From: owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net (diesel-benz-digest) To: diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Subject: diesel-benz-digest V1 #428 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 Thursday, November 9 2000 Volume 01 : Number 428 Forum for Discussion of Diesel Mercedes Benz Automobiles John Meister Digest Coordinator Contents: RE: How can I improve the brakes on a W202 C280? Rear fog lights on a W202 95 C280? RE: Alec's posts appearing a zillion times Re: 92 300E 4Matic Re: transmission adjustments RE: 92 300E 4Matic how much should I be willing to lose? safety ratings and rollovers RE: safety ratings and rollovers Re: transmission adjustments RE: safety ratings and rollovers 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: Wed, 8 Nov 2000 07:23:24 -0800 From: Alec.Cordova-at-quintus.com Subject: RE: How can I improve the brakes on a W202 C280? >-----Original Message----- >Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2000 8:43 AM >Subject: Re: How can I improve the brakes on a W202 C280? > > So we're starting that old "Getting to know you" routine with our > recently acquired W202 95 C280 (not the "sport" model). ... > From what little time I've spent in the C, the brakes feel reasonably > normal. Thanks for all the replies about my C280's brakes. I've had suggestions to use different pads or rotors, but I suspect that those would not make significant improvements in daily driving, even when that's a little on the aggressive side. I certainly don't expect any fading problems out of the stock braking system. Most interesting suggestion was to upgrade to 500E brakes, or perhaps find some hand-me-downs from C36/C43 owners who upgraded. What is invol ved in upgrading my 95 C280 to either C36/C43 or 500E brakes? Do I simply replace the rotors and calipers, or do I have to mess with the master cylinder? Can I upgrade just the fronts? What kind of money are we talking about? If the price isn't that bad, maybe I can get two sets of 500E brakes; one for her C280 and one for my 89 300CE! Thanks again, Alec ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2000 07:26:18 -0800 From: Alec.Cordova-at-quintus.com Subject: Rear fog lights on a W202 95 C280? Yet another question about our recently acquired 95 C280, US model. (Will this guy ever shut up?!?) For those countries that have rear fog lights on a W202, where are they located? It looks like my US model uses all of the rear light spots with US functions. I'm accustomed to the older MB's, where US models have unused places in the rear lights. Just curious, Alec ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2000 07:39:18 -0800 From: Alec.Cordova-at-quintus.com Subject: RE: Alec's posts appearing a zillion times My apologies again for the duplicate posts. The darned thing did it again. I post from M$ Outlook 2K/M$ Exchange to two mailing lists, and I see multiple copies posted to each list. As a computer professional (meaning a little more than "I know where the On switch is"), I'm embarrassed that I can't resolve this. I can't ditch the M$ stuff, since this is at the office. That includes Windoze. Any other suggestions? Thanks, Alec ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2000 09:48:30 -0800 From: john Subject: Re: 92 300E 4Matic I wouldn't be afraid of it if it looks well cared for. I have two 1988 US made vehicles with over 200,000 miles on the original engine/trans. A Buick and a Jeep. Both are fuel injected. If a US made car can go over 200,000 miles with routine maintenance I would certainly expect a well engineered and built vehicle like the 300E to do the same or better. $2,000 below book would probably make a good dent on an engine/tranny rebuild anyway... ;) I wish they made the 4matic in Diesel... :( john At 06:35 AM 11/8/00 -0500, Chris Straut wrote: >I found a 1992 300E 4Matic at a local car dealer - they're asking $12,900 >for the car. It's got 180000 miles on it although is in excellent >condition considering the mileage that has been put on the car. > >Their asking price is about $2000 below book value. Anyone have thoughts on >this car? I would have bought the thing already had the high mileage not >scared me off. > >Thanks! >Chris Straut >'85 300D, 86k - ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2000 13:09:40 -0800 From: john Subject: Re: transmission adjustments >At 12:15 PM 11/8/00 -0800, you wrote: >here it is... > >Mike Senko and here it is! Thanx for the writeup! http://www.wagoneers.com/DieselBenz/tech/Trans-ADJUSTMENT.html john - ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2000 16:17:54 -0500 From: "Chris Straut" Subject: RE: 92 300E 4Matic Unfortunately the dealer doesn't have any maintenance records available on the 300E. The leather and other parts of the interior are in excellent condition, with only a slight amount of cracking evident on the edges of the arm rest. The exterior (white) has probably been repainted, as there are absolutely no nicks in the paint, which IMO is very unusual after driving a car for 180k :) Also, although this is off the original topic.. I changed the transmission fluid and filter in my 300D yesterday and have found that my fluid level is high by about 1/4 of a quart after the engine has been run for a good while. Should I drain the excess, or will this be okay in the long term? I haven't had a single problem with shifting, but it makes me wonder. The 86k miles on the odometer makes my car almost impeccable, and I absolutely love driving and maintaining it. It's sad that the car books for about $4000, quite a bit less than a run down '92 Ford Probe a friend of mine was looking at recently :( I'm trying to convince him to go with a nicer older luxury car, but he's not listening :) Chris Straut Bridgeport, WV 85 300D, 86k - -----Original Message----- From: Alec.Cordova-at-quintus.com [mailto:Alec.Cordova-at-quintus.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2000 10:15 AM To: strautc-at-citynet.net Subject: RE: 92 300E 4Matic I would definitely not buy it without getting an INDEPENDENT pre-purchase inspection. I hear that the 4Matic system can get very hungry for money if it goes bad. Other than that, I would figure just the standard W124 concerns: oil leak, ACC, cruise, old rubber. Then again, with an 86K mile 1985 300D, you are a little spoiled. ;-) 4Matics are always tempting. Keep us posted. Alec Cordova Taylor, Texas 95 C280, 68K 89 300CE, 116K 85 300DT, ~200K (she doesn't really count 'em anymore. Let's just say she's broken in now.) -----Original Message----- From: owner-diesel-benz-at-digest.net [mailto:owner-diesel-benz-at-digest.net] On Behalf Of Chris Straut Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2000 5:36 AM To: Diesel Benz Subject: 92 300E 4Matic I found a 1992 300E 4Matic at a local car dealer - they're asking $12,900 for the car. It's got 180000 miles on it although is in excellent condition considering the mileage that has been put on the car. Their asking price is about $2000 below book value. Anyone have thoughts on this car? I would have bought the thing already had the high mileage not scared me off. Thanks! Chris Straut '85 300D, 86k ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2000 20:57:45 -0800 From: john Subject: how much should I be willing to lose? It seems like know one is willing to pay what I paid for my 300SD. I guess I should advertise locally since that was the market I bought in. :) I've got a couple folks willing to offer me $5k sight unseen... problem is that's less than I paid for it, not to mention over $200 worth of licensing fees, and then another $350 or so worth of parts I've gotten for it... Book value ranges from $5,875 through $7,500 depending on which guide you use... I'm trying to get at least $5,500 for it, that's what I put it on ebay for... If I advertise locally I'll ask more... not sure how much more... It was listed at $5,900 when I bought it and the price seemed appropriate in the Seattle market... later, john - ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2000 21:57:07 -0800 From: john Subject: safety ratings and rollovers I read the article that someone posted to one of the lists dealing with ( http://www.msnbc.com/news/480570.asp ) SUV's and the problem of rollover. So I started surfing the statistics they referenced. :) Found this page to be interesting, especially for the Jeeps and the Mercedes. http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ictl/ictl_util.htm In one of the articles it was kind of distressing to see the 5 star rating for roll-overs they tried to institute. What gets me is they were giving a good rating to a few cars I've seen upside down in the ditches around here! :) I don't think it was accurate enough as they lumped the Jeep Cherokee in with Toyota 4runners! The center of gravity is vastly different, as is the track and stability. The Jeep SJs, XJs, MJs, ZJs and WJs historically have had a lower center of gravity than comparable vehicles. The ML series Mercedes also has been tested by automotive writers and compared to the E class sedans for handling. I'd say that the Mercedes ML is even more stable than the Jeeps. Of course the ML isn't going to go the same places off road as a Jeep... (and I'm still looking forward to the opportunity to be proven wrong. :) (and waiting for mercedes to sell one with a Diesel stateside. ;) I've been driving XJ's for over 10 years, they are very stable compared to other 4x4's. I've driven mine hard and never felt even close to tipping or rolling it... I think the solid axles make a big difference, that and the uniframe construction. I've had guys try to follow me through some corners in explorers, nissans and toyotas before... I was frightened for them... I'm pretty sure I saw the inside wheel start to lift on one explorer... the guy slowed down real quick, but it shook me up... Not because of what my rig did, but what almost happened behind me! I have seen a number of XJ's in the salvage yards that look like they've endo'd, and more than a few that have been rolled. :( With the 4.0L in these things someone can get in over their head rather quickly... driver skill and how smooth a rig is driven at the edge makes a lot of difference... I've heard of a few guys "tipping" their xj's over off-road. But usually these guys had their rigs set up with lots of lift, big tires and were either goofing around or just plain made a mistake on an approach to a tight obstable... ( http://www.wagoneers.com/JEEPS/GoneTurtle/ ) (I'm thinking of one guy that rolled his back east on a dirt road, got it sideways and flop... and then there was another guy up in the snow, someone pulled him sideways and flop... but otherwise, I don't know of other XJ or FSJ rollovers... oh wait, I did see one web page where a guy rolled his J10... he was racing off-road and cut too hard to the left on a landing... plop... ) Rollover accidents are not fun. I lost my favorite brother in law in one a few years ago... if only he'd been wearing his seatbelt... :( what a driver does in the few seconds after a tire blows or something goes wrong makes all the difference... y'all keep the greasy side down, ya hear? later, john - ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2000 05:48:57 -0800 From: Alec.Cordova-at-quintus.com Subject: RE: safety ratings and rollovers >I read the article that someone posted to one of the lists dealing with > ( http://www.msnbc.com/news/480570.asp ) >SUV's and the problem of rollover. So I started surfing the statistics >they referenced. :) Found this page to be interesting, especially for >the Jeeps and the Mercedes. > > http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ictl/ictl_util.htm > I browsed the listings there. Very interesting. Separate insurance-claim-based ratings for Injury, Collision, and Theft for various vehicles. All numbers normalized, so a score of 100 is average, higher numbers worse, lower numbers better. In the Theft category, you see the current infatuation with SUV's. Very few even slightly better than statistical average. But wait. What's this? A Theft rating of only 29. Good security systems? Factory-supplied vehicle recovery system? Nope. It's a Subaru Forester. Nuff said. Alec ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2000 08:59:22 -0600 From: Jim & Barb Hoffman Subject: Re: transmission adjustments Hi folks! Just found this MB on EBay... This is the machine I'm going to go for next ;) But I wanted to clearify somthing about engines before I get all excited. Someone, I believe Alec, was talking about an engine that MB had major problems with. I thought it was a 6 cylinder but then I also remember something about 2.5 liters. This car has a 2.5 liter but they claim it is a 4 cylinder. What can anybody tell me about the configuration in this particular car? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=491776990&r=0&t=0 Thanks! Jim/ '83 240d ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2000 08:25:23 -0800 From: john Subject: RE: safety ratings and rollovers rofl... At 05:48 AM 11/9/00 -0800, Alec.Cordova-at-quintus.com wrote: > > http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ictl/ictl_util.htm > > > >I browsed the listings there. Very interesting. Separate >insurance-claim-based ratings for Injury, Collision, and Theft for various >vehicles. All numbers normalized, so a score of 100 is average, higher >numbers worse, lower numbers better. In the Theft category, you see the >current infatuation with SUV's. Very few even slightly better than >statistical average. >But wait. What's this? A Theft rating of only 29. Good security systems? >Factory-supplied vehicle recovery system? Nope. It's a Subaru Forester. Nuff >said. >Alec - ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of diesel-benz-digest V1 #428 *********************************