C5DRVR

I just hit 75,000 miles on my 2005 CDI and could not be more pleased with how the car is holding up. It still drives like new and I have had NO ISSUES!! My service advisor says he does not know anyone else that has put miles on as quickly so I though I would check to see if anyone has me beat

John

uberwgn

that's quite an accomplishment, John! Congratulations!

Can you say what your warranty claims have been? Also, lifetime fuel economy?

Thanks.

C5DRVR

Dealer has updated command software, and performed various MB recalls when it was in for maintenance. Only maintenance outside of scheduled normal maintenance was an alignment and needed 2 new batteries and I just put on my 3rd set of tires. Nothing big. I have averaged 32 mpg per the computer over the last 13,000 miles.

Alan Smithee

Damn, that's a lot of driving. Good to hear it's holding up well.

Just turned 6,500 on my 2006, unfortunately not trouble-free...spent the holidays at the dealer after hemmorrhaging transmission fluid the afternoon of Dec 23rd. Turned out to be a connector, which I'm told is not uncommon for any of the applications of the old 5-speed auto. So much for having all of the bugs worked out by the end of its lifecycle...

Averaging 28mpg with mostly city driving, and liberal use of the torque.

harkgar

I am waiting for my 2006 CDi to be shipped to Toronto from Vancouver and would be very interested in hearing about your car.

Is it stock or did you put on bigger wheels and a better chip. Most folks here seem to do Kleemann and 18 inch rims.

Photos please.

harkgar

I had fluid loss a few years back in my soon to be traded in 1999 E55. The sealed for life box leaked from where the sensor goes into the transmission. Is this the same place for you?

New gasket and fluid change corrected everything. Garage floor is always dry.

Is your car standard? I am getting a very new 2006 demo from Western Canada.

Alan Smithee

A "connector" sounds like what would connect a sensor to the transmission, so it could be the same, but I didn't get under there to look...just a few drops of tranny fluid one day, with a lot more the next, so I brought it in. The service advisor knew what it was without looking at it. Before I even finished my sentence she suspected it was a connector, which my work order confirmed was replaced. Fluid was topped off. Dry so far.

If by "standard" you mean unmodified...I put on some W211 sport package 18" wheels...the multi-spoke ones...immediately after I bought it. I'm from the BMW M and MB AMG world as well, and had to do something to stiffen up the ride and handling...the standard 16s are just awful. Plus it looks a lot better. The suspension could use the sport package set-up as well, but the car is primarily driven by the other half, and she likes it as-is.

Modifying the ECU is tempting, but I'm satisfied with both the power and mileage, so I doubt I'll mess with it.

Congrats on the CDI...based on your posts I know it was a tough decision. What color and options?

harkgar

Alan,

Yes I meant un-modified, not manual transmission. Where did you source the 18 inch MB wheels? I really like the latest "Denebola" 9 twin spoke wheels that came with the E350 Sports Package and the E550 but believe that they are horrific in price.

I am thinking of doing a Kleemann KD box (about US$1,000 in Toronto) sometime in the future and a set of 18 inch MB wheels. Kosher Benz has a really nice set of CLS wheels on his aubergine CDi.

There are different 5 speed auto boxes in the E series. The AMG V-8 engines are paired off with the high torque boxes in the 12 cylinder special class and can take a lot of punishment. I think the CDi box is A580 or something like it. I do not know if it is the high torque one or not.

The car is Iridium Silver with charcoal MB Tex interior, Command with DVD navigation, glass sunroof and garage opener.

I read in another website that with ULSD we should add canola oil or ATF with every full tank of diesel. Any suggestion or experience on this matter?

harkgar

Alan,

Do you have any acceleration numbers for the CDi? Is it good on the highway? 28 mpg is great for a luxury car. Apart from the transmission oil leak is everything else OK? Any photos of your car showing the 18 inch wheels? What is the color and mileage?

Alan Smithee

I found two sets of the Denebolas with tires as new take-offs locally on Ebay the week I bought the car. Both wanted about $1,500; I ended up trading my 16s + $900 for the 18" set, installed. I don't like the offset of the CLS wheels; the rears stick out too far to my eye.

I run a gallon of biodiesel with most tankfuls, which is about 5% as approved by DaimlerChrysler. Saving the world, one gallon at a time...and adding some lubrication lost with the ULSD. No negative effects.

My car is Flint Grey with Charcoal. I get 24-26mpg in town, and about 34-35mpg on the highway at 75mph. If you cruise at less than that, you can get mileage into the high-30s. Great on the highway...silent and comfortable. Still a bit of front-end float with the 18s, but a great cruiser. 6,500 miles on it now; no problems other than the transmission fluid leak. Unfortunately I haven't snapped any photos of it yet.

I posted some numbers for the CDI and Bluetec from one of the UK car mags in another thread around here somewhere, but here's Car and Driver's test of a US-spec 2005 CDI. MB lowered the 0-60 time for the CDI to 6.6 seconds in 2006 (can't remember what it was in 2005); perhaps they changed the gearing/final drive ratio.

http://www.caranddriver.com/shortroa...-e320-cdi.html

J. Alan

Hi, Diesel People!

I live in Western Canada (Kelowna, B.C.) and have recently purchased a new 2006 E320 CDI. I traded in a 2005 Passat TDI, a fine car that never gave me any trouble although the difference in the two cars is like night and day. The E320 beats the pants off the Passat in every area - power, noise, refinement, etc. I guess it should at double the price! At this time, I have very low mileage on the car but I do pile the clicks up pretty fast as my job requires a lot of driving.

FYI, my car is Pewter with the anthracite interior, leather seating, wood steering wheel, sunroof, homelink, and active xenon headlights. I did not go for any further bells or whistles such as the keyless go, navigation (already have another car with this and seldom use it), park assist, cooled seats, etc. As we all know, MB has had some serious quality control problems, mostly with the electronics and the options I passed on seem to be some of the major problem areas.

I am also in the hunt for a nice set of summer wheels and probably will go for a 18" size. As others have noted, MB sourced wheels are super expensive (the nothing special 16" wheels that come with car are $355.00 Canadian!). You also have to be very careful with the sizing, offset, etc. so that they work properly without interfering with the brakes and wheel wells. I have found a source ( sorry Canada only, but they are probably available in the U.S. through the dealer search) at www.trendmotoring.com . Click on the black "M" (Mandrus) to open the link to this company that specializes in making aftermarket wheels with the proper offset for Mercedes. They are also made so that the stock Mercedes centre caps fit. Prices from my local dealer are very reasonable. They have some very nice designs and I like the Millennium style. Most of the designs are available in chrome, silver, and black. You will have to possess good parallel parking skills, though!

Safe MBD Driving!

J. Alan

harkgar

Alan,

Actually the E-Bay wheels are OK in price. Rubber that fits 18 inch rims costs a couple of hundred dollars new which makes the wheels $175 each. It is good you traded in your 16 inches. The wheels are far too small for a modern luxury car.

Do you think it is advisable to drive with DIY bio-diesel by mixing a bottle of canola cooking oil in with every fillup?

Alan Smithee

I wouldn't pour canola oil into my tank. I'm no expert on how it differs from the stuff I pump, but I do know that what I'm putting in meets the standard approved by DaimlerChrysler. Anything else will void the warranty.

harkgar

C5,

What did they do to update your Command? Did you mean the navigation road map or some new software for the engine and transmission? Did MB charge you for this service?

32 mpg is great for a E-class. My Camry 4 cylinder 5 speed stick car cannot match that.

harkgar

In my W210 handbook MB actually advised using "under 10%" of kerosene in freezing conditions, warning diesel owners to expect a loss of power. As the 2006 CDi cars can burn LSD with 500 ppm sulfur fuel that they can burnt heating oil, which as far as I know is still has not undergone the ultra low sulfur way - yet.

C5DRVR

Service advisor told me that there was a more current version for command that controlled navigation and audio and that they would apply the flash. This may have been the audio gateway I have heard others talk about. I am not 100% sure.

Pierre Louis

I got one of the first ones off the boat and now it has 88,500 miles on it with a big issue: the fuel pump seems to be leaking!

It has had mostly daily use with lots of highway miles. Gentle. Still has the original brake pads on it.

The EGR valve went at around 65,000 miles and even though Mercedes covers it in a "recall" on the 5 cylinder Sprinters, it did not for my car. There has been an updated EGR valve since. $500.

I am very upset that Mercedes does not have a recall on this pump, since my mechanic thought they did also. We shall see if the dealer can help me. Otherwise, it will sour me on Mercedes.

There have been rumors of oil leaks from pumps that first got LSD and later were converted to ULSD with problems of gaskets. I hope all it needs is a gasket but doubt it.

More later.

PL

2005 E320 CDI

Pierre Louis

PS

I also had to replace the two lower ball joints at 86,000 miles. Told it was a "normal wear item."

PL

harkgar

The ball joints are regular wear and tear items. I had to replaced them in both my Mercedes.

C5DRVR

Good to hear your experiences. Keep us updated on the pump.

harkgar

I think MB power train warranty is for 3 years. If your car is a 2005 it should be covered.

240D 3.0T

That high pressure pump is not cheap. Expect at least $900 for it + labor.

saffrontiger

240,
Interesting signature. I'm a huge diesel convert/fanatic but wanted to make sure all you sig statements were indeed factual?! Really good discussions going on right now @ tdiclub.com. I think this would spark some good conversation.
SSW

johnshasteen

86000 miles and bad ball joints - normal wear and tear?? sounds like MB either feed you a line or the new MB's are going downhill in quality. I first replaced the ball joints in my 300CD at just over 150K (my fault, should have replaced the shocks at around 100K, but didn't) and my wife's 300SD is getting the second set this week at about 285K.

harkgar

John,

My 1986 560 SEL has over 160,000 km (just shy of 100 k miles) and had ball joints replaced. The 1999 E55 (just sold) had 80,000 km (49,000 miles) and had the same done recently so there is a difference in durability for sure. The older car was built on engineers' specifications and the newer ones on accounts' budget restraints. I also live in an area where left-winged tree-hugging freaks rule and a lot of "traffic pacifiers" or car bumps were built on previously perfectly good roads. They do shake your ball joints and teeth loose when you go over them anything above 70 mph. Darn.