I just purchased a 98 e300 td it supposedly has 66,000 original miles on it but mechnic replaced some seals and said the seals looked more worn than miles indicate. Are there any other tell tale signs which might indicate higher miles.

 

At the suggestion of you forum folks, I had my mechanic replace the rear axle seals in my 98 E300 Turbo Diesel. I bought the car a couple of weeks ago and the mechanic found leaky injectors which prompted my asking. He feels that the seals look more warn than the engine miles should show and that these seals should not go on such a young engine. But the engine is not new. Can I be sure that the guy I bought the car from didn't rook me on mileage? Can the valve seals show more wear, is it logical.

 

The Mileage issue is that yes some sellers find a way to lie about the Mileage. This is one of the reasons some People like to buy a Car that has some Paper Work with it showing dates and mileage when something has been replaced or serviced.

On the other end of it you could have an extremely low mileage Car that had the Engine overheat an Oil Cooler Hose bust or other catastrophic issue that would make the mileage meaningless.

Concerning the O-rings; they are 14 years old. If I too an O-ring out of the package and set it on a Shelf at the end of 14 years it is not going to be in the same physical condition as it was when it came out of the Package.

While a few disagree it is kind of accepted that the changes in the chemical make up of Diesel Fuel has contributed to the early demise of O-rings.

If you ever have to have the O-rings done again or have another Car with a similar problem you can use Viton O-rings. This is what some people have done in the past; especially those who use a lot of Biodiesel in their Fuel.