a bargain

They are are cheap for a reason even in Europe.

Learnt my lesson back in 2007 with same model. Too many gremlins!!

Regards

G

I nearly bought this one a few months ago but it sold for quite a bit more before I got there. The buyer has only had it a few months so maybe he had problems. Glad I missed it after all the tales of woe about pre 2005 models.

I have not worked on G400 CDi but driven one - It was a fantastic experience for me, better if not similar to a few G500's I have driven. 

I had worked on a V400 Diesel engine as fitted to an M class replacing the starter motor. Censoring my tone of language; it was a difficult job. Removing the starter motor from its mounting was relatively easy but removing the motor from the engine block was another matter. I have had to remove the engine mounting, jack the engine and all sorts to recover the starter motor to replace. 

Speaking to a Germany on removal of the same on the for G400 member they eventually had to attack the job working from the front, removing the Radiator, A/C heat exchanger etc to do the job; personally I feel that is overkill. The book time for this task 5.1hrs, I think. At the dealer prices that is a lot of money; dare say the starter would not be cheap either.

To coin an expression from my days working summer holidays at a Volvo dealership whilst at college; "If you cans affords to buy, you can affords to repair". Of course one needs a strand of wheat stem clinched in between your teeth saying that.

The 400 CDi suffered from faulty engine controller problems that were hard to diagnose and which caused intermittent engine shut downs. This was on all early implementations, including s-class. Other than that, there are no particular issues that are not applicable to any other CDi engine. Nothing will ever be reliable as an OM617, but the 400cdi has amazing power and economy. The only downside I've experienced, and as Rakesh has mentioned, is that it is a large power-plant in a small engine bay and consequently, not easy to work on..

If you run it on premium diesel, the turbos, injectors and EGRs will stay healthy.  Also, as a Euro-3 engine, it has none of the troublesome particulate filters  of later CDIs and none of their potential sludge problems either.

It is a complicated engine, but quite amazing and the only and last V8 diesel.