I can't find the letter of the law online just now, oddly enough, but I recall that the Mercedes 320CDI can be sold in California if it has a certain number of mile on it, or perhaps it's just years. If it's older than, I forget, 4 or 5 years, it can be sold in the People's Republic.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Yup. If I make it to Germany, it would be fun to rent one of the diesels. The V10 probably pretty rare. But the car is only practical in Germany or some unknown number of other European locations now.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Better video:

VW Touareg V10 TDI 5.0 0-100 / 100-200 Acceleration - YouTube

It reminds me of our 6.0 F350.... it seems like it's as quick from 0-50 as it is from 50-90 because down low the transmission spends so much time shifting.

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

The law is that it has to be a "used car", which means at least 7500 miles.

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

My brother has The audi a8 with the w12 engine. I would imagine that it would share a lot of components with the vw.

Air suspension is a bit flakey. (if equipped) $1200 per front strut. My brother replaced one just to have the other go out 2 months later

Timing belt service is not really diy as it requires removing the entire front clip. By the time you put new belts and water pump, its about 2 grand.

Tires are $1200 a set, Rotors weigh 8 tons each.

He currently has one failed o2 sensor that is nearly impossible to get to. The mentioned something about lowering the engine slightly to get to it. There are 8 o2 sensors total.


Overall a fantastic car that requires maintanence to keep it in tip top shape. Its always impressive when he mashes the pedal and that land yacht propels like a rocket ship.

Buy the w12 or dont bother.

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Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2

The front clip is actually quite easy to remove, but there is no timing belt on the W12. It does have an... interesting... timing chain setup though:



-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

Been looking at these for a while trying to find a low mileage example. Hard to find many under 100k miles, people love them and love driving them. Did not sell well due to the difficult concept of paying $80k for VW. Still sold in Europe and rumor has it it will be back here in 2016.

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MB-less

You know, you are right. It was the v8 version of the a8 that he had that had that I believe.

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Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2

Lord have mercy. That is some scary stuff. Too much complexity.

Forgive me ya'all but I still can't picture the W cylinder layout. I'm guessing this is similar to the Veyron engine, also developed by VW.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Two narrow angle v6's on a common crankcase, I believe. The cam chains definitely give pause.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I suspect that v10 shares a lot with the standard 4 cyl tdi engines....lets see 5 liter v10 = .5 liter per cylinder....isn't the four cyl a two liter? Bet they share pistons rods and valve train parts.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Same idea, its not really a W-layout but more of a V that's bolded...

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

I was working at a vw dealership and worked on a couple of phaetons.

Nice car, comparable to a top of the line s class. Massaging seats were my favorite option. The 6.0 w12 has serious nuts, well over 400 hp iirc, but was a pain to work on. I remember dropping the drivetrain onto a table to put a o2 sensor in. Also replaced 4 air struts to the tune of 6k dollars.

Nice cars, very expensive to own. Look like a big passat. They didn't sell well because nobody wants a flagship vw. (Like a Chevy or ford either). It's just not in the Marques name. Audi, Lexus, mb or BMW sure, but not vw.

The answer to the question nobody asked....kindof like the Edsel....at least in the US.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Sad that Dumbericans are such brand whores. Unlike in Europe where Mercedes selling anything from taxicabs to $100k+ ultra-luxury sedans is OK.