A little about me

I have just retired, from a lifetime of working around large machinery, airplanes, off highway equipment, and diesel locomotives.

We own a 1969 W114, with only 62,000 miles on it since new, is still a great motor car, and is used daily.

When we retired we decided we wanted to travel, and to tow a 20 foot trailer, and we decided to purchase a ML270, because particulary it suited the tug role.

The car has arrived after a long wait, and so far has exceeded the specs given to us by MB.

The ML270 for those who do not know, is a diesel version of the ML320, they too now come out of the USA factory, but are equiped with the OM612 engine.

This engine is also used in the G270, C270 and E270, and I believe shortly will be used in the JEEP.

My only problem, is that in Australia, we will encounter some long hauls with no MB dealer, distances of nearly 2000 miles we will encounter.

We have tried to buy a shop manual, for one of the cars which use this engine, but so far have drawn a blank. We have offered to accept CD Roms in lieu, but have been told they are encoded, so they cannot be read, on a normal PC.

Can anyone direct me, to where I may buy this information. We have managed to purchase some information, from Voss Motors, but they cannot help with this engine. As it appears that the Jeep may be the first car, released in the USA, which will have this engine. This engine developes great torque, right where we tow at 1600 to 2600 RPM.

Your help and interest, is much appreciated.

Regards

Col Tigwell

[Ken300D]

Greetings:

I sure hope you are right about the diesel OM612 becoming available in a USA Jeep. Mercedes needs to use their leverage in diesel know-how to put their engines in otherwise worthless Chrysler products!

We will start researching for manuals to help you out - I'd say you've come to the right place as we have a few people in Europe visit and help out with non-USA vehicles.

The CDROM manuals that we get for our cars are not encoded and for the most part are just digital scans (Adobe PDF format) of the paper manuals. It might be on the newer vehicles there is no such thing as paper manuals anymore - and the CDROMs might be encoded with some kind of license/registration to prevent duplication.

I know someone with direct links to MB will respond.

So, I am wondering if you are a USA Vet retired in Australia, or an Australian Vet?

Ken300D

Well thank you for your kind interest, my understanding is as follows.

1. About two years ago, MB stopped producing paper publications, both parts and service.

2. The ML's I believe were one of the first to be so impacted.

3. I also believe that at that same time, they started incripting the CD's so they could not be read by mere mortals like me.

4. The OM612 has proven, along with it V8 cousin, to be a very good engine and is also fitted to some VITO models as well.

5. The business of customers like myself, not being able to buy service publications, is a burry ones head in the sand, particularly as they said they would come long distances to fix the car under road side assist.

They do not address the fact that the failure could be fixed on the spot quickly, by any competant mechanic, if for example the trouble shooting guide was available.

Seems to me that MB, is going down the track, of trying to force owners, back into their own shops. Perhaps they should stop and understand, that world wide there is a lot of their dealers, whose performance is lacking, and that is why they create their own competition.

I have found a company in the UK, which markets software packages, which trouble shoot, all the late model MB's.

By July this year, they should be able to supply it for just specific models, like our ML270. So long as the price is not stupid, we will buy, and so if they have to do a rescue eight, I will be able to tell them what to bring.

However the concept of coming is unsatisfactory, it could take them four days just to come and go, and that does not count fixing time.

My understanding is that you do not see the ML270 and ML400, because MB claim the diesel fuel in the USA is not good enough.

I believe that is a nonsense, I suspect it is done, because it would impact too much, on their petrol model sales.

Any way if any one can help with hard or CD copy, even if only on the OM612 engine, it would be of great assistance.

Yes I am an Australian Air force Vet, yes we do have a few USA vets down here, I think events of Sept 11th amde some people in the USA concerned enough to move. Also Australia used to be a place for R & R, and so some people would have been attracted by that forum.

Thanks

Col Tigwell

[Tom Hock]

When I bought my ML-320, almost four years ago, I was told by the sales rep I would be able to order a complete service manual through their Service Dept. Never trust a sales rep! I didn't question him because I have always been able to purchase complete Shop Manuals for all my new cars over the past thirty years. After the truck was delivered, and I went to order the manual, I was told there would not be any, either paper or CD. If I had known this I would not have purchased the MB, and I will not purchase another one. As an old retired engineer I want to know all the details of my vehicles. I read the manuals for "Recreational Reading".

[Mike Richards]

Col.

Try http://www.tmcpubl.com