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  #46  
Old 02-01-2004, 08:43 PM
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Are all the 350 motors rod benders or just the early years? I'm sorry if it's already been stated but I didn't see it.

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  #47  
Old 02-01-2004, 09:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by MapleLeaf
... but the suspension spring articulation is not (by any means) sufficient for my driving style...
Is the suspension of the 91 SD different from the suspension of the 81 SD?

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  #48  
Old 02-01-2004, 09:41 PM
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I've asked the same question as Diesel addict - Did MBz upgrade the conrods on the 350 and if so when? I'm in the market for one but don't want to 'get bent'.
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  #49  
Old 02-01-2004, 10:15 PM
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For the most part I couldn't tell if I was under my ex 81 300SD or my ex 91 300SE. I think the SE had bigger brakes to go along with ABS, but it didn't have the anti-squat doodads that are supposedly on the 560SEL. For that matter, neither does my SDL that I can tell. Basically, if anything changed from 81 to 91 it'll be news to me. But then lots of things continue to make headlines.

FWIW, the W109 has an interesting rear brake set-up. The caliper is held by a bracket that attaches to the suspension arm rather than the hub carrier on the 'mortal' W108. Supposedly the W109 has less brake dive as caused by the torque transfered to the swing axles. I know a W109 hauls down from an indicated 220km/h with enough control to keep the grille off a truck's rear bumper

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  #50  
Old 02-02-2004, 08:18 AM
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Quote:
I'm sorry but any vehicle that requires a new engine to keep it going, below 250K miles, cannot be considered a very good product, IMHO
Interesting statement... the only monkey wrenchis that not all people had problem with their 350's.
AND it always seems that the members here that have NEVER owned one comment the most.
Why is there never anyone that says "yes I have owned one and replaced my engine"...rather than a bunch of here say.
Another interesting point that you might want to take a loom at is the value of the 350 cars versus the older generation. Apparantly people sent the value($$) in the newer designs and updates.
I for one never liked the earlier 126 diesel(81-85) much.Way too slow and noisy.I lived in Texas when I owned the 85 and when I had the AC on(which was most of the time) it was a nightmare to merge on the freeway in Dallas...so to each his own...
Any cooments from someone who actually owns(has owned) and 350SD(126) or 300SD/S350(140) car?



Warren
1992 300SD 174K
Columbus Ohio


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  #51  
Old 02-02-2004, 08:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally posted by turnne1
the only monkey wrenchis that not all people had problem with their 350's.
AND it always seems that the members here that have NEVER owned one comment the most.
Why is there never anyone that says "yes I have owned one and replaced my engine"
You are correct Warren. Most people on the forum have not owned the vehicle in question. So, maybe it is a good time to ask them all:

"How many miles are on your 350 SDL, and, to the best of your knowledge, has the engine ever been replaced"

If we could get enough responses, maybe we could make a better judgment regarding whether the engine truly has a bad design or whether the issue of bent connecting rods surfaces infrequently. If I have prejudged the vehicle, I would be pleased to stand corrected. Hell, I might even look for one. It certainly does make my 126 look slow!
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  #52  
Old 02-02-2004, 08:55 AM
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I'd love a 350SDL but I just couldn't afford to replace the engine if it went bad. I couldn't take the chance, and frankly if I wanted a fast car I would have bought a 560. If a 350 with an updated engine came along at the right time I would probably buy it.
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  #53  
Old 02-02-2004, 03:10 PM
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Quote:
I'd love a 350SDL but I just couldn't afford to replace the engine if it went bad
would it be better if you had to replace the engine in 300SDL?...probably about the same amount of money for the repair to both cars...
but the 300SDL is worth substantially less than the 350SDL fixed...so if you justify repairs on the value of the car there you have it.
And by the way I do love the 140 also.....makes looking for a new vehicle very hard....I am really trying to like the 210 Turbodiesel...but something about it does not "pop" like my 140 does currently...but that is an apples and oranges comparison I guess



Warren
1992 300SD 174K
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  #54  
Old 02-02-2004, 03:36 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by turnne1
Why is there never anyone that says "yes I have owned one and replaced my engine"...rather than a bunch of here say.
Wait a minute. Warren, don't you fall into that category? I thought your engine was replaced when the car was relatively young. Also, if I remember correctly, our moderator JimSmith had a 350 that had an engine replacement.

I've never owned one, but will contribute what I can from reading this forum for 5 years and other Mercedes related literature for even longer. All of the original engines were suspect, so you can't look for a particular year, say the very last ones, and be assured that the engine won't blow. However, cars with replacement engines can generally be assumed to be fine.

You guys with the 350s keep telling us how good they are, so it stands to reason that a good one goine up for sale would be VERY RARE! You can pretty much assume that when is offered for sale that there is something seriously wrong with it. Combine that with their known problem of weak rods (Mercedes doesn't update parts multiple times just because they feel like it), and you can see why we caution people against them.

If somebody comes on this board asking for information about a 350 because they're about to buy one, then it would be totally irresponsible of us to simply say "They're great cars, buy one." Rather, this board is all about sharing information and supporting our "diesel community," so we advise people to do their homework. I wouldn't tell someone not to buy one either. Simply do some research so you know what you're getting into.

Finally, regarding the W140, you guys cannot deny that the early years had significant problems. Mercedes-Benz lost a class action lawsuit regarding their front suspensions. And they're also well known to blow evaporators that cost thousands of dollars to replace. Great cars though they may be, they're not a purchase to be made lightly.
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  #55  
Old 02-02-2004, 03:55 PM
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Actually yes...my engine was replaced at 100K when the car was 8 years old....depending on what you consider relatively young.
and yes the evap was done on my vehicle

My particular car was under warranty when these issues happened so as many of you would agree you react differently when its not your money...that being said was there another alternative to the two most expensive repairs that my car had...maybe....but I didn't care ....as far I was concerned the MB dealer could have replaced every part in the car as long as it was not on my dime

As for the 140 and problems...yes there were some...BUT there was a class action lawsuit on the newer cars with the Flex engine service system...so would you tell everyone not to buy any of the 1998-2000 cars period?

As for the evap...the 140 is not the only car that can have evap issues......there are some here( I am sure) with a 124 car that has had that issue...or perhaps the wiring harness issue with the gasoline cars of the early to mid 90's...both repairs are over $2000 a piece...based on the value of some 124's right now...those repairs could be very hard to justify...so do you tell someone not to touch a 124?
As for updating parts on a regular basis I think that is an MB regular way of operation...I have seen many times where the genuine MB part from the dealer has been updated ...for example the 3 sets of winshield wipers that have been put on my car(all bought from the dealer) have each been different
Always making it better with each iteration...I think thats why its a Benz
As far as seeing one for sale...it is true...they are rare...why is that?...they didn't sell them in the numbers that the other cars were sold in...you can apply that same principal to the 98-99 E300 Turbodiesel...they didn't sell many..so you don't see many for sale...does that make it a bad car?..if I see one for sale should I run?
Not sure how many 126 350's they sold...but as I recall they only sold about 4500 140 diesels in the US...so not a car you see on the street regular...but actually a good thing for resale value..:-)


Warren
1992 300SD 174K
Columbus Ohio
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  #56  
Old 02-02-2004, 04:15 PM
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Actually yes, people are usually told about all the issues you mentioned when they ask about those cars. My 1993 Eagle Vision ate an evaporator every year, so I would certainly tell people about it if they asked about a Chrysler of that vintage. And when someone asks about a W210, I practically shout at them to examine the dashboard because they crack. That's a stupid weakness that I should not have had to pay for in my car, but I did. 722.6 trannys also had trouble, and that is duly noted here. Regarding the flexible service system, yes we certainly tell people to check out the maintenance history on those cars before buying. If they used dino oil on the FSS schedule, then the car should be avoided.

The point is that we're sharing information here, not bashing. If someone comes here asking questions, then I think they deserve to get the answers, both positive and negative, without the owners of those cars getting upset and defensive. Want to know the W210's problems? Dashboard, front lower control arm bushings, rear window regulators, 722.6 transmission (mine has been rebuilt), engine mounts and fuel line O rings for the diesel. Those things don't make me love my car any less, but a prospective buyer deserves to be told.
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  #57  
Old 02-02-2004, 05:03 PM
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As I recall wasn't that failure of the BMW V's due to to fuel avalability in the states?...didn't they extend the warranty's of the cars past the normal one?

Getting back to the 350...yes every make/model has a weakness and some more than others..my particular car was a very early 140 diesel and had its share of both diesel issues and early 140 issues
As I have said before...do I love the car...NO DOUBT!!...would I love it as much if I had had to pay for many of the issues..probably not...
and Rick it seems that your vehicle has had some issues...hopefully not on your dime......but I think the point is here is that NOT all 350's had engine issues...not all 210's had needed new transmissons..etc
So why does everyone assume that ANY 350 will always need a new engine...should I assume that any 210 will need a transmission?


Warren
1992 300SD 174K
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  #58  
Old 02-02-2004, 05:20 PM
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You would be wise to check it out carefully. See Gilly's response on a 722.6 thread here.

I didn't say that they were all bad. My orginal post on this thread said that they all had the 3.5 liter engine that is known as the "rod bender," which is true. Then in my post today I said that all the original engines were suspect. Just like I would say that all 722.6 transmissions are suspect, but not all are bad.
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  #59  
Old 02-03-2004, 02:40 PM
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Actually turnne1 I did do some research into the W126/350's. I couldn't afford 10k for a new engine combined with there higher re-sale value put them out of my range. I have never heard of a 603 bending rods on its own. Is there an original 350 engine out there with 400k miles on it? I know of half a dozen 603's with those kind of miles. The worst thing that can go wrong with mine is a cracked head if I over heat it. That I can fix. If I bought a nice original 350SDL I would always have that 10k repair hanging over my head, if the rods bent I would have to sell it at a huge loss. I guess the Fatherland screws up sometimes, so they made one bum diesel it's not a big deal.
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  #60  
Old 02-03-2004, 09:16 PM
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Quote:
I know of half a dozen 603's with those kind of miles
Well part of the reason probably is the fact that the 300SDL's you are looking at for examples are serveral years older and been on the road for much longer... and MB sold many more of the older cars than the newer diesels....you can apply the same principle to the E300 turbodiesel...not many of them sold...thus you see far lass for sale and since they are newer you see car cars with far less mileage.
As for the 10K repair bill...I agree it would be crazy to spend that amount on a car that is worth 12-13K....but on the other hand would you spend $2500 for a new head on a car that is worth 4-5K?

same difference it seems to me



Warren
1992 300SD 174K
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