Ive been looking to buy another diesel benz but im having trouble deciding between w221, w219, w212 and w211
i currently drive a S210 E300 TD (OM606) wagon but i want something newer
The w221 is the one i like the most interior and exterior wise
i love the w212 (pre and post facelift) but they are a bit out of my price range and difficult to find in a spec i like
w219’s are the cherry on the cake for me exterior wise but interior wise i think it lacs a bit compared to the last 2 and w211’s are the cheaper of the bunch but with the same interior as the w219, is the oldest looking one and only one gen above my current car

all of the cars im looking at have the OM642 V6

which one would you choose and why? What options would you look for?

 

You are spoiled for choice in your part of the world so get literally anything but an om642. It's a maintenance *****. Any of the inline engines from that era were far more reliable and easier to maintain than the 642. Look up oil cooler replacement on the 642, timing chain stretch, intake flap failure or oil consumption. This is coming from an om603, 606 and om642 owner.

 

The OM642 can be a great engine but it is not the easiest to maintain. If you are willing and able to address the common issues (oil cooler seals, swirl flaps, timing chain maintenance, EGR and DPF issues) then go for it! A fully deleted and well maintained OM642 is a wonderful thing, but that may or may not be legal where you live (check local laws, I'm not recommending that you break them) but if you can't or won't do this then I'd recommend finding something with an OM648 or one of the older inline 6 diesels.

 

which engine options would you get then? The 606 in my w210 has been ultra reliable even though its not stock and i wouldnt keep the 642 stock either
all the other engine options for most of the models i mentioned are way too big in displacement or not that great for a little bit of messing around

 

My plan would be to delete it, full straight exhaust and perhaps a tune if i find the power too little or if needed because of deleting
other than that the mods would mostly be cosmetic and suspension/wheels

 

You would need some kind of tuning with the delete. You can get a delete tune with no added power but I went for the Stage 1 myself. On a W211 it's a mild but noticeable boost. 245 hp and 460 lb-ft torque. I went thru Tunezilla (not affiliated) but I believe there are a few options there.

Full straight exhaust would probably sound amazing! I left the cat right after the turbo and the other one that's downstream after the DPF (unsure if it's doing any good but I also don't think it's hurting anything) and "cleaned out" the NOx filter and DPF so it looks factory but those two parts are basically just resonators now. No drone and I get a nice turbo whistle but not too much to draw attention. I also run without the engine cover and I removed those foam blocks from around the injectors, mainly so that I could keep an eye on any potential black death but I feel like it's also better for airflow around the engine, and if you like diesel sounds it definitely sounds like a diesel but it's not loud, just a nice sound overall.

For the EGR delete I went with a company out of Canada that took forever to fill my order, but honestly if you're handy and have a few basic metalworking tools you could probably come up with a solution for that on your own, or just leave it be. The tune will electronically disable it anyway. For the swirl flaps I just removed them with some pliers, tapped the shaft holes, and put bolts in them snugged down with some red Loctite. The tune will also disable the swirl flaps, if you do nothing they'll stay open but the flap itself is still there so it's a slight restriction and if you're going to do the oil cooler seals you've got to remove the manifolds anyway so you might as well delete them while you're in there.

I also replaced the factory plastic turbo resonator with a nice aluminum part from the same company that I got the EGR delete kit from. Both parts are great quality, but I'm not going to mention the company because I'm not even sure if they're still around. Deleting the turbo resonator is optional anyway, I just hate plastic parts.

Doing all that, and a timing chain replacement if needed, and running a proper synthetic diesel oil like Rotella T6 or Delvac 1 should leave you with a decently quick, smooth running, reliable car that gets over 30 mpg. I average high 20's in town and around 32 on the highway.

 

Thank you for all this info! I get that it is on the om642 right?
Do you know the name of the egr company? Im in europe but maybe ill get the kit

 

Yes, this is for the OM642. The company that made the EGR kit and the turbo resonator delete pipe is CB Engineering www.cb-engineer.com but like I said, the parts are high quality but it took them FOREVER to ship and I had a hard time getting in touch with them. Supposedly they've got a new shop now so hopefully order fulfillment is back on track but I would recommend reaching out first before you place an order with them.

The most useful part of the EGR delete kit was the stainless steel coolant pipe that replaces the EGR cooler, the rest of it I could have made myself with some aluminum plate, an angle grinder, and a drill. One thing I didn't use was the piece that relocates the boost pressure sensor. I've heard that having it directly attached to the exhaust manifold causes the sensor to overheat and burn out, so I left the sensor in its stock location and left the little flex pipe and the EGR valve in place, and it looks factory from the top, but the EGR cooler being physically removed and the air passages blocked off make sure no exhaust (and soot) can make its way into the intake tract.