They arent really too hard to maintain, it's easy to diagnose what's wrong with them. I have access to Launch and Xentry so no prob. Some stuff is cheap, but some will cost you.

SAMs are cheap, air struts not so. And that SBC module...I'm thankful rebuilt SBC modules have gone down in price by the time I had to replace mine.

I had a clunk traced to the strut bar bushings...should be cheap. But the bar bushing is molded to the bar! So you need to buy a new bar to fix that.

Maybe I should say they can be money pits if you break the right parts.

Around here in the south you still need at least $6-7k for a very nice CDI, $4-5k for a OK one...I don't know where you guys find such deals on these diesels

Buy a gasser. The money you save up front far outweighs the additional fuel economy of the diesel. M112 and M113 engines are perfectly happy on 87 octane.

That is good to know. If I have a cloned Xentry can I still read and write CGW and SAMs with it? I thought that required phoning back to Germany (SCN coding). I know on my W211 and W164 I can go into the modules and change version coding, but my W212 and W166 it won't let me do that.

Although I will say that with the massive CAN bus failure I had on our 211 there were so many errors it did take a little detective work to figure out what went wrong, and a key piece of advice from an ex-dealer tech I know.

It was like that scene in Apollo 13 where right after the failure happens the guys on the ground say it's impossible to be an actual problem, due to all the error messages, it's got to be an instrumentation failure.

And I'm an electrical engineer, and every day at work I have to sort out data bus driven systems, so I am completely familiar with industrial networking protocols (the multitude of protocols that run on RS-485 or RS-422 including Modbus, Profibus, and CANOpen). So at least I knew what to look for based on the behavior. The biggest difference is that the devices we network generally have their own user interfaces and so you can tell whether or not they are communicating properly. The car modules can only report their health back through the network to the CGW, but if the bus is down, nothing is talking, so you have no clue what's going on.

I did just pick up a lunch box digital oscilloscope (for my other hobby of vintage audio repair) and it has a feature where you can connect it to a CAN bus and it will decode the packets. I need to get a free afternoon and tie this thing in and see what it displays when the car is functioning normally for a baseline.

^No need for SCN for SAMs. TCM's will need SCN coding though if you ever need to replace one.

That CAN failure you got sounds terrible, I might push mine off a cliff if that happened to me lol!

Depending how far one drives in a year, those savings with the diesel add up very quickly. Another thing to consider is the driving dynamic of the diesel is way more fun than an M112 and nearly as good as the M113 due to the tremendous low end torque. The M112 and M113 are designed to be run on 93 octane fuel, running 87 is a bad idea especially in warm outside temps, plus it just further erodes fuel economy as the computer adjusts engine performance to compensate.

As an owner of an M112 RWD and a OM651 4matic....the OM651 is way more seat of the pants fun than the M112. The low end torque makes for a great experience driving around the city especially, just throws you into your seat. M112 is quick enough, but has to rev up and burn a LOT of gas to even come close.

In my W210 wagon, which is lighter than my GLK and non-4matic, I am lucky to get 18mpg in mixed driving, if all city, its more like 16. The real killer is short trips in cold weather of under 5-6 miles, it gets TWELVE mpg. My GLK will rarely go under 25-26mpg even in cold weather stop and go traffic...and thats on cheaper fuel. Freeway the W210 can occasionally reach 25ish mpg if driven gently, while the GLK will easily get 34 going 85mph. If your driving 300-400+ miles a week that adds up pretty quickly in fuel savings.

And yes my M112 is running just fine. Has brand new plugs, air filter, top quality liquimoly oil, MB filter. So smooth at idle you can't feel it running.

I bought my W211 E320 CDI with 204k miles for $1900, the only problem it has that was effecting cars drivability was injector black death and the previous owner got a hefty quote at an indy to repair and he didn't want to deal with it, $30 for injector seal and bolt kit and 1 week later and it's running like a clock, there's a few things elase to sort out ie suspension, and some minor services.

These W211 about $3000 is about average in the market from private owners that is run and drive however most are in dire need to moderate or major service, however onces sorted out these W211 are a delight to drive, its smooth, quiet, and excellent road trip cruisers (ie CDI, Bluetec most efficient)

Also W211 Gen 1/Pre-face lift has SBC brakes warranty 25 years/unlimited miles so if sbc breaks take to a dealer and you'll receive a new replacement, my E320 CDI SBC pump and ABS was replaced in 2013!

Diesel is 20% more expensive than RUG. If you're driving less than 25k miles a year a CDI is pointless.
There's nothing fun about the extra 200lbs on the front axle of the CDI vs the gasser or the 4000rpm redline.
The M112 and M113 are designed to run on whatever octane is available in any part of the world including 89 RON (85aki). You can actually use SDS or Foxwell to adjust the minimum octane available in your are. It will reduce peak power but it won't affect fuel economy. 87 octane will never hurt these engines.
My E320 averaged over 20mpg on 87 octane in 10,000 miles tracked. All time high was 29mpg on 87 octane. You should try some 87 octane. It might improve your fuel economy. Considering diesel is 20% more expensive than 87 octane I'm not convinced you're saving any money.

I'm not sure why you're bringing up the GLK in this conversation. The GLK has far less interor space than the W210 or W211 wagons. It's based on the C class (x204).
I wouldn't be so sure. Your fuel economy sounds abysmal.

I have had five 211's, (2-'05 CDI, '07 Bluetec, 2-'04 wagons [gas]), and yes, they are a bargain nowadays. I bought my first wagon years ago, had ZERO problems with it (sold it to a friend), and bought another one. Other than regular maintenance items, it has been the most reliable car I have ever had. The M112 is probably the best gas engine MB ever made (my opinion). The two CDI's belong to my nieces now, and they have had very few problems as well. Now is the time to buy one, they are the best value for your dollar........Rich

Run. I owed one ad at 76000 miles the thing started falling apart. They will mechanically total themselves. Horrible cars and expensive electronics that cost a fortune to have worked on. The retractable sun screen alone is a 2000+ repair and mine failed twice under warranty.

I don't live in California, most of the time I find diesel around here for barely more than RUG, usually within 15 cents or less.

Not going to run 87 in my M112, I've tried 89 before, and economy went down from 93.

GLK is comparable in terms of weight vs fuel economy. Its heavier, 4matic and worse aerodynamics and yet still averages almost double the fuel economy of my M112 vehicle. Sure it has less overall interior space, but its taller inside, so I can fit bigger items/boxes.

Gas cars get horrible MPG in sub freezing weather...the diesels are less affected by this. Try some 5-7 mile city drives in 20 degree (or lower) weather in your M112 and let me know how it does. My dad has a sedan of the same year and gets about 1.5mpg better overall.

Newer direct injection gas motors do much better. My Metris has the M274 and cold weather mpg is around 20-21 usually.

I've driven a 2019 GLC300 with the M274 and its ok, but not as fun as a diesel.


I drove my E320 M112 to work this morning (6 miles, half city half 60mph freeway) and got.......15.4 mpg....in 30 degree weather. That same drive my GLK will do 29.5+mpg Thats not a 20% difference. Thats double.

Agree with all your above points. The newer generation direct-injection gas engines are a major jump foreword in technology. The M274 you mentioned at 2 liters of displacement makes 25 more hp and almost 40 lb/feet more torque than the older M112 at 3.2 liters of displacement.

Just completed a 450 mile drive in a 2016 C300 and I got 35.7 mpg for the trip. 95% of the trip was at 80mph.

Technology is just an amazing thing!!

yes premium is best

testing different fuel grades while monitoring knock sensors on a m113:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWl4h-HmExI

EPA ratings:

2001 E320 Wagon: 17 city 25 highway

2015 GLK250 Bluetec 4matic: 24 city 32 highway

Those numbers are pretty accurate for summer driving in the E320 wagon, the GLK250 does much better in the city than its rated for. Even driving like a crazy person I still get 26-27...often as much as 29. Freeway is usually around 34.5mpg @ 80mph

I get exactly the same numbers on my 2013 GLK250.