Originally posted by Ripsnort
I see soooo many Benz and BMWs that are 30 years old with ORIGINAL engines in them, its unbelievable. You take a 30-40 year old American auto and its on its 3rd engine.
Rip-
That's the exception, not the rule. You will see alot of them that don't have the original eniges and/or have them but have been rebuilt. Although I concede that the Benz diesels can go on for a good while, their gas fueled engines last no longer than any American made ones. Just remember, the typical Benz/BMW owner has paid a lot of money for their car and, across the board, can take better care of thier vehicles. Most of the American car owners want to shade tree their cars and thus, they are on their 3rd engine after ten years.
The keys to engine endurance is regular oil changes and not abusing the engine. Managing that Benz repair shop I got to see a good number of engines replaced/rebuilt. Benz has a history of engine faults; single roller timing chains (U.S. M117's), wrong pistons installed in the engine (Many M103's), incorrect engine deck machining that caused massive oil leaks at the back of the cylinder head (M104's) and hydrostatic lock from oil being put in the engine and locking a cylinder due to poor design of the cylinder head (M606's), not to mention the collasal failure of the "trap oxidizer" installed on M603's (W126's and W124's).
There are alot out their with their original engines, just not as many as you think.
