Great entertainment, generally good advice.:)
I respect these philanthropic gentlemen, and treat the show as general entertainment.:)
They do very well covering the mess of models out there.
Browse the following link, and see how many of these vehicles you have worked upon or would even recognize their name?:eek:
http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-automobile-manufacturers

Look on their CarTalk key word search for "Mercedes" = 104 results found.

I would invite them into my home or garage without hesitation.:D

These guys are part time psychologists it seems.
That advise is something I suppose my wife has figured out already :)
1971 220 (gas) 4-spd manual 106441
1979 300TD w/ ’85 turbo engine 298446
1983 300D 244626
1985 300TD 226868
1987 300D 262300
1987 300D $400 project car MSHIP* (money sink hole in progress)
* http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/126703-so-i-dont-87-300d-%24400.html

I'd guess that rather than an engine swap, that "450SEL" was the recipient of a trunk emblem swap. :D Then again, my Occam's Razor needs a new blade. :)

Say what you want about them but they have their own radio show, their own consulting company, a degree in engineering from MIT, and a money making garage while most of the rest of us are struggling to make ends meet.

I agree that they are good entertainment and it is fun to see if my solution matches theirs. I can't say that I would take my car to them, esp. the Diesel, but humor is where one finds it.

i listen to them
 

often when i am driving on sat.

i suspect they only air callers that they can solve the problem of. usually.

but i do enjoy them and most of the general advice is good.

they do an excellent job of skewering the values of the clueless american manufacturers. i remember once they were discussing quality. it went something like this. so the (fill in the blank) (ford lets say) engineers took apart a toyota engine to see why they lasted so long....they took the alternator pully off and looked at it and said hey, we maybe should copy this design, look at those stiffening ribs, ....yeah the other engineer said... and just make it a milimeter thinner to cost less... yeah the first engineer says.... and make it out of cardboard. hysterical laughter. you get the idea. but the point is stll well taken as far as i can see.

tom w