BudC

Do they also heat the fuel?

It's been a long time since I had a Mercedes diesel but we lived in Minnesota and you needed both a block heater and the fuel heated to survive the winters.

listerone

Something tells me that block heaters and fuel gelling won't be a problem in Phoenix! But seriously,I don't think that MB offers diesels in the US with block heaters but just might in Canada (I know VW offers them there).As for fuel heating I'm pretty sure MB's diesels have it...I know that my BMW diesel did.And FYI...last January,I took my BMW diesel to central Quebec on an amazingly cold night (-10F at 7PM) and the next morning it started like a charm at -31F.No block heater,no fuel additives,no garage...I must admit that I was amazed!

I posted a picture of the dash cluster here shortly after...search my posts if you're curious.

My hunch is that a properly maintained MB diesel could do pretty much the same thing if you're careful to always use locally blended fuel.

BudC

I suppose that with #1 diesel and electronic injection, starting will no longer be a problem. I doubt you could let the new ones idle all night the way you could with those old diesels in a Minnesota winter.

YYZ-E55

The E BlueTEC isn't available with a true block heater. They are coming into Canada with an in-hose solution, which you could certainly retrofit into a US-spec car.

ImInPA

Block heaters can be added to the US spec Bluetecs. I have been in -12 degrees F and had no problems starting my 2011 Bluetec. Forget just about everything you remember about diesels. Hell, mine produces cabin heat really quickly too.

listerone

I recall having recently seen a video on Youtube showing some small diner in Alaska with cars/trucks parked in the lot all with their engines running.I also once saw a documentary on the building of the Alaska Pipeline where they said that during the winter they kept the heavy equipment (trucks,bulldozers,etc) running all the time because if they ever shut them down they wouldn't get them started again! But that was back in the 70's.

I think the keys to starting a recently made diesel are 1)a healthy battery that's designed for diesels 2)the correct oil...5W or 0W synthetic 3)locally blended fuel.

ImInPA

Keep in mind that the main reason for the starting isses in cold cliamtes is because batteries lose so much effeciency in extremly cold environs. It's not that the "engine wont start, but, that the batter may not have enough charge to crank it. Battery technology is vastly superior today when compared to batteries of the 70's.