How did you come up with that fairytale ?

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2007 C 230 Sport.

And got it from the factory, see http://www.whnet.com/4x4/oil.html and the FSS lawsuit, didn't even think it a provocative or controversial statement. That the 112 engine family is a substantially cheapened engine comes from Mercedes itself in statements made to Wall Street at introduction. And some of these ring failures are coming on cars that have never seen conventional oil.

Head gasket tattle tale

The leak is often missed in the engine compartment since the oil rarely comes out when the engine is sitting. Look under the car and if there is oil staining on the underside of the the passenger side of the car then its beginning to leak. The oil will leak when driving - it runs down the block and hits the airstream under the car and mists the body.

Think of the guy chewing and spitting tobacco driving down the road in his white convertible cadilac. The interior looks great, but that driver side door is a mess.

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Brian G.

1994 E320 Wagon with many warts SOLD
1995 E320 Wagon with a beauty mark or two FOR SALE

The M112 engine was cheaper to build as I recall however I have not heard of more than a handful of ring failures on the M112/M113 engines. Of course thats not very comforting when you are facing the costs of replacing an M112 engine with shot rings. One of the moderators on this site (Zeus) is currently facing this issue on his otherwise perfect E430. The car runs flawlessly but burns oil at an excessive rate.

As others have pointed out the M104 faces headgasket, wiring harness and ETA motor issues - overall I'd say the M112 has proven to be better long term bet than the M104. I know of several M112 with 200-300K that have had absolutely nothing done to them other than routine maintenance, I think you would have a hard time finding an M104 owner that could have dodged the headgasket, wiring harness and ETA motor bullets over the same time periods.

On the road I slightly prefer the M104, you can't beat a straight six for smoothness.

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98 Dodge-Cummins pickup (137K)
13 GLK250 (157k)
06 E320CDI (341K)
16 C300 (89K)
82 300GD Gelaendewagen (54K)