Digging through the glove Box of my '83 240D, I found an embossed metal plate, about business card size. It's a little rusty and hard to read, but looks as if it might have come with the car when it was new?


Is this a Mercedes thing, or is it just a bit of trash?

Edited to add a photo of the plate:

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'75 John Deere 450C (times 2)
'83 240D plus parts car
'87 F350, 6.9L IDI
'89 F350 crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'89 F-Superduty, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-250, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-350, 7.3L IDI
'94 F-350 Crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'94 E-350 Ambulance, 7.3L IDI

Metal business cards were all the rage in the 80's

And hard to see in the picture you posted; you did, didn't you?

Yes, I added a photo, and yes, it's as hard to read in person as in the photo. The date is 09-23-83, the date of manufacture was Jan '83, from the plate on the door post.

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'75 John Deere 450C (times 2)
'83 240D plus parts car
'87 F350, 6.9L IDI
'89 F350 crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'89 F-Superduty, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-250, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-350, 7.3L IDI
'94 F-350 Crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'94 E-350 Ambulance, 7.3L IDI

Prepared by the dealer, and issued to the original owner.

Nifty. Thanks, Frank.

I've never bought a new car, let alone a new Mercedes, so I didn't really have any idea what was likely.

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'75 John Deere 450C (times 2)
'83 240D plus parts car
'87 F350, 6.9L IDI
'89 F350 crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'89 F-Superduty, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-250, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-350, 7.3L IDI
'94 F-350 Crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'94 E-350 Ambulance, 7.3L IDI

That metal plate was used by the dealer to imprint car and owner information on service tickets and receipts. Anyone remember those old credit card imprinting machines and the three-layer receipts they used? Same kind of thing.

My '74 240D came with one of those plates embossed with the 2nd owner's information, so apparently the dealer would stamp one for you and your car if you used them regularly for service and repairs. I got a few service tickets with the car that were imprinted with that plate.

M-B wasn't the only company using this technology. I had a '67 Chevy Impala that had a different version of the same thing, the "Protect-O-Plate".

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- Greg -
1973 220D, The Prodigal Benz
1974 240D

I have one from the original owner, was in the glove box, , , ,

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"I applaud your elaborate system of denial"

Definitely not trash. Keep it! It's got the original owner's name and address, and that's either the build date or delivery date.

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.