Portland Trip - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Jeremy5848 · #1 09-24-2010, 08:52 PM

Just returned (to Santa Rosa, Cal.) from a trip to Portland [Oregon, not Maine] in the '96 E300D (W210, OM606NA). Although we usually burn B20, biodiesel was hard to find on the road and one of the places listed by Biodiesel.org [Medford Fuel/Wolfe Creek Grill] no longer sells it. So the entire trip was made on D2 except for the B20 we started out with. I used no additives -- didn't even think about it.

Mileage ranged from 28.9 to 32.5 with an average of 31.2 in mostly freeway driving at speeds of 65-75 MPH. The engine used little or no oil [Mobil-1 0W-40] which, at 272,000 miles, is pretty good, I think. The engine has had Mobil-1 in it for only 25,000 miles, the three POs having always used dino oil. I have no idea how long this engine will last -- it still runs like it is new and has never had any major service. I suppose one of these days I should pull the valve cover and at least look at the chain stretch.

As a point of comparison, the brand-new Toyota Corolla gasser we rented from Hertz in Chicago [having arrived from Portland on the Empire Builder] got only slightly better mileage with its 4-banger engine. It also was sensitive to wind or maybe it was the short wheelbase. Our Benz was more pleasant to drive.

We had a great visit to the Kemp Auto Museum in Chesterfield, MO, [www.kempautomuseum.org] just west of St. Louis. It was a quiet day at the museum so there was almost no one to interfere with our views of the to-die-for cars on display, most of which were Mercedes. The collection includes a copy of the Benz 3-wheel "Patent Motorwagen" that Daimler-Benz manufactured and sold for $50,000 each some years ago. Patterned after the original 18876 model in Germany, there are only a few hundred of these replicas in existence.

We met Roger Van Ness, the executive director, who took time out of his busy schedule to chat with us and show us his personal Adenauer. One of the things that impressed me was the excellent condition of the MB-Tex in the older cars. The three cars in the latest issue of the MBCA Star magazine came from the Kemp.

One of the mechanics showed us how he was rebuilding the wooden frame of a metal door that had been boogered by the PO before selling the 1930-something Mercedes to Mr. Kemp as "perfect." It was interesting to see that shysters abound even in the rarefied atmosphere of the expensive collectible automobile.

I also met a museum volunteer, Jerry Barnes, who is getting ready to sell his 1995 E300D (W124, OM606NA) at 112,000 miles and 5 (yes, five) new Pirellis. The car had a silver exterior that had been flawlessly repainted -- the color match appeared perfect. No price was mentioned but it would be a nice car to own.

I'll post pictures of the museum and Jerry's car as soon as I get them downloaded from the camera.

Jeremy