Are VW TDI Engines as tough as Mercedes W123 Diesels? have any of you Diesel heads had one apart or looked at it? How beefy is the injection pump?

Somehow I dont think so. After all they have a rubber timing belt. Something tells me they have some aluminum in them. I haven't even looked at one yet, but I heard that they are good for 300K miles, which actually isnt much.

I remember on one W123 engine I had, I was messing around wirh a self designed mod to my Crankcase Ventilation system and the hose got kinked and I blew all my oil down to 1/2 a quart and one of my rods was bad after that. You could hear it knocking at idle even.
Well I thought the engine would die within a month, but it went on and on and on for 3 years, and I even drove the car on 800 mile trips.

Which is why I still have my W123 300D fully restored.

Something tells me the VW TDI engines aren't bad but they are way overpriced on the used car market and you would be hard pressed to find parts for one like us W123 owners where every yard is a potential goldmine!...