Could you perhaps elaborate on why the injectors, pump, EGR, turbo, etc. on an OM642 would be less reliable than on an OM648? Both engines have all these items and use largely the same technologies, if perhaps not the exact same parts.

The first OM642 engines were sold in the Americas in fall of 2006, so they are now 7 years old. I guess we should know anytime now whether they are going to fall apart or not.

Injectors fail, there is no hard failure rate but I spoke to different Bosch diesel injection rebuilders, nothing can be done they fail electrically usually and throw faults. They are not servicable items, plain and simple. Pumps fail from poor fuel, they are very very sensitive things, a bad batch and they are done infact most of the fuel system goes down with a bad tank of fuel or water in the tank. Egr systems get clogged up and throw faults, sometimes they can be cleaned/serviced. Turbos gum up or the vanes distort from heat or rust and stop working and throw faults, VNT sets up are great for power, not so for reliability compared with old school T3 turbos on the 617 motors (which were vastly oversized compared with modern turbos).
Which engine is the OM648 the inline 6 cdi? They were strong engines, with lots of room and not much plastic. The V6 absolutely bakes in the engine bay, seriously hot and the plastics will not last long. The turbo is in the vee above the intake, a hot spot.
Most of these issues will not likely happen to the first owner, it will take time but yes, problems will occur likely in the 160-200k mile zone 7-10 years. Hotter climates will be worse off with the plastics, colder climates have salt issues etc.
I own one, I think it will be fine for a while yet, but it is no "old" Mercedes diesel...

Partner, were you here on the forum for the hoopla when MB went from OM616's to.... 5cyl OM617's??? Everyone thought MB was absolutely crazy!!! Guaranteed to fail, unbalanced, how could they be so dumb, no one needs that much power, etc.

Those of us who have been around a while hear the same thing everytime new tech comes out. Sometimes new stuff is a winner like the OM606 and the CDI's, other times its a loser like the 3.5L diesel, or SBC brakes. Most of the time the new tech is a vast improvement.

In 15 years and we can discuss it and figure out who's right.

__________________
Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

I don't see evidence why anyone would not want a CDI/Bluetec sedan.

I just bought a relatively low-miled, 648 with complete records that was traded-in at the Mercedes-Benz dealer it was bought from and serviced at for 7-years.

I have the entire VMI on the car. It's absolutely the best condition used car of it's age I've ever seen, and drives/runs like a dream.

The 648 and it's 5-speed AT has been tried and true, as the Bluetecs w/7-speed AT have been. Anyone unable to understand why it's a good idea to own one of these very safe, very dependable, hi-tech economy cars, probably is ignorant of their quality, capabilities, or has an axe-to-grind for some unknown reason.

Not all of us want to drive archaic, slow MB diesel examples 30+ years old, that get worse mpg than our post 2004 W211 MB turbodiesels.

Just try to fix it yourself when it breaks, then you'll understand. I worked on them, I know. Or as some customers found out, the dealer is unable or unwilling to fix them right and require constant visits-we don't have lemon laws. Some are good and reliable, others are not. Mine so far is great with 100k miles. But it could be better and I will try to get there (fuel economy, throttle response, engine noise). Yes it gets similar fuel ecnonomy to an 80s S class, but with a half ton more weight, 6 seats and all wheel drive and more then twice the torque, I get it. But fixing it is another thing...I also have S class experience to over a million kms, flawless powertrain which a cdi will NOT be. How much plastic was an S class back in the 80s-none outside of the vacuum parts.

And we know how much trouble those old systems are to troubleshoot and fix. Where is that SDS when I need it.

I will say that, 20 years from now, I had rather try to keep a 95 E300 going versus an 09 Bluetec just because of parts prices.

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Jim

The Canuck is right. The reliability of the clean diesels is very poor. Injector failure rates are high. Poor fuel quality, water, and too little lubricity is their nemesis. The injector solenoids in the older generation fail too often. EGR coolers and valves fail, SCR catalysts stop working, Nox sensors fail, MAF sensors fail and particulate filters clog up. These are not the old school diesels we are used to relying on for long term durability. Oh I almost forgot, Urea tanks crack, the heaters fail and the mixer valves fail.

Some brands are better than others, but all of the urea pumpers are the worse. North America is the test bed for the rest of the world, Europe included for the urea systems.

I have watched over the years as Bosch and others have worked to implement changes and fixes to deal with our poor fuel quality. Some of the fixes bring other unintended consequences though.

For oil, Mobil 1 for diesel engines is still ester based. I understand they dont have the zinc and phos levels of old, but they do have other ad-packs that work well.

__________________
1987 300TD ( under resto )
1987 300E SOLD
1987 300D
1993 400E
1997 Dodge/Cummins 3500
2004 E320 Wagon SOLD
2006 BMW M5 Yes, they will go 204 MPH SOLD
2008 BMW 535i SOLD (POS)
2011 BMW X5 Diesel
2013 X5M Tuned to 700+ HP Stupid Fast SOLD
2016 Nissan Titan XD Cummins 5.0!
2004 Audi Quattro ( track car ) AutoX machine
2010 BMW 328i ( sometimes track, but the Audi is faster )


I own maybe 100 t-shirts and they all smell like Diesel fuel and test oil......

Just did a MAFS on my OM642--I have no symbiosis with this engine. The left sensor failed. The housing was also cracked at the turbo from hack mechanics jamming together, which created a fairly substantial oil leak which drooled down the back of the engine. It's a miserable prick to work on, EVERYTHING is buried tight and close to structure, AND it's made of plastic. Change the air filters some time. The fuel filter is fun too. I'm waiting for a glow plug to quit to see if I can create a 55 word string of expletives trying to get them out. My OM648 is a piece of cake to work on, no different than my OM606 or the OM 602/3s that I've long since sold.

Additionally, the V6 is no where near as smooth as the I6s, nor does it have the same torque pull, in spite of the fact both the 642 and 648 are rated the same 410 lbft!

I'm fascinated to see how the twin turbo 2.1 does in the W212. It's rated at almost 400 lbft of torque. The GLK250 I drove was plenty torque-y at lower speeds, but really gutless when it came to merging into freeway traffic.

__________________
Mark
========
THE WHITE FLEET
2016 GLE300d 4-MATIC 38K BROWN!
2012 S350 Bluetec==94k WHITE

2007 ML320 CDI==166K WHITE (FOR SALE)

Under new management:
2005 E320 CDI--140K--WHITE
1995 E300-Diesel-133.5K--THE CAR IS BLUE
1986 300SL--97.5K (European) AND WHITE. Back in Europe!
1991 190E 2.3-73K California Perfect.--WHITE
1995 E320-Wagon-159K--WHITE (recently scrapped)
1987 300D Turbo-213K--WHITE
1987 190D 2.5 Turbo-288K--WHITE

I find mine is actually easy to work on. Plug in a computer and it tells you what is wrong for the most part. I pulled the engine and put a new one in. It was easier than on the 1985 300D.

The turbo was hard to find but once I did it was not difficult. I worry that if an injector goes bad I will not be able to get it out of its hole.

The V-6 model I have no interest in. I hope in 20 years I am the guy saying I will stick with my old car, you can buy the new ones. To me nothing can be better than this 05 except maybe a lower mileage newer 06.

Rob

That as well....., is my current thinking on my 06 E320 CDI......

boy I for got about this thread,anyone remove all the filters and cats off the exhaust?Has anyone tuned the engine over stock.roteela syntheic was Number 2 on best diesel oil.Cummins 15w40 was number one,according to independant lab testing

__________________
1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

Skid Row Joe, Any idea if a 2011 E350 bluetec requires the AdBlue to be added by MB mechanic, or can a guy like me replenish the AdBlue?

Anyone can do it. The adblue tank uses a special connector. Apparently the easiest way to fill it is to purchase a single overpriced 1 liter bottle from your MB dealer. Add it to the tank, then cut the bottom off the bottle so that it can be used as a funnel. Then go to your local auto parts store, truck stop, or wherever and purchase a 2 gallon container of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) for about 10 bucks. Use your new funnel to fill the adblue tank with the DEF.

Out of curiosity, what happened to the old engine?

__________________
"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

You can add it. And you can buy it at Napa for $12 for 2.5 gallons.

__________________
68 280SL - 70 280SL - 70 300SEL 3.5 - 72 350SL - 72 280SEL 4.5 - 72 220 - 72 220D - 73 450SL - 84 230GE - 87 200TD - 90 190E 2.0 - 03 G500

Nissan GTR - Nissan Skyline GTS25T - Toyota GTFour - Rover Mini - Toyota Land Cruiser HJ60 - Cadillac Eldorado - BMW E30 - BMW 135i