axhoaxho

Greetings,

My wife's brand new 2006 C230SS (2.5L V6, 6-speed) just have about 6,000 miles on it. Tonight when we were driving the car home, I heard a "beep" from the dashboard, and then a warning message says "Check Engine Oil At Next Gas Station" displayed on the dashboard display.

It seems a little odd considering the car has only 6000 miles on it...

Hmmm, does anyone know what oil type (e.g. 0W40, 0W30, 5W30, etc.) I need to add to the car (I live in San Francisco Bay Area, California)?

Also, how serious is this warning? Is it something I can drive twenty miles to the dealer to check, or something urgent that I should add oil before even starting the engine again?

Please shed some light, thanks a million.
With best regards,
- Alex.

axhoaxho

Oops, sorry for the typo in the Title of my original message. It should be "6,000 miles" instead of "600K miles".

Update: I just went to the car and check the oil-stick in the engine bay. The oil level was at MAX, so there was plenty of oil inside the engine. I then restarted the car, and to my surprised the "Check Oil Level At Next Gas Station" warning message was gone!

Hmmm....

With best regards,
- Alex.

Vivid

Take it to Satan... I mean the dealer.

guhvies

I think 5W30 Mobil1 synthetic. Should be in the hand book.

Chedeng_05

I had the same thing happened on my car and i just ignored it. It's just one of your typical MB computer circuit going .

I took it to the dealer after 2 months to get my service A done and told the mechanic about that message and he said that there was no oil leak in the car and that the oil was not low at all.

although i would check where you park your car for oil leaks. Last year when i only had about 9k on mine, i notice some oil leaks in my parking garage and sure enough there was a faulty sealant that was causing it.

good luck

alpinweiss

Better to use the 0W-40 Mobil 1 synthetic. That meets the MB 229.5 specification required by Mercedes. It also meets specifications for Porsche and most other German cars.

ctC230K

new engines burn some oil while they're being broken in. it's normal. put oil in if it needs it.

axhoaxho

Thanks everyone for the responses.

After I checked the dip-stick and the warning message was gone, the car has been behaving normally today. I didn't see any oil-spot on the floor, and the dip-stick read MAX...

Well... I guess I will just keep driving the car and keep a quart of 0W-40 in the trunk, until Service A is due or the warning message appears again...

Thanks again, with best regards,
- Alex.

Moviela

I am curious what dip-stick you are looking at. Most cars have an electronic sensor that is read in the instrument cluster. There is no long wire you pull out of the engine like in days of yore.

Alpinweiss is correct Mobil 1 0W-40 is the only easy to find oil in the US that meets Mercedes specification sheet. Other Mobil 1 oils do not meet the specification for exended oil change interval.

Modern Mercedes engines are made using a planar honing process that renders the block "broken in" at assembly. No break in oil is installed, nor would it be of any use. Rings and cylinders will be properly seated the first time the engine is started.

Your car might have an issue with the oil level sending unit, or the wiring between it and the computer that monitors the sensor. I would bring this to the attention of the dealer.

MB Fanatic

Only use Mobil 1 0W-40 in current Mercedes engines.

axhoaxho

I am looking at the good old fashion engnie bay oil dip-stick (I did read the owner's manaul on the instructions of checking oil using the dip-stick)...

I know what electronic sensor in the instrument cluster that you mentioned. I have a Boxster S and it has a digitial guage in the instructment cluster to show the level of oil in the engine. However, I couldn't find something like that in my wife's 2006 2.5L-V6 C230SS... Is there one that I am not aware of?

Many thanks,

ctC230K

hmm.. are you sure you didn't check a different dipstick? on my car, a 2005 C230 it does not have a dipstick in the engine bay to check the engine oil. it is all done through the instrument cluster. so to paraphrase, I think you have it completely backwards. but YMMV.

axhoaxho

Mine is a 2006 2.5L-V6. It does have a engine-oil dip-stick in the engine bay (per the owner's manual, with pictures), but no oil-level-display in the instrument cluster (may be MB removed the function in the 2.5L-V6?)

With best regards,

ctC230K

wow, looks like mbusa is backpedaling. thats funny. maybe they have included a dipstick now because they adapted the engine from another mercedes V6?

tattdawg

My 2006 C280 has a dipstick, too, while my old c240 didn't.

IllusionX

My 2006 c230 doesn't have a dipstick =[ anyone know how to check it in the dash, my car didn't come with the manual.. bleh.

MbzC230K

If you scroll through the odometer menus page and there should be an option on that page to check engine your level. Note: make sure you parked on a level street, garage, driveway AND your car is not cold.

SBCT

If it is reading "max" then maybe the warning triggered because there was too much oil in there? My 2005 c230 sport does the same beep but says "add 1 qt. at next service station" when my oil level drops below where it should be.

Now from what you said it appears there are some differences between 2005's and 2006's but I would assume yours would tell you to add like mine does if it is low. Since it just says to check it then maybe that means there was too much oil in it. Just a guess......

skittles

im confused...............

so some 203's came with a dipstick and some they just don't feel like putting them on? is it part of some DIY package? lol!

before i read this thread i was pretty sure that all 203's don't have an engine oil dipstick.. and probably the newer c-class and other classes.. can one of the guru's here please answer...

Milkm4n

my o6 w203 2.5 HAS a dipstick and i can go to dyno mode and check the computer for the oil level as well

MbzC230K

I'm no guru, but MB was in it's "retarded" phase in regards to the dipstick. My 03 doesn't have a dipstick but they added it back in on some of the later M.Y.'s and then they changed their minds again...perhaps it's a cost issue? lol. having a dip makes it faster to check the oil level instead of waiting 5 mins for the computer to give you a reading. haha

ambit

Once in awhile very hard cornering will trigger the "add 1 qt oil" error on mine but it goes away on next start.

tommy

Yes, it was orginally on the 01s and 02s, then disappeared when they decontented the car. I didn't know that they had added it back as a "feature" later in the generation's life, but that's good to know.

To get exact oil amount, you can go into dyno mode. Or there's a "dealer's tool", ie, a dipstick that you can get as well. AFAIK, there's still the dipstick tube and cap on all models, but I could be wrong on that.

W203E35

I wouldn't ignore the warning. Check for leaks if you have none fill up a quart and continue driving. The message comes below 1 quart loss. All cars burn oil and depending on how you drive that distinguishes the amount it burnt. If you are getting this message every 1k - 2k that's when something is wrong.

bdgdl08

They completely discontinued the computer dipstick in '07. The one in the engine bay was just another cost-cutting technique. I prefer the dipstick, as I know alot of people do. As far at what type of oil, check your service booklet! You should add whatever oil was put in the car last by the dealer (or whoever did it). My dealership has put Mobile1 5w40 into my C and my CLK for the past 6 or so (or more) years. You don't have to put in the same brand (as long as it's synthetic), but the same type of oil should definitely be used.