omegabenz - someone with some actual common sense and actual logic! Buddy, you don't know how rare you are!

As to actual, a 240D has somewhere between 65 and 67 hp. (depends on which book or manual you look at)

So yes, a few extra ponies is a lot! I don't have a clue how much horsepower I added to my car, but what I do know is that instead of downshifting to 2nd gear I can leave in 3rd gear and actually step on the throttle and actually "feel" an increase in speed. (going around a city street corner)

I was watching Speed channel and they were checking out the preformance of different tuned exhaust for a Harley Davidson motorcycle. It was pretty neat to see what different exhaust pipes make on a 2 cylinder engine. Some made a lot of noise but didn't do much, Hooker makes an exhaust that prouces a lot of torque and horsepower over a much larger ban on the scale from low to higher rpm's.

They used to think that it didn't make any difference as to the heat and so they (header compaines) made the Tubes out of real thin metal.
I don't know if it was NASCAR or who, but they found out that the old cast iron manifolds were producing more torque and they found out why, keeping the heat near the head produced more Torque and also more horsepower! Sounds pretty simple, huh? But every minute amount of neat-o stuff adds to the over all performance.
I love Dirt Track racing. I also know the importance of setup. You can take a dog of an engined car and be fast on the track by having a super setup. How fast you can take the corners is where the speed over-all is! And speed is fast and low seconds!
I have seen Late models with hughe amounts of horsepower and have low track times, I have seen a hobby stock car with a stock 350 chevy motor and a super setup win a race!

Small amounts of increases in the over-all is a lot! It is the difference between winning and loosing.
But it also corresponds with fuel mileage and performance. I was quite impressed with how the japanese engines are so well machined inside the engines.
Many of the internal surfaces are like chrome, those same surfaces in most other engines are just a rough casting surface.
And one engine I would have not ever figured on, a small Tecumseh engine.
I was quite impressed to find out that the 3 1/2 hp Tecumseh engine has more torque than a 3 1/2 horse B&S engine. And the Tecumseh has a better carb adjustment than B&S. Now, come on, we are talking a pittiful 3.5 hp engine and yet just a few improvements makes a lot of difference!


As to pricing over the USA, I guess you are right. And right because of some common logical sense that I was blind to and thanks for point it out to me!

I have seen some people (including friends) who are very college smart, they know a lot of technical stuff, but when it comes to everyday common sense or logical sense, they are out to lunch and brain dead!
Have you ever noticed that people in the medical field are very smart people, but when it comes to everyday common sense, they haven't got a clue!
Things that probably 65% of the US population just take for granted, they have not got a clue.
A friend of mine and also my doctor. There sets a $7500+ dollar John Deere Lawn tractor. 54" cut. There it sets, needs maybe $350-$500 dollars in engine repairs. What does he do? go out and buy a new Craftsman rider mower. The amount of money he spent on that 19.5 hp Craftsman he could have had a brand new engine! Done solely by JD with their highly inflated prices and still came out cheaper!

Common sense? logical? not hardly! Medical wise? smart!

It upsets me when I see other people being taken advantage of. This fellow with the 5 cyl head having it re-done. He may be a millionaire and can afford it, but the bottom line is still the same with me, I dislike anyone being taken advange of, irregardless as to whether they can afford it or not!

And the initial reason for making the remarks I did. But, what I didn't see (that you pointed out to me) was that he may very well have gotten a super deal.
And what I also didn't see, was that to him, this may have been a really big challenge to over-come. And some real accomplishment!

On the other hand, had to hired it done, it may have been a whole lot more than the $800+ dollars.