Interestingly, the 124 manual is pretty useable. Since I'm looking at a couple of 123s for my daughter, I was planning to buy only the CD manuals for the 123, ... doesn't sound like they're up to the task.

I'm not sure I'm "backwards compatible" anyway, and just drove by a nice used '92 300D, ... wonder if it's for sale?

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Although the CD is not complete (there are things missing that the paper version has) and the pictures are not very good and the schematic diagram resolution is barely adequate, it does cover quite a bit for $20. In paper, you would have to buy the engine manual, a set of two body/chassis manuals, a climate control manual, an electrical manual, a maintenance manual, and an owner's manual. As others have said, these have gotten expensive – several hundreds of dollars for all of them. Sometimes you can get lucky and find one on eBay where everyone else forgets to bid or an on-line bookstore that doesn't know what it has, but usually you end up at Books4cars.com paying through the nose. $100 for the motor manual, $180 for the 2-volume body/chassis set, $80 each for the electrical and climate control manuals are typical prices today, alas.

Jeremy

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Hello,
Yes, I just bought the 123 Service Manual from Mercedes Benz USA$19.99 + shipping. The pics are very bad. I'm not too impressed with the information either. As far as I'm concerned I would advise not to buy this CD.

It $20. Would you rather MB charge a few hundred $ for them like other auto companies do? I'm grateful they even choose to offer them to the public!

I use ALLDATAdiy.com $27 for 1-YR. , $45 for 3 YR. Over all quality Good. Norm in FL

I havn't had a problem with the CD. You can buy the paper manuals if you want, but for the entire car they are a few hundred bucks.

Got to books4cars.com

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I think some people have dissapointment with the CD because it was not written to be a step by step how to do it manual for the inexperienced. I was made to be a guide for the trained Mercedes Mechanics.
Certainly the CD manual is more tedious to read than the book manuals but the information and how the information is presented is almost the same.
You just have to take the time to sit and read and if you have to re-read the manual.

I have a Haynes, Chilton book manuals on Mercedes. A Mitchelle Foregin car book and Mitchelle Mercedes CD as well as the #1 and #2 Mercedes Chassie manuals.
Yet I find the Mercedes CD manual the most needed one of the bunch.

__________________
84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

You have to remember that both the manuals and the CD's are made for trained MB tech's, thats their intended audience. Thats why a lot of the diagrams and pictures are for similer cars.

IMHO the $30 I spent on the W126 was the best money I spent on my car. I have just about rebuilt every system on the car with its help.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200