From owner-diesel-benz-digest@digest.net Sun Oct 9 16:29:00 2011 From: diesel-benz-digest To: diesel-benz-digest@digest.net Date: Sun, 09 Oct 2011 23:29:31 +0000 Subject: diesel-benz-digest V1 #3503 diesel-benz-digest Sunday, October 9 2011 Volume 01 : Number 3503 Forum for Discussion of Diesel Mercedes Benz Automobiles Derick Amburgey Digest Coordinator Contents: Re: [db] Stop-sale issued for Volkswagen Jetta and Golf TDI diesel mo dels, recall imminent? [db] 124s Re: [db] project or panic? [db] euro lights [db] 300D still won't start Diesel Benz Digest Home Page: http://www.digest.net/diesel-benz/ Send submissions to diesel-benz-digest@digest.net Send administrative requests to diesel-benz-digest-request@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: Sun, 9 Oct 2011 17:50:04 GMT From: "jasonbassett@juno.com" Subject: Re: [db] Stop-sale issued for Volkswagen Jetta and Golf TDI diesel mo dels, recall imminent? Funny that you have such a personality conflict with your '87 Benz. It would have to be that, since it's running great, quiet, and more comfortable than anything else you own, yet you still hate it. Exactly WHAT gadget was it that made you so attached to that VW?! I love my '87, and you sure seemed to love Shadowfax...... Jason - ---------- Original Message ---------- From: john To: Bruce Caruthers Subject: Re: [db] Stop-sale issued for Volkswagen Jetta and Golf TDI diesel models, recall imminent? Date: Fri, 7 Oct 2011 17:15:27 -0700 (PDT) sounds like a very cautious move on the part of VW... a good thing... we don't want a GM Diesel or GM Vega or Ford Edsel thing going on... :) I've had injector lines fail, serious loss of power... :) especially with only 4 cylinders... instant 25% power loss... very noticeable... that and the fragrant smell of Diesel and difficulty in clearing the windscreen... :) chance of fire is kind of remote, but is possible... Diesel doesn't combust easily, but if it's sitting on a hot turbo it might be enough to start to burn and if it does, oh boy... car-b-q time... not good. my TDI is a 2002. no worries, no need to follow me with marshmellows friends. Miss my '03 Jetta wagon already... not loving this '87 300D. have spent about $3k working all the kinks out of it... runs and drives great, only things not working yet are the clock, and outside temp indicator... everything else is working... rides nicer than the jetta, quiet... had the seats gone through, seat heater added, and so on... in other news, that guy with the ML320 on CL is a real flake... nice guy, but just not following through with stuff... and I can't get an opinion from the dealership, they want this guy to come in and pay his bill... the guy I talked to said he heard it needs a lot... the guy can't seem to get his phone working to send a picture... :) what color interior would a black '99 have if it's a light color? thinking those seats might work in my '87 300D... I don't know what to expect... expectations and perceptions are all over the map. I can see doing a frankenstein on it... entry price is reasonable... expecting a lot of electrical issues... '99 wasn't one of mercedes finer moments... may go down there tomorrow to look at it... I really don't need another project, especially a '99 mercedes, known problem child... an axle and tire swap and some minor repairs on my '83 J10 should get me through the winter with a 4x4... and hoping that superdawg will be done soon... I think that '87 300d will be up for sale as soon as my truck is done. have a buddy with a super nice '89 XJ limited with leather coming up for sale, I think he'll be in the $2600 range, super nice, he's a very meticulous engineer... http://wagoneers.com/XJ/rigs/DavesXJ/ALL.html he's getting married in a few weeks... he's going to focus on getting the 6.2 Diesel in his '56 willys panel... the xj is getting around 16 in town and almost 19 on the highway, of course that's mountain highway, might do better if level ground could be found. :) If it weren't in the 16mpg range and that much money I'd consider it... very nice rig. john ----- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -o|||||o- fahrvergnugen y'all Snohomish, Washington - where Jeeps and VWs don't rust, they mold http://AMSOIL.com/redirect.cgi?zo=283461 http://JohnMeister.com HTTP://WAGONEERS.COM http://fotomeister.us - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ On Fri, 7 Oct 2011, Bruce Caruthers wrote: # FYI, for those with more recent TDIs. # # -bkc # Lynnwood, WA # (his) '76 MB 240D [W115.117/616.916] # (hers) '92 Toyota Celica GT # (ours) '93 MB 300D 2.5 Turbo [W124.128/602.962] # # -- # # http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/05/stop-sale-issued-for-volkswagen-jetta-and- golf-tdi-diesel-models/ # # -- # # Stop-sale issued for Volkswagen Jetta and Golf TDI diesel models, recall imminent? # # By Zach Bowman # # Posted Oct 5th 2011 2:29PM # # # According to a post by TDI Club, Volkswagen has issued a stop-sale on all 2009-2012 Jetta, Jetta Sportwagen and Golf TDI vehicles equipped with the company's 2.0-liter TDI turbo-diesel engine pending a voluntary safety recall. It's unclear whether or not the 2012 Passat will also be impacted. In a written communication attributed to Volkswagen, the problem stems from the fact that the fuel injector pulse rate happens to occur at the same natural frequency as injector line number two. Over time, the line could fail. That's especially true on certain lines manufactured with tube material that contains scratch marks from a grinding process. Volkswagen says that the inferior piece can't stand up to the stress of the injector pulse rate. # # Vehicles manufactured in December 2008, January through February 2009, April 2010 and October through December 2010 all contain the faulty part. The document states that the automaker is currently working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to establish a recall. # # Autoblog spoke with a Volkswagen representative who said that in order for any recall to be official, it will have to go through NHTSA (though we're thinking the same can't be said of a stop-sale). # ____________________________________________________________ 57-Year-Old Mom Looks 25 Mom Reveals Free Wrinkle Trick That Has Angered Doctors! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3131/4e91df0d2d536b622fest01vuc ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2011 17:57:38 +0000 From: john Subject: [db] 124s My 91 was quicker off the line, different feel and stance and a few more gadgets. The 87 is fine, prefer the feel of the smaller cars. Hard to explain. Every car seems to have its own personality. Especially true with jeeps. I think my biggest issue is the seat and the lackluster pep off the line, about 20-30mph the thing has lots of power. Thinking about tweaking the pump a bit. :) __john_at_http://wagoneers.com__ - -----Original Message----- From: "jasonbassett@juno.com" Sender: owner-diesel-benz@digest.net Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2011 17:50:04 To: Subject: Re: [db] Stop-sale issued for Volkswagen Jetta and Golf TDI diesel mo dels, recall imminent? Funny that you have such a personality conflict with your '87 Benz. It would have to be that, since it's running great, quiet, and more comfortable than anything else you own, yet you still hate it. Exactly WHAT gadget was it that made you so attached to that VW?! I love my '87, and you sure seemed to love Shadowfax...... Jason - ---------- Original Message ---------- From: john To: Bruce Caruthers Subject: Re: [db] Stop-sale issued for Volkswagen Jetta and Golf TDI diesel models, recall imminent? Date: Fri, 7 Oct 2011 17:15:27 -0700 (PDT) sounds like a very cautious move on the part of VW... a good thing... we don't want a GM Diesel or GM Vega or Ford Edsel thing going on... :) I've had injector lines fail, serious loss of power... :) especially with only 4 cylinders... instant 25% power loss... very noticeable... that and the fragrant smell of Diesel and difficulty in clearing the windscreen... :) chance of fire is kind of remote, but is possible... Diesel doesn't combust easily, but if it's sitting on a hot turbo it might be enough to start to burn and if it does, oh boy... car-b-q time... not good. my TDI is a 2002. no worries, no need to follow me with marshmellows friends. Miss my '03 Jetta wagon already... not loving this '87 300D. have spent about $3k working all the kinks out of it... runs and drives great, only things not working yet are the clock, and outside temp indicator... everything else is working... rides nicer than the jetta, quiet... had the seats gone through, seat heater added, and so on... in other news, that guy with the ML320 on CL is a real flake... nice guy, but just not following through with stuff... and I can't get an opinion from the dealership, they want this guy to come in and pay his bill... the guy I talked to said he heard it needs a lot... the guy can't seem to get his phone working to send a picture... :) what color interior would a black '99 have if it's a light color? thinking those seats might work in my '87 300D... I don't know what to expect... expectations and perceptions are all over the map. I can see doing a frankenstein on it... entry price is reasonable... expecting a lot of electrical issues... '99 wasn't one of mercedes finer moments... may go down there tomorrow to look at it... I really don't need another project, especially a '99 mercedes, known problem child... an axle and tire swap and some minor repairs on my '83 J10 should get me through the winter with a 4x4... and hoping that superdawg will be done soon... I think that '87 300d will be up for sale as soon as my truck is done. have a buddy with a super nice '89 XJ limited with leather coming up for sale, I think he'll be in the $2600 range, super nice, he's a very meticulous engineer... http://wagoneers.com/XJ/rigs/DavesXJ/ALL.html he's getting married in a few weeks... he's going to focus on getting the 6.2 Diesel in his '56 willys panel... the xj is getting around 16 in town and almost 19 on the highway, of course that's mountain highway, might do better if level ground could be found. :) If it weren't in the 16mpg range and that much money I'd consider it... very nice rig. john ----- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -o|||||o- fahrvergnugen y'all Snohomish, Washington - where Jeeps and VWs don't rust, they mold http://AMSOIL.com/redirect.cgi?zo=283461 http://JohnMeister.com HTTP://WAGONEERS.COM http://fotomeister.us - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ On Fri, 7 Oct 2011, Bruce Caruthers wrote: # FYI, for those with more recent TDIs. # # -bkc # Lynnwood, WA # (his) '76 MB 240D [W115.117/616.916] # (hers) '92 Toyota Celica GT # (ours) '93 MB 300D 2.5 Turbo [W124.128/602.962] # # -- # # http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/05/stop-sale-issued-for-volkswagen-jetta-and- golf-tdi-diesel-models/ # # -- # # Stop-sale issued for Volkswagen Jetta and Golf TDI diesel models, recall imminent? # # By Zach Bowman # # Posted Oct 5th 2011 2:29PM # # # According to a post by TDI Club, Volkswagen has issued a stop-sale on all 2009-2012 Jetta, Jetta Sportwagen and Golf TDI vehicles equipped with the company's 2.0-liter TDI turbo-diesel engine pending a voluntary safety recall. It's unclear whether or not the 2012 Passat will also be impacted. In a written communication attributed to Volkswagen, the problem stems from the fact that the fuel injector pulse rate happens to occur at the same natural frequency as injector line number two. Over time, the line could fail. That's especially true on certain lines manufactured with tube material that contains scratch marks from a grinding process. Volkswagen says that the inferior piece can't stand up to the stress of the injector pulse rate. # # Vehicles manufactured in December 2008, January through February 2009, April 2010 and October through December 2010 all contain the faulty part. The document states that the automaker is currently working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to establish a recall. # # Autoblog spoke with a Volkswagen representative who said that in order for any recall to be official, it will have to go through NHTSA (though we're thinking the same can't be said of a stop-sale). # ____________________________________________________________ 57-Year-Old Mom Looks 25 Mom Reveals Free Wrinkle Trick That Has Angered Doctors! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3131/4e91df0d2d536b622fest01vuc ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2011 18:00:51 GMT From: "jasonbassett@juno.com" Subject: Re: [db] project or panic? Competent independent mechanics should be able to put that transmission right for less than $1000 if you take it to them out of the vehicle. Chains like AAMCO will charge you $2500 for the same job because most of the people they work with don't know any better, and they have to pay their franchise fee. If it were me, and I had the time and facilities to work on it myself, (BIG IF THERE) I'd probably offer him $500 and see if he bites. I'd also make sure that he doesn't have a $2000 tab at the dealership that they would immediately come after me for if I bought the car. If all checks out there, I'd take the trans out myself and have it repaired by a competent independent transmission specialist (I have one in mind, but Petoskey MI is probably a bit far for you) then put it back in myself, make sure there's no safety issues, and get what I could for it. It is a comfortable, powerful, stylish car, and some young twit will happily give $3-4k for it. I'd expect to make about $1k for the trouble. If you get into this, you WILL have to refrain from being a perfectionist, though.....let someone else worry about the little naggy issues, if they even care. If you don't have time and a well-equipped garage to work on it in, don't bother. You'll lose your shirt on it. Jason - ---------- Original Message ---------- From: john To: undisclosed-recipients: ; Subject: [db] project or panic? Date: Sat, 8 Oct 2011 23:08:53 -0700 (PDT) should this be a project or should I run in sheer panic? http://johnmeister.com/DieselBenz/CARS/99-ML320-bad-trans/ http://johnmeister.com/DieselBenz/CARS/99-ML320-bad-trans/ALL.html the guy selling it is flaky, major flaky... he's pretty much abandoned this thing at a dealership... they can't get a hold of him... he put the ad up on CL as a '91... supposedly that's what the rebuilt title says... he couldn't figure out how to send me a picture, was supposed to meet me at 11am today... I was there, he wasn't, just happened to have enough info to figure out which vehicle it was... he's asking $850, supposedly all it needs is a transmission... claims he covers the seats when travelling with his pit bull... oh yeah, a pit bull that doesn't bite or growl... but some how or another he blew the transmission chasing after the dog up in the mountains when it ran away. I'm going to have to assume that the engine and electricals will have issues... both mirrors are held on by tape of some kind... he calls this color "cream"... it's kind of an orange tan... wish it was gray, I might consider using the seats... after cleaning. I don't know, knowing that this thing has an EPA rating worse than a full size jeep, and that electrical issues are manifold... and that this thing doesn't even have a matching pair of tires... I'm thinking that this would be a good frankenstein project... thought about getting an ML270 drivetrain or cobbling an I-5 under the hood... but electronics could get bizarre... and expensive... If if just fix the transmission it'll cost about $2k for a used one... he claims $1600 complete at a shop somewhere... I've seen friends spend $2k on a rebuilt american trans and they brought the transmission to the shop out of the vehicle... but let's say I get the ml320 for $850 or less, drop $2k into a trans... I'll spend time and money cleaning and fixing stuff... will likely have $4k into it before I pull it out of the driveway... or, I could just part it out... or maybe swap in a complete drivetrain out of a jeep... like from my J10... but things just aren't adding up... others have looked and walked... the other option is to offer the guy about $500 and see if I can make it work... but even if it does work and well, I might see 18-19mpg on the road with it after a lot of work. typical ml320s of this vintage are selling for 3-6k around here... so, project or panic run? :) I started rattling off some ideas to my wife, did some quick math and looked at her and she just smiled... because even if I could pull off a miracle and put it back on the road it won't have full market value and I'll at best break even... thinking it's time to run, unless y'all see or know something I don't. :) john ----- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -o|||||o- fahrvergnugen y'all Snohomish, Washington - where Jeeps and VWs don't rust, they mold http://AMSOIL.com/redirect.cgi?zo=283461 http://JohnMeister.com HTTP://WAGONEERS.COM http://fotomeister.us - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ____________________________________________________________ 57-Year-Old Mom Looks 25 Mom Reveals Free Wrinkle Trick That Has Angered Doctors! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3131/4e91e16ee3439b62de3st02vuc ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2011 12:56:52 -0700 (PDT) From: john Subject: [db] euro lights anyone interested in real euro lights for a 124? how about a pair of the stock lights for a 124, with wiper? the guy that bought shadowfax just upgraded the car to a '95 hood and lights and offered me the euro lights. I bought new euro lights off of ebay and have my original lights and turn signals to sell. john ----- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -o|||||o- fahrvergnugen y'all Snohomish, Washington - where Jeeps and VWs don't rust, they mold http://AMSOIL.com/redirect.cgi?zo=283461 http://JohnMeister.com HTTP://WAGONEERS.COM http://fotomeister.us - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2011 16:32:58 -0700 (PDT) From: "Jerry Kaidor" Subject: [db] 300D still won't start Hello! As you may recall, my '85 300D was having intermittant starting problems. Sometimes it would crank, sometimes not. I had decided that the problem was probably the starter itself. So I replaced it. A dirty miserable job it was, too. I had the battery on a trickle charge for the past week. And guess what? You can hear it coming, right? The @#$@# car still doesn't start! Now, there's a click and the lights dim a little ( but not much ). When I hit the starter connection directly with a piece of wire at the firewall, it *sometimes* cranks, but not always. Voltmeter at the firewall connection says that when I try to start with the key, it sees around 9.5V. If I bridge the connections at the firewall with a short wire, it looks more like 10.5V ( if it only clicks ) and 11.25V ( if it actually cranks ). The battery seems reasonably healthy - 12.5V with no charger on line. I'm at the point of giving up on this thing and just driving it to the local independant Benz mechanic. I just have no time to futz - we're moving.... - Jerry Kaidor ( jerry@tr2.com ) ------------------------------ End of diesel-benz-digest V1 #3503 **********************************