I tend to agree with Randall Kress's assessment, depending on where you live. When I lived in Alaska, it was not uncommon for VW's aircooled engines to last less than 10,000 miles if they were not equipped with an oil pan mounted oil heater. Most commuters in those days lived within 10 miles of the place they worked, and there were no real traffic issues, so the rides were short. The ambient temperatures in the winters spent weeks below zero Fahrenheit, and those conditions caused VW's a considerable amount of stress. Synthetic oils were relatively new, and most VW drivers were not about to use them anyway, thinking they bought an economy car they were not inclined to spend money on expensive oils or increased maintenance.

While early engine damage due to short trips was especially apparent on aircooled engines in very cold climates, and probably is not applicable to a North Carolina climate, it was clearly a problem with regular cars too. The Anchorage used car market was full of cars with 40K to 60K on them with smoking engines in the early '70s.

With the added influx of inexperienced cold weather drivers that arrived as the work on the pipeline grew, the damaged car population grew quickly. This issue was eventually addressed with the near universal installation of electrical heaters in the cars that heated the coolant or oil, operated on timers or typical light switches inside the apartment/house at the front door that allowed people to preheat their cars for specified times before leaving for work or whatever. Timed plug ins were even installed in municpal parking lots to keep your engine warm for a few quarters while you shopped or worked.

So, the use of good oils, frequent oil changes and the weekly run to normal operating temps should suffice for most of us in the "Lower 48." If you live in an extreme climate though, it can be a problem but no more so for a Mercedes than other vehicles. Hope this helps, Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)