I am a proud owner of a 1973 Mercedes 230 V6. This car is a direct import from Germany, it never has been modified for the US market. This car runs on LEADED Fuel, which is no longer available, I am aware that there is an additive available, I have used it, but I am having trouble getting the mixture right, can I use regular UNLEADED gas, without causing any damage to the engine? This car has 112000 original kilometers on it, it’s barely broken in. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

I use premium unleaded with no additives in my '70 Chevelle. There are a lot of old cars from the leaded gas days still on the road. The people I know with them use premium unleaded. Regular unleaded octane is too low and causes problems with pinging.

I doubt your car has very high compression, but you might need to retard the timing just a bit.

The valves may not last as long as they normally would. The lead acted as a lubricant. The engine won't melt down or anything. It may run a little noisier.

 

Lugnut: Thanks for your response, I am about to "dig" it out of my garage and get it going again, I "love" that thing, along with my other menageries of cars:
1979 Corvette
1987 Audi 5000Q (about to bite the dust)
1990 Audi 100
1989 Jeep Grand Ch.