imaphaetonguy

Ok, I turned 50 this year - and am no spring chicken.

But damn - the whole plastic red oil level bit is wet with oil, even after many attempts to dry it & remeasure the oil - it just comes out wet past the cross-checked bit.

Is it just hard to read, or did the dealer "top it off" a bit too much?

KEY08

It's easy to read. Sounds over filled.

JohnAJohnson

I'm about to turn 60 and find it almost impossible to read, and it's not because of my eyesight. It is poorly designed.

z06michael

I am 56 and can only see with reading glasses,WOW THAT SUCKS,I work in Lexus dealer and my car is the hardest to read!!!!!!!!!

imaphaetonguy

UPDATE:

a) yes the dipsticks are hard to read.

b) I used an oil extraction pump, and pulled out about 42 oz. of OVERFILL by the dealership.

I now finally have oil readings just below the MAX limit on the dipstick.

Looking at my July 15th oil change invoice from the dealer - if I am reading it correctly - it shows 9 qts. of Mobil 1 5W-40.

The capacity on the 2012 E350 DI engine is 6.9 quarts.

I believe pre-DI 3.5L engines have a 8.0 quart capacity.

Sent a note to my SA and the dealership's Service Mgr. and waiting response. I've driven 1000 miles since the oil change.

KEY08

That is not good. It is a good thing you were diligent and checked this. I am just happy to have a damn dip stick now. My last w211, as with everyone else, had no dipstick at all.

imaphaetonguy

UPDATE II:

Talked to the Service Mgr. today. He indicated that if the pan was overfilled, that on the way home from the oil change, it would have tripped an error message on the dash. Ditto if the oil was a quart low.

He said the "dipsticks are not accurate", as oil pools into other places in the engine and won't be picked up via the dipstick. He advised me to put some/all of the oil I drained back into the engine.

At no time did my vehicle trip an error message.

So, in modern MB, the dipsticks are there to make us feel good and useful about DIY- but don't serve the "old school" purpose we all grew up with.

edbro

So, what the heck is the Do It Yourselfer to do? If we can't trust the dipstick how are we supposed to monitor our oil level?

mleskovar

Whew....I thought it was just me having the problem. I checked my indy bill for the last oil change and they put in the correct amount....8 qts. And my indy uses the drain plug so I know it was emptied but I still can't read the level. Also, I think the "Add Oil" warning comes on when two quarts down....correct?

KEY08

Call someone at MB and ask whether the dipstick is accurate and tell them the name of the dealer who told you they were not. Let us know what they say and when was the last time anyone took what an SA said at face value? Seriously, why would the world renowned engineers at MB design a dipstick that was worthless?

Arrie

Your SA is giving you absolute B.S. First of all there is no warning that comes on for too much oil in the engine. There may be a low level one but I'm not sure if this engine has that either.

Sounds like they over filled the engine and that 9 at is what the E550 engine takes. Their mechanic probably just by accident used the wrong engine volume for the fill.

Dipstick absolutely is accurate and you should report this AS telling you it is not. Report should go to the dealership service manager AND the MBUSA.

And I don't think any harm was done to your engine for having the oil over filled.

KEY08

If your dipstick is showing a correct reading as you say, I would not add any of the oil back, either. I just checked mine and it really isn't that hard to see if the oil is within the limits. I could see if it was over filled, and the stick was all oil, it would be impossible to read.

imaphaetonguy

Never spoke to the SA. The Service Mgr. Is the person who returned my call and whose comments I shared with the Forum.

Arrie

If the service manager does that then you should report it to mbusa. This is pretty bad comments he makes.

beshannon

Yes mine is hard to read especially since the car is new and the oil almost clear.


I devised a workaround, take the dipstick and lay it flat on a paper towel and compare the mark to the stick.

OAG

Drain Plug is located on the SIDE of the oil pan NOT the bottom. Kind of hard to know for sure it was actually emptied. BTW I DIY my oil changes with a MityVac and it is easy to measure the amount taken out and therefore the amount to put back (with a slight increase for the filter removal content). My E350 MY 2010 uses 7.5 quarts on each oil change (with new filter).

mleskovar

It's still at the lowest point to drain. They have to design in a sump drain because some locations don't have access to a pump. Both methods are just as effective if done correctly but the pump can't be beat for convenience.


Your model (4M) takes 8.5 quarts when empty. Maybe your MityVac isn't getting all of it out A quart of oil shy out of 8.5 won't hurt anything but it certainly won't help....especially when it starts using/burning oil.

OAG

As I mentioned a slight increase in the amount removed by the MityVac (to compensate for the oil retained in the old filter; which is replaced with a new one at each oil change). My manual states my MY10 engine oil capacity is 8 quarts - which appears to me to be true after 5 years. BTW I am pleasantly surprised that this engine does not (has not) burn oil (premium gas is another story however).

RSIKR

E350 V6 totally empty holds 8.0 liters = 8.45 US quarts

akafudge

Shame there is no digital readout on the W212/S212 and you have to resort to this method which, I have followed as I have a 3k mile S212 with clear'ish oil also.

Q, I am correct in thinking there is no digital readout we can get to?