The MB 300d Turbodiesel was out for the first time in 2023

| March 26, 2023

After a quick charge of the battery, the 1982 Mercedes Benz 300d Turbodiesel woke from its winter slumber and headed to the grocery store. I had forgotten how much different the old headlight are in comparison to modern lights … or perhaps it is just my aging night vision? Anyway, the driveway Wyze cams caught […]

KDAE looking at their property prior to ground breaking

| May 7, 2022

It is definitely spring and as with many growing families working hard and fortunate enough to be living in the United States, ours are pursuing the American dream of building or owning a home. Katelyn and Drew sent perhaps a final undeveloped photo of their beautiful NW Ohio property on a wooded cul-de-sac. I say […]

Saving a custom Mercedes Benz W123 “LaPickup” photo

| August 15, 2020

Since I’ve highlighted a couple other “functional” versions of the Mercedes Benz W123, here’s another owner conversion. (see ONE, TWO … and THREE just for the humor). I do find myself constantly needing (well “wanting” really) a pickup truck, but can usually put things in my Honda Odyssey “work vehicle” or hitch up the utility […]

Social networking with like-minded friends about cars and remembering camping with my family when growing up #TBT

| July 23, 2020

Having the comradery of social media friends who enjoy similar interests doesn’t necessarily replace face to face friendships, but at least during the Coronavirus pandemic it is a way to stay connected. There are a few of us like-minded car guys who sort of have an appreciation for the mundane cars and share stories, photos and […]

Diesel fuel fill-up and another Scrap Wood Challenge idea

| May 13, 2020

After shipping back the defective mini amplifier that I purchase  a few weeks ago (grr!), I decided it was a nice evening for a drive in the old Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel. Since I was out and needed a few gallons of diesel fuel, it seemed like a good time to fill up the jugs […]

Showing an old Mercedes Benz W123 conversion a little love

| March 4, 2020

One has to admire the ingenuity some go through in taking their love of the classic W123 Mercedes Benz diesel with a love of cheap travel or as the RV and Van camper crowd call it: boondocking. I’ve had daydreams of converting my small utility trailer to a self-contained privative camping trailer, but find it […]

So love driving the “Old Girl”- my 1982 MB 300d Turbodiesel

| August 24, 2019

On Friday, with August temperatures abating a bit, I decided drive the “old girl,” as my best friend Jeff refers to my 1982 Mercedes Benz 300d Turbodiesel. It is not rare that I drive our “EMP car” since it was my daily driving for a couple years, but now I do it far less frequently […]

Waiting to put the new battery in the Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel

| December 20, 2018

Who knew something as simple as ordering an Mann air filter ordered from Amazon would delay getting the Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel back on the road? I order a new battery “online” with free delivery since it was $20 cheaper than picking it up at the auto parts store (crazy!) and figured since I had […]

The AutoCraft Gold battery in the Mercedes 300D lasted 7 years

| December 16, 2018

If you can get 7 years out of a car battery, that pretty good. I usually start watching them in my daily driver after 5 years, but this hefty 950 cold cranking amp AutoCraft Gold battery doesn’t have to work everyday … although sitting might be even harder on a lead acid battery? In any […]

What a good looking car – 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel

| October 13, 2018

A friend from a Facebook group posted a 1982 Mercedes Benz advertisement with a W123 beauty – I thought it looked pretty close to my ‘82 MB 300D Turbodiesel. Nice! When the W123 went out of production in 1986 it had surpassed the Stroke Eight as the bestselling Mercedes-Benz with more than 2.5 million cars […]

Chasing vacuum leaks in the Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel

| August 22, 2018

It is probably something one should get use to with an older Mercedes Benz, but it can be frustrating and tiring to say the least — that is fixing vacuum leaks. The 1982 MB 300D Turbodiesel is a great car and has a limited number of electrical components compared to newer vehicles. That in turn […]

New amateur radio plates for the MB 300D Turbodiesel

| April 12, 2018

Since I needed to replace the “metal” plates on the old 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel this year, I’ve opted for the amateur radio registration. It did require submitting my General Class K4RDC call license, and $20 (??) extra, but figure it was a nice way to support both ham radio and my love for […]

Two things to look for when buying an old Mercedes Benz diesel

| April 4, 2018

Having owned Mercedes Benzes for years now (first was our 87 MB 560 SEL –  reminder that I need a photo) and using several resources for buying and maintaining, some of the best advice for for the, W123 which I’m particularly fond of, (my current 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel) comes from Kent Bergsma, of […]

If you own a Mercedes Benz 300D, you know this sound! #humor

| February 2, 2018

Only an old Mercedes Benz diesel driver can fully appreciate this … very funny.

Got to love those functional old Mercedes Benz W123s

| July 30, 2017

Sort of makes hauling a few spare parts, some fluids, a toolbox and spare tire seem hardly worth mentioning?

Our 1982 Mercedes diesel can see (in fog) again …

| October 24, 2016

As mentioned a few posts ago, I finally found an amber fog light on ebay to replace the broken glass lens. I was disappointed in the cost, but very pleased with the quality of the lightly used Bosch part. Forgive the bug splats (needs to be cleaned) but when the weather is nice, this 1982 […]

An old amber fog light for a Mercedes diesel is not inexpensive

| October 15, 2016

Ouch … the amber fog light in our 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel shatter a couple weeks ago and I’ve been searching to find a Bosch replacement ever since. While looking on ebay, I was surprised not to be able to find a decent one for under $35 … that is a lot to spend […]

The old Mercedes is out and about and starting a boat project

| September 18, 2016

After sitting quietly most of the summer, my friend Jeff needed to borrow a set of wheels for a week. He has intimately name the 1982 MB diesel the "old girl" and seems to appreciate her many quirks. Since it isn’t covered, there was a little dust, but she still looks pretty good to me. […]

Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz diesels can last a long time

| May 2, 2016

From the Christian perspective, I have mixed thoughts on using the "Think eternal" line for a 1963 classic Volkswagen Beetle cover on Hagerty Classic car magazine. It is of course a Peope’s Car with a l-o-n-g and beloved history by VW enthusiasts, but the word "eternal" when it comes to "earthly material things" can be […]

Maintenance on my old Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel

| April 26, 2016

Since I’ve been driving the 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel most of the late winter and spring this year, I’ve been racking up the miles and am due for a full fluid and filter change. Tonight was the night and after 4 filters (2 fuel, 1 oil and 1 air) and 8 quarts of oil, […]

My fair weather daily driver: 1982 Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel

| April 5, 2016

Love this car and the whole W123 thing!

Keeping the old diesel running in the wintertime

| February 6, 2016

It has been surprisingly mild in Cincinnati for February that I decided to get the old girl out of the garage.  It wasn’t particularly warm last night when I got home, but the drier air and snow-free roads were excuse enough to drive the old Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel in the winter  … besides the other car was finally […]

The Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel after a winter slumber

| April 1, 2015

For those of us who love diesels, the sweet sound of an old Mercedes Benz diesel idling is indeed a beautiful mechanical sound. Below is a very short clip of my 1982 300D Turbodiesel waking up after the winter of 2015 hibernation. Really it is just a filler post since it is a busy week […]

Rebuilding a brake caliper on the W123 Mercedes Benz 300D

| January 20, 2015

Once I priced a rebuilt brake caliper the 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel, I knew I would be rebuilding the the caliper this past weekend, especially since the seal kit was only $9.00 on eBay. The project was pretty straight forward, but removing the old “baked” on seals was not as easy at one might […]

New set of tires and even a new trunk light

| December 1, 2014

After my blown tire fiasco I realized all my tires on the 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel were aging and decided to play it safe and replace them. It made sense since I’ve been driving the car on longer trips than originally intended. Besides tires, I had the slow leak in the spare tire fixed […]

Finally had a noticeable dent repaired on my Mercedes 300D

| June 19, 2014

My old Mercedes Benz will never be a show car, but it never fails to attract looks or comments whether I’m traveling the interstates, filling up at the diesel pump or just running errands around town. It still has a couple scratches, a few bubbling rust spots and several minor leftover hail dimples on the […]

Do you keep a couple spare gallons of diesel under the hood?

| June 8, 2014

I was planning to just work on yard and home chores Saturday while Brenda was working, but  got completely distracted by a thought that a 2 gallon fuel container would fit under the hood of the Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel nicely. Hmm, looks like it might even work if I plumbed a secondary fuel line […]

Added 1100+ miles to the 32 year old Mercedes Benz 300D

| May 30, 2014

The weather was nice for driving this past week for a Memorial Day trip to Atlanta, so instead of taking the Honda Pilot, we opted to take the 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel. I’ve been driving it regularly on trips to and from NE Ohio (500 miles rt) and to visit my daughter and her […]

Archive: Finished up the rocker panels on the Mercedes 300D

| May 11, 2014

It has been slow progress, but since my wife “sort of” gave me Mother’s Day off (Happy Mother’s Day to moms, BTW), I took advantage of some time to finally finish up and put the trim back on the repaired body rust and the newly Miracle painted rocker panels (yes, that is Miracle Paint I […]

Back to running some biodiesel after a long time away

| April 18, 2014

Let’s call this a follow up post on tracking fuel economy (or “non-economy”) as I took the opportunity to fill the 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel with B-20. My station of choice between Mansfield and Columbus Ohio is a Sunoco at the I-71 exit 151 and has carried a variety of domestic renewable fuels including […]

Inside rust on the Mercedes 300D including the battery tray

| July 13, 2013

I’m getting creative while addressing a few more rust spots while still keeping the dollar investment to acceptable levels in my 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel. In most areas I’m a proponent of grinding and replacing metal with metal (TIG welding new material) … but I noticed some rust  on the inside of the doors […]

Continued maintenance and repairs on the Mercedes 300D

| June 23, 2013

Since I’m on a car repair roll at the moment, I’ll continue to update the condition of my 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel. It has come apart this weekend primarily to set the clearances for the valves, something that has to be done regularly and manual as this is a pre-hydraulic valve adjusting kind of […]

Replaced the crazed and cracked headlight doors

| June 22, 2013

Besides spending the day at home catching up on pool cleaning and some minor yard work, I spent the day in the garage working on the Mercedes 300D’s valve adjustment and glow plugs (more on this tomorrow). The more obvious update was installing new Bosch headlight doors I found on Ebay. They look just like […]

The 1982 Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel – brutally tested

| June 9, 2013

I can’t believe Brenda wanted to drive the new old Benz on a 1000 mile road trip before I even test drove it on the highway, but she did. When I checked in last week and asked how it handled, she said, “well, it wouldn’t go much over 85?” Huh!?!? You’re driving the 1982 MB […]

Another component to replace on the Mercedes Benz 300D

| June 1, 2013

If it isn’t one thing, it is another when it comes to an old car in an unknown condition. Thankfully I’m getting to know my new beast and am thoroughly enjoying learning about and repairing some of those “unknowns.” The latest item in the multiple air conditioning components that I’m replacing is the auxiliary fan […]

Evaluating the the interior on the 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D

| May 26, 2013

One of the tasks on my list this Memorial Day is to evaluate the interior of the new to me 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D turbodiesel. Although for its age the interior is in good condition, it does need both cleaning and some repair. Unfortunately I don’t have the repair skills enabling me to do this […]

A few more updates on the 1982 Mercedes 300D

| May 21, 2013

  Learning, learning, learning. After spending the weekend putting a few things back together on the old Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel, after taking too much off,  it is back on the road again with four new rotors, brakes and both bearing and races pressed into the hubs. I’m waiting for a few new AC parts […]

Removing the crusted on rear brake calipers and rotor/drums

| May 8, 2013

I was up late Tuesday night taking apart the well crusted rear brakes on the new to me 31 year old Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel. It was a slower than usual process as the quality brakes were nearly down to metal to metal contact and so will require new rotor/drums as well as hoses and […]

Happy Birthday to me – A Mercedes diesel is parked in my garage

| May 7, 2013

Hmm … it looks like some kind of ancient diesel is parking in my garage? It has been a long time since I’ve looked at one of these beastly relics. (our last was an ‘87 MB 560SEL)  The overall condition looks pretty good considering the old Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel is over 30 years old […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog