I will be taking delivery of a new 2008 ML320 CDI in a few days and was wondering if there is any wisdom out there regarding proper engine break-in or is the owner's manual recommendation the way to go. I have heard everything from run it hard after warm-up and an oil change at 100mi and again at 1000mi to take it easy and slowly get into it over the break-in period with oil changes as recommended...
Any insight would be greatly appreciated...
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1983 300TD 385,000 mi (sold)
1987 300D 280,000 mi (soon to be sold)
2008 ML320 CDI (soon to be acquired)
What I was told and what I did was drive non agressively the first 1000 miles.
That essentially was it. The 7 spd trans feels odd at first, but it is a real gem.
I did first oil change at 6000 miles, even though manual says 10,000.
That's it.
Enjoy.
Vehicle: 2007 GL450, 2007 ML 320 CDI (Premium 3 Package)
Location: Texas
Posts: 44
Quote:
Originally Posted by zak
What I was told and what I did was drive non agressively the first 1000 miles.
That essentially was it. The 7 spd trans feels odd at first, but it is a real gem.
I did first oil change at 6000 miles, even though manual says 10,000.
That's it.
Enjoy.
Me too. Some MB engine experts have blogged that there is no need or benefit to the early oil changes. Call me superstitious then. Have had no problems.
I am in the market to buy an ML320. The best deal I have gotten is $500 over invoice, which is roughly $3000 off sticker. Is that a good deal or can I do better?
I purchased a simlar vehicle 3 weeks ago.A small dealership in south GA offered me a ML320 for around invoice .
It has lot of options and its MSRP is 51900 and was offered at 48500.
Get written estimates from the current dealer and work with other dealers who will most likely beat the offer
I have had several diesels over the years and after allowing perhaps 500 miles for the drive train..meaning trans, rear end tranfs case... to break in as per manual, I find that diesels break in better and faster while being ''worked'', and also take longer to break in than a gas motor. On my current CDI i found that i used approx 2 quarts of oil in the first 1500 miles as i put it through its paces and then have used nothing in the last 4000 miles. After the first 500 I picked up the pace and did alot of highway miles in 4th and 5th gear and i could feel the difference once i got around 1500 or so miles. As stated b4 it now uses no oil and at the speed limit in 7th gear i am getting over 33 mpg.When running at around 75mph its smooth as silk and is getting around 30mpg I think the only critical period is the first few hundred miles and after that these motors and drive trains are built to perform. I have spent many years in Europe and seen similar models run at autobahn speeds with no more than MB rec maint and turn several hundred thousand miles trouble free and in fact that's how i got the bug to buy my first one back in the day. To sum up, these vehicles are built to exacting standards . Don't abuse it but don't be afraid to use it either because in Europe your vehicle is being driven daily at 140mph plus as part of its daily life cycle, only to go out and do it again the next day.
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1980 450sl traded in
1983 380sec sold
1989 300se traded in
2002 ML320 sold
2008 ML320CDI /Full load (inc air susp) minus rear entertainment/ Pewter Silver Black leather
Linear Mode
