I have an 88 240 DL wagon, 5 spd. I had it serviced last week, including new flame trap kit installation, new air filter, oil/filter change. That was the extent of the mechanical work.

It was getting seemingly better gas mileage before this service (judging only from the gas gauge). I haven't really run the numbers in earnest yet. But the struggling during acceleration (at the low end of the RPM range, of course) I was experiencing before is definitely worse since it was serviced. I notice this particularly in 3rd-4th gears. I call it "old car noise": it makes a glug glug glug sound on accelerating...perhaps this is (shudder) a knock? And accelerating in fifth...fuhgeddaboudit.

I tried to carry 3 average sized folks on the highway Saturday. Any hills I encountered, the car struggled terribly. On one particularly extended hill, I thought of the "Little Engine That Could". I think the car actually broke a sweat.