From owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Sun Feb 3 16:25:58 2002 From: diesel-benz-digest diesel-benz-digest Sunday, February 3 2002 Volume 01 : Number 707 Forum for Discussion of Diesel Mercedes Benz Automobiles Derick Amburgey Digest Coordinator Contents: RE: BMW 524TD RE: BMW 524TD RE: BMW 524TD Re: BMW 524 TD Re: Febuary Newsletter Re: Atlanta MB get-together! Fwd: XP security hole also affects (some) Windows 98 & ME systems... more on the Diesel beemers... Re: more on the Diesel beemers... Re: BMW 524TD Hit and Run - The outcome RE: BMW 524TD Re: more on the Diesel beemers... 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: Sat, 2 Feb 2002 18:56:40 -0600 From: "Alec Cordova" Subject: RE: BMW 524TD We test drove a used one a zillion years ago. I think it had a manual. The motor just didn't seem to fit well with the rest of the car. Interesting beast, though. I too am under the impression that 200K mile bimmers ain't much fun. For $4K, you could get an 80's W123 300D turbo in decent shape. I'd pass on these anomalies. Alec > -----Original Message----- > > Anyone know anything about the '85 BMW 524 TDs? > > I know they used that motor a small motorhome. A guy > has two of them, one got hit in the front in a parking > lot, the other runs great. 200k, but leaks fuel from > the pump... not sure what that's all about yet. Both > are dolphin grey, sunroofs, electric everything. Asking > $4k for both. If they have automatics I may try to fix > both up as my daughter needs a car and I'd rather drive > a turbo Diesel than a 2.2L Ranger... ;) > > I know that some of the older BMWs kind of fall apart. Not > as good of quality as the Benz. > > Not sure I can afford to save any more money on fuel though... ;) > > john ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 02 Feb 2002 17:07:45 -0800 From: john Subject: RE: BMW 524TD At 06:56 PM 2/2/02 -0600, Alec Cordova wrote: >We test drove a used one a zillion years ago. I think it had a manual. The >motor just didn't seem to fit well with the rest of the car. Interesting >beast, though. in what way didn't it fit? >I too am under the impression that 200K mile bimmers ain't much fun. I looked at swapping a 530 (?) in part of a deal for a Jeep Cherokee, wife and I went about a block before we turned around and said forget it. >For $4K, you could get an 80's W123 300D turbo in decent shape. I'd pass on >these anomalies. actually less than that probably... good thinking, thanx for reeling me in... :) john >Alec > > -----Original Message----- > > > > Anyone know anything about the '85 BMW 524 TDs? - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2002 19:19:18 -0600 From: "Alec Cordova" Subject: RE: BMW 524TD > At 06:56 PM 2/2/02 -0600, Alec Cordova wrote: > >We test drove a used one a zillion years ago. I think it had a > manual. The > >motor just didn't seem to fit well with the rest of the car. Interesting > >beast, though. > > in what way didn't it fit? The power band of the motor just didn't feel right for the 5-series chassis. The rest of the car felt like it expected a motor that smoothly built up power as the revs increased. BMW gas motors don't always have a lot of low end. Turbodiesels seem to provide a different power delivery than that. Maybe they're better with an automatic. I know my 85 300DT was a nice fit. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2002 20:21:49 EST From: Thrushpres-at-aol.com Subject: Re: BMW 524 TD The engines were very high output units, auto only in the US and only sold for 1 or 2 years in mid 80's. Cracked cylinder heads were the fatal flaw (unavaliable as replacements). A good running example will seldom bring $3k. My brother ran one up to 150k with very few problems. Tom Thrush Denver CO 86 300SDL; 85 300D ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 02 Feb 2002 13:07:33 -0800 From: "Dan J." Subject: Re: Febuary Newsletter At 10:38 AM 2/1/2002 -0800, you wrote: > >Humor: Actual Headlines > > > > > >Include Your Children when Baking Cookies > >Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers > >Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be > >Belted > >Drunk Gets Nine Months in Violin Case > >Iraqi Head Seeks Arms > >British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands > >Eye Drops Off Shelf > >Enraged Cow Injures Farmer With Ax > >Plane Too Close to Ground, Crash Probe Told > >Miners Refuse to Work after Death > >Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant > >Stolen Painting Found by Tree > >Two Sisters Reunited After 18 Years in Checkout Counter ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2002 06:00:01 -0500 From: "mike" Subject: Re: Atlanta MB get-together! Well, Sunday is the day! I've heard from a few of you who were interested in coming out, so I hope we'll see those people and some others there! The weather looks like it's going to be great! When & Where: 12 noon -at- San Fransisco Coffee, midtown/Virginia Highlands Area E-mail tonight or early Sunday for directions, or on the day of, call my cell phone for directions: mikemover-at-mindspring.com, 404 277 3842. Mike ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 02 Feb 2002 20:11:32 -0800 From: "Dan J." Subject: Fwd: XP security hole also affects (some) Windows 98 & ME systems... In case you didn't know.... >This may be old news to ya'll, but I hadn't heard before that the hole >affects non-XP systems. > >-Truman > > >[from the University of Oregon's "Computing News"] > >http://cc.uoregon.edu/cnews/winter2002/xp_hole.html > >Windows XP Security Hole Comes to Light... > > >...also affects Windows 98 and ME systems on which UPnP (Universal Plug and >Play) was installed. > >Note: The FBI has recommended immediately disabling UPnP support for all >versions of Windows. "UnPlug n' Pray," a free utility for uninstalling UPnP >on any version of Windows, may be downloaded from >http://www.grc.com/UnPnP/UnPnP.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 02 Feb 2002 21:14:32 -0800 From: john Subject: more on the Diesel beemers... the guy sent some pictures of the cars. the damaged one has less miles and could be made driveable, or used for parts... the good one is leaking fuel out of the pump... says it runs fine... not sure what to think. He's planning on getting the gas version of this model. He just spent a grand replacing the timing belt and getting tires. Sounds like he's bailing out on it... :) book value is in the range he's asking... http://www.wagoneers.com/tmp/DieselBMW/ I don't know... I think a 524td might be more comfortable to drive to work... but I don't know if I want to get something as complicated as another German sedan... this little Ranger is simple, solid, but pretty slow... :) slow, steady, reliable... and it'll haul stuff... guess I'll stick with what I have... or should I go for the beemer(s)? ;) john - ------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ (Amsoil, Amazon.com, Unix and FSJs) Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 02 Feb 2002 21:46:50 -0800 From: john Subject: Re: more on the Diesel beemers... At 09:42 PM 2/2/02 -0800, Lee or RK Rossi wrote: >My neighbor has a Lincoln with the same beemer engine in it. It broke >down on him 3 years ago. He is happier with the 240D I found for him at >less than a fourth of what they wanted to fix the beemer engine. >Lee excellent input, so far I've heard from two folks, both with the same basic theme... avoid the beemer burner... :) guess I'll stick with what I have... thanx guys... john - ------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ (Amsoil, Amazon.com, Unix and FSJs) Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 03 Feb 2002 00:39:44 -0600 From: Jon Filina Subject: Re: BMW 524TD John wrote: > Anyone know anything about the '85 BMW 524 TDs? Back in January of 1990, I was looking to replace my '81 Rabbit diesel. Finding a diesel sedan at that time was hard. Volvo wasn't importing any new ones ("GM killed the market" was the salesman's comment) and neither was MB. The local MB dealer didn't even have any used diesels. I happened upon a 1986 (I think) BMW 524TD at a local BMW dealer and test drove it. I liked it, even though it had an automatic transmission. As the dealer was asking a pretty penny for it, I decided to see if I could find a better deal on another one. A few days later, I found one at a Volvo dealer in Irving, TX. It was in great shape. I attempted to take a test drive, but the battery was dead. While the salesman was away finding someone to get the car started I looked it over with a fine toothed comb. It was around 9 PM on a winter night. The dealer was located on a major freeway and there was quite a bit of traffic. I was standing next to the BMW when I saw a guy walking down the access road. About a minute later he yelled over to me, still walking, "Don't buy it! You'll be sorry!". I found that strange, so I yelled back "Why?" to which he replied "Electrical problems. Nothing but electrical problems.". I said "Thanks" and turned around because I thought I'd heard the salesman returning. The salesman was just coming around the end of the building so I turned around to ask the passer by about the electrical problems. He was gone... It took that guy a minute to walk from the shadows into the center of the lighted area but less than 10 seconds to disappear! That seemed to be physically impossible. I was spooked! When the salesman got to me, I mentioned something about not really wanting a BMW and hopped in my Rabbit and went home. I bought a new '90 Jetta diesel a few days later... Jon ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 03 Feb 2002 02:36:42 -0600 From: Jon Filina Subject: Hit and Run - The outcome Fellow listers, A few weeks back I announced that "Mathilde", my '81 240D, had been rear ended by a Mitsubishi SUV. I was moving around 60 mph and he hit me doing 100! After both of our vehicles came to a halt, he hopped out and ran. That ordeal has come to conclusion and I thought I'd let everyone know the outcome. To my knowledge, the guy that hit me was never found. I suspect he had some priors and has left the state. When he is finally caught, he'll be doing some time, most certainly. My insurance company, State Farm, ended up handling this through my uninsured coverage. When I found that out the Tursday before last, I prepared for the worst. I had around $6k invested in Mathilde over the 4 years I owned her and just knew State Farm would be offering no more than $2500 in settlement. It appeared that I would have to pony up the difference to get into another MB. I was prepared for a fight! When my adjuster told me how they were handling this claim, she also mentioned that they were having a hard time determining the value of my loss. She called me back about an hour later to say that they'd located the value of my '81 240D is their "Antique and Collectibles" database. Talk about a big grin on my face!!! They settled for around $4450 plus TTL, less the $250 deductible and I bought Mathilde for $250. My original plan was to keep my 240D for parts, but that really wasn't feasible. The development I live in frowns upon keeping junk cars around and I wasn't willing to manhandle her into the garage and keep my replacement MB parked in the driveway. Several list members expressed interest in buying all or parts of her, but Wayne Hyde was the only local one. Wayne hauled her away today and she'll be the donor car for a Mathilde look alike. Wayne is an MB nut and used to have his own shop. His wife thinks he has too many cars, already, so he had to break his current acquisition to her gently... ;-) So, what did I replace Mathilde with? I spent last weekend looking. I hate looking for cars, especially older MB's. The last time I ran this gauntlet, it took me 6 months. This time I had help. Most of the cars I looked at were not at all like they were listed. If the definition of "excellent condition" were accurate for most of the ones I looked at, my 240D would qualify as "just off the assembly line"... Actually, I considered Mathilde as "very good" condition, which, in comparison, made all the ones I looked at as "junkers"... My mechanic had two leads for me. One was a 1983 240D, red with the palomino interior and an automatic transmission. It was almost cherry! The only problem I had with it was me... I'm a little guy, bald, with a white fringe of hair, a white beard and a belly by Miller... When my wife heard I was considering a red 240D, I think she wet her pants and pulled a muscle from laughter.... "Santa and his sleigh" was all I could make out between her fits of laughter! The other MB Dennis suggested was a 1984 300SD. This W126 is silver, maybe silver blue, with the grey leather interior. It has 129,000 on the ticker. Mechanically it starts right off, runs good until warmed up and great afterwards. The transmission was rebuilt 18 months ago, and feels fine (the fluid looks good). The transmission makes me wonder if the mileage is accurate, but the engine feels and runs strong. The A/C is out and the interior needs work. The passenger seat bottom is torn, as is the back seat on the passenger side. It needs a thorough cleaning up and some TLC to get it back in shape. The exterior is pretty. It is missing the plastic grill in front of the front tow hook, has a minor ding on the passenger front fender, a dimple next to the MB tristar on the rear deck, a few smudges on the rear bumper and a little "crazing" of the clearcoar on part of the roof and rear deck. It needs a good wax job, but looks very nice as it sits. There are various minor other problems, but the car appears to be dependable. My two test drives convinced me to buy this car. While the ride was marginally better than Mathilde, the quietness and power blew me away. These W126's are nice cars! Having driven VW's and the 240D this last 20 plus years, I was unprepared for the power of this 5 cylinder turbo-diesel. I am now looking for that bicycle that beat off the line a few years back...I can take him now. If he's upgraded to a moped, I'll still try it.... ;-) This is my third MB since 1978. I bought my first two based, in part, on the service records that were available. This one has none. The owner, the second for this car, is a bit disorganized. My mechanic has been working on this car since the late '80's when the original owner had it. He feels confident that it will be a dependable car. That is my gut feeling, also. If my gut is right, this may just turn out to be the best car I've owned. Oh, the kicker. I paid $2400 for it! This car would have gone for $5k off the used car lot, $7k if in excellent condition. The way I figure it, I've got a lot left to get it up to snuff. What's it's name? I haven't decided yet, but "Bruno" keeps coming to mind. "Bruno" is a fighter. He's not the best looking, but you can depend on him to get the job done. This car's personality will come out in the next month at which time I'll decide on a name. So, like the new year, out with the old and in with the new. I am starting a new journey. If I had my 'druthers, I'd just as soon be driving Mathilde. She was comfortable and dependable. Thanks to some drunk, she's an organ donor... May she rest in peace. Jon '84 300SD 129,987 mi. "Bruno?" Long live the fighter! '81 240D 293,814 mi. "Mathilde" RIP ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2002 09:50:01 -0600 From: "Alec Cordova" Subject: RE: BMW 524TD ROTFL Alec > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-diesel-benz-at-digest.net > [mailto:owner-diesel-benz-at-digest.net]On Behalf Of Jon Filina > Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2002 12:40 AM > To: diesel-benz-at-digest.net > Subject: Re: BMW 524TD > > > John wrote: > > > Anyone know anything about the '85 BMW 524 TDs? > > > Back in January of 1990, I was looking to replace my '81 Rabbit diesel. > Finding a diesel sedan at that time was hard. Volvo wasn't importing > any new ones ("GM killed the market" was the salesman's comment) and > neither was MB. The local MB dealer didn't even have any used diesels. > > > I happened upon a 1986 (I think) BMW 524TD at a local BMW dealer and > test drove it. I liked it, even though it had an automatic > transmission. As the dealer was asking a pretty penny for it, I decided > to see if I could find a better deal on another one. > > A few days later, I found one at a Volvo dealer in Irving, TX. It was > in great shape. I attempted to take a test drive, but the battery was > dead. While the salesman was away finding someone to get the car > started I looked it over with a fine toothed comb. > > It was around 9 PM on a winter night. The dealer was located on a major > freeway and there was quite a bit of traffic. I was standing next to > the BMW when I saw a guy walking down the access road. > > About a minute later he yelled over to me, still walking, "Don't buy it! > You'll be sorry!". I found that strange, so I yelled back "Why?" to > which he replied "Electrical problems. Nothing but electrical problems.". > > I said "Thanks" and turned around because I thought I'd heard the > salesman returning. The salesman was just coming around the end of the > building so I turned around to ask the passer by about the electrical > problems. > > He was gone... > > > It took that guy a minute to walk from the shadows into the center of > the lighted area but less than 10 seconds to disappear! That seemed to > be physically impossible. > > I was spooked! When the salesman got to me, I mentioned something about > not really wanting a BMW and hopped in my Rabbit and went home. > > I bought a new '90 Jetta diesel a few days later... > > Jon ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 03 Feb 2002 12:22:17 -0800 From: john Subject: Re: more on the Diesel beemers... At 12:20 AM 2/3/02 -0800, Lee or RK Rossi wrote: >Forgot to add that these same engines were marined and put with a beemer >designed outdrive. there are still a few in service. the outdrive was a >real work of engineering. We had a customer with a pair in a boat from >Vancouver, BC. A replacement camshaft took 2 months and about $2500 to >get. That was about 10 years ago. They also used their 6 cyl gas engine >for this application with better results. I think that they only offered >them for 1 or 2 years before discontinuing them. >Have been replying off list as I can't seem to get things posted when >sent to >diesel-benz-at-digest.net. You show up as subscriber... not sure why you're having trouble. except maybe that your mail header is causing it to be rejected, it says: from mail.whidbey.net (mailout.whidbey.net while your address is whidbey.com. could be the problem. Don't mind passing it along. Thanx again for the info on the BMW Diesel. When I was in Europe I don't think BMW had any Diesel engines in place. At least I don't recall any... john >Lee > >john wrote: > > > > At 09:42 PM 2/2/02 -0800, Lee or RK Rossi wrote: > > >My neighbor has a Lincoln with the same beemer engine in it. It broke > > >down on him 3 years ago. He is happier with the 240D I found for him at > > >less than a fourth of what they wanted to fix the beemer engine. > > >Lee > > > > excellent input, so far I've heard from two folks, both with the > > same basic theme... avoid the beemer burner... :) > > > > guess I'll stick with what I have... thanx guys... > > > > john > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > > http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ (Amsoil, Amazon.com, Unix and FSJs) > > Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... > > jesus, don't leave life without him, please! > > ------------------------------------------------------------------- - ------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ (Amsoil, Amazon.com, Unix and FSJs) Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of diesel-benz-digest V1 #707 *********************************