Mercedes-Benz Offers PM Retrofits for Diesel C- and E-Class Cars

7 December 2005

As promised earlier this year (earlier post), Mercedes-Benz is offering a retrofit system for C-Class and E-Class diesel models which significantly reduces particulate emissions for these older vehicles to better than Euro-4 standards.

The system is maintenance-free and is suitable for installation in vehicles with four-cylinder diesel engines produced since June 2003. The price including installation is €799 (US$936).

Since the summer of 2005 all new CDI passenger cars produced by Mercedes-Benz have been equipped with a particulate filter as standard.

The retrofit system for the four-cylinder models in the C-Class and E-Class combines two catalytic converters in a single housing: an oxidizing unit which converts gaseous pollutants and a particulate reduction unit in which soot particles are trapped and burned off at an exhaust temperature of more than 250º Celsius.

As a result, particulate emissions are reduced by up to 40% and fall below the limits prescribed by the Euro 4 standard.

The maintenance-free Mercedes retrofit system requires no fuel additives and can be installed with no modifications to the electronic engine management system. In the process the standard oxidizing catalytic converters of the CDI models are replaced and fed into the Mercedes Recycling Management system (MeRSy) for reuse.

This retrofit system by Mercedes-Benz meets the current requirements of the German federal government’s tax incentive scheme for low-emission diesel passenger cars. The system is available from Mercedes-Benz sales and service outlets and dealerships throughout Europe.