Parts Catalog Accessories Catalog How To Articles Tech Forums
Call Pelican Parts at 888-280-7799
Shopping Cart Cart | Project List | Order Status | Help



Go Back   PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum > Mercedes-Benz Tech Information and Support > Diesel Discussion

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 05-30-2009, 12:01 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Barrington, RI
Posts: 5,874
The End of the Affair

Wonderful article by P.J. O'Rourke in today's Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203771904574173401767415892.html

Clearly "the affair" lives on in MB diesel owners!

__________________
14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 05-30-2009, 12:05 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Albuquerque, NM USA
Posts: 1,947
It is a great article, but Mercedes diesels were never "exciting" until the advent of common rail.
__________________
Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 05-30-2009, 12:10 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Barrington, RI
Posts: 5,874
Quote:
Originally Posted by lkchris View Post
It is a great article, but Mercedes diesels were never "exciting" until the advent of common rail.
Well, I guess there are just different kinds of excitement, then. (My thinly-veiled jealousy of your two CDI's).
__________________
14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 05-30-2009, 09:57 PM
LUVMBDiesels's Avatar
Dead on balls accurate...
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Red Lion,Pa
Posts: 2,207
It is sad...

Look at the pictures, the GTO, Impala, Tucker,etc. why can't America build something like this now? I think the closest was the Chrysler 300C Hemi and it fell short. We need a company to step up and deliver what we really want; A CAR NOT A TOASTER!

The last CAR I bought from the General was the 1996 Impala SS. That was a real car, large, fast, handled well. It was even pretty luxurious for a Chevy (it had lots of Buick parts in it ) The reason I love my SDL is that even though it is relatively slow he has a soul that you can feel. The Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4 are not cars, they are toasters. It looks like the stuff GM, Ford and Chrysler (er- FIAT) are making are toasters and vacuum cleaners too. Can't we get a CAR GUY to run a car company?
__________________
"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
'67 GTO conv
'63 Corvair conv
'57 Nomad
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 08-02-2009, 06:58 AM
ForcedInduction
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Its not so much the fault of the car companies (though they play a huge part of it), but the American consumer.

Jalopnik just had an article explaining it pretty well.
http://jalopnik.com/5327319/the-25-most-redundant-car-technologies/gallery/
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 08-02-2009, 09:24 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 7,381
#10- my personal favorite:


The 25 Most Redundant Car Technologies

Name: Gasoline/Electric Hybrid Powertrains

Extreme Example: The 2010 Honda Insight, which is actually much less efficient than the faster, better driving, more practical, diesel-equipped European Honda Civic.

Why it's redundant: There's better technology out there. Diesel engines cost less, consume less energy and resources in production, are far less complicated and are capable of equal or greater fuel-economy.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 08-02-2009, 09:45 AM
Pavka007's Avatar
Alba Gu Brąth
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Here, there...
Posts: 247
Quote:
Originally Posted by MTUpower View Post
Why it's redundant: There's better technology out there. Diesel engines cost less, consume less energy and resources in production, are far less complicated and are capable of equal or greater fuel-economy.
Agree 100%, as European I know that diesel powered cars are much better. Over 60% of a new car sales in Europe are diesels They will never bring this car here but VW Polo Bluemotion delivers 62 MPG combine and the pollution is equal with Toyota Prius.
Enough said.
__________________
http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v...7/scotflag.gif http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v.../scot2flag.gif

"If women are so bloody perfect at multitasking how come they can't have a headache and sex at the same time?"
Billy Connolly
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 08-02-2009, 11:04 AM
Scott98's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Weston, FL
Posts: 1,254
Ferrari is about the only manufacturer left that builds something exciting.

Scott
__________________
Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 08-02-2009, 11:40 AM
Pavka007's Avatar
Alba Gu Brąth
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Here, there...
Posts: 247
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott98 View Post
Ferrari is about the only manufacturer left that builds something exciting.

Scott
Well you are right about high volume manufacturer but for the exciting part... how about (in no particular order)

Spyker C12 Zagato


Pagani Zonda C12 S


Askari KZ1


Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 JTS V6 Q4 SV



Just a few
__________________
http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v...7/scotflag.gif http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v.../scot2flag.gif

"If women are so bloody perfect at multitasking how come they can't have a headache and sex at the same time?"
Billy Connolly
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 08-02-2009, 12:11 PM
BodhiBenz1987's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Coast
Posts: 3,005
Insightful, and sad, article. Cars are to most people another gadget, like a laptop or iPhone, and apparently, are just as disposable. It kills me to see the photos of the Cash For Clunkers cars. It's absolutely crass, even if they were gas-guzzlers, even if some of them were junky. So much for posterity. The wasteful nature of those vehicles was the fault of the manufacturers that built them and the consumers who bought them -- ironically, the two factions being rewarded for the vehicles' mass demise. Some very nice, and once prized automobiles got trashed -- and ridiculed in the process. You don't shove your horse in a mass grave; you bury him hooves, head and heart and give his soul a quite 'thank you.'

I did smile at this part, though:
"America’s romantic foolishness with cars is finished, however, or nearly so. In the far boondocks a few good old boys haven’t got the memo and still tear up the back roads. Doubtless the Obama administration’s Department of Transportation is even now calculating a way to tap federal stimulus funds for mandatory OnStar installations to locate and subdue these reprobates."

OK, so maybe we dieselers aren't "tearing" up the roads, but I think we haven't gotten, and won't get "the memo."
__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 08-02-2009, 12:44 PM
sasquatchgeoff's Avatar
Cascade Foothill Lurker
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 561
The feeling that I get from reading this article is very similar to the feeling I get when I walk through the junkyard - at first, sorrow - I imagine all the individual lives associated with the disemboweled hulks and whether there might have been any of the emotional attachment that I associate with my own vehicles. Then I get excited at the potential that I might find something useful from all the waste. Their loss is my gain.

Lately I have been in/under my Benz more than any car I have ever owned. My efforts have paid off nicely because I use my "noble steed" as my family's means of income (I'm a salesman) - as long as there are parts to be had, they ("pointy-headed busy-bodies") will never take this from me.
__________________
327K on 1986 W201, 602.911, 722.414 2.5 190D ("The Red Baron")
139K on 1993 W124, 104.942, 722.433 2.8 300E ("Queen")

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/...0bb92d3c_m.jpg http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/o...g?t=1325284354

Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater.
- Albert Einstein

take a walk down memory lane...
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 08-02-2009, 12:58 PM
BodhiBenz1987's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Coast
Posts: 3,005
Quote:
Originally Posted by sasquatchgeoff View Post
The feeling that I get from reading this article is very similar to the feeling I get when I walk through the junkyard - at first, sorrow - I imagine all the individual lives associated with the disemboweled hulks and whether there might have been any of the emotional attachment that I associate with my own vehicles. Then I get excited at the potential that I might find something useful from all the waste. Their loss is my gain.
That's the thing about junkyards, though, is that out of all the sadness there's somewhat of a circle of life. You hate to see a nice Benz parted out, but at least bits and pieces of a machine that was once dignified part of someone's life move on to be part of someone else's life. Maybe it's a nice dashboard, or maybe a whole engine. It isn't pure waste, the love doesn't die completely.

But yeah, I know your feeling. I always think of that one Mercedes add, I think for the C-Class circa 2002, which shows a 114/115 being crushed and has its "life" flash through its windshield. I can't even think about it without crying. The gist of the add was that the car is reincarnated as a new C-Class, saying "the soul remains the same." It was a poignant ad, illustrating the love affair that a Mercedes owner has with a car -- i.e., it isn't just a car. But still, sad. I guess that's why I've spent countless hours and a couple grand on a 240D worth probably $600-$700.
__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 08-02-2009, 05:03 PM
Scott98's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Weston, FL
Posts: 1,254
Now this gets me excited:

After months of speculation and spy shots, Maranello has finally revealed the mid-engined V8 replacement for the Ferrari F430. The all-new Ferrari 458 Italia won't be shown in public until September's Frankfurt Motor Show, but the official details were released early this morning. A new direct-injected 4.5-liter V8 ups the ante underhood, pumping out 562 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque. The redline? A screaming 9,000 rpm. Eighty percent of the F458 Italia's torque is now available at a low 3,250 rpm, thanks in all likelihood to the new engine's 12.5:1 compression ratio.

As with last year's California, the Ferrari 458 gets a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox that directs power to the rear axle. Much has been done to reduce internal friction within the new V8, in addition aerodynamic drag improvements. As a result, the Ferrari 458 Italia's gas mileage improves to a combined 17.1 mpg (US) on the EU test cycle. As this is a Ferrari, talk of fuel consumption really does seem somewhat pointless, anyway. No mention of incorporating any type of KERS hybrid system has been made thus far. The KERS idea, you'll remember, had taken several spins around the rumormill over the last year or so; maybe that'll materialize at a later date.

Like its predecessor, the Ferrari 458 Italia's aluminum structure helps keep weight under control -- it tips the scales at just 3,042 pounds dry. So, we know you're wondering: How quick is it? Based on specs at least, this new coupe does't disappoint. Acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes just 3.4 seconds, and this will be the first volume production Ferrari V8 to top the 200 mph barrier, with a top whack of 202 mph. Is it still too early to head to the airport for our flight to Frankfurt in September
Attached Thumbnails
The End of the Affair-ferrari.jpg  
__________________
Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 08-02-2009, 08:10 PM
Pavka007's Avatar
Alba Gu Brąth
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Here, there...
Posts: 247
Can't wait for Top Gear in the UK to get hold of one
__________________
http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v...7/scotflag.gif http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v.../scot2flag.gif

"If women are so bloody perfect at multitasking how come they can't have a headache and sex at the same time?"
Billy Connolly
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 08-02-2009, 08:11 PM
ForcedInduction
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Quote:
Originally Posted by BodhiBenz1987 View Post
But yeah, I know your feeling. I always think of that one Mercedes add, I think for the C-Class circa 2002, which shows a 114/115 being crushed and has its "life" flash through its windshield. I can't even think about it without crying.
Here is the full ad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rv2-DYgzcY

Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:22 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Peach Parts or Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page