Mercedes Benz and High Mileages

[WGB]

I have spent the last 3 weeks in Europe and caught a few cabs - mainly E-class Mercedes 211's, a few were old 124's. All Diesels.

All the E-class taxi's had 500,000 or more Kilometres on the clock and a 124 I travelled in in Amsterdam had 1.5 million K's.

According to the knowledgeable driver (Hotel Car not a Taxi) - who took me to the airport at Vienna two days ago - he buys the car he usually drives from his employer when it reaches 200,000 km and then keeps it for another 200,000 km and then usually sells it to a Taxi company at 4 to 6 years old with 400,000 km on the clock and then they keep it until about 700,000 km !!!!.

He said BMW were rubbish and only lasted until 300,000 km.

Sounds like you just cjhange the oil regularly and keep driving.

Only saw one solitary 116 - a Milan Brown car in Vienna which looked spotless and shiny but got away before I spotted the rear end, but most cars in Germany and Austria seem to have the engine size absent from the boot-lip.

Bill

[Big_Richard]

I'll be delighted to forward this post on to my bmw loving mate

[s class]

I imagine that part of the longevity is due to the fact that the car is nearly permanently in use - so the engine never cools down enough for there to be a cold start.  But those mileages really are high. 

My 280SE had an engine rebuild at 258000 (indicated - true about another 50000 on that), and now at an indicated 460000 I'm thiking I will in the nearish future be needing to do something about a second rebuild.  And I've looked after it well in the 202000 since the previous rebuild. 

[OzBenzHead]

I imagine that part of the longevity is due to the fact that the car is nearly permanently in use - so the engine never cools down enough for there to be a cold start. [...]

Indeed, Ryan.

When I used to drive taxis in Melbourne (mid-70s) it was quite the norm for otherwise utterly crappy (petrol-powered) Holden Belmonts / Kingswoods and Fraud Falcons to run to 250,000 miles or more -- for the very same reason: the drive trains never had the chance to get cold. Some of those engines had low-compression "taxi" heads fitted, others didn't; some ran LPG, most didn't.  (Of course, the suspensions, steering, doors, and handles had all fallen off long before!)

[Big_Richard]

When I used to drive taxis in Melbourne (mid-70s) it was quite the norm for otherwise utterly crappy (petrol-powered) Holden Belmonts / Kingswoods and Fraud Falcons to run to 250,000 miles or more -- for the very same reason: the drive trains never had the chance to get cold. Some of those engines had low-compression "taxi" heads fitted, others didn't; some ran LPG, most didn't.  (Of course, the suspensions, steering, doors, and handles had all fallen off long before!)

the taxis these days, (falcon i6 engines anyway) still get to way over 1 million k's before going to the scrap yard. I was under the impression that it was the constant running, but also the fact that they ran LPG that made them go this long.. Cleaner burning fuel isnt it ?

the  last of the injected 5 litre v8's didnt like LPG, it ran on it alright, but by the time i offloaded it to my mother as a gift (160k,kms) it required all exhaust valves and valve seats replaced as they were burnt to the point of the engine recording 73psi as the highest reading on a compression test. It was however always driven like it was stolen.

I note that there werent too many magna taxi's - probably because of their incredibly delicate automatic transmissions and soft piston rings / liners.

[OzBenzHead]

[...] I note that there werent too many magna taxi's - probably because of their incredibly delicate automatic transmissions and soft piston rings / liners.

Yup -- Bitsashittis: 100,000 km and it's fill up the oil, check the petrol. I've never seen a Smegma that didn't blow smoke, or very few old Magnas, either.

A neighbour has a five-year-old Lancer (bought new) that now has almost 70,000 km up -- and it's starting to burn oil at an alarming rate.

Recycled Coke cans for engines.

[Big_Richard]

[...] I note that there werent too many magna taxi's - probably because of their incredibly delicate automatic transmissions and soft piston rings / liners.

Yup -- Bitsashittis: 100,000 km and it's fill up the oil, check the petrol. I've never seen a Smegma that didn't blow smoke, or very few old Magnas, either.

A neighbour has a five-year-old Lancer (bought new) that now has almost 70,000 km up -- and it's starting to burn oil at an alarming rate.

Recycled Coke cans for engines.

my company has 14 of the last of the Magnas as fully maintained company cars, i have one of them.

about 4 of them have had new transmissions, no questions asked, just drop it off and pick it up, workplace pays the bill.

atleast another 4 more are consuming oil and require regular topups.

most of them have developed rust bubbles, still non perforating, yet!

several have had random, exploding side windows.

mines had a new transmission, but the engine is still fine, the drivers seat belt no longer recoils on its own and the drivers seat is broken - that may of just been my fault though

[TJ 450]

Was the Fairlane factory LPG, or a conversion? Considering Ford's experience with LPG, I would've thought that they'd have solved the problem of valve seat recession on all of their engines, not just the I6.

If the latter, I wonder if it has anything to do with "normal" versus taxi-style driving?

Tim

[Big_Richard]

Was the Fairlane factory LPG, or a conversion? Considering Ford's experience with LPG, I would've thought that they'd have solved the problem of valve seat recession on all of their engines, not just the I6.

If the latter, I wonder if it has anything to do with "normal" versus taxi-style driving?

Tim

A valid question indeed.

It was a shitty aftermarket installation by a company down the road from my house, it was prior to all the rebates and what not, it only cost $1200 fully installed and was a gas venturi device not liquid injection. factory gas was not and still isnt available on the v8's.

the car was thrashed literally every time i drove it, i removed the cats and had stainless steel 4 into 1 extractors and a very free flowing exhaust - the sevear lack of back pressure probably assisted the burning of the valves and valve seats

[Niclas]

I have spent the last 3 weeks in Europe and caught a few cabs - mainly E-class Mercedes 211's, a few were old 124's. All Diesels.

All the E-class taxi's had 500,000 or more Kilometres on the clock and a 124 I travelled in in Amsterdam had 1.5 million K's.

Last Year I visited the Gran Canaria Island west of Africa.
I then went with one -96 W210 Diesel taxi, the interior was really crappy. I had to ask him what the milage was - answer: 2,150,000 km.
They also had some 124's that I never rode with, I wonder how long they have been driven...

/Niclas

[motec6.9]

All good milage gentle men but i  drove taxi in Canberra for 12 years 5 years as a owner and a i6 ed ford tx84 did 920,000km on its original motor was changed due to ovalisation of lifter bores. And tx12 a Holden vl did 1,400,00 km on original motor was changed because owner had new motor and needed to have in car for 6 months for tax when age limit came in. Owner still has car as golf club storage car ie if stolen who cares. And after selling my Merc Sprinter 2.9td it stayed on the road till it had 1,200,000km on it but engine was rebuilt at 90,000km when it was 6 months old 

[johnnyw116]

when i was an verry young man i alway bought Ex Taxi's most of the were W123 300D or 240D
most of them had between 600.000 and 700.000km on it but they were stil verry good cars , and in a strong winter my 300D with 722.000km on it was one few cars that could start in the morning  , i also owned an '81 chevrolet caprice classic on LPG with about 650.000km on it also  Ex Taxi and also verry good car to drive ! in my country most of taxi's are mercedes and in the 70's and 80's besides mercedes they used manny V8 fullsize american cars overhere in holland 

johnny  .           

[kru0042]

The ultimate high mileage story for a passenger car is displayed on a photograph on my garage wall. Apart from my W116 450 SEL my first and most beloved Benz, I have 3 Diesels one of which is a W115  240D. My daily driver is a 1985 300D with 215000 miles and going strong!!

If you check the Guiness book of world records you will see the Greek taxi driver Gregoris Sachinidis's 1975 240D with an incredible 2,858,307 miles on the clock. After numerous outrageous offers to buy the car from Daimler Benz, he finally relented and sold the car. It is now on display in the Mercedes-Benz museum in Germany.

Check this story out for yourself on the world wide web.

Almost 3 million miles!

Put that in your pipe and smoke it Toyota!!!!!!!!!!1

[motec6.9]

Hi i was just in a w211 240 taxi  in Malaysia on tuesday with 313000km drove like new

[ozmerc]

Hi everyone, 1st post. My '79 W116 has just under 300,000 kms on a 2.8 i6. body is straight, interior very good. Only probs, rh rear window no longer working & broken interior light (front) switch. All undercarriage bushes & bearings replaced recently (plus a few hoses). Drives just like a Mercedes.