BLUEBENZ230

Would it make a difference to go to 5w40 vs 0w40 on my car that has 150,000 miles that started to consume 1 qrt per 2 months.

Lancelot

5W-40 is the recommended oil for CDI diesels. My shop refreshed my CDI with 10W-40 once, and it developed a ticking valve-tappet. Be careful with changing viscosity on high-mileage engines...

ohlord

two months is nothing. Keep it on the 0w40 wt spec oil.
229.51 spec 5w40 mobil is as above mentioned diesel only spec.
For reference Mercedes considers 1 qt per 600 miles as excessive, so you have no worries at all. keep it clean and keep on driving her

mi benz

Mobil1 ESP 5W40 also meets MB229.31 (gasser specs). Would that not make it acceptable?

ohlord

and 229.5 are gasser spec
229.51 is mb listed as diesel only
229.31 spec is also low ash diesel only spec

saintz

5W40 is for diesel only, it says on the bottle.

If you live in the US and do not drive a diesel, Mobil 1 0W40 is the only oil you should use. There is no other oil that meets specs that is cheaper or better.

If you live outside the US, it is possible that it is either very hard or very expensive to find Mobil 1 0W40. In that case, it may be preferable to use another approved oil, like Fuchs, that may be available cheaper and easier.

mi benz

Mobil1 site says the following about 5W40 ESP:
It's not like the two specifications are mutually exclusive. 0W40 is approved for both MB229.5 & 229.3

My only question is if MB229.51/.31 are backward compatible to MB229.5/.3

ohlord

the 1 following the 5 or the 3 means it has different properties.
Mb's list of approved oils even lists the .51 as diesel only.
The extra number does not mean it exceeds the specs of the approved oil.It means it is for a different application entirely.

0w40 m1 was just on sale a few weeks ago for 4.99qt

saintz

Mi benz, if you read the quote you posted from the Mobil website, you'll notice it says it's for "diesel powered automobiles." This is the same sentence I posted, with the word "diesel" in bold.

saintz

For more on oil: https://mbworld.org/forums/mercedes-...-read-faq.html

mi benz

Yes- I did read it
I was pointing out that the oil also meets the current MB gasoline engines (229.31), so its not really "only for diesel", right?

mi benz

I just saw this. Am I mistaken or is 229.31 the gasser spec?
Thanks for educating me.

Musikmann

There used to be a Mobil1 Formula M (no ESP) 5W40 and I run that in mine. I am using less oil than I did on 0W40. From what I've read it is no longer available.

kyosuke

lul whut

says GASOLINE AND DIESEL,this is what they gave me at the dealsership its 5w-40 Formula M

juve010

I have to say, after I switched from 5w to 0w40, I have aLOT more ticking upon startup which makes sense with lower cold weight. I think I might switch back to 5w.

Lancelot

Once again;

229.51 is low-ash-oil for Diesels with a DPF (Diesel Particle Filter or Sooth-filter), BlueTec etc.
The low-ash might even be BAD for the regular bearings in our engines!

229.5 Is better than anything that was available when our, now at least 10y/o, engines came out!

My current fill is Valvoline SynPower 5W-40 229.5 spec

E320User

So 0W40 is the correct oil to use, what would happen if a gasoline engine was to use the 5w40?
is 5w40 better for colder regions?

maxwerks

I Have been using AMSOIL 5W-40 for years , I know it is not the Mobile 1 , but should I consider changing ?

mi benz

why would a 5W be better than a 0W for colder regions?

Based on the fact that the above label shows the oil is approved for 229.3, nothing bad would happen to a gasoline engine running this oil.

mi benz

Over here that oil is shown good for both 229.5 AND 229.51

mac911

There was some confusion in this thread (I myself was VERY confused on this for a long time and was scared my dealer on its first two changes had put in ESP OIL)! However, they didn't...

True, the ESP Formula M 5w40 should always be used only in diesel cars.


HOWEVER, there is another Formula M 5w40, that is not ESP. Many Mercedes-Benz dealers have this oil, both in barrels and on their shelves in bottles to sell to you. You won't find it at the local parts store though, there you will only find the ESP (diesel) one.


The 0w40 meets more manufactures, and it is richer in additives when you run an analysis on it. If you are going for the 10k-13k oil changes, it might be better. If you don't do so many miles in the year, my oil analysis I send in, shows that the 5w40 Formula M (NOT ESP) gives essentially the same results, even if it is a slightly less robust oil in its additive package.

Nevertheless, I still use the 0w40 for the extra additives in case I do ever go to the full 10k+ miles in a year.


Now, the ESP (diesel) version I also had an analysis ran on for the fun of it. It is MUCH weaker in additives than its gasoline approved counterparts. It would likely work fine for a short time, but after a few thousand miles, the additives would be used up and that wouldn't be so good for the engine to keep using it then.

saintz

Mac, thank you, that is proof that just because the numbers are similar, does not mean the oil is similar. Everyone needs to pay attention to what's on the bottle. The difference between the ESP and non-ESP 5w40 is likely to throw a lot of people off. Mobil should do a better job differentiating, really. In the meantime, 0w40 is one of the best (and most recommended) oils on the market.

dsmith

For clarification, at 150k miles, it doesn't matter what oil you use. The trans will die and the car will be worthless long before the engine dies.

But still, 0w40 Mobil 1 is the safe bet, and cheap when on sale.

Ungarisch

My manual calls for 5w-50, my local Napa carries Mobil 1 5w-50 usually on sale for 5 bux a qt, Also Castrol has a full synth 5W-50 as well.

I prefer the Castrol, but it seems that Mobil 1 has more deals/specials.

blacked210

so i went to pep boys today and they had a good deal on the 5W-40 Castrol Edge which meets the MB229.3. it cost 22.99 for 5 quarts plus a filter (i just picked up a random filter to us on my other cars) after the 7 dollar rebate, so it comes out to be like little over 4 dollars plus a free filter so i picked up to specials. just thought id share, since we where on this topic.

http://forms.young-america.com/124508_PBA-111105.pdf

also there is a form for a free football

http://www.castrol.com/liveassets/bp...l_rebate_A.pdf