some messages previously questioning the durability of the 3
litre straight-6 non-turbo four valve engines in 1995 and later E class
models (mostly because there is so little info on them). I saw a 95 300D
recently at the local MB shop with 386K miles. The owner said the car has
been completely trouble free and a great car. Even the turbo version of this
engine (98 and 99) appears to be trouble free, with a few cars on Ebay with
235K miles. I have a 99 turbo at 92K miles that is a pleasure to drive.
Seems like these engines are just as durable, if not better, than the OM603
engines. Will be interesting to see if the new CDI engines will also exhibit
long-term durability and reliability of older engines.

Raj

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Tiger - 10 May 2005 20:57 GMT

Ahh... yes... MB diesels are legendary... what other car do you know can get
682 miles a tank with 3 gallons of reserve to go?

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jav - 14 May 2005 18:56 GMT

I have fewer questions on the reliability of the MB engines than I do the
body and associated mechanicals. I just donated to a charity my 1987
300TD wagon. The car had approximately 240,000 miles and the engine
ran beautifully. The problems were body rust, rear suspension, climate
control and other items. Later model cars (210 body, etc) have similar
issues. The shock towers in front are known for rusting out leading
to catastrophic failure, the window regulators go bad, the doors have
problems with rust, harmonic balancers fail.

(Question: why can't Daimler Benz develop a reliable, foolproof window
regulator mechanism? Power windows have been around at least 50 years.
It's not like designing the space shuttle........)

>I had seen some messages previously questioning the durability of the 3
> litre straight-6 non-turbo four valve engines in 1995 and later E class
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Raj

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gator_mech - 19 May 2005 03:54 GMT

I did not realize that MB cars are prone to rust. I intend to keep my 99
E300TD for a long time. I live in florida, so rust is not a big issue. But I
do wonder about the long-time reliability of the electronic items, climate
control system, etc in my car. I hear the new E class has had lots of
problems with the electronic gadgets. I hope the new electronically fuel
injected CDI engines turn out to be as durable as the older diesels.

Raj

> I have fewer questions on the reliability of the MB engines than I do the
> body and associated mechanicals. I just donated to a charity my 1987
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
> >
> > Raj

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