New 1984 300SD

Congratulations on your purchase and for waiting to find the "right car."

Review the complete records and make a log thereof on a spreadsheet so YOU have a one or two page summary of the car's maintenance and repair history.

Then YOU will KNOW what prospective maintenance is due and when.

Something that's often overlooked is the small paper filter element in the power steering fluid reservoir - costs about $2 but is often forgotten. And see when the coolant and brake fluid was last changed. Ideally two years brake fluid and I believe four years for the coolant.

These all iron fives are tough, durable engines that are easily maintained by an interested owner.

Good luck with it and post your questions here when they arise.

Thank you so much for your advice. I did wait for about 8 months to find this car.

I recently called the dealer just for the hell of it, and asked for a price of scheduled maintenance. It was around $650+tax to do oil and lube, inspection, trannsmission flush, etc. "Insanity", I thought, and started looking for a good manual on DIY maintenance. Any ideas, T.G.?

Also, maybe sometime down the road, I was thinking of updating the headlights to Euro. I found some for $180, some for $290. What's the deal? Is Hella better than Depo?

Thanks.

Mia

AFAIK the real euro lights are Bosch, and AFAIK capitolwest.com sells them. Also, call an independant Benz shop and I bet that $650 drops to $#00, but the Benz manual is great to have for DIY maintenance (Benz makes a service manual and IMHO it's the best).

You see why there are many independent M-B repair shops. Once a car's warranty expires one must shift to an independent.

If you want to DIY most of the work on your car I'd suggest you buy a M-B manual for it. There's a $100 CD-ROM which is not indexed and appears to be a scan of the paper manual. The paper manuals are no longer published so one needs to buy used ones, probably on ebay.com.

The maintenance on these old diesels is quite simple, as follows:

Lube oil and engine oil filter every 5K miles - use diesel grade (CF to CI-4) oil, 10-30, 20-40, 20-50 in the summer.

Adjust the engine's valves every 15K miles, particularly if that interval occurs in the fall. I can send some instructions if you're interested in doing this.

Change the transmission oil and filter every 30K or 35K miles, check your Owner's Manual for which it should be, then also replace the engine's air and both fuel filters.

Change the brake fluid every two or three years, engine coolant every four years.

That's about all the scheduled maintenance that's needed, the fabric covered fuel injector bleed off hoses fail after some years, leak fuel and need to be replaced. Buy about 3.5' of hose and, using a utility knife, cut the old hose off the injectors - one piece at a time so you can cut the new hose to the proper length - and push the replacement(s) onto the barbed fittings with a plier. Don't overlook #5's stub which is terminated with a small metal plug that you should insert into the stub BEFORE attaching that stub onto #5 injector.

When something bad happens always look at the simple possibilities first. These diesels are tough and durable so assume the major components are OK and check the small components like the fuel filter etc.

You are very knowledgeable. I appreciate your input.

How would you go about repainting a classic Benz such as my 300SD? I love the way it looks, but the paint is a bit dull and is of unusual brown color. Any thoughts on new paint vs. original, good new paint vs. bad new paint, etc.?

Thank you in advance.

Mia

I bought a complete set of "factory" manuals from my local MB dealer for the

240D and 300D. It was a set of 4 rather large manuals that cover everything except the auto trans. As I recall it cost me in the $125 range for all of them.

When'd you buy them? They haven't printed the manuals in book form for years.

My stealership said 'it would have to be a special order from Germany to get those manuals'. But then again, according to them, a set of Euro lights for my 300SD would cost $950, an oil change and lube is $600 + tax, and they would even "clean out the cassette player". At that point, I started laughing and hung up in the rudest of fashions. Very ironic - the dream DIY car is one of the most expensive ones to fix.

I'd be very surprised if they could even special order the books from Germany any more. According to the MB Classic Center they are out of print and will never go into print again.

I don't doubt that. Do you think $100-150 is reasonable for a CD of scanned images of the manual on Ebay?

Also, I'm starting to make myself anxious thinking about possible repairs that I cannot do on my own. We are moving in a few weeks, and it seems there are no independent mechanics working on MB diesels around our new home. My new 300SD is in pristine condition, every repair done on time at the dealership in Florida, every receipt saved. It's at 130,000 now. Should I just replace things that could-maybe-possibly stall my new Benz NOW while I still have the access to somewhat decently-priced labor? What are the chances of a well-maintained vehicle like that blowing a tranny, or snapping timing chain, etc? It's a 21-year-old car, after all ...

I don't doubt that. Do you think $100-150 is reasonable for a CD of scanned images of the manual on Ebay?

Also, I'm starting to make myself anxious thinking about possible repairs that I cannot do on my own. We are moving in a few weeks, and it seems there are no independent mechanics working on MB diesels around our new home. My new 300SD is in pristine condition, every repair done on time at the dealership in Florida, every receipt saved. It's at 130,000 now. Should I just replace things that could-maybe-possibly stall my new Benz NOW while I still have the access to somewhat decently-priced labor? What are the chances of the transmission going out on a well-maintained vehicle like that, or timing chain snapping, etc.? It's a 21-year-old car, after all ...

$100 to $150 on ebay is a legitimate price only if the CD is legitimate (I believe it costs $150 direct from MB). Bootlegs usually go for about $30-$40. As far as big stuff going, it never goes without long warning, the only one that can go without warning is the timing chain, but I don't know how timing chains are on the diesels. I know when my 380 has needed a timing chain it always gave me fair warning with that too, though I wouldn't expect it. Richard

I've heard horror stories about fuel pumps failing at 80mph, but I guess it could happen on any car. A couple more questions/opinions:

- I guess the bottom line is even a Benz can fail. With mine, I took every possible precaution when I bought it, but I guess if it's God's will, it can go, too :) Also, I've been driving a 1993 Chevy Cavalier for 4 years, bought it from a nice old lady. I changed oil when I had the money (not too often), replaced nothing, not even sparkplugs, jumped off curbs, hit a deer, and my brother straightened the front end with a 2x4 ... The thing has a rusted out bottom and sides, but it still drives!!!

- When you guys bought your Benzes, did you ever have to explain to your family why you bought a Mercedes-Benz as opposed to a Ford Taurus? I think some members of my family are ready to disown me. No reasoning about MB's superior quality / dependability can persuade them I DIDN'T 't drop $10k on this car ...

Change every filter, using ONLY german OEM filters, Mann, Bosch, etc. and give it a thorough washing with Zymol and wax with Carnauba--several coats.

Have wheel bearings packed. Check suspension. Drive. Enjoy. You have one of the best cars Mercedes ever built. They're not making any more of these, and probably never will.

Keep original paint for as long as possible or repaint at decent local body shop?

Depends what shape the paint is in, but a good repaint will cost around $7000-$8000, so perhaps it's not something you want to do. It's better to keep original paint than it is to get a bad paint job so don't waste your money on that. As far as fuel pumps failing, I know on the gasoline ones they will whine and squeal for thousands of miles before they fail. The only thing you might want to replace (though perhaps it's no so important on a diesel) is the voltage regulator. mercedessource.com seems to have a nice little kit with instructions to replace it.

Any ideas on Euro headlamps for W126? The prices on them are all over the place, and the compatibility is sometimes questionable. Some on Ebay say their lights will fit any W126, but then there are people who say they needed to replace/fabricate some parts.

While I've never bought euro lights because i actually prefer the look of the pre-1986 US light to any other light, I hear capitolwest.com sells the real deal.

Know very little about paint, suggest you talk to a few well regarded body shops.

A caution, however; as much as you like your new car don't over invest in it for an insurance company won't readily share your enthusiasm in the event of a claim.