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Turbo Diesel vs Super Diesel . . . what's the difference?

12K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  jlink38 
#1 ·
Hello to Everyone in the W124 board!

Normally I am hanging out at the W140 board, but I came across a car ad for a "1987 Mercedes 300 Turbo Diesel". I thought it really looked like my Dad's W140 S-Class (which I like), but Tubs told me that it is actaully a W124. After looking at pics of Tubs' car, I realized the the W140 S-Class and the W124 E-Class really look VERY similar. Maybe the E-Class is just a bit shorter, but other than that, they look very close.

Anyways, the car in the ad is supposedly a Turbo Diesel. Does anyone know how reliable these cars are? Could you buy one with, say, 250000kms and not expect to do many costly repairs? Does anyone know exactly what the fuel economy is on this car?

Also, it is a Turbo Diesel. I also see Super Diesels listed for sale. What is the difference between a Super Diesel and a Turbo Diesel?

Thanks for your help! I have posted the pic from the ad below.

Regards,
Bryan
 

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#2 ·
What's a super diesel?[?] I don't even know myself.

I have a W126 car with the same engine. Only 278K miles. Just a baby. That said, they have aluminum heads which are prone to crack if overheated. Mercedes changed the design and corrected the problem later on(for models that were overheated they were replaced).

My sister has two W124's: a wagon and a diesel sedan like the one you are looking at.

The W124 is

189 inches long
68 inches wide.


The LWB W140 is

205 inches wide
75 inches wide

Difference in curb weight is at least half a ton or more.
 
#3 ·
Cool! Thanks for the info!

I know that Mercedes makes Super Diesel (SDL) cars and Turbo Diesel (TD) and just regular Diesel (D), but I have no idea what the difference is between them . . .

Anyways, could you tell me how much your Diesel Benz costs you in repairs in the average year (and do you take it to the dealer)?

How satisfied is your sister with her W124 Diesel Sedan? Does it give her many problems? Do you know how much she has to spend in repairs?

Thanks or the help!
Bryan
 
#4 ·
bdonkersgoed - 4/8/2004 1:06 AM

I know that Mercedes makes Super Diesel (SDL) cars and Turbo Diesel (TD) and just regular Diesel (D), but I have no idea what the difference is between them . . .
Hm...
I think you got mixed up...
by mercedes,
-'D' idd means 'Diesel' e.g. 200D.
-'TD' means 'T-wagon Diesel' wich is a station wagon
diesel powered e.g. 250TD.
-'D Turbo' or 'Turbodiesel' means it's a diesel with a turbocharger e.g. 300D Turbo.
-'TDT' means its a wagon with a Turbodiesel engine in it e.g. 290TDT.
-'SD' means its an S-class Diesel e.g. 300SD.
-'SD Turbo' means it's an S-class with a turbodiesel in it e.g. 350SD Turbo.
-'SDL' means it's a LONG S-class with a diesel engine in it e.g. 300SDL.

Tell me if I made a mistake, but I think these are the correct explanations.
I hope things got a bit clearer now for you.


greetzzz,


matteus
 
#5 ·
Oh,[:eek:)]

I have TWO super diesels in that case! An SDL and SD(the W126 model which precedes the W140).

I thought you meant a diesel with a SC hooked onto the PV belt.

300SDL (OM603.960)

Boge Turbo rear shocks(pretty easy to replace). Needed them 20K miles ago.

Changed tires twice. First time BF Goodrich Advantage Plus(treadwear: 520), second time Continental Touring(treadwear 560)(both have high treadwear ratings with M+S. Both are $50 tires that seem as good as Michelins.

Brake jobs had to be done. Replaced brake fluid a (every couple of years), changed front and rear rotors(10K miles ago) and brakes are changed at regular intervals(every 30K).

Fuel filters haven't needed to be changed yet. No algae buildup(which happens when water molecules are present in the diesel). Cheap and easy.

Replaced/cleaned the air filter every 15K miles. Cheap and easy.

Radiator had a plastic neck which broke off last summer. Fortunately I have a watchful eye, and I caught the coolant sensor light flashing on. I watched the temp gauge and it was rising quickly. Had to replace the radiator which wasn't that cheap. But I should never have to do that again. New radiator has a steel reinforcement, meaning it won't break.

The torsion bar which broke on mine(due to roadsalt) has no relevance to the 300D since the 300D has a torsion bar that would be a cake to fix anyway. They're cheap $$ too.

I have never had to replace a glowplug yet. But they are not very easy to get too(quite a dig).

I think that's it. In 4 years and 50K miles other than regular dyno oil changes(8 quarts to refill).
Honestly, that's ALL the maintenence that had to be done.

My sister has only had the 300D for one year. So far, all she had to do was have the brakes done once. Just the pads. It's been 35K miles so far with her 300D. Her 300D needs a good Italian tuneup, as it seems to be loaded with carbon. Everytime I'm over visiting, its the first thing I do.

W124 expenses are a little cheaper than W126 expenses. Specifically when it comes to brakes, and tire wear(lighter cars). The maintanence I listed was for my 1810 kg unloaded S-Class 300SDL.
 
#7 ·
Wow, thanks for the detailed responses guys!

Now I know how Mercedes labels their diesel cars . . . it never made sense to me before. I guess I was incorrect to say that SD stands for "Super Diesel" . . . what is meant is S-Class Diesel. This makes sense seeing as my Dad's car is a 300SE (the E stands for gasoline) where as, if it were a diesel, it would be a 300SD . . . totally makes sense now :)

Also, thanks for all of the detail regarding car repairs. It's just that I saw this 300D Turbo (I guess it is a W124 E-Class Turbo Diesel?) for sale for $3999CAN ($3000US) in my area, and thought that it looked like a good deal (depending on the mileage of course, which isn't listed). My brother-in-law is looking for a good cheap car to run, and I thought that this might be a good choice. Naturally, he doesn't want to spend much on repairs, and I know that repairs on a Benz can be costly.

Could you guys have a look at the Ad and tell me what you think? How many miles should it have in order for this to be a good deal? Also, remember that this is a Canadian ad (so it is actually $3000US).

http://www.trader.ca/SendToFriend/Results.asp?id=998255&adid=3521314

Thanks for all your help!
Bryan
 
#10 ·
bdonkersgoed - 4/8/2004 12:19 AM

Does anyone know how reliable these cars are? Could you buy one with, say, 250000kms and not expect to do many costly repairs?

Regards,
Bryan
bryan,

i love these cars but i'm not shy about saying that you cannot *expect* an old, used car of any brand to be 100% reliable. you're buying something that is out of warranty (and most used-car warranties are crap) and has been getting used and worn down for years and years by its previous owner(s). in the w124's case, the youngest car you could buy would be over 9 years old.

these cars are a lot of fun and very satisfying to drive, but be prepared for the unexpected, and accept that with ownership of a used mercedes (or, again, *any* used car) comes the possibility of unforseen repair bills that could run into the thousands of dollars if you're unlucky. if you truly want peace of mind and security against big repair bills, i'm afraid the only way to go is to buy a new car...

i'm not trying to discourage you, just to keep things realistic. and you can cerainly do a few things yourself to minimize the likelihod of an unpleasant experience:

for starters, be patient and buy a car that has been nicely maintained, hasn't been abused, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg (if you pay less for the car up front, later repair bills will be more palatable).

also, visit websites like kbb.com and edmunds.com and carpoint.com to learn more about mercedes and reliability ratings so you can make a more informed choice and prevent a dishonest seller from scamming you (you can also post ?s here, of course[:)]).

lastly, consider running a history check on the car's identification # before you commit yourself (in the US, there are services like carfax.com and consumerguide.com; not sure about canada, but there must be something similar). again, this will reduce the likelihood of being scammed into buying a car with an undisclosed salvage/accident/theft/fleet/etc history.

good luck!
 
#12 ·
Hey Janos,

Thanks for the heads up. I know what you are saying . . . researching used cars is like a hobby of mine. I love looking at the used car sites, checking out Edmunds etc.

The problem with Edmunds (which is an awesome site), is that it does cover model years before 1990 (I think).

I was just wondering overall what the expected reliability of these machines would be. I have had an older 1992 Lexus ES300 for the past 3 years and it has been an absolute dream. I bought the car because it's known to be very reliable. I was just wondering if the W124 is another car that is known to reliable in the same way. I do understand that you can always be unlucky and get a car that was poorly taken car of though.

Anyways, thanks for your input,
Bryan
 
#13 ·
300E vs. ES300, oh jeez, I'm having flashbacks.

-Tubs
 
#14 ·
Tubs300E - 4/9/2004 7:43 PM

300E vs. ES300, oh jeez, I'm having flashbacks.

-Tubs
yeah, i wonder how andrew t is doing. do you think he's terrorizing some lexus forum somewhere, complaining about how his new ride is really just a spruced-up camry? [:p][}:)][:p]
 
#15 ·
yeah, i wonder how andrew t is doing. do you think he's terrorizing some lexus forum somewhere, complaining about how his new ride is really just a spruced-up camry? [:p][}:)][:p]
Hey . . . I like my spruced-up Camry [:)] That is kind of why I bought the car in the first place. Because it is just a Camry underneith, it is easy to find good used parts for cheap. Also, the Camry is a really reliable automobile to begin with. The ES300 has been a great car for me.

Now, I'm not saying that I would prefer to own it over a Benz . . . that would be just ridiculous [:)]

I still LOVE the ride of a Benz. . . my spruced-up Camry doesn't even compare to the ride of my Dad's W140 S-Class. The S is just SOOO solid . . . I love it!

I have never been in an E-Class, but I am sure that is much the same feeling as the S, only smaller.

Regards,
Bryan
 
#18 ·
Who said anything about the IS300?

-Tubs
 
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