Durability of the 1995 300D engines and beyond

gator_mech 21 years ago

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 21 years ago

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 21 years ago

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........)

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gator_mech 21 years ago

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

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