From: owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net (diesel-benz-digest) To: diesel-benz-digest-at-krusty-motorsports.com Subject: diesel-benz-digest V1 #280 Reply-To: diesel-benz-at-digest.net Sender: owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Errors-To: owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Precedence: bulk diesel-benz-digest Saturday, February 26 2000 Volume 01 : Number 280 Forum for Discussion of Diesel Mercedes Benz Automobiles John Meister Digest Coordinator Contents: Newest member of the driveway family!! Computer Survival 101 Re: Newest member of the driveway family!! bounced msg 300CD firdt Benz Re: JEEPS Diesel Benz Digest Home Page: http://www.digest.net/diesel-benz/ Send submissions to diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Send administrative requests to diesel-benz-digest-request-at-digest.net To unsubscribe, include the word unsubscribe by itself in the body of the message, unless you are sending the request from a different address than the one that appears on the list. Include the word help in a message to stag-digest-request to get a list of other majordomo commands. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 08:53:45 -0600 From: Alec Cordova Subject: Newest member of the driveway family!! Picked up the 89 300CE last night. Garnet with tan leather. Surprisingly attractive color on that car. Sweeeeet ride. First topic: lighting. After my W123 85 300DT, it's amazing to actually be able to read the trip odometer at night. After my W123's recent upgrade to H4 euro-lighting-pattern bulbs, it's amazing to not see the road at night. Something must be done about this. I didn't pay enough attention to list discussions of lighting specific to W124s. Should an 89 300CE have at least reasonably effective headlights? Could it simply be that these are horribly aimed? Is there an improvement as cheap as the 45 dollar round H4 Hella units I put on Old Smokey? Can there be anything sweeter than enjoying a well-maintained, new-to-you Benz? All suggestions accepted, most will be appreciated. Alec Cordova Taylor, Texas 85 300DT, <200K, gets to rest for a while 89 300CE, 95K, damn, I look good in this car! 97 Z3 1.9, 90K ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 13:58:00 -0800 From: john Subject: Computer Survival 101 I'm passing along a URL with links to info on computer security, viruses, and hoaxes. http://wagoneers.com/pages/ComputerSurvival-101.html Check it out before you warn your friends... we know you care, just don't be fooled by a hoax... Get the URL from one of these sites and email the URL only... (also, include the http part, like: http://www.freegift.net/ part so it's "clickable") Fear not... ========================= thanx for your time, john - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- john-at-wagoneers.com HP-UX, Solaris, Linux http://www.wagoneers.com/UNIX/ http://wagoneers.com/pages/ComputerSurvival-101.html http://www.wagoneers.com/UNIX/LINUX/year-of-the-penguin.html - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 14:40:33 -0800 From: john Subject: Re: Newest member of the driveway family!! It probably doesn't use "standard" rectangular or round headlights... BUT, you could replace the bulb with a higher wattage one... and adjust it... ;) john At 08:53 AM 2/24/00 -0600, Alec Cordova wrote: >Picked up the 89 300CE last night. Garnet with tan leather. Surprisingly >attractive color on that car. Sweeeeet ride. > >First topic: lighting. > >After my W123 85 300DT, it's amazing to actually be able to read the trip >odometer at night. > >After my W123's recent upgrade to H4 euro-lighting-pattern bulbs, it's >amazing to not see the road at night. Something must be done about this. I >didn't pay enough attention to list discussions of lighting specific to >W124s. Should an 89 300CE have at least reasonably effective headlights? >Could it simply be that these are horribly aimed? Is there an improvement as >cheap as the 45 dollar round H4 Hella units I put on Old Smokey? Can there >be anything sweeter than enjoying a well-maintained, new-to-you Benz? > >All suggestions accepted, most will be appreciated. >Alec Cordova >Taylor, Texas >85 300DT, <200K, gets to rest for a while >89 300CE, 95K, damn, I look good in this car! >97 Z3 1.9, 90K > - ----------------------------------------------------- john-at-wagoneers.com http://www.wagoneers.com ...don't leave life without Jesus, please! Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... - ----------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 20:53:10 -0800 From: john Subject: bounced msg remember folks no html... john > >My wife and I just bought a two owner 85 300 CD with 98K and drove it = >from Nebraska to New York. This is our first Benz and we are really = >enjoying it. We had the car checked out before buying it and as a = >result we had some work done on it before bringing it back east -- front = >end work, alignment, tires, belts, fluids, etc. -- but nothing major = >other than that. The shop also indicated we needed shocks and motor = >mounts but I declined until we got it back here. I have a lot of = >questions being a new and first time owner and not having experience = >working on cars except to change my own oil 15 years ago on my '77 Monte = >Carlo. Here are some: > >The automatic transmission lurches a bit when shifting gears. Is this = >typical? How long should this transmission last with typical wear and = >tear? =20 > >The heater and cruise work but are somewhat finnicky. The shop replaced = >the thermostat but now I am not sure that was necessary. The heater = >works well when turned up pretty high but ocassionally blows cool air. = >And the cruise sometimes does not seem to set and revs back and forth = >during the shift around 80 mph. =20 > >We have fallen in love with the car for a variety of reasons. It is a = >great weekend car and we bought a diesel because we want to keep it for = >many years if possible. =20 > >My big question is what should we do to keep this thing running for the = >long haul. The body is in great shape except for rust on the very = >bottom of the front fenders and below the bumper. How much should we = >expect to put into the car each year? What shocks should I buy and how = >much should it cost to replace them? Are new motor mounts necessary -- = >we don't mind the diesel feel? > >Any general and specific advice would be greatly appreciated. =20 > =20 > ======================================================================== Some friendly internet tips: ======================================================================== 1. If you use Microsoft Outlook or Netscape - Email PLAIN TEXT only! Otherwise, it can't be read in a UNIX shell... 2. Before emailing a warning or some message of dire import, check out http://www.snopes.com OR http://www.ciac.org/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html 3. Without a DATE, specific location or names, how can we tell it's true? 4. Before forwarding an email remove all the headers and ">>>>>" from it! 5. Using all UPPER CASE LETTERS IS LIKE SHOUTING. don't, please. :) ======================================================================== john-at-wagoneers.com http://www.wagoneers.com ======================================================================== ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 01:35:05 -0500 From: Al Potter Subject: 300CD firdt Benz > >My wife and I just bought a two owner 85 300 CD with 98K and drove it = > >from Nebraska to New York. This is our first Benz and we are really = > >enjoying it. Congrats. You may have bought one of the finest (and rarest) diesels ever produced. > >The automatic transmission lurches a bit when shifting gears. Is this = > >typical? How long should this transmission last with typical wear and = > >tear? =20 This "lurch" is probably a good sign. The 84 and 85 model years are considered the best overall for the 123 chassis diesels because they are late in the run, and the tranny problems of 82-83 were corrected by then. Earler (pre82) trannys shifted "firmly" causing US customers to bitch. MB "fixed" the trannys in 82 and 83 to soften the shifts. When they get to higher mileage points (like, say 240k on MY 82 300 CD or 499K on the wife's 300D), they begin to slip between shifts. Have a good MB savy mechanic check it out, but firm is GOOD. > >The heater and cruise work but are somewhat finnicky. The shop replaced = > >the thermostat but now I am not sure that was necessary. The heater = > >works well when turned up pretty high but ocassionally blows cool air. = > >And the cruise sometimes does not seem to set and revs back and forth = > >during the shift around 80 mph. =20 It ain't a heater, it's a climate control system. Set the temp dial (22 works for me) and leave it alone. If you start out colder than this, it heats. If subsequently (like when the sun comes up and warms the car) the tem goes too high, it may blow cool air. The temp in the car should remain more or less constant. The temp sensor pipe can (apparently) get clogged; this is an easy check and fix. My 300CD climate control is flaky due to wear in the ignition switch. Make sure after it is running that the switch has returned full to the "run" position. As far as the cruise, before you do anything else, replace all of the brake lights with ones from the dealer, which are the proper wattage (and resistance). The brake lights are in the cruise circuit, and wrong ones can cause problems. > >My big question is what should we do to keep this thing running for the = > >long haul. Three things: 1. Bring it into good condition. Correct negligence. Spend whatever it takes. 2. Regular, scheduled maintenance. Affordable outside the dealership. 3. Drive the living piss out of it after 1 and 2 above. > >What shocks should I buy and how = > >much should it cost to replace them? Are new motor mounts necessary -- = > >we don't mind the diesel feel? Don't know about motor mounts. Shocks: Bilstiens or Boges, no others. Expect to pay ~100 a corner + labor. I have seen the Bilstiens on sale for $50 ea, so hunt around. Make SURE you need them. The reason to buy the brands I cited is that they are OEM and normally last a LOT longer than 100K miles. > >Any general and specific advice would be greatly appreciated. =20 If you've never owned a diesel, the oil consumption is not what you are used to. It can be heavy and irregular, but still normal. Check the oil with every fillup, use diesel rated oil and GOOD (not jiffylube) filters Find an experienced mercedes mechanic. If he's not driving a benz, keep looking. Spend and afternoon with him leaning the details of the CD. Join MBCA. You're doing this to get the STAR, anything else is a bonus. The ads in the STAR will save you big $$$ if (when) you have to do exhaust, buy shocks, reskin seats, etc. Hope this helps, and enjoy the CD! AL 82 300CD (240K) 83 300D (499K) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 19:57:31 -0800 From: john Subject: Re: JEEPS At 07:03 PM 2/26/00 -0500, Roger Kriz wrote: >Bye the way, are you also a member of the Mercedes diesel list. I have two >MB's. One diesel, 1987 300 SDL and one 1974 280C. I've rebuilt the >engine on both. Nice machines too. >Roger Kriz >kriz-at-rci.rutgers.edu Yep, I'm the list mom for the diesel-benz list. :) However, I sold my 81 300D... I really like driving my 83 J10 Stepside and just couldn't see having 3 Jeeps and a Benz... :) I save about a grand in insurance without the Benz... so I retired Fritz for Superdawg... I wouldn't mind getting another Benz someday. I'd ditch the little wagoneer if I could get the ML series Benz with a Turbo Diesel... ;) Great minds tend to think alike... ;) john - ----------------------------------------------------- john-at-wagoneers.com http://www.wagoneers.com ...don't leave life without Jesus, please! Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... - ----------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of diesel-benz-digest V1 #280 *********************************