Mr. Poole has a good suggestion there, strange as it may sound. I had never seen a catalytic converter grind a car to a halt, until a few weeks ago -- when it happened to my parents in their S-class. It required dealer replacement (both of them, just to be on the safe side), and the car is back to running like a champ.

Cheers, John

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'98 E300TD (W210) | Sold 6/09 with 205k and counting
'04 VW Touareg V10TDI