Comments: 1-15, 16-21
Drivers seat a little compressed. $?
Front and rear suspension completely shot. $1500 alone.
Poor circulation of coolant through chambered reservoir $?
Timing chain and belts replaced with Tune up $300+
Numerous oil and tranny leaks from seals and gaskets. Specialized bolts required replacement. $?
Valve adjustment from timing and continuing clatter although there is no performance loss. (with tune up)
Oil burn from valve blow-by (with tune-up)
All four tires cupped due too bad suspension. replace cost $500 for Sumitomos all around.
Rear differential bone dry from leaks (very dangerous) $?
Flex disk on drive shaft cracked $?
Underbody panels caked with oil, fluid and accumulated dirt and gravel. $?
Chrome and paint showing severe wear.
($5000 for a good repair.)
Emergency Brake pedal worn and kept light on $?
Accelerator pedal rusted and stiff $102.00.
Alloy wheels look like salvage scrap. replaced for $1800.
This car is one of the finest ever produced.
Repair/replacement makes the item fixed like brand new unlike other cars that will never be the same again. It takes repair very well because of the overbuilt German engineering.
Expensive to fix, but after about $7000 spent on repairs this car is as good as the day it came out of the showroom mechanically.
The paint and chrome are still rough, but I can live with that.
It will cruise at 90 mph all day without a hiccup. I've got the tickets to prove it.
After 17 years the sunroof still doesn't leak.
All the electricals work fine and quickly no sluggishness at all.
The power is band is flat at the beginning, but soars after 25 mph as the turbo spools up. You can feel the turbo wind up!
You will be gently pushed back into your seat when passing at high speeds and can be doing 90+ without even noticing the transition from 60 mph.
A classic look in a beautiful package I expect to drive this car for the rest of my young life.
Consistently yields 35 mpg on highway, amazing for a car this size.
Can seat six adults in great comfort.
Eurotech Wheel package makes the car a headturner even without new paint.
With 225K on my 300SDL and having spoken with many other 300SDL owners I have yet to find anyone with long term records to prove greater than 25 mpg with this car. I am at a life time mileage of between 22 and 23 mpg.
If you keep up with the maintenance the Total Cost of Ownership is only about $0.35/mile. One year I spend $4000 (new AC) and another year $200 (a couple of oil changes with synthetic) so it all balances out.
Does anybody know where I could get an owner's manual for this car?
In the alternative, is there a button INSIDE the car, automatically to open the trunk?
David.
Sgtdavid062556@comcast.net.
Having owned 2 Benzes, I've come to realize there is no trunk release inside the car. When you lock the car, as you know, the trunk locks, the exact opposite when you unlock the car. The only difference is, you can lock the trunk without locking the car by using the key in the trunk lock. I didn't want to insult your intelligence, I'm sure you already knew that. I figured I'd cover all bases.
I own a 1987 SDL and I can't get an owner's manual from Mercedes. The only thing I can suggest is to STEAL one from another SDL. Good luck trying to find one on a lot, especially a diesel model. There was very few of them made. I hate to sound like a common thief, but Mercedes gives you no choice. Besides, what can it cost. The biggest disadvantage is that the new owner won't have one, and the cycle continues.
Owners manuals are often found on eBay, though it's hit & miss. Personally, I would not resort to theft from a fellow Mercedes owner to obtain one.
I have a 1987 300SDL and will gladly exchange a copy of the owner's manual for any successful information on how to fix the furshlugginer air conditioner!! (Instead of cooling, blows nothing but engine temp air. Compressor OK. Klima relay OK. Plenty Freon (R12).) NovamarkDM@cox.net.
As previously stated, you can get the owners manual from Ebay which is where I purchased mine for the 87 300SDL. You may also want to purchase the Mercedes-Benz W-126 Factory Service Manual CD-ROM. I believe I found it online but I actually had to use it for a friend a couple of minutes ago. It is valuable! The AC issue sounds a little like my front vent output. A mechanic told me he found to leaks in the lines to the outer vents and he patched that up and I have some air flowing. However, he did note that it might take him up to 2 days to disassemble and assemble the dash to try to find the leaks in the main front vent lines. The rear vent is powerful! You should check www.mercedesshop.com for great information on diesels and you can get parts at a great price, sometimes even different than what is quoted on their site. Enjoy the car!
All the user manuals are present in.pdf format in www.benzworld.org, click on forums link and select the model, there are tons of repair info as well.
I have an 87 SDL turbo. All I can say what an amazing car. With 2870,000 miles I had to replace the tranny 1500 thru adsit company. I blew a head gasket, which I did myself and saved 2000.00.
Other than that it runs perfect. The body is in excellent shape considering it has been run in the Maine winters for the last 12 years. You just have to watch the speed for it does like to cruise. Not too many cars would survive this kind of use. I tell my friends were will your car be at 180,000 miles let alone with almost 300,000 miles, and then they see my point. This is a great car and the last of the big benz.
I LOVE my '87 Mercedes SDL! It has about 260,000 miles on it. Two weeks ago it was stolen!! I have it back, though the thieves trashed the inside. Much shampooing and scrubbing has helped the overall stale beer and cigarette smells. What I really resent is that they spilled beer on the manual! Many of the pages are now glued together, and I've found that no one seems to know where to get a new one. The bad guys also pried the sun roof open... why I don't know as it opened and closed perfectly!
I've made the decision to keep the car. It drives so well, gets a consistent 28 mpg, keeps me safe on the highways, and still looks good from a distance... i.e. the finish is failing and I don't happen to have the $2000 needed to have it repainted. It does leave the "silver dollar" oil spot wherever I park, and though it's been looked at by two Mercedes mechanics, the verdict is, live with it. I bought it eight years ago and don't regret it. Hope it lasts till I give up driving!
87 SDL - so far so good. Only had it for a month, and everything you people have said is true.
The ONLY thing I don't like is I'm 6'4 and have to squat down to the ground to get in.
The car supposedly has a newer engine, hope it lasts for years. Paid 2750 with the newer engine and new black paint with tan interior, I hope I got a good deal.
Sort of worried about replacing parts. Know of a parts car for $300. Should I go ahead and buy that car too? Really don't have anywhere to store a junker...
Any comments, suggestions, also the back reading lights and trunk light does not work. Could this have anything to do with the sunroof not working. Any wires that could've gotten tangled together or something? Thanks.
Bought a 1987 SDL at an auction as it was towed through. My friend is a dealer and it was too good to pass up. Needed an alternator, and a set of motor mounts. 100 dollars and some time plus the auction price and I have a Big Body Benz for well under 900 dollars. Just took it on a 900 mile trip and filled up before I went and then once on the way home. I am still on the second tank and I have 1100 miles since I started the trip!! Running at 75 mph is really not much of a challenge and it is unbelievably quiet.
I would rather drive this car than the 2007 Acura TL-s in the driveway, and it saves me miles on the Cummins I have. All I can say is that I never expected to like this car so much. Nice work Mercedes.
My husband is a benz tech. Acquired an 87 SDL with 202k miles. Charcoal gray with red interior for $600. Needed timing chain glow plugs and misc. hoses. What a great car!!!
I have owned a 1987 300SDL SINCE 1995. The car is a beast.
I have 250,000 and it's still going strong. If you keep up on the oil changes and general maintenance, ie, hoses, belts, fluid changes you can easily get 500,000 miles.
I really recommend a diesel purge 2x a year to keep the injectors operating properly. Love my car!!!
Hello, my name is John, I live in Montgomery County Maryland and I have a metallic blue 1987 SDL 300 Turbo with a dark blue leather interior. It was my father's and when he passed and I couldn't just let it go. It has about 93,000 miles, and everything works including the air conditioner (at least the last time I checked). No rust, no accidents, and the paint job still looks good, and I still have an owners manual in relatively good owners shape. My father kind of babied the car, only using it for ocassional outings. I have been able to keep it garaged. I would appreciate knowing any history about this car model such as how many were made, what the car is worth now, whether it will become more valuable in the future, whether it has a chance of becoming a classic car, and how well it stands up to use. I have been sort of following my father's habits; I use it but tend to use for taking long trips on the open road, avoiding driving around town doing errands kind of stuff. I do love the leg room the car has, particularly in the back seat. I chauffeured a wedding couple from the church to the reception once and they loved it, particularly the bride. She did have to worry one bit about getting her dress wrinkled.