True the '95 E300D has a factory block heater, but the cord was a (no cost) option. Many cars don't have the cord, even in the cold midwest.

The factory block heater is in a frost-plug hole toward the rear of the block, passenger/right side. Takes a standard plug-in cord, I buy them from NAPA for around $20, or you can buy them from Mercedes or as a Mercedes aftermarket part I believe PeachParts sells them. The correct one has an aluminum threaded-ring to lock and seal them to the heater. I had the same cord on a set of DD 8V-92TIA engines in a Hatteras, which is how I found them at NAPA.

The tank heaters work well also, had one on a CAT 3208, but I feel there's a lot more heat loss vs the block heaters in my Mercedes and in my skid-steer, I prefer the conductive/convective heating of the in-block heater over the convective flow in a tank heater, ... just a preference.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff