cls67

I am considering a purchase of a 98 or 99 E300TD. How many miles can I expect one to last with proper maintenance? Is it a good candidate to run on WVO? How would it compare in longevity, reliability and cost of maintenance with an 86 or 87 SDL?

rschultz101

to do biodiesel yourself, and do a full veggie conversion, and filter yourself,
is quiet involved.

usually people pick older models, but that means old style emission inspection,
what could lead to problems too, and body work, wheels, bearings etc,..
the E300 is good, but, with veggie, on a used one, you might need to do,
injectors and glowplugs early. well on a used ones, they are probably overdue, and that gets expensive fast.
best mileage , you get from a VW TDI, maybe get a manual, cheaper to fix.

reliability wise,... any car would run forever,.... once you replace everything,... by the time you add up all cost, it's questionable...
so pick what you want to drive, there is no free lunch.

miatapaul

Veggie will reduce the reliability of any diesel. That is true for any Mercedes or VW. Some have been converted with good results, but I think they have been lucky. The problem is filtration, and quality of the oil. I am looking at a 98 myself and would consider the veggie conversion myself even knowing the downfalls. biggest thing is injectors clogging and other issues with a bad install. Just remember you are using a fuel the care was not designed to run on.

Also running on Veggie will lower resale value.

saintz

Is there an issue with the decreased lubricity of the fuel (from lack of lead)? Other than dirty fuel, that seems like the other issue.

rschultz101

ultra low sulfur diesel,.... most recommend to add, kleen diesel, etc,...
best lubricity,... Biodiesel 2%+, so B5 be great.
it's 3 times better than even 2-stroke oil, or other additives.

a lot cheaper, than additives, even cheaper than 2-stroke oil.
I'am running B5 to B20,... for lubricity, and cleaner burn,
not interested in running on veggie only