So, despite the MB hype, I bought 10w-30 Valvoline Synthetic
from Kragen for a buck a quart on sale, (partsamerica.com ) and used it. I know many would say, it must be 229.3 approved (or better).

I figured, c'mon, we're not talking crappy oil here, and if I don't wait till 13K miles or something it should be fine...right? Or not.
I ran it for 9300 miles.
In that time, I only needed to add one quart,
compared with 3 quarts for mobil 0w-40. (0 weight is great if you plan on spending the winter in Alaska, but not needed in California)

I wondered if I'd screwed up...could a non-approved Synthetic oil from a major manufacturer actually damage, or fail to protect the engine?

So, I sent it out to Blackstone Labs to get it tested.

And guess what....they said it was just fine...better than fine!


Oh, and BTW, they don't have any oil on sale right now for a buck.
Comes up about once a year.
I'm now running 5w-30 Pennzoil Platinum. Also not approved...hmmmm...
I get my Mann oil filters online for 7 bucks....thats $14 +tax + shipping for an "A" service.... less than $20 total.



For those having trouble reading it it says: (Note the averages are from 5800 miles and I'm at 9300. I did mention to them the oil I used wasn't approved)

"You will be happy to know that the Valvoline did just fine, so feel free to stick with it. We don't know what all goes into the regulation of an oil and how much testing is involved is getting an oil rated by a manufacturer, but these numbers don't lie and they show an engine that is in good health and the oil was a big part of that. In fact, your engine is going better than most. Universal averages are based on an oil run only ~5,800 miles, and all wear read well within the normal range. The trace of fuel isn't a problem and low insolubles show good oil filtration."

Also, I've used the FSS mileages for the most part, haven't done the
early and frequent oil changes like many around here who refuse to believe that Mercedes can make a car that goes 10-15K miles between oil changes.
And now with 130K miles, they are saying I'm doing well.
Cool.

And for those wondering if the ASP pulley and additional power is causing undue wear, well...here's the proof.
It's not.

 

Interesting!

 

It may be fine or may not be, time will tell. There has to be a valid reason why they specify a certain standard, some cars have a slugging problem and if that happens then the engine can be cooked.

The extra $5 x 6 quarts is an insurance policy against your engine. Oil is not one of the variables that I would cheap out on, knowing the costs to replace/rebuild the unit.

If you can't afford the oil then don't drive a Benz is my motto

 

"...these numbers don't lie and they show an engine that is in good health and the oil was a big part of that. In fact, your engine is going better than most..."

Nice. Can't beat a report card like that.

 

I have used Blackstone for many years, and their service has saved tens of thousands in unneeded maintenence in my rolling stock and stationary equipment. They are good folks.

This single test is just a snapshot of what has occured while this oil was in the car. It does not show how much wear has occured in the engine, or if there had been a failure of the oil or it's additive package in the past. I don't think one oil change interval will sludge your engine, but continued use might have unintended consequences.

The thing that sets Mobil 1 0W-40 (and other sheet 229.5 lubricants) apart
from other oil, even other synthetics, is the additive package. This is the secret that allows the extended oil change interval. Coupled with the fleece (polyester) filter the system keeps the oil well filtered, and the increased additive package allows the fluid a longer life as there is more of the "consumable" portion of the lubricant in the bottle from the start.

What I see missing from the report is the TBN. The total base number is a relative measure of how much of the additive package is left in your used oil.

I invite you to compare the TBN of any oil you care to use against the TBN of any sheet 229.5 oil. You can use the ratio of the two to estimate how much faster the addive package will be consumed in oil with the lesser TBN.

One other observation is that you have used a different viscosity rated oil. This can interfere with your fuel consumption, albeit only slightly, no one is giving me free gas.

Thanks for sharing your report.

 

This comes as no surprise - it's a one off and no trend has been established. Just a base line. Meaningful differences will only be noticed at high mileage and relative engine condition at that mileage should you run the approved oil.

The benchmark oils used in the typical findings are obviously mainly Mobil 1 because you can see that all the additive components in the oil are higher than in the Valvoline and Mobil use a Molybdenum high temperature anti oxidant - hence it's presence in the typicals shown.

Here's the rub - in normal operating conditions you would probably get the same sort of results out of a petroleum based lubricant of good quality. Where the difference comes is in abnormal operating conditions such as the engine operating abnormally hot for a period of time for ambient or whatever reason. Or the engine is exposed to an abnormal number of cold starts - or driven really hard or whatever. This is when the differences between the approved product and some other, off the shelf stuff will show. Yes obtaining MB approval is expensive but I would not use a product that does not have it.

The largest differences between oils will show themselves under conditions of high temperature - high shear in the cam & tappet/follower area. I'm not saying you will necessarily suffer catastrophic failure but your engine will become noisier & life will be curtailed due to wear.

Think of running an approved synthetic lubricant as an insurance policy. It gives you a safety net when your engine operates in less than ideal conditions. Premium approved oils exceed the OEM requirement. Cheaper ones might only meet those specs if that.

See my commentary elsewhere on the forum

One sample does not mean anything - you have created a base line.The results are very good for the period under consideration but that's all. The oil is fit for further use.

Yes Blackstone is a highly reputable organisation

I'm not punting Mobil 1 - I use my heritage company's approved synthetic engine oil.

 

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies so far.
It's not that I can't afford the better oil, just that it was too good a deal to pass up.

I figured I'd change every 7K miles vs. FSS typically allowing about 13K.
In any case, if there had been undue wear it would have showed up in the iron content, or other trace metals, one would think.
And BTW, the M111 doesn't have a fleece filter available.

As I am running a pulley most definitely the engine runs hotter, and I do drive it hard from time to time around the local mountain roads.
I didn't put an extra 7K of mods just to look at it.
Though I certainly enjoy doing that as well.

As far 10w-30, I didn't notice any mileage loss, though I've read that 20w-50 results in being slower and lower mileage even though some are approved.

 

True true.
Of course I'd been running Mobil 1 most of the engine's life.
Just 2 oil changes so far that are not.

 

If you are going to change every 7K then use what you like but it somewhat defeats the object. Just don't change the filter - it works better slightly clogged. Especially paper element filters because the media is more difficult to control pore size.

Higher viscosity & non friction modified oils increase fuel consumption. Mainly over the first 10 miles from a cold start.

 

Your a smart guy and you know this is really unwise to try and save a few $$$ by trying to show you are smarter then MB engineering staff

 

You got cajones. I don't know that I would do that.

At 212k miles I don't think I will start.

Ed

 

This is a very old thread from 2008.

 

WOW, GLK350 takes 9 qt's of Mobil 1 0w40 with a oil change. That is impressive