This is a rather long posting but I'm very excited about my new purchase and I want to put it up to date as soon as possible.

Well guys...I finally found what I was looking for. This car is a 1981 300D (non turbo) beige/palomino interior with 143.000 miles. I bought it for $1,700.

The interior is in remarkable shape. The wood trim looks like new...same with the dash...not a single crack....the carpet is thick, uniform and clean....same with the door panels. All the seats are firm, clean and free of holes and tears except for a small piece of vinyl missing in the driver's back rest. All the windows/switches work 100%, the sunroof works like new, the antenna works flawlessly.

The exterior needs a good cleaning/waxing. I think I can restore the paint to a decent level. All the hub caps are present as well as all the side moldings, emblems, star, etc.

The car was a single-owner machine until 100.000 miles...with every single service performed at the MB dealership. The second owner was a MB enthusiast and did all the repairs/maintenance himself. Last items purchased were tires, battery and starter.

The car has all the dealer stamps until 100.000 miles, original owner's manual and literature....even a guide with all the diesel stations in the country back in 1981. The original tools and first aid kit are in place. It even has the original German lubricant for the antenna and Q-tips to clean the cassete player....wow!

The car drives like a charm and I plan to keep it that way for a long time. The transmission shifts perfectly. No rattles, no vibrations.

Ok...now the things that don't work: A/C has a leak, cruise control inoperative, power locks inoperative.

I'd like to ask you guys (MB diesel experts) the following:

1) Any tips on cruise control trouble shooting (could it be just a fuse? wishful thinking)

2) Any tips on power lock/vacumm troble shooting.

3) Glow plug inside info (when to replace them, etc)

4) Valve adjustmen info (I've never done it before, but I've done a lot of repairs)

5) Is it necessary to replace the timing chain? The MB manual doesn't call for that procedure...but well....better ask the people who drive these cars every day.

6) Something happened tonight. I turned the head lights on and the instrument panel's light came on OK. As I tried to adjust the intensity, the instrument panel became dark. Is it the potentiometer?

Well...I really appreciate any partial or full answers to my questions. Thank you very much.

Congrats on your new car, it will last you a VERY long time if you take care of it.

1. Cold solder connections on C/C amplifier under drivers side dash.
2. Get a mighty vac handheld pump and start checking cabin lines to see if they hold pressure. One that dont hold pressure is your problem. Most likely a ruptured diaphram on one of the door mechanisims.
3. Replace them when they break! They are not like sparkplugs and are only used to heat the cylendars to start the car, not to keep it running. You will know when one breaks when the glow plug light in your dash does funny things. They are like $7 each.
4. Do it every 15-20K, i've never done it but it looks rather straightfoward. A german shop can do it for around $60.
5. Don't have to worry about your timing chain until 250K or so.
6. Fiddle with the pot, they become crusty over time, turn it to "clean" it and it will come back.

Change oil and filter every 3K religously with Shell Rotella 15W-40 or alike and you will get 500K+ trouble-free miles.

Good luck,

John

The source for the cc is:

www.gdl-online.com

Good people to work with and can help you figure out what is wrong. Plan on spending a couple 100 though but to me my cc is worth whatever it takes to keep it in operation.

Purchase the manuals off of ebay or wherever you can find them and learn to do all the work yourself. See if the PO has any manuals that you can get from him.
enjoy

__________________
Jim