[vinceruth]

Hey everybody - a friend of mine asked me about her 1983 Mercedes 300 Diesel Turbo - and I haven't the faintest clue. She says whenever she's going uphill (happens alot here in Hollywood) she floors it and it takes FOREVER to get going. I've been in the car with her and it doesn't sound as if the engine is working very hard to push it up the hill. In fact - she tells me that even from a dead stop it's slow going. Not knowing Mercedes (I'm a Camaro man) not to mention Diesel engines - I wouldn't know how to advise her other than to take it to a shop. Does this sound like a compression issue? The tranny seems fine - shifts are smooth...

She doesn't want to be taken for a ride by some mechanic, and would like to be armed with a little info as to what it could be. Admittedly, the car is old - has 190,000 miles on it - but it's reputation is that of a long-lasting car. Any advice or reccomendations?