Thanks for the earlier replies ... now that I found a non-dealer shop in the area that was started by ex-Mercedes mechanics, I have a few more observations that I hope you can use to help me understand what I should expect and may be arm me with some questions I should be asking:

1) I have noticed that my fuel economy has been consistently in the 19-20 mpg. I could swear I used to get 26-27 mpg on this car ... is this normal for a '93 300E 2.8 ???

2) I have also noticed oil deposit on the fuel throttle. I could not trace the leak, but the oil deposit covers all of the throttle assembly ...

3) last week, in an attempt to get the car to accelerate, I shifted down to 3rd gear and almost floored the gas pedal and the car was crawling for 5 to 10 seconds and then started to pick-up speed. Also, sometimes when I am driving at 50 to 60 mph and I accelerate, the car starts to accelerate and then I almost feel like something opens up in the engine and the acceleration response shoots up a notch or two.

I read all of these emails about people who changed the fuel pump, the oxygen sensor, the air filter, and so on and so forth but were not able to isolate this problem ... I can really use your advice on what to agree to and what to challenge when I take my car in for service ... thanks in advance!

George.

[This message has been edited by George (edited 05-15-2000).]