Hello, I am looking at purchasing a 2005 CDI. It would be my first Mercedes and first diesel. It has 232k miles and drives great. Lots of service records, too. Here's the question. In that w211 era, should there be any diesel gas smell? I would have thought that by 2005 they would have figured out how to get rid of that. No smell in the car. Just smelled it on the outside. Thoughts. Thanks

I own two of them and have never noticed a diesel smell on the outside. There is a known fuel tank leak issue on these cars for which there is an extended warranty (I think...someone please correct if I'm wrong).

But, no, I do not think you should be smelling diesel.

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 157k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 175k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 144k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 70k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

The only diesel that I didn't smell the exhaust on was a ~2015 Porsche Cayenne diesel. It even sounded like a gasser.

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Milan Brown 1979 240D, rebuilt OM617.952 turbo diesel, rebuilt 722.315 transmission (my only daily driver)

Instagram: @maximed93

Take a look into "black death" issue. As I understand it, leaking diesel at the injector cooking into coal. Maybe the diesel cooking smell.
Engine cover needs to be removed to determine if that is the cause. You can search Rollguys post here.

Quite so Max! The gas from a diesel engine will be detected at the exhaust pipe. The smell of diesel fuel, elsewhere.

I had the leaking fuel tanks, with a fill it would literally piss it out on the ground in a stream. I was told that the recall only applied to the gas versions of the tanks. Paid full bullet for the repair.

As I recall there is an inspection panel found by removing the rear seat. Three screws as I recall and you can see the top of the tank where the leak occurs. It could be covered in diesel.

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1999 Mercedes E300TD daily driver sold at 238K miles 106K miles were mine, rust worm got it :-(
2006 Mercedes CDI new daily driver! 56,000 miles May 2016 now 85,625 Apr 2018 and Apr 2019 101,000 miles Apr 2020 109,875. March 2024 135,250, Dec 2024 145,000 miles

The only time I had smell outside the car was when an injector return line came off. The leak from the return line will flow toward the back of engine and down around the bellhousing. It will destroy the foam sound-deadening piece on top of the injectors.

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Mark in MA
05 MB E320CDI 402k Granite Grey Metallic
05 MB E320CDI 267k Black
05 MB E320CDI 232k White
05 MB E320CDI 209k Tectite Grey
99 Dodge 2500 Cummins 5sp 148k
62 Jeep CJ-6 120k

return lines broken? any rubber fuel line leak?