I'm not 100% sure here, but In the first picture I think you have the crank set at 10 degrees, not TDC............... Was this the crank position when you checked the cam dowels?

Both my cars have the same pointer as yours and I remember spending some time determining just where TDC was.

J. M. van Swaay

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1994 E320 Wagon, 230,000 miles
1995 E320 Sedan, 106,000 miles
1994 E500 Sedan, 79,000 miles