First off, if your car is using 3 liters of oil every 4500 kilometers (~3 US quarts ~2700 miles), there IS a problem. That is A LOT of oil!

Definitely sounds like it's time for some valve work. However, I'm not so sure that's going to solve your hard warm-start issue. It might be that the plunger seal is worn out in your fuel distributer and allowing some fuel to drip out while sitting. It could also be a leaky fuel accumulator.

I think Steve was the one who posted info on this a while back. When pressure is relieved in the fuel system (due to a leak) it will boil at a lower temperature and cause a "vapor lock" situation, until more fuel is pumped through, which is what is causing your longer warm starts.

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2000 c280 Sport (looks like an upgrade, feels like a downgrade)
1991 190e 2.3 (sold)