I purchased my car after 2+yrs of looking for exactly the car I wanted. I love the way it drives, the engineering, and just about everything about it. What gets me down is the nickle-and-dime string of repairs I have had to deal with.
Upon purchase: adjust valves, replace 2 glowplugs, rebuild monovalve, change belts, coolant/rad cap, oil, atf, diff lube, brake fluid. Replace master cylinder reservoir seals and get frontend alignment. Clear out all water drains.
Next: Back to alignment shop, car pulls, find sticky front caliper, replace caliper. Wierd intermitant coolant leak. Try 2nd rad cap.
Next: Replace lower balljoint boots, 1 tierod boot. Wierd intermitant coolant leak.
Next: Rebuild badly sagging drivers seat spring box
Next: Rear CV boot starts leaking badly. Replace both axles. One axle blows immediately, replaced again.
Next: Funny occasional groan in frontend while braking. Replace front wheel bearings/races, find other caliper is bad, replace caliper, new brake pads.
Next: Cruise control goes haywire. Diagnose with GDL instructions, try junkyard cruise amp, works for a bit then craps out again. I will be installing an aftermarket system.
Next: Tear cooling system apart looking for leak, replace thermostat.
Next: Auxilliary waterpump stops working. Replace with junkyard piece and modify/update wiring to protect ACC unit. Think I finally fixed the mystery coolant leak.
Today: Rear window decides to start leaking on both sides into trunk. I know she needs rear brakes. Hopefully the calipers will be okay.... Front pinion seal seeping oil now too.
I really love the car but I am tiring of the seemingly endless stream of little issues. I know that I will get to a point where I will have gotten ahead of the problems and fixed/repaired/replaced every item that needs it. Until then it seems like an uphill battle. Ah, the joys of old cars. Sorry just had to vent. RT

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When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

Yeah sometimes I feel that way too. However I have learnt to ignore a lot of these little things unless I really need to fix 'em and just 'appreciate' the fact that it's an old car...

Good luck

It's a gorgeous 300D though

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2008 BMW 335i Coupe

they are old cars and need a lot of TLC. It's like owning an old Harley. You love driving them but hate the upkeep. Remember this; anything worth having is worth the effort to keep.

Ex-wives are another chapter.


thebern

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1982 240D 313,000 (4 speed)
1984 300CD 172,483
1985 German Shepherd Dog -Lacey- R.I.P.11/04/05

Hood Stars, Wrist Crowns and Obsession Dobs

I've had a love/hate relationship with my 300CD. I love driving it, but hate when things don't work, or it won't start. After replacing the starter and the fixing some major oil leaks, I think I am going to love the car for a while but I won't make love to the car because that is just gross

rwt- come on dude your car is beautiful to look at and great to drive.. i know cause i drove it..
you know how mine drives so how can you compare ??


i just took mine to fla and back with a absolute full load on the way back with only a couple of issues.. but it made it, hehe.
total 3000 miles - mostly 80 on the highway

your car is definitely on the way to being mint and it would be a shame if you gave up now - just my .02

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1984 300D Turbo - 231k....totalled 11/30/07 RIP

Welcome to owning an old MB diesel! You're lucky you don't own a same vintage V8 380SE or 500SEL.. you'd really be crying!

Ah, a kindred spirit. Welcome to the recycled $$$ club. Some members don't mind driving a high-class vehicle loaded with broken crap. Me, I'll fix the MB down to the last pancaked crush washer.

When you really get weary, you might waltz over and peak at the the TDI thread :p .

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'91 300D 2.5 Turbo 330K
'00 VW TDI Golf, 190K
'67 BMW R50/2
'73 Norton Commando Interstate

Thanks for the support guys! I guess we are all in the same boat with these old cars. Its just that I am super-anal retentive when it comes to stuff like this. I quite literally have trouble sleeping sometimes when I start thinking about water, rust, and general decay on any of my vehicles. I once got up at 3am when I realized I had assembled a part incorrectly-It just couldn't wait until morning! I WILL get the MB to mechanical perfection, it'll just take a while. Since I have a truck to drive and it will be raining all week I will use that. I just ordered a rear window gasket, two lower ball joints, ball joint press (rental), some misc. trim bits, some POR15, and a spray can of touch-up paint. I will be fully prepared to deal with any corrosion that may have started when I remove the rear window. I don't think I will work on, drive, or even look at the MB for a few days. When I get a little obsessed I just need a little time away to cool off and renew my interest. RT (living with my mechanical psychosis)

__________________
When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

Love/hate from my perspective:
I love my 300TE wagon; my wife hates it.

I've been trying to sell the SD (which she loves, ok, likes, maybe) because it's getting old and I don't really have the time or energy to restore it to 100% factory condition.

Nothing major wrong with it, but lots of "minor" things wrong with it. It's been much cheaper to own that the gasoline wagon.

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Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

Hehe,

Think how I feel. I go do this all day on customers' cars and then come home to fiddle with my own!

RW: I agree with your anal-retentiveness, and I always always strive for perfection on both my own cars and on customers' cars but yes it can get tiring. When the overwhelming feeling begins to strike I go work on the TR6 and remind myself how lucky I am to be working on German cars every day and not English ones!

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Regards,
Aaron

rwthomas1,

You might consider yourself lucky, drop around to one of the threads that concern the newer MBZs and remember that these guys can't work on theirs and that everytime they take it back to the dealer, it's $800.00!!! Besides that, it sounds like you're getting a handle on your MB, so don't give up now.

Ben

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www.reproduce100s.com

Rob,


Keep smiling................You do know that your oilburner is a BEAUTY!!!do NOT forget that.

Welcome to the club ...what did you HONESTLY expect? And you actually even have a garage.

It is possible to live with the water leaking into the trunk from the rear windshield corners. Just be sure to keep the drains open in the rear of the wheel wells. Oh, and don't keep things in these areas that will absorb. Yes, you WILL locate HIDDEN RUST under the rear windshield gasket. Not too big of a deal....just be prepared for the situation, and keep smiling.

You may also get further SATISFACTION (as if you have NOT already) whenever you see another 123 out there that your 123 will PUT TO SHAME!!!!:p


Keep those diesels humming!

Spo out.

p.s.; it was nice to see you and your wife again at the last GTG.

Your car is horrid! It will only bring you into a deep financial hole of which you will be not able to leave!

Dump your problem on me immediately, I will take care of your problem vehicle for you. Don't put up with this anymore!

Seriously, your car is amazing. Best looking diesel I've seen. Don't give up the fort!

and I can sympathize with getting frustrated by numerous little repairs. I would not have it any other way, though. New a/c in the 84 300TD, only $830! I prefer this kind of repair to the annual $1000 re-sealing of the drivetrain that the 98 Jeep Gr. Cherokee needed. What a waste of time and money. Yes, it is long gone (and I didn't buy it to begin with).

At times, maintaining an 84 TD, an 82 300D, and the newly acquired 73 280sel 4.5 is a little frustrating, but like I said, making these great old cars ever-better looking, driving, etc for relatively little money is much easier to swallow than (expensively) maintaining the aforementioned SUV, which in 4-5 models years was worth less than a third of its initial cost! I'll budget a couple grand in repairs a year, and still sell any of the Mercs (if I ever wanted to) for more than I paid for them!

That isn't the point, though. The point is that these are great cars, and not Toyotas. Nobody said driving a car aged between 20 and 30 years old, every day, would be like driving a new Hyundai appliance.

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Okay, okay, I'm better now. Having the parts on the way and the will to fix the problem is half the battle. btw, I called a bunch of glass shops today to ask about having them install the new gasket. They all wanted $90-$100 for the job and no guarantee on glass breakage. Okay, call me an idiot but if I bring you a car, the gasket and a perfectly good, uncracked rear glass and you break it putting it in, how are you NOT responsible? I must be missing something because I am not paying some moron $100 to bust the glass and then charge me for another one. I will be doing this myself. It can't be as difficult as say installing a convertible top which is the single most frustrating thing I have ever done. Anyway, thanks again for the support! I love this board. RT

__________________
When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K