KellieV123

Hi,
Question on synthetic oil changes - how often do you have your oil changed for your E? I know about the A/B Service. I don't have my service light on but I am wondering, b/c the dealership told me I need to have it changed every 10K miles. For me, that would be one time a year.

Really, only one time a year?

My co worker has an an 02 E320 and she has her synthetic oil changed every couple of months.

thanks for your time and input - I just want to take good care of my baby. If I should have it done twice a year then I'm fine with that as well.

OAG

Your friend's car probably will not last longer even if 5X the required cost/amount of oil changes are accomplished. But it is their money!

"When in doubt, RTB" (read the book). Maintenance Manual, in this case.

10K is the recommended interval for Oil/filter changes for the MY 10 E350.

Eva350

Stick to maintenance schedule. Synthetic oil wears degrades slower. In any case the E350 houses 9.5 quarts - which is a lot of oil. So logic to me is that more oil going around engine parts means less frequent oil changes needed.

KellieV123

Thanks for the replies. I will stick to the maintenance manual as suggested and not worry about it any more.

lyjw88

I know it's a different car and plus a twin-turbo engine, but I change oil on my 335i every 5K miles and of course the manual says every 10k miles.
The reason I'm doing this is because someone on bimmer forum sent his used oil to a lab and did a full analysis and it turned out that changing it every 10k miles is not good...
Well, I'm not an expert but I changed oil on my E350 about 2 weeks ago when I hit 5000 miles mark.

RNBRAD

I know it's been debated more times than one can count. We have all been duped into thinking we need to change oil at such and such times like 3k miles or 6mo. yada yada. It's funny how engines have improved, meaning less blow by meaning less carbon in the oil, cleaner fuels, better oils (additives, hydrocracker refining) yet some people want to stick with the old 3k recommendations and mainly the people that make the most money from it. Oils have improved and their viscosity and wear inhibitors last way longer than they use to. I have noticed with all my new cars that the oil change intervals have increased greatly, as they should. My new Honda counts it down based on driving habits but usually around 8k miles per oil change and it holds 4 qts. My Honda MC is every 12k miles. My MB's are 10k miles. They both hold 8 quarts of oil and MB recommends Mobil 1 synthetic, so 10k is not unrealistic. I would not try to press these kind of miles from a non-sythetic oil though, they just wear out quicker. The guy from the bimmer forum I bet wasn't using synthetic.

220S

You need to do your own UOA and compare it with the TBN of the oil you use. "Changing it out 10k miles is not good" is rhetorical and meaningless and not specific to you, your driving style, and your environmental conditions.

fwiw, here's from the API: "Against conventional wisdom, engine wear decreases as oil ages to a certain extent, changing your oil more frequently may cause engine wear. Findings substantiated by studies conducted by auto manufacturers and petroleum companies."

OceanView

I would stick to the manufacturers recommendation of 10K miles with Mobil1 unless you drive in a really dusty area. Then you may consider a shorter term.

BTW: Does anyone know how to reset the computer when the service light comes on?

konigstiger

https://mbworld.org/forums/3543898-post1.html

icelandicmax

cool ses reset guide!

mac911

KellieV123 Yes, it is true.

10,000 miles or 1 year whichever comes first. With the synthetics (what Mercedes uses at factory and dealers), it can really last that long, no issues in the least. Indeed, it will still be cleaner inside (the engine) than someone changing conventional oil several times a year.

Just for more reassurance, Mercedes previously allowed the same engines to go up to 13,000 miles.

The car will tell you when you draw close to 1 year or 10,000 miles.

gchierchio

Go to youtube

El Cid

One year/10,000 miles as per manual with Mobil 1. If oil did not last that long, M-B would tell you to change it more often. First, they would not want the warranty problems caused by oil failure. Second, it would be more business for dealers and M-B to to sell more oil and filters.
Engines are better and oil is better than it used to be.

instantfob

Have your used oil analysed by Blackstone Labs if you are worried

VegasE

That is the best way to determine what is best for your driving conditions.


Consumer Reports also recommends using manufacturer's recommendations for oil changes. I've been using Mobile 1 in my Audi TT with 10K oil changes since 2001 and no issues.


2+ GALLONS of oil in the E350? Did not know that (RTFM). Guess the engine is water and oil cooled. Makes me even more comfortable going 10K between changes in my wife's E350.


The problem is you always have some service reps saying that you need to change it more often due to "severe conditions". My best story about that was when I got my first TT in 2001 and Audi started providing free service to 50K at that time. Audi USA quickly decided that "severe conditions" did not apply here in Vegas and directed dealers to use the normal 10K schedule and they have not tried to sell "severe conditions" since then.

CarolinaBluetec

Whenever the car tells me.

fleuger99

I agree with the 10K mile service recommendations for regular oil changes but when I have a new car I do an oil change at 5K miles because I feel that 10K is too long after break in to wait for 10K miles. Just my preference.

mleskovar

+1 At 35K miles I had Blackstone analyze my oil after a year and 5K miles on it and it had plenty of active additives remaining, little metals wear, trace insolubles, and no water...which surprised me since I live by the ocean. I am still on the same oil and coming up on another year and will be checking it again.

El Cid

I know that age will adversely affect oil. I think it gets thinner and does not lubricate as well. How does Blackstone check for that?

mleskovar

They ask you how long the oil has been in use. The analysis checks both the condition of the oil and wear from different metals present in the engine. You can actually tell when parts have excessive wear and could be leading to failure. Depending on the type of metal wear it can point to specific parts withing the engine. They can explain it better then I. $25 each analysis. http://www.blackstone-labs.com/