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  #1  
Old 02-25-2013, 06:01 PM
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Location: tucson, az
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update on my 1999 e300

i bought this car around may of last year and have put about 15,000 - 16,000 miles on it

i got a good deal on it and there were some small things i have repaired, it is in almost perfect shape now, waiting on a couple more parts to get here

the shop that checked it out missed the control arm bushings needing to be replaced but that was about it

i had those done and the ball joints, i was not happy with the ride so did new shocks
water pump went out a few thousand miles ago

a couple of hoses, like power steering and trans were leaking and were replaced

maf code came up 6000-7000 miles ago and i cleaned it and so far so good

did the egr delete

battery was weak so i did that

had a caliper sticking, replaced that

1 door actuator quit in the cold, replaced that

pretty much minor stuff

i have been super happy with the car, am getting 35-36mpg with about 60% highway and 40% in town
i run 5%-20% biodiesel and the car seems to really like that and run well

i have an excellent mechanic that knows these cars in and out, anyone in tucson, az needing a mechanic i cannot say enough good things about rick at monsoon automotive, he worked for mercedes for 14 years and opened his own shop a while back
he has been great to me and REALLY knows mercedes

i am so impressed with the build on these cars i am buying a second one in the next couple of months, looking for a 2006 e320 cdi

i would drive this car across the country tomorrow, it has been very dependable for me and great mileage for a car this size

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2006 E320 CDI
2008 ML320 CDI
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  #2  
Old 02-25-2013, 06:03 PM
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hmm, I wonder why my 99E300 has such crap milage compared... I average 28 in town. you have more freeway miles then I. sounds like you are having a good time with your 99, I'm happy to hear this. I cant believe it's been a year since you bought it. I remember the couple threads when you were buying it
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  #3  
Old 02-25-2013, 07:07 PM
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Glad to see you got a good mechanic.
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  #4  
Old 02-25-2013, 07:28 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by courtney View Post
i bought this car around may of last year and have put about 15,000 - 16,000 miles on it

i got a good deal on it and there were some small things i have repaired, it is in almost perfect shape now, waiting on a couple more parts to get here

the shop that checked it out missed the control arm bushings needing to be replaced but that was about it

i had those done and the ball joints, i was not happy with the ride so did new shocks
water pump went out a few thousand miles ago

a couple of hoses, like power steering and trans were leaking and were replaced

maf code came up 6000-7000 miles ago and i cleaned it and so far so good

did the egr delete

battery was weak so i did that

had a caliper sticking, replaced that

1 door actuator quit in the cold, replaced that

pretty much minor stuff

i have been super happy with the car, am getting 35-36mpg with about 60% highway and 40% in town
i run 5%-20% biodiesel and the car seems to really like that and run well

i have an excellent mechanic that knows these cars in and out, anyone in tucson, az needing a mechanic i cannot say enough good things about rick at monsoon automotive, he worked for mercedes for 14 years and opened his own shop a while back
he has been great to me and REALLY knows mercedes

i am so impressed with the build on these cars i am buying a second one in the next couple of months, looking for a 2006 e320 cdi

i would drive this car across the country tomorrow, it has been very dependable for me and great mileage for a car this size
I enjoyed reading the excellent feedback AND the astute attention to detail you have regarding your newly acquired '99 E300TD!

I believe they're wonderful cars too!

Last edited by Skid Row Joe; 02-25-2013 at 07:47 PM.
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  #5  
Old 02-26-2013, 02:41 AM
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thanks guys!

i really do love my car!

my 01 ford 7.3 powerstroke is my other baby, i have had it for 10 years and it has 370, 000 miles on the motor - it has had a trans replacement- but i intend to drive it to 500,000 and am positive it will get there

it is an awesome truck

i drive 30,000-40,000 miles a year so these mercedes diesels are perfect for me

my goal is to find a nice 2006 e320 cdi and drive it 80% of the time and the 99 the other 20% as my back up car

i plan to drive both cars and keep them in excellent shape for the next 10-12 years and then hopefully that mercedes diesel/hybrid will be over here and i can get one of those
i am positive i will get 500,000 out of each of them

my first mercedes diesel i got in a trade and it was awesome and had 330,000 on it when i bought it, sold it to a friend and it is still going

i am just thrilled with how these cars are built to be worked on and the fact we can get EVERYTHING for them even at almost 15 years old like my e300 is

i have not seen that with any other car i have owned

and the mercedes parts prices are no more than any other car i have owned



on my mileage, i was only getting 33-34 until i figured out i had a slightly bent wheel and also caught that one of the rear calipers was hanging

once i got those fixed it has bumped me to 35-36

i do "drive" for that, i coast a lot- which this car is excellent at doing after 40mph
i have a 10-12 miles stretch in and out to my house that i run 50-53mph and that really bumps it up

on the highway i usually drive 68-76mph or so instead of 80-85mph

and dont forget i did the egr delete and that helped

in town in tucson and phoenix i can coast a lot and also do 40mph which is perfect for mpg gains
it is flat here or with mild slopes

i never run up to red lights or come out of them fast

if i am not paying so much attention i would probably be around 32-33mpg

the whole time i have had it it has never come in under 33mpg

i also cannot believe it has been almost a year and that i have put so many miles on it this year, i wanted it to not be over 10,000 each year, but other car has been in the shop some

anybody that is researching the e300s i think they are great cars and you cannot go wrong getting one

yes i have fixed some stuff but it is pushing 15 years old, i EXPECT to fix some stuff every year and am happy to do it
i like knowing my cars, what parts have been replaced, etc

and one more shout out to my mechanic at monsoon automotive, he puts up with me driving him crazy about every little thing and always get my car in to be fixed even if it is something small
that has made the whole experience better and less stressful
i think he loves my car almost as much as i do, lol
he really likes the e300s, would probably rather see me get a second one of these than the 06 cdi
but i would like the newer one and i am sure i can get 38-40mpg with it, lol

thanks for all the nice responses and all the help you guys have given me, i spend hours reading on this forum
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  #6  
Old 02-26-2013, 02:52 AM
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I've got an '02 Ford with the 7.3 liter PSD too. Great truck!

My '99 E300TD probably needs a good going through to get mileage above 30 mpg - which it has never done in 14 years.

The 2005/'06 E320 CDI routinely gets "41 mpg" @ 75 to 80 mph - according to two members here, and an easy 37 mpg Highway according to the 2005 E320 CDI sales brochure I have from Mercedes-Benz' dealer showroom. So, they're a great mpg choice, and quite the car from what I've read here on diesel forum. High mileage per gallon is a slam dunk with the CDIs.

The window sticker from my '99 claims 26/36, but it's not happened yet:
Attached Thumbnails
update on my 1999 e300-getattachment-mpg.jpg  

Last edited by Skid Row Joe; 02-26-2013 at 03:40 AM.
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  #7  
Old 02-26-2013, 03:28 AM
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i was really happy when i started hitting 35-36, honestly i was surprised because i was pretty consistently getting 33-34, i think that caliper had been dragging for a while and i did not realize it

and i was running 80-85 mph more then too

the ford 7.3 is an AWESOME truck, i cannot imagine selling mine, i dont even want a new one

in dec i hauled 15,000 behind me from az to alabama going 80-85 mph the whole way there and back and it never missed a beat

my truck is gauged majorly, so i know EXACTLY where i am all the time
the truck is so modded it would be a huge hassle to replace and do it all again

and nobody sells a 7.3, every person i have ever talked to that sold one said they regretted it!
i will probably have mine forever!
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  #8  
Old 02-26-2013, 03:46 AM
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I poked along at 60 to 65 mph in my '83 300SD.
I poke along @ 65 to 70 mph in my '99 E300TD. (Still gets no better than 30 mpg)
I poke along at 60 to 65 mph in my 7.3.

I'm not a fast driver, and I hate to beat-up my equipment running it hard. -Even though it can take it.
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Old 02-26-2013, 11:29 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe View Post
I poked along at 60 to 65 mph in my '83 300SD.
I poke along @ 65 to 70 mph in my '99 E300TD. (Still gets no better than 30 mpg)
I poke along at 60 to 65 mph in my 7.3.

I'm not a fast driver, and I hate to beat-up my equipment running it hard. -Even though it can take it.
I get about the same MPG with my 99' E300. Sometimes I can hit 31 MPG on the highway with it. I'd suggest running a full tank of B100 through and doing some "italian tune ups". That will help clean up your injectors and hopefully give you an extra MPG or two.
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-1984 Mercedes 190D 2.2 5-speed gray market(bought@30,000 miles) (Sold back to original owner@170,000 miles)
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  #10  
Old 03-16-2013, 02:01 AM
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44mpg !!!

ok i know this is a fluke and crazy

i had to come up to phx tonite

so for fun i filled the e300 up in downtown tucson and then drove it 65mph all the way to the bottom end of phx to the loves truck stop -where i can get biodiesel- and i refilled
this is right at 100 miles

i was watching the scan gauge and knew i was doing good but i got 44mpg !!!!!!

100 miles on 2.3 gallons which is just what the scan gauge said i would use

this scan gauge has been on here for several thousand miles and is accurate, i reset it each tank plus i do the math always


i dont usually drive quite that slow and i think it is a little bit of a drop from tucson to phoenix , this is all mostly flat hwy but i have never gotten over 37mpg
and of course i usually go 350-400 miles before fill up- i have to fill up whenever i am near one of the biodiesel stations so i fill it often

i must have had the wind behind me a good bit!

i also did add power service the past tank and a half, so that probably did a little, will have to keep running that, i have always used it in my truck

anyway, just thought it was funny
if i can duplicate that at some point i will chime back in, lol
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Old 03-16-2013, 02:40 AM
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If the car was driven to empty from full tank - running out of fuel - then filling it again, noting amount of fuel you put in the car - and driven to fail from lack of fuel - and it duplicated the same mpg twice - that would be a more accurate way to determine mpg. If you can repeat the same mpg "44 mpg" (10) times in a row, until every tank exhausts it's supply - then I'd think you might have something.

Running the car from a full tank, to stop-running because of fuel starvation, 2-3 times in a row, is the best way to know your car gets "44 mpg." If I recall correctly - the '99 has a 21.1 gallon fuel tank, so, each tank you should get at least 928.4 miles per tank. Naturally, if you fill to the neck each time, you might get almost 1,000 miles on each and every tank - if your car is really getting; "44 mpg."

I've clocked nearly every tank fill for 14 years, and 129K miles, with the identical car, and it has never returned better than 32 mpg reading - and that was a one-time event, in all those years and miles. I've never been able to duplicate 32 mpg even once, much less 37 or 40+ mpg in my '99.

Last edited by Skid Row Joe; 03-16-2013 at 02:57 AM.
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  #12  
Old 03-16-2013, 05:05 AM
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Great cars, mine gets 29 mpg at sea level. At nearly 6,000 ft it gets 35. Turbo makes altitude effect on performance next to nil, but without the air density the low drag body combines to give exceptional mileage.
Jim
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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)
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  #13  
Old 03-16-2013, 01:08 PM
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i am very aware that is the proper way to check actual fuel mileage but i would NEVER run my car to empty anyway and when i consistently check miles against gallons put in every tank over several thousand miles i know i am getting very, very close to actual mileage

i never said the car was getting 44mpg, i said i got 44mpg hypermiling it for around 100 miles on a specific terrain

i am driving for this and working for it, i am not drivng it totally normal

and i am rock solid that the car is getting 35-36 consistently with the way i drive it and where i drive it
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Old 03-16-2013, 02:17 PM
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Originally Posted by courtney View Post
i am very aware that is the proper way to check actual fuel mileage but i would NEVER run my car to empty anyway and when i consistently check miles against gallons put in every tank over several thousand miles i know i am getting very, very close to actual mileage

i never said the car was getting 44mpg, i said i got 44mpg hypermiling it for around 100 miles on a specific terrain

i am driving for this and working for it, i am not drivng it totally normal

and i am rock solid that the car is getting 35-36 consistently with the way i drive it and where i drive it
At 65 mph, I would chalk that up to a filling level fluke. I have found that mpg readings are totally subjective, and conditions-based. BTDT, it can go either way dramatically in the false reading, based on DIFFERING FILLS replacement gallonage. Low quantity filling level/conditions were the likely culprit. The lower the quantity, the more variance you're going to mistakenly think that the car is getting in mpg, in both high AND low readings. For example, my car mistakenly reflected a return of 18 mpg on one fuel replacement. Was that reading accurate, or even possible with my car? No way it gets 18 mpg. Same explanation for topside readings in the mid-40s mpg. The '99 E300TD I own, just isn't capable of it - low or high. The only way to learn what the car is actually returning in accurate and objective mpg is going to require higher gallonages, and several readings. What is a "scan guage" anyway? I don't think my '99 has one.


Last edited by Skid Row Joe; 03-16-2013 at 02:49 PM.
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