Car Model History

Second generation · W126 · 1981–1991

1982Mercedes-Benz S-Class

The best-selling classic S-Class and a design icon. It reached US showrooms for 1981 (late-1980 launch). The first production car offered with a driver's airbag; later added a passenger airbag (1988). Also spawned the C126 coupe (SEC).

Second generation · W126

1982 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W126) — sedan, front three-quarter view

Photo: “1982 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE (W 126) sedan (2015-06-18) 01” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.

Start here

What do you need to know?

This page covers the whole 1982 Mercedes-Benz S-Class model year. Choose your task first; exact trims and engines are separated where the factory offered different versions.

Complete, source-verified lineup

Find your exact 1982 S-Class

Start with a family, body style, or engine. Every card opens the facts and maintenance information for that factory version.

2factory configurations
Verified complete for the U.S.-marketHow this lineup was verified

We checked this U.S.-market lineup against period sources for factory sedan, coupe, cabriolet, drivetrain, and powertrain roster represented by the cited exact-year or factory-archive evidence. Every version shown below has its own detail page.

Verified 2026-09-01 from Mercedes-Benz Club of America — 1981–1991 W126 U.S.-market buyer's guide.

2versions shown
Four-door rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan

Mercedes-Benz 300 SD Automatic

Body
Four-door rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan
Engine
3.0-liter OM617 turbocharged diesel inline-five
Gearbox
4-speed automatic
Built
Regular production
Open exact version
Four-door long-wheelbase rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan

Mercedes-Benz 380 SEL Automatic

Body
Four-door long-wheelbase rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan
Engine
3.8-liter M116 fuel-injected V8
Gearbox
4-speed automatic
Built
Regular production
Open exact version

The 1982 model year

Overview

For 1982, the U.S. W126 S-Class continued as the 300 SD turbodiesel and long-wheelbase 380 SEL V8, both with four-speed automatics. The factory history's aerodynamic, weight-reduction, light-alloy-V8, and deformable-bumper description applies to the generation; the exact two-model roster comes from the U.S. model-year table.

Specifications

Engines
  • 3.0-liter OM617 turbocharged diesel inline-five
  • 3.8-liter M116 fuel-injected V8
Transmissions
4-speed automatic
Body styles
Four-door rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan, Four-door long-wheelbase rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan

Year over year

What changed

  • The two-model U.S. launch range carried over for a second model year.
  • No short-wheelbase gasoline sedan is added to this U.S.-specific 1982 roster.

Worth knowing

Notable

  • Gray-market 280 and 500-series W126 models are deliberately not presented as regular U.S. 1982 configurations.

Living with it

Reliability & ownership notes

  • Confirm the chassis, engine number, market specification, and build date before ordering parts; U.S. model-year rosters do not describe gray-market or other-market W126 sedans.
  • Use the maintenance record scoped to the exact engine shown on this page; it must not be projected onto the diesel, coupe, or other W126 powertrains that the source does not cover.

Maintenance & service parts

Keep your 1982 S-Class on the road

Start with the service interval, then match the engine or exact version you own. Order links appear only when a catalog-backed part number is available, and every listing still needs a fitment check.

Service desk

What this car needs & when

Use this as a service-planning checklist for 1982 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Start with the interval, confirm which engine or configuration you have, then use an exact ordering reference when one is verified.

Service topics
9
Factory intervals
8
Fitment-scoped
9
Exact references
2

Before orderingIdentify your engine, options and build date.Part numbers and sizes can change within one model year. Shopping links appear only for catalog-backed references; still verify the listing against your vehicle before ordering.

  • Engine oil and filter

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1982 · M116.963 3.8L V8 · 380 SEL sedan (126.033) · United States · Exact 1982 380 SEL factory record; other gasoline engines, diesel, SEC, and other W126 configurations are not claimed.

    Published interval: 7,500 mi / 12,000 km / 12 months · Normal service; at least annually with year-round multigrade oil.

    Source: Mercedes-Benz — 1982 380 SEL (W126) mileage schedule, preserved by Operation CHARM · Normal Service — 7,500-mile row and repeating 7,500-mile rows · checked

  • Spark plugs

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1982 · M116.963 3.8L V8 · 380 SEL sedan (126.033) · United States · Exact 1982 380 SEL factory record; other gasoline engines, diesel, SEC, and other W126 configurations are not claimed.

    Published interval: 30,000 mi / 48,000 km · Normal-service replacement interval.

    Source: Mercedes-Benz — 1982 380 SEL (W126) mileage schedule, preserved by Operation CHARM · Normal Service — repeating 30,000-mile replacement rows · checked

  • Automatic-transmission fluid and filter

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1982 · M116.963 3.8L V8 · 380 SEL sedan (126.033) · United States · Exact 1982 380 SEL factory record; other gasoline engines, diesel, SEC, and other W126 configurations are not claimed.

    Published interval: 30,000 mi / 48,000 km · Normal-service replacement interval.

    Source: Mercedes-Benz — 1982 380 SEL (W126) mileage schedule, preserved by Operation CHARM · Normal Service — repeating 30,000-mile fluid/filter replacement rows · checked

  • Brake fluid

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1982 · M116.963 3.8L V8 · 380 SEL sedan (126.033) · United States · Exact 1982 380 SEL factory record; other gasoline engines, diesel, SEC, and other W126 configurations are not claimed.

    Published interval: 30,000 mi / 48,000 km · Normal-service replacement interval in the archived mileage schedule.

    Source: Mercedes-Benz — 1982 380 SEL (W126) mileage schedule, preserved by Operation CHARM · Normal Service — repeating 30,000-mile replacement rows · checked

  • Engine air-filter element

    Exact reference available

    Applies to: 1982 · M116.963 3.8L V8 · 380 SEL sedan (126.033) · United States · Exact 1982 380 SEL factory record; other gasoline engines, diesel, SEC, and other W126 configurations are not claimed.

    Published interval: 30,000 mi / 48,000 km · Normal-service replacement interval.

    Source: Mercedes-Benz — 1982 380 SEL (W126) mileage schedule, preserved by Operation CHARM · Normal Service — repeating 30,000-mile replacement rows · checked

    380 SEL — 3.8-liter M116 fuel-injected V8

    K&N E-2872

    Applies to: 1982 · 3.8-liter M116 fuel-injected V8 · 380 SEL · Exact 1982 380 SEL engine application. Confirm VIN and build date before ordering.

    Source: K&N Engineering — 2017 European Automotive Catalog, S-Class application tables (archived copy) · W126 S-Class table — 380 SEL, 1982 — E-2872 · checked

    Verified ordering references

  • Fuel filter

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1982 · M116.963 3.8L V8 · 380 SEL sedan (126.033) · United States · Exact 1982 380 SEL factory record; other gasoline engines, diesel, SEC, and other W126 configurations are not claimed.

    Published interval: 60,000 mi / 96,000 km · Normal-service replacement interval.

    Source: Mercedes-Benz — 1982 380 SEL (W126) mileage schedule, preserved by Operation CHARM · Normal Service — 60,000- and 120,000-mile replacement rows · checked

  • Oxygen sensor

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1982 · M116.963 3.8L V8 · 380 SEL sedan (126.033) · United States · Exact 1982 380 SEL factory record; other gasoline engines, diesel, SEC, and other W126 configurations are not claimed.

    Published interval: 60,000 mi / 96,000 km · Normal-service replacement interval.

    Source: Mercedes-Benz — 1982 380 SEL (W126) mileage schedule, preserved by Operation CHARM · Normal Service — 60,000- and 120,000-mile replacement rows · checked

  • Engine coolant

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1982 · M116.963 3.8L V8 · 380 SEL sedan (126.033) · United States · Exact 1982 380 SEL factory record; other gasoline engines, diesel, SEC, and other W126 configurations are not claimed.

    Published interval: 90,000 mi / 144,000 km · Replacement row; earlier 30,000- and 60,000-mile rows call only for inspection.

    Source: Mercedes-Benz — 1982 380 SEL (W126) mileage schedule, preserved by Operation CHARM · Normal Service — 90,000-mile coolant replacement row; 30,000/60,000 rows distinguished as inspect only · checked

  • Engine oil filter

    Exact reference available

    Use the exact engine, VIN, and build date to confirm the catalogued service part before ordering.

    Applies to: 1982

    300 SD — 3.0-liter OM617 turbocharged diesel inline-five

    MAHLE OX 78D

    Applies to: 1982 · 3.0-liter OM617 turbocharged diesel inline-five · 300 SD · Exact 1982 300 SD engine application. Confirm VIN and build date before ordering.

    Source: MAHLE Aftermarket — Mercedes-Benz passenger-car filter application catalog · 1982 Mercedes-Benz 300SD 3.0L L5 — OX 78D · checked

    Verified ordering references

Collect

Bring this model year home

Find a scale model using the exact year, make, and model—not a generic generation search.

Sources

  1. Mercedes-Benz Media — factory S-Class history and W126 design/safety chronology
  2. Mercedes-Benz Club of America — 1981–1991 W126 U.S.-market buyer's guide

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