why do mercedes diesel last forever?

lasted longer then my marriage

the case, minus a few cans!

Don't you know that 400000 miles is within reach for gas engines as well?

The best example is the taxi recordmen with its Plymouth Fury 1964 who put 1

600 000 miles before being scraped in an accident. Granted, he passed four gas engines. But the average engine life was... 400 000 miles. '60s technology.

Another published example in 'Washington Post' is the Honda Accord 1994 with

1 080 000 miles. 130 000 miles a year. Original powertrain and exhaust.

So it is hard to be impressed with diesel longevity when gas engines will do the same. Anyway most people will be fed up with the car before the 250000 miles mark.

message

On Fri, 14 Nov 2003 09:50:00 -0500, "Saintor"

you offer as proof a guy who needed 4 engines to get to 600k a one in a million honda to go up against thousands of diesels that are made to get 300k+ miles, what is your point?

The fact is that diesels will last longer than gas engines, and like you say, in most cases the owners will tire of the car long before the engine gives out.

Next

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Not 600K, 1600K! In fact 1,621,000 miles.

Just contact MB and ask how many mileage badges they have given out to diesels, particularly the 5 cylinder.

JJ

Sa>

Gasoline engines rarely make it to high mileage. Even if they do make it to fairly high mileage, they need many more repairs than any diesel. How many ignition parts and fuel system parts would a gasoline engine require to make it to 300,000 miles? Diesels on the other hand, have an almost trouble free mechanical fuel injection system and no electronics on the engine (well, some of the latest diesels do have electronic injection). It's common for big rig truck diesels to make it to one million miles or more between rebuilds. While you might be able to find a few gasoline engines which make it to high mileage, these are the exceptions to the rule.

"Rarely male it to high mileage"... Are you kidding?

99.9% of taxis and fleet cars (not rentals) in North America have gas engines and 200 000 miles is not even a challenge, for most of them.

300000+ miles gas engines? Yes I have seen some. And there are a lot on the site above mentionned;

LOOK AT IT, you'll be surprised with the number of 300000 miles+ cars with the original gas engine.

You define high mileage differently than most diesel owners. Most diesel owners consider 200,000 miles a fairly low mileage diesel. How many gas engines make it to 500,000 miles and above? I'm sure there are some but they are few and far between.

Here in Europe a MB diesel taxi is _high mileage_ abeove 1.000.000km, that is more than 620kmi - ok some weenies already call 750.000km (= 466kmi) _high mileage_...

Juergen

Don't tell me that most diesels do 300000 miles. It is just not true. Neither 200000 miles is not considered as "a fairly low mileage" even for diesels cars! We are not talking about trucks here. Come on...

Re: why do mercedes diesel last forever? Group: alt.auto.mercedes Date: Sat, Nov 15, 2003, 7:56pm From: snipped-for-privacy@REMOVETHIShotmail.com (Saintor) Don't tell me that most diesels do 300000 miles. It is just not true. Neither 200000 miles is not considered as "a fairly low mileage" even for diesels cars! We are not talking about trucks here. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

82 300SD 251,000 miles on it. uses NO oil runs at over 100mph

case

the case, minus a few cans!

I consider a 70s diesel MB; broken in at 200k miles, used at 300k and a good deal for $1500 at 400+k miles.

A lot of the diesel MB taxis throughout the world have 500+k miles with only routine maintenance.

I changed the factory tie rods and one ball joint on my 76 300D at over

300K miles, despite the atrocious roads locally.

Again, how many 70s and early eighties MB diesels have badges for over

500k miles compared to gas engines?

I have also had Jags, Triumphs, Austin Healy's, Aston Martin's, Morris', Oldsmobiles, and Fords that wnet to high mileage despite the gas engines, but I spent a lot of time regrinding valves, honing bores, changing lifters, swapping cams, fitting rings and changing ingnition components.

With the MB, I struggle with the vacuum system, routinely change the fuses, carry a spare inline filter, hate the heating/cooling system, but can ignore the potential for engine melt down. In the last 5 years the two worst problems have been a waterpump and one blocked inline fuel filter in 180K miles. OK so the sunroof is manual,the left rear window does not go down and the windscreen washer pedal is kaput, but it starts, runs at 80 mph and passes the smog test while getting 35 mph. My next odo milestone is 500K miles, and it is about 3 months away. JJ

I have one friend who sold his 1979 240D with 380,000 miles on it and it still had the original clutch in it. And other friend who drove his 240D to 550,000 miles. I have an 1985 300D turbo with 200,000 miles on it and it doesn't even burn any oil between 3,500 mile changes yet. Diesels last a very long time if you change the oil on a regular basis and don't overheat an engine.

You seem to ignore the fact that diesel engines are built differently than gasoline engines. Mercedes claims that their diesel passenger car engines cost $2,500 more to build than their gasoline counterparts. In a Mercedes diesel engine you will find the pistons have a steel insert for the top compression ring groove. Diesels also have super hard cylinder liners, ball bearing valve rotators, steel valve guides and a host of other improvements you won't find in a gasoline engine. Diesel engines also don't have an ignition system to maintain.

Although the M-B diesels will do very good, it is hardly exclusive to Mercedes diesels engines to have an outstanding durability.

The records for highest mileage were most for cars with gas engines.

Again my examples earlier; "The best example is the taxi recordmen with its Plymouth Fury 1964 who put

1 600 000 miles before being scraped in an accident. Granted, he passed four gas engines. But the average engine life was... 400 000 miles. '60s technology.

Another published example in 'Washington Post' is the Honda Accord 1994 with

1 080 000 miles. 130 000 miles a year. Original powertrain and exhaust."

Also I forgot to mention that the taxi owner Joseph Vaillancourt changed its engines preventively, not necessarely.

What is your opinion on them? They shouldn't exist?

As per data, I am just not convinced that diesel cars will achieve a longer life than gas engines cars. But of course, doing so much mileage in a short period of time, diesels make sense economically. But 250000 miles in 15-20 yrs doesn't impress me at all. In a world of added complexity as turbochargers, this economical adavantage has even narrowed.

Yes but for each M-B like this, there are 10-20 Honda/Toyota/Ford Crown Victoria that did the same. Hardly an achievement.

And you base your claim on what? I've owned Toyotas and Hondas and while the engines would hang in there to nearly 200,000 miles (always with head work) the balance of the car just fell apart. If gasoline engines were so long lived, I would expect truck and train manufacturers would have long since switched over to gasoline power. The fact is diesel costs less to maintain and is more economical to run. And while you can find instances of gasoline engines going to high mileage, you will find more diesel engines going to the same or higher mileage with lower repair and fuel costs .

B.S.

Saintor must be on drugs.

Y'all want to put an end to this thread and B.S. like what Saintor is writing?

I'll take either one of my mid 80's Diesel and he can provide any (New or Old) gas engine vehicle, (as a former Honda Civic owner, I say 'bring on your Honda) and we'll head out into the desert, fill both of them up, and then run down the highway Full Open Throttle. After about an hour at 100+ MPH, he'll be broken down on the side of the road, and I'll keep going.

That's why diesels last forever. They're designed differently. They're built differently. They behave differently.

'Nuff said.