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On the hunt for a diesel W210 and got a couple questions....

4K views 32 replies 10 participants last post by  Kajtek1 
#1 ·
...and I would appreciate any advice you guys have.

I'm sending off my beloved 05 Mini Cooper S JCW to the auction, so I will be in the market for a new car soon, and what better than the old reliable W210? :)

Thing is, as I understand, there are two different diesels -- NA and turbocharged.

Is the turbocharged car any more difficult to maintain than the regular old NA car? I've had to maintain the supercharger in my Mini every 6 months by pulling it out (what a PITA) and refilling the oil. Do I have to do the same?

Obviously NA and turbo's product different power at the wheel -- which one is better for long term? I drive a lot in my current work (think 600+ miles per week -- that's the average for me). Does the turbo car have better MPG over the NA?

I'm not too terribly worried about part prices, as I'll be DIY almost everything on the car, but I am more worried about long term reliability. Having owned a E320 W210 for the better part of 8 months, I'm pleased with it (despite having to replace a couple old worn parts -- but I expected those). How do diesels fare? About the same?

I realize a lot of these questions are stupid and/or redundant, but I want an account from people who actually own these cars as opposed to looking up 2nd, 3rd and 4th hand reports on the internet.

Oh, and what's with the prices?

I've been trolling CL, ebay and autotrader for a while, and in almost every case, the diesel W210 outprice the regular gasser W210 by $2-3k. What gives?
 
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#2 · (Edited)
You look at wrong places.
My W210 diesel on ebay IS $2000 ;)
E300 turbodiesel is probably the best car MB put on the market. E320cdi beats it in fuel economy and acceleration, but than those engines are way more costly to maintain.
I bought for family 2 of them with 5 of W210 total and right now am on the fence of keeping newer W211 what is nicer car comfort-wise, or old clunker that is unbeatable in reliability and economy.
Yes, turbo engine burns less fuel than non-turbo. That assuming you drive them the same way and will not be tempted to have that nice kick in the back with turbo.
On wife car in 8 years I had to replace radiator, WP, glow plugs, Voltage regulator, flex disk and service the transmission.
I think it will come to about $150 a year in repairs, plus about 50 for oil changes that we do once a year.
Not bad for a car I bought cheap with over 170k on odometer.
The biggest expense in using the car were tires. :eek:
 
#3 ·
That sounds really good. I think I will focus on the turbo car then.

You are selling your car on ebay for 2k, or you found the turbo diesel for 2k? Either way, excellent deal! I'll keep an eye out.

What about the turbo maintenance? I had to be anal about the mini supercharger because if the supercharger went kaput, buy buy $4000 engine.... What about wastegates, lubrication, etc?
 
#5 ·
What about the turbo maintenance? I had to be anal about the mini supercharger because if the supercharger went kaput, buy buy $4000 engine.... What about wastegates, lubrication, etc?
What turbo maintenance ? :D
Son's diesel has bid of $2090 as of today on ebay.
The auction ends in 3 days.
I might be selling wife better looking diesel later on as well, but if I don't get the price I want, I will keep it.
 
#7 ·
You'll have a pm from me soon.

What turbo maintenance ? :D
Son's diesel has bid of $2090 as of today on ebay.
The auction ends in 3 days.
I might be selling wife better looking diesel later on as well, but if I don't get the price I want, I will keep it.
Why did you put it up on eBay? I wouldn't mind buying from you at 2000.... :p. Cancel for me!


Re: turbo maintenance: oh that is very good to hear. alright, as soon as the Cooper sells, I'll start hunting.
 
#10 ·
I am very biased but yes, go for the turbo. It has stronger con rods than the NA, an extra 40 horses and I love driving him, he's quite a beast.
In my opinion the only maintenance you'll need on the engine is a good service, all three filters (oil,air,fuel) and an oil change every 5000 miles (Mercedes say 10000).
The glow plugs can be a complete arse to change and you'll probably end up with one or two stuck in the head like I have.
Before purchase I would check the front suspension spring cups, they can rust and peel off.
Engine mounts will cause juddering and vibrations.
Check the prop shaft flex discs for cracks.
Despite this engine being popular for bio diesel or veg oil users, I have tried it and he's not been completely happy so I stopped about 9 months ago.
I haven noticed a difference between the two, more power and smoother with normal diesel.
 
#11 ·
Get it before it goes

Thats a great price for what Kajtek1 is really offering...a car with a verifiable history, known seller and not a black box of ??? when someone gets it. A car's history how it was taken care of and pedigree contributes greatly to the value IMO. Carfax and PPIs can only give you some info and then you have to fix/figure stuff out on your own from there on.

I looked for awhile and relied on carfax to see dealer history, confirmed the info with dealer and then negotiated for 3 weeks. I felt I got a decent deal at 5800 for mine with 134K on the clock. For mileage the NA is probably a little better and it does go when you get above 2500-3000rpm. As others have said what turbo maintenance. Heck apparently you can EGR delete on these too. Rust shouldnt be a problem in CA but check carefully anyway,
 
#13 ·
Smog check for diesels in CA is not the same what for gassers.
No tailpipe probe, no OBD plug, no rolling test. Just visual check for engine modifications.
My 6 GP replacement was about 1 hr. I have been always luckier with MB than average, but even I was surprised :)
I did own NA 300 and the 40 HP less felt like 80 hp less due the steep torque curve.
You had to rev it over 4000 rpm to have decent acceleration.
Turbo engine passes turbo lag at 2000 rpm and that is where the real pleasure starts.
 
#15 ·
Q. What is the diesel Smog Check inspection procedure?

The diesel Smog Check inspection will consist of three parts; a visual check of the emission control equipment, a check of the OBD system and a test for visible smoke. All of these tests are currently performed on gasoline vehicles. However, there are some differences as indicated below:

The visual check of diesel vehicles will be performed the same way as the test performed on gasoline powered vehicles except that the emission ontrol components maybe different. The instructions for performing the visual inspection can be found in the Smog Check Inspection Procedures Manual.
The OBD-II check on diesels will be conducted the same way it is performed on gasoline vehicles.
Smog Check FAQs | Fitzgeralds Auto Care Center | Auto Repair Costa Mesa
 
#16 ·
Sounds like a shop made lot of BS to excuse their high charges for small formality
It takes additional reading to find.
"
Q. Will diesels be required to have an ASM or TSI test?
No, dynamometer testing will not be part of the diesel Smog Check inspection."
 
#17 ·
I'm new to my 98 E300 but I did have a 95 E300 with the NA 606 motor. As Kajtek noted this turbo version has noticeable torque difference and can get moving quickly, which is always a pleasure when required. With that said I always thought my NA model was quick enough and for the most part I was satisfied with her, although my wife and kids say I drive like a grandpa so maybe not going fast is in my blood and therefore the NA was a good fit for me, who knows. I've just always enjoyed this motor, NA or turbo.
 
#20 ·
No mater what internal parts they have, both options are bulletproof and those parts are unheard to break.
What we are comparing here is break-in technology.
When NA 3 liter is old-fashion fuel dosage depending on gas pedal position, the turbo version has fuel dosage precisely dosed by computer to air mass.
The first diesel with MAF sensor.
I would think that technology allow the engine with about 30% more HP to burn less fuel than his older and weaker brother.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Got a PM from shy (?) member about running bio on diesels.
Few years back I got a deal on about 300 gallons of bio and having good results fill up 100% bio whenever I drive via Oregon.
Had NA E300d, E300 turbodiesel and For Powerstroke 7.3 running few tanks on 100% with no ill effects.
Power loss was noticeable and sadly the most on E300D, where I had to revert to trick I remember from VW diesel and turn off AC for better acceleration ;)
Had spare fuel filters with me as that was advice, but never needed them.
No oring leaks neither. E300D did sweat fuel lines after, but they have been old before, so can't put the blame on bio.
Can't tell much how much bio adds to IP lubrication, but it is logic that it is improving it, that is why I seek bio whenever I am in areas where it is available.
Beside the G-diesel available in Reno was always giving me higher MPG.
California diesel is badly diluted and when I was driving truck long-distance I was carrying 120 gallons tank on the bed.
Salt Lake City not only had way cheaper diesel, but mpg on it was good 10+% better.
Nevada sadly is using CA fuels although couple of times after filling there my car was making 60 miles more on tank than usually.
I think occasionally Las Vegas is getting diesel from Wyoming.
 
#22 ·
Would love to try the Gdiesel in socal but can't find it. I don't see any horsepower loss from first tank of biodiesel but the mileage is going to be bad, I see the fuel needle rapidly moving downward while on the highway.
 
#26 ·
Let's separate throttle by wire from engine management.
Those are separate thing. From my observation the only purpose of throttle by wire on 300d is cutting off engine power when traction control is overworked.
MAF sensor is controlling fuel dosage for better power and economy.
No matter if the one on 300DT was design with smog in mind, it does a good job and way more powerful engine burns less fuel .
603 engines did have electronic controls for idle as well even they had steel cable to control the speed.
 
#27 · (Edited)
I was talking about the 97 E300 diesel. On that car there is no steel cable between the accelerator pedal and the injection pump. The pedal pulls a cable which turns a TPS mounted on the driver's side suspension mount just ahead of the fuse box. That TPS sends a signal to the ECU which in turn controls the injection pump. Thats the definition of throttle by wire. The vast majority of OM606 turbos sold in the world are setup exactly the same way (see pic in # 23 ). The OM606 turbos shipped to the US with a MAF sensor are the exception to the rule. MAF is only there to help the engine meet federal and CARB emissions rules. It doesn't give the engine any other advantage.
 
#30 ·
No but I watched the final 5 minutes of the auction, was surprised to see it go for 3k considering the mileage. I'm hoping that doesn't mean my silver e300 I bought a couple months ago at 150k is going to have a ton of issues crop up, has treated me very well so far.
 
#31 ·
I bought son's car about 3 years ago.
Slightly over 10,000 miles cost us new thermostat, new battery, brake pads and couple of fuel tubings. Plus driver bottom seat skin as that one was bad. NEW KEY.
Price of selling is about the price of buying, but I bought it on East cost, so it cost me trip cost.
The fun on mini-vacations PRICELESS.
 
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