Surge

I'm not sure why some think that Mercedes would not know how often to change the oil on their own engines. What's the point of doing it twice as often as they state?
I'm SURE that if MB thought it necessary, they would love to earn 2X more for oil changes.

AMG3.2

4 to 5k oil change intervals are pretty standard among high performance cars... Nothing really new here.

AdonisVA

Extra tubing is beneficial :-) I've had mine for years and it brings me joy to see the ah on people's faces haha.

Surge

The owner's manual says 10,000 miles or 1 year.

AMG3.2

Yup. I'm sure it does. Most enthusiasts I know though go with a 4 to 5k interval. Especially if driving the car hard. If you feel that 10, 15, or 20k intervals are appropriate, have at it.

I'm sticking to 5k

Mr. Lin

damn I've been going every 3500 like I used to on my STi, well because turbo. should I go longer? I don't really drive this thing hard, mostly because I have a funky fuel sensor problem somewhere.

AMG3.2

Classic case in point ^

Lin -- I think your safe at 4500 to 5k.

riteoff

Cool tool, definitely gonna have to pick one up thanks for write up.

I run 5k interval on all my cars since I started driving, may be old fasion but after seeing how gunked to hell my used e46 m3 engine was I don't know if I trust manufacturers lengthy intervals. Car was serviced on time solely with BMW, head had to come off for a thorough cleaning. But I'm fairly picky

Jasonoff

Can I have your used oil for free?

Thrilla

In case anyone missed it. Here's a rebate for M1.
https://mobiloil.com/en/promotion/mobil-promotions/up-to-15-dollars-off-with-mobil-1-and-mobil-super

riteoff

Come by, we can vac it out of my car and into yours

AMG3.2

E46 owners know exactly this ^^ E46's need valve adjustments every 15k miles or so which meant opening up the head. During the early years of the car's life, some on forums would note that their heads were a copper color while others noted that there's were perfectly silver or close to it. At first, no one really knew what caused this difference in head color. After a while though, it was noted that those that changed the oil frequently (5k-) miles, didn't suffer from the discoloration as the oil remained "cleaner".

Is this a scientific way of proving that the oil needed to be changed? No, not at all. But, like riteoff, after seeing the difference in BMW valve trains, my decision was pretty much made up to always stick to 5k- intervals.

DATURK

Great write up...
anyone used this on SL or W222 63's?, i'm sure same as others but how about the positioning of the filter? not too familiar, are they under the car or under the hood?, like some of the posts in here?
thnx..

Mr. Lin

the S54 is a finicky motor to begin with. I wouldn't even imagine going in 5k intervals in that high-revving beast, let alone past that.

builthatch

you're guessing.

it's your car, so do what you want. i want you to know that i understand that.

but i don't see the logic in trying to justify it to others so they follow your guess.

facts:

MB would certainly benefit from shorter prescribed intervals if they were needed.

used oil analysis from a reputable lab is another way to not guess about when your oil needs to be changed if for some reason you fear that you need to change sooner than what the manufacturer prescribes. as it turns out, in my experiences the factory intervals are actually conservative with today's oil and filter technology. but, the only way to know for sure is to test.

some people say it's cheap insurance to change more often but that is wasteful in more ways than one.

AMG3.2

Yup - for sure a guess. But I'm okay with that. Getting a Blackstone report is always a good idea, to your point. Didn't do one yet with my first oil change but have plans to as I have some of my oil already boxed up in one of there packets.

I'm just providing my experience, not necessarily trying to sway anyone. Take a look at my post above ^^

"If you feel that 10, 15, or 20k intervals are appropriate, have at it." I really meant that. What difference does it make to me how often some rando on a forum changes there oil. But, I get it. Difference of opinions etc, no biggie and no offense taken.

rentzington

finally did my oil with the mityvac using this guide, very easy. though i had a learning curve as the tubes got a little coiled which prevented suction. I sat there 10min wondering what was taking so long, undid the coil and out came the oil.

i was either lower than i thought or didnt suck out enough, pulled out about 7.5qt. dipstick was middle red pre change and its just barely over the top of the upper red tab now.

this was a lot easier than crawling under the car, and the 32mm socket makes the filter a snap

chicapoo

Thanks for the detailed write-up, this MityVac looks 10x easier than getting underneath the car.

AhhMyyGawd

just finished changing the oil with the mityvac for the first time earlier. Guide was spot on, aside from the mityvac not sucking the oil properly due to the metal plug being in the open position from the box. Once i bent the plug down it starting sucking the oil quickly. Took out a little more than 7 quarts and approximately 9 quarts to fill it to the top of the dipstick. Used gloves to loosen and tighten the oil filter cap.

raphman

Scooped a Mityvac during xmas season when it was on sale and used it a few weeks ago. Super easy to use and well worth it! Only modification I had to do was snip the end of the larger tube that connects directly to the 'vac. The end of the tube wasn't flat and thus caused air to be sucked in with the oil, which in turn slowed down the suction and required more pumping, more often. Removed about 7 quarts and filled with 9 quarts of Motul 8100 X-cess 5w40. Dipstick measured spot on.

BLKROKT

What's with all you guys running your cars 2 quarts low on oil?

Generally speaking, you should only be putting back in as much as you're taking out.

Mr.McGibblets

I just took delivery of my car a few weeks ago. While it currently has 14k on it, according to the dealer's records, "MNT-Star Service WPPMS-20,000" was performed at 8,129 miles -- whatever that means. Not taking any chances, I replaced the oil and filter last weekend with my new Mityvac.

I brought the oil temp up to 170F first, but it still took what seemed like an hour to fully extract roughly 8 liters/quarts. I had removed the oil cap and filter before I started, but still, was very slow. I pushed the smaller dip tube a few inches deeper into the larger one which seems to speed it up a bit. I did secure the drain plug on the Mityvac before I started but I think I'll cut the end of the larger tube so it's not angled, like Raphman did to see if that helps next time, but I had to pump it about 10 times for every 1-2 quarts extracted over that hour. Seems like a lot.

I then added 8 liters/quarts of new oil, but haven't checked the dipstick yet. Will do so this weekend to see where it measures. But wow, this process was still much easier than my BMWs which are both dipstick-free!

Question: Since I am a first time Mercedes owner, should I reset the service indicator? It currently shows "250 days to Service B39". My car is a CPO and I did get 3 years of maintenance free as part of the deal. Or should I leave it alone and have the service done (assuming it includes oil/filter)?

Thanks!

AhhMyyGawd

I assume I was running low in the first place? I honestly have no idea, poured what i am assuming is 9 quarts (bought x2 mobil1 5 quart jugs).

Edit** made sure the mityvac was sucking pure air before I stopped extracting, came just a little above 7 quarts when done.

AhhMyyGawd

The real questions is, why do your own oil change if you get free maintenance?

But anyway, thats a good question. Assuming the previous owner did the service A at 10k miles, I would just reset it and maybe go in early for the next service. Best bet though is call the service center and ask a technician.

Critter

Sorry guys, old school
Raise the car
Remove the underbody pans
drain main pan-7-8 quarts
drain front cooler rad- 1-1.2quarts
replace new crush washers- 2
Remove filter+ install new filter and gasket
refill with 9.5 quarts
run engine
recheck oil level on oil stick
replace pans
recycle oil oil
5000 km max use
with the used oil it can be placed back into the new oil containers to verify oil use.
guaranteed method
1 hour