G'mornin' Folks,

I received my copy of the "Mercedes Benz Technical Companion" that I purchased on Amazon.com (impulse buy while Xmas shoppin') for 26 bucks and change.......I have found several articles that I need to read/study.....and there are many more that I have noticed that have answers to some rather frequent questions that appear here......the book covers all models from the 50's thru present.....as well as all aspects of MB ownership from detailing to engine overhaul........

I am a firm believer in having refrence books available, and this one appears to be very well written/compiled....and an easy read.....

SB

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Diesels:
'85 300D, "Max, Blue Benz", 155K, 27.0 MPG
'84 190D 2.2, "Eva, Brown Benz", 142K, 40.2 MPG
'77 240D (parts car)
'67 Eicher ES 202 Tractor "Otto" (2cyl, Air Cooled, 30HP)
Gassers:
'94 Ford F-150, "Henry", 170K (300 Six) 17.5 MPG
'85 190E 2.3, 148K....Parts Car
'58 Dodge W300M Powerwagon (Flat Fenders) Less than 10 MPG

Excellent!

Could you provide a link for those of us who are lazy sacks?

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1998 E300 +310,000K
1996 E300 +460,000K

Here ya go....

http://www.amazon.com/Mercedes-Benz-Technical-Companion-members-America/dp/0837610338/ref=pd_ys_qtk_rvi/105-1990510-2462837

SB

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Diesels:
'85 300D, "Max, Blue Benz", 155K, 27.0 MPG
'84 190D 2.2, "Eva, Brown Benz", 142K, 40.2 MPG
'77 240D (parts car)
'67 Eicher ES 202 Tractor "Otto" (2cyl, Air Cooled, 30HP)
Gassers:
'94 Ford F-150, "Henry", 170K (300 Six) 17.5 MPG
'85 190E 2.3, 148K....Parts Car
'58 Dodge W300M Powerwagon (Flat Fenders) Less than 10 MPG

Agree about not having enough manuals, thanks for the info. '82 300D, '83 300SD, '84300CD "Have fun in your garage"

Is there anything like the Bentley manual for Mercedes?

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1978 Ford F-150 351M
2002 Kia Spectra 1.8l 5-sp
1985 Volkswagen Scirocco 8V 1.8l 5sp
1985 MB 300D Turbo California

"Die Natur verabscheut Vakuum"

Let me take this time to strongly recommend against the Bentley manual (at least the W124 series). It's self-titled by Bentley publishers as a so-called "E-Class Bible", but do not buy the lie, it is pure MB trivia that even the novice mechanic will be bored with.

Do not buy the Bentley unless you're looking for filler on your bookshelf. It will never become a greasy fingerprint book.

Not that Bentley is bad, I love their VW Vanagon book and also their VW MkIV Jetta/Golf book, but they obviously do not know much about Mercedes.

I've got the Haynes MB manual on order, I've heard it's a little better. I also have the Official Shop Manual (CD ROM) for the W124 on order from MB, which I'm assuming is going to be the definitive reference for me. You can get yours by calling 1-800-FOR-MERC.

Edit: I posted this without seeing the comment above asking specifically about Bentley (it was being posted as I was typing this), what an interesting coincidence

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-justin

1987 300TD, 1987 300TD
2008 R32, 2000 Passat Wagon

Justin - How much was the CD-ROM?
The Haynes manual is pretty good, although it doesn't go into a whole lot of detail in some areas. The routine maintenance section is pretty good, and what I mostly use. I do use it quite a bit and has a decent amount of gease on it. You still have to have some mechanical sense though.
I got my MB companion for Christmas last year. It is a pretty interesting read about Mercedes and also vehicles in general. It goes into more detail than I require for a lot of things though. It's more of a 'how things work' than a 'how to work on and fix' book like Haynes is. I guess that's why it is a companion. I enjoyed the "question and answer" section at the end of each chapter. Unfortunately most of the Q/A's pertained to problems after owning the vehicle after a few years, not 20 years. This book has no grease on it and sits on my bookshelf in the house. That may just be me though.

I believe it was $75 or so, from MBUSA to my doorstep. That's on par with how much real shop manuals cost (like the previously mentioned Bentley manuals for VW), not like the $30 I paid for my Bentley for MB.

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-justin

1987 300TD, 1987 300TD
2008 R32, 2000 Passat Wagon

Stu Ritter's E Class Bible is hardly useless trivia. It isn't particularly detailed on major repairs but it is a nice reference for certain things, especially for routine maintenance and things like the occasional torque value. It is not meant to be a service manual and does have some "trivia" in it, but mine does have a bunch of greasy fingerprints on it and I found it helpful the first time I did my oil, brakes, and belt. Don't treat it like gospel for diesels, but I have found it useful. I also have the Haynes manual and the MBCA Technical Companion as well as the MB reproduction of the Technical Data Book ($30 from MB), which is helpful as it has pretty much every torque value around.

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1987 300TD 231,000
#22, afterglow, plastic fan, euro lights, alternator upgrade, cluster housing update