Well thank you for your kind interest, my understanding is as follows.

1. About two years ago, MB stopped producing paper publications, both parts and service.

2. The ML's I believe were one of the first to be so impacted.

3. I also believe that at that same time, they started incripting the CD's so they could not be read by mere mortals like me.

4. The OM612 has proven, along with it V8 cousin, to be a very good engine and is also fitted to some VITO models as well.

5. The business of customers like myself, not being able to buy service publications, is a burry ones head in the sand, particularly as they said they would come long distances to fix the car under road side assist.

They do not address the fact that the failure could be fixed on the spot quickly, by any competant mechanic, if for example the trouble shooting guide was available.

Seems to me that MB, is going down the track, of trying to force owners, back into their own shops. Perhaps they should stop and understand, that world wide there is a lot of their dealers, whose performance is lacking, and that is why they create their own competition.

I have found a company in the UK, which markets software packages, which trouble shoot, all the late model MB's.

By July this year, they should be able to supply it for just specific models, like our ML270. So long as the price is not stupid, we will buy, and so if they have to do a rescue eight, I will be able to tell them what to bring.

However the concept of coming is unsatisfactory, it could take them four days just to come and go, and that does not count fixing time.

My understanding is that you do not see the ML270 and ML400, because MB claim the diesel fuel in the USA is not good enough.

I believe that is a nonsense, I suspect it is done, because it would impact too much, on their petrol model sales.

Any way if any one can help with hard or CD copy, even if only on the OM612 engine, it would be of great assistance.

Yes I am an Australian Air force Vet, yes we do have a few USA vets down here, I think events of Sept 11th amde some people in the USA concerned enough to move. Also Australia used to be a place for R & R, and so some people would have been attracted by that forum.

Thanks

Col Tigwell