Hi Ryan
This was my experience with a Saab 900Turbo.
I didn't really have problems with the car, but if you are going up a hill in the summer, with the temp in the 90's, and with the AC on, you will overheat without this fan. A further complication was that my chain had many miles on it, and the engine was pinging.
An even further complication was the driver! She was driving in too low a gear, and kept it floored and complained that it didn't have any power...Hoo Boy...
My assumption is that a similar problem would occur with any car, not just mine or a MB diesel, and that is why I made this post.
It is something that took me a while to figure this occasional overheating problem out, because the fan would sometimes work, so I ruled out a problem with the fan motor, and I replaced the sensor that turns the fan on and off, so I figured there wasn't a problem. But I rigged up a tell tale light to the dash so I could keep an eye on the fan operation, and sure enough, when the temp soared, I noticed the light wasn't on either/no fan operating. I jiggled the connector when the engine was too hot, and the fan started to run.
Same thing happened to an Audi 5000, which warped the head, etc.
Perhaps I will install a subtle LED light on the dash to watch for fan operation, just for peace of mind.
