Well remember that 228.x is really a commercial/HD spec, while 229.x is really for passenger cars.

Diesels still aren't common, but there are lots more options now than there were when I wrote that ten years ago. Back then our diesels were coming back in popularity with the vegoil craze and whatnot. So the discussion of what oil is best, always a "religious" debate, was as popular as ever. But synthetics were less popular/common, and there were a lot of general unknowns as to the robustness of oils in north america. Nowadays any late model diesel will use its manufacturer spec oil and be fine. Back then, what we had was to use inferior passenger car oil, optimized for spark engines in North America, or else API "C" heavy duty diesel oil. The HDEOs often carry MB 228.x sheet certifications.

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Current Diesels:
1981 240D (73K)
1982 300CD (169k)
1985 190D (169k)
1991 350SD (113k)
1991 350SD (206k)
1991 300D (228k)
1993 300SD (291k)
1993 300D 2.5T (338k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (442k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (265k)

Past Diesels:
1983 300D (228K)
1985 300D (233K)