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My grandson has asked me about using synthetic oil in the 190E 2.6. The car has been serviced with conventional oil since new and has about 130,000km on the engine and uses very little oil between changes so my feeling is that synthetic oil is just an added expense that serves no purpose that cannot be filled with good old Castrol GTX 15/40. In winter oil was changed to a lighter viscosity as recommended by the owner manual but not synthetic. This car has always been garaged and the engine has rarely needed to be started in the cold which can reach as low as -40C but will now be kept outside so I wonder whether or not synthetic might be a good idea. I have heard that synthetic oil might result in oil leaks at gaskets but others say this is not true. What are your experiences with synthetic oil and reommendations to pass on to the lad?
190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
I would agree. It is better to change the oil more frequently and not use synthetic. Synthetic was tried on my car at around 150K miles and I saw no advantage of it.
It did not create leaks but why risk it? BTW, the dealership switched to diesel oil 15-40 when the car was younger. I have also ran diesel oil a few times but for my engine it cleans it "too much" and causes increased oil consumption in my opinion, so I switched back to conventional oil going forward.
Thanks for the replies. My concern is about cold weather starts. At -30 or now rarely -40C oil becomes very thick like molasses and batteries lose much of their energy. My husband installed engine block heaters and electric battery blankets on our cars but this winter the grandson does not have a electrical outlet at his school to keep the engine warm so I just thought synthetic oil in a light viscosity might be a solution.
190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
I forgot about the arctic temps you are dealing with Laura. I understand synthetic oils flow better in colder temps and keep their viscosity for longer periods because conventional oils loose their viscosity improving additives quicker. Perhaps more research into the matter is a good idea. Like I said, synthetic was tried in my engine a few times and it does not leak oil at all at >200K miles. But it used regular conventional oil or diesel conventional oil for most of those miles.
Lauras you could go semi synthetic like Castrol Magnatec 10W40 i have 2.6 M103 the W124 with the same engine . But you would need to check on recomended oil for your colder climate . .
No reason why you can't use MB 229.5 5W40 especially since it will flow better when cold and have better all round protection .
What MB spec are you using 22...... ?
Not sure why you say synthetic oil is expensive , over here it's fine , sometimes a supermarket bargain when the manager falls over and bangs his head .
I would only use a name brand oil like Mobil or Castrol. My thinking is that 5w40would be a good compromise. I think the 0w20 etc. would be too thin. Consiering the crazy heat we have been experiencing this fall maybe winters won't be so severe as was the norm. Castrol Edge is on sale and the label says it meets BMW and Mercedes specs. Not that it would matter in an engine of this vintage. I just don't want to see the kid stranded.
It's not worth the extra expense Laura. My engineer father was manager of aviation technical service world-wide for Mobil and knew very well the man who originally developed the Mobil 1 synthetic oil. I was always taught that you want to start a brand new car with synthetic oil because much of the engine wear takes place in the early mileages. Starting to use synthetic on a car with over 100,000 KMs or miles won't really do much more at that point to help alleviate the engine wear so it's not worth the additional expense. My W201 has had Mobil 1 in it since it was brand new and that's the only oil I've ever used or will ever use. My car runs like a champ with the Mobil 1 with no issues.
Another recommendation for staying with the Castrol oil that you're currently using. Here is sunny California, most of us are using Castrol GTX 20W-50. I ran Mobil 1 15-50 in my car for a couple yrs and it definitely leaked more. It got to the point where on road trips, I would have to add oil halfway.
Switched back to 20W-50 and the leaks are much less.
Now my R129 always runs Mobil 1 0-40w European car formula.
I have used 20/50GTX in my BMW 635CSi which was purely a summer car. If you have ever seen 20/50 flow at -30 you would easily understand why it is not used in winter. I can get a 5w20 but my feeling is that when the engine warms the viscosity will be too thin hence my feelings about the synthetic 5w40. I have on occasion started the car with 10w40 at -30 but the engine turned over very slowly and clattered for a few seconds until oil got flowing. Probably not good. No convention oil that I see has a viscosity thread that broad. You SoCal guys have it good in some ways (although I wouldn't want to live there).
Laura, I think your best bet is to stick with the oil that's recommended in your owner's manual. I would think that that recommendation takes into consideration the harsh Canadian winters. Using synthetic oil in a car with alot of miles already on it is a waste of $$$.
All those years of cutting edges research and millions of miles driven and millions of dollars spent developing it.......of course your old dyno engine will protect your beautifully well engineered Merc engine just as well as a fully synthetic! Maybe its a US thing.....but here you will hardly find any running anything worse than a semi syth.....mostly fully syth. Its more expensive (but not much if you hunt the deals) for a reason. No new cars recommend dyno oil....for a good reason.
Laura, I think your best bet is to stick with the oil that's recommended in your owner's manual. I would think that that recommendation takes into consideration the harsh Canadian winters. Using synthetic oil in a car with alot of miles already on it is a waste of $$$.
190Efan, I have used the manual recommendations since new but I don't think synthetics were available in 1990. Perhaps if they were Mercedes would have recommended them. You are probably right that conventional oil will be fine but for a few dollars more it might be worth trying Castrol Edge 5w40 this winter given that cold starts without a block warmer will be the norm.
I have used Rotella T 15/40 in my 90 190E 2.6. Until now. Here in s/w Ontario you can't buy Rotella T 15w/40 anywhere. Every place I've asked has said it has been on back order for about 15 months. Not sure why? Covid? I'm thinking I'll have to switch to Castrol GTX 15w/40.
190Efan, I have used the manual recommendations since new but I don't think synthetics were available in 1990. Perhaps if they were Mercedes would have recommended them. You are probably right that conventional oil will be fine but for a few dollars more it might be worth trying Castrol Edge 5w40 this winter given that cold starts without a block warmer will be the norm.
So sorry for my tardy response. Mobil 1 synthetic oil has been around since the mid 1970s. I stand by the recommendations of the man who originally developed Mobil 1 as well as the recommendations of my engineer father. If people want to waste their money, so be it.
So sorry for my tardy response. Mobil 1 synthetic oil has been around since the mid 1970s. I stand by the recommendations of the man who originally developed Mobil 1 as well as the recommendations of my engineer father. If people want to waste their money, so be it.
I did pay to have my grandson put 5W40 Castrol Edge in the 190E. The temperatures didn't go very often below -30 but we sure had a lot of snow and still do with about 1 metre of the white stuff still in my yard. The car had no trouble starting and my grandson reports that the engine always started instantly regardless of the cold and runs quiet with no valve train noise at start up. I found a local source for the quite expensive German made Liqui-Moly 15W40 recomended by MercedesSource so may buy my grandson some of that that once spring temperatures arrive if ever. Maybe throwing money away as mentioned but at my age I can't spend it all anyway. The car will almost undoubtedly outlast me.
I did pay to have my grandson put 5W40 Castrol Edge in the 190E. The temperatures didn't go very often below -30 but we sure had a lot of snow and still do with about 1 metre of the white stuff still in my yard. The car had no trouble starting and my grandson reports that the engine always started instantly regardless of the cold and runs quiet with no valve train noise at start up. I found a local source for the quite expensive German made Liqui-Moly 15W40 recomended by MercedesSource so may buy my grandson some of that that once spring temperatures arrive if ever. Maybe throwing money away as mentioned but at my age I can't spend it all anyway. The car will almost undoubtedly outlast me.
If you want to spend more on oil than you really need to and despite industry expert advice to the contrary, go right ahead. My motto is knowledge is power. I try to pass on my knowledge to help others.
If you want to spend more on oil than you really need to and despite industry expert advice to the contrary, go right ahead. My motto is knowledge is power. I try to pass on my knowledge to help others.
190Efan, I do appreciate your advice and that of your engineer father vis a vis oil. Is your father able to become a member and give us first hand advice or has he regrettably passed away? He seems to have imparted a great deal of his professional knowledge to you in any event and you must be proud of his achievements.
However unless YOU have ever started and operated a vehicle at -30 or even lower you will possibly not appreciate the benefits of using a synthetic oil in those temperatures as my grandson and I have learned from this past winters experience. The 190E at extreme temperatures starts more quickly and, unlike with conventional oil, does not exhibit some valve train noise until pressure builds or so he reports. The 5W40 Castrol synthetic oil seems to build pressure and flows to the upper engine components more quickly than conventional oil. I am sold on the idea for winter use at least. I will always use synthetic oil from now on as a winter engine lubricant in my cars and even in the 1954 Dodge PowerWagon plow truck.
Knowledge comes from many sources and not always from the academic world. I don't wish to argue the point any longer. You have your opinion and I have mine. Enough said and thank you for offering yours. Money is not a concern.
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