It's home!



Unbeknowst to me, the guy also had the Mercedes roof rack & back rack and threw it in. Downside is that it whistles like crazy... far louder than teh Thule on my Jetta. I was looking at it last night, and there is a 1/4"gap between the "feet" and the roof. Almost looks like there should be a rubber boot or something there.

Other than that, it's a fantastic car. I got 26 MPG on the 500 mile drive home, but that also included some around-town driving in Montreal.

I just picked up a full set 4 month old Blizzaks for $200, so hopefully that will improve the traction.

One thing I noticed: The temparture gauge sits just belowe 80*C. Seems cool to me, no? I'm used to seeing 90*C in any other cars

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Jake
1999 e300d PlantDrive WVO/SVO conversion
**note to self: oil changed at 268k kms**
1990 Toyota 4Runner FrankenDiesel swap

Congrats...the temp at just below 80C is normal on these. It will go up a little in the summer but these do not run at 90C. Your mileage is probably typical of winter driving...in the summer expect it will go up by 10-15%. Good luck with it.

Having 4 snows will definitely improve your winter driving. I just got 4 dunlops this season to replace my pirelli wintersports and they are great...either set is much better than all season radials and I have heard good things about the blizzaks too so I am sure you will see it as soon as you mount them. If you plan on keeping it get a spare set of wheels too (assuming your snows came unmounted) - it makes the seasonal swap a snap.

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

Thanks!
Interesting, I just did a parts search and found that the thermostat is referred to as a "80*C" thermostat. I wonder why they intentionally run them cool, and if there would be any advantage to running a hotter Tstat in the winter months. I hope the Tstat is more accessible than it was in Regret-a-Jetta.

I've always run a seperate set of snow tires... I can't be without them. I was lucky, this car came with a full spare set of aluminum wheels. I actually prefer "steelies" for the winter, but these sure do look nice.

On our Jetta, we had studded snow tires. I'm told that the Blizzaks are just as good... we'll wait and see. I sure won't miss the racket of studs

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Jake
1999 e300d PlantDrive WVO/SVO conversion
**note to self: oil changed at 268k kms**
1990 Toyota 4Runner FrankenDiesel swap

Running at 80C sounds just about correct, it might run a little higher in the summer because the 80C thermostat doesn't fully open until about 95C. Why would you want to run it higher in the winter?

Congratulations to a fellow recent purchaser of an E300DT! I've had mine for a couple of weeks. I love the car, but I've had to do some repairs to bring it back. Here's what I've had to fix:
+ Engine mounts (excessive vibration in the passenger cabin)
+ Replaced front rotors
+ Front struts rebuild kit applied (clunk in the front end)
+ Transmission fluid replaced

Previous owner in the past 10k miles also replaced:
+ AC compressor
+ Water pump

Yes, it also runs just below 80.