When did YOU learn the virtues of a diesel engine? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

stcbenz83 · #16 12-22-2006, 08:37 PM

the first time i saw a mercedes diesel. i was in 8th grade. i was at my friends house and we went over to her neighbors. when we got their she was like. "look, her dad drives a mercedes." years later, i saw the car, and relized it was a diesel. By that time i was driving a Nissan ALtima, and wanted somthing different desperatly. i liked the fact that the car was diesel. however i thought at the time the w123 body style was ugly and wanted to get a late 80's 300D or 190D cause i liked the body style better. but every time i saw that car, i wanted it more and more. until finally i was offering to by it all the time. When my freinds dad decided to sell it, it was a very happy day. and ever since then i have been hooked! expecially on the w123!!

funny how things work out.

dkveuro · #17 12-22-2006, 08:48 PM

At 19 I got a job as parts delivery driver with Kennings Motor Group with a Austin Champ 4x4 diesel and then at 21, I got a job as night trunk driver for a bacon company driving a BMC/Leyland Comet. Told the recruiter I knew all about those....

Managed to get out the yard in crawler and found a street lamp down the street...started checking shift pattern and other controls under the lamp

Drove to London and made delivers okay...only crunched a few shifts

...good job very little traffic at night back then ( 1966)

Been driving and servicing diesels ever since....I'm now 61

Driven the following:

Leyland Octopus and drag (pup)
AEC Mercury semi/artic.
Guy Warrior.
Seddon.
Thorneycroft..yard shunter.
Leyland Marathon.
AEC Mammor Major.
Ford Thames 16 ton rigid.
BMC J4.
ERF.
Foden.
Scania 110.
Mercedes LPS1418.
Mercedes LPS1924.
IVECO 3836
IVECO Euro Cargo.
Petters Side walk roller.
JCB.
Poclain.
Leyland road roller.
Austin Champ..BMC 2.2 D
Austin Taxi ( London cab.)
Setra coaches...about 15.
Bedford...various...including Army.
Land Rover ...Perkins
etc etc etc..and others too many to recall.
Volvo F88
DAF..all sorts.

Did I say Mercedes ?

.

.

jwhughes3 · #18 12-22-2006, 09:31 PM

My Dad was a Mercedes Benz salesman for 35 years beginning in 1955 - he drove every manner of MB over the years(he once owned a '56 300SL gullwing for a time in '63 that was traded in, but my Mom didn't like driving it in traffic so he sold it!!!arrgh) , but I can always remember us having a MB Diesel (either 240 and later 300D) from the mid 70's and 80's - I was just out of High School in '81 and working at his dealership in make-ready and LOVED driving all the new cars - got a chance to drive a 450 SLC 137 mph back from the port one afternoon

) Drove a 600 limo once that drove like a dream...

Never really figured I could afford one myself until recently - of course I could have, but just didn't run the numbers - glad I did and now I want more of them and everything diesel

My best memory of a short trip to Germany was my day trip to the factory museum in Stuttgart!

John

will70724 · #19 12-22-2006, 10:12 PM

Hate to sound stupid, but I never really thought or knew what benefits diesel's can have. Can anyone just list a few quick key things diesels are better at or have that gas doesnt?

I think diesel fuel is cheaper right? But what else??

justinperkins · #20 12-22-2006, 10:49 PM

I'm pretty new to diesels. I was looking for new car a little less than two years ago. I wanted something that got good mileage so I was looking at hybrids. I'd always driven VW's (ok, I had a couple Hondas) and so I kept searching and eventually heard about the TDI (most terribly marketed car/engine in the US). I knew the instant I found it that that was what I was looking for.

Fast forward about two years and I want nothing but diesels. And every time I get a new (to me) car, it takes a few months before I discover yet another diesel that I "must have". Right now I've got four "must haves" and it's a few too many.

As far as the virtues of the diesel, I was initially attracted to them because of the higher MPG and also the ability to run alternative fuels. It didn't take me long to figure out that engine maintenance is much less than a gasser and it is more reliable. I'm hooked.

E320wagon'94 · #21 12-22-2006, 10:55 PM

I actually learnt about MB diesels when I was 2, and my dad brought home the 1985 300D. That was in '91, I had no idea what diesel meant back then, I just thought it sounded really neat and smelled funny. It wasn't until later on that I learnt why it smelled that way or sounded different, but know I know, and I can say that is why I will be owning my 240D and hopefully many other diesels for a long time.
-Zach

aklim · #22 12-22-2006, 11:18 PM

Got mine after getting T-Boned in the 99 C280. Wanted a car just as strong and as or more comfortable than the C280. Diesel was cheaper then when compared to premium gas so the mileage helped. Unfortunately today, it is more expensive than premium so whatever I save is lost at the pump.

aklim · #23 12-22-2006, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by will70724

Hate to sound stupid, but I never really thought or knew what benefits diesel's can have. Can anyone just list a few quick key things diesels are better at or have that gas doesnt?

I think diesel fuel is cheaper right? But what else??

Fuel is not as flammable when compared to gas. You can smoke around diesel but best not to around gas. In the winter, you can work in your garage which is heated by say a torpedo heater without as much worry if you are say draining your fuel system

Diesel used to be cheaper. Today, the cheapest is $2.63 while premium gas is $2.50 and regular is about $2.25. At that rate, Not sure if it will pan out or not. Might just become a wash which way you go. Yes, the mileage is higher but so is the cost of fuel. At some point, it will become a push.

justinperkins · #24 12-22-2006, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

Fuel is not as flammable when compared to gas. You can smoke around diesel but best not to around gas. In the winter, you can work in your garage which is heated by say a torpedo heater without as much worry if you are say draining your fuel system

Diesel used to be cheaper. Today, the cheapest is $2.63 while premium gas is $2.50 and regular is about $2.25. At that rate, Not sure if it will pan out or not. Might just become a wash which way you go. Yes, the mileage is higher but so is the cost of fuel. At some point, it will become a push.

Don't forget...
No spark plugs/wires, no distributor, no cap/rotor, no coil...all regular maintenance items. Sure diesel has glow plugs and a glow plug relay, but they certainly aren't regular maintenance items.

Diesels last for hundreds of thousands of miles longer than their gas counterparts. They also got torque coming out of the wazoo.

will70724 · #25 12-23-2006, 12:00 AM

So after reading these posts I take away that diesels dont have plugs, caps or rotors, and have a lot of torque?

aklim · #26 12-23-2006, 12:04 AM

Low end torque for towing is great. They also feel poochy when compared to gas, all things being equal. IOW, Take my 3L Turbo diesel and compare it with my NA C280 and it feels poochy. If we were to compare apples to apples and compare it with a blown C280, well......

We chipped the E300 to get it barely acceptable when it came to acceleration. For towing a heavy load, we got the 7.3L Powerstroke which is a Turbo diesel. Now for that alone, they can't be beat. My old Firebird with a 5.7L engine will feel more spritely than the 7.3L Turbodiesel anyday

will70724 · #27 12-23-2006, 12:08 AM

Isnt it true that diesels arent fast though??? yes or no?

aklim · #28 12-23-2006, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by will70724

Isnt it true that diesels arent fast though??? yes or no?

Haven't found a diesel that is fast really unless you do stuff to it. Now, you talk of blowing it or using methanol or propane and you are talking of a whole different class.

Matt SD300 · #29 12-23-2006, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by will70724

Isnt it true that diesels arent fast though??? yes or no?

Alkims.. Diesels are SLOOOOW!!!

My Cummins 5.9...is FAAAAST

aklim · #30 12-23-2006, 12:22 AM

I guess the bottom line is what you want it for. Diesels last longer than gas engines. However, you pay more up front. Diesel is not as flammable as gas. However, when you spill diesel, it won't evaporate away and leave a smell. Diesels don't have spark plugs but have glow plugs. (606 engines have problems with them among other models when the plug breaks off in the head). Cold starting is harder for diesels too. Sometimes you have to plug it in when the temp gets low. Diesel engines can use homebrew fuel. What you save at the pump may be poured back into the brewing of the fuel. What is your time and effort worth?

Bottom line is this. From the above examples, you can see that there are always trade offs. There is NO FREE LUNCH. My Powerstroke will out tow whatever my Suburban will. However, the Suburban feels more lively. So, if it is a street driven vehicle with little or no heavy towing up steep grades, I'd get the 5.3L gas Suburban. However, I have 8500# or more to tow up steep grades when I vacation or whatever, so I need a turbodiesel. Diesel does have more energy per unit than gas.

Question you need to ask is what you want the vehicle to do.