Oil



Unless you want to sludge up your engine, Mobil 1 0W-40 is the only readily available oil in North America that meets Mercedes Sheet 229.5. Check the bottle, it must say that it meets "Mercedes 229.5" or you should put it back.
Computers in auto parts stores say 10W-30 is the oil for Mercedes C class cars, but that information is wrong.
When changing the oil, you also need to replace the filter with a fleece (polyester) filter. Don't use a paper filter that is the same dimension.
Resist the urge to shimmy under the car and remove the sump plug. You will not get any more oil out than if you suck it out through the dipstick tube as directed by the factory. If you do remove the plug, you'll need a new plug and special copper sealing ring. You can always spot these people. They have spots on the pavement under their car because the old plug did not seal properly, and the tiny synthetic oil molecules sneak out.



What sets Sheet 229.5 oils apart from other full synthetics is that the additive package contains about 50% more material to allow the 13,000mi/1 yr change interval wiithout depleting the additives below useful levels.
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Great Mike! - I don't have the energy to repeat myself tonight. Anyone interested please read this thread. Probably some of my better input to this forum in the early days. If you have any questions after this I will gladly try and answer them
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...e-vs-time.html
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Unless you want to sludge up your engine, Mobil 1 0W-40 is the only readily available oil in North America that meets Mercedes Sheet 229.5. Check the bottle, it must say that it meets "Mercedes 229.5" or you should put it back.
Computers in auto parts stores say 10W-30 is the oil for Mercedes C class cars, but that information is wrong.
When changing the oil, you also need to replace the filter with a fleece (polyester) filter. Don't use a paper filter that is the same dimension.
Not all stores carry the 0W-40, and they will try to convince you that all Mobil 1 is equivalent. This is NOT correct. You may have to do a bit of searching.
Elf and Total also make oils that will meet MB 229.5. These are European oils, and are more difficult to find in the US.
I over-maintain my car, and change the oil and filter every 5000 miles.
Great Mike! - I don't have the energy to repeat myself tonight. Anyone interested please read this thread. Probably some of my better input to this forum in the early days. If you have any questions after this I will gladly try and answer them
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...e-vs-time.html


As to your comment of the oil sump requiring you to replace your plug, you are incorrect! I have changed my oil since day one, and have never replaced the plug! I have no oil leaks either. as for the crush washer, this is not "special" and available anywhere, even your neighborhood auto zone.
I have always used Amsoil synthetic lubricants which DO meet Mercedes specs on oil.
Last edited by levelr123g; Dec 8, 2008 at 08:06 PM.



As to your comment of the oil sump requiring you to replace your plug, you are incorrect! I have changed my oil since day one, and have never replaced the plug! I have no oil leaks either. as for the crush washer, this is not "special" and available anywhere, even your neighborhood auto zone.
I have always used Amsoil synthetic lubricants which DO meet Mercedes specs on oil.
Let's take a look at how wrong I am. Mercedes uses drain plugs that are "microencapsulated" and Mercedes publishes service information stating it cannot be reused because it might leak. Some cars have a divided sump that makes extraction impossible, but none of them are C class. The sealing washers are made to Mercedes specification to work properly with the torque specified for the plug.
You must be lucky, your Autozone stocks Mercedes parts! Wurth does supply OEM hardware to shops and stores, and no doubt some Autozone stores cater more to shops than the public in areas where they face little competition.
Now let's look at Amsoil. It is a good product, even if it is sold like Amway or Mary Kay Cosmetics. One of the guys in my locomotive operating club (we run real trains for fun) is an Amsoil seller. He came to me all out of breath one day about Amsoil "European" formula being approved for Mercedes-Benz cars.
http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/afl.aspx
Yup, there it is! Approved for MB Sheet 229.51. Neato. But wait, my car uses Sheet 229.5. because it uses gasoline. Sheet 229.51 is only for Diesel engines according to Mercedes. Darn it, lost my chance to pay double per quart for repackaged Penzoil. (Amsoil is a tiny company in the oil patch, at 38 million in sales. They purchase their products by the carload from refiners.)
In review,
Drain plugs are microencapsulated and cannot be reused.
MB Sheet 229.5 for gasoline engines (all NAFTA C class cars) has no approved Amsoil.
MB Sheet 229.51 for diesel engines has approved Amsoil.
Last edited by moonrkr23; Dec 9, 2008 at 02:07 AM. Reason: typo



New synthetic motor oil has a very long shelf life.
Once you put it in a crankcase and start the engine it mixes with the residual oil and the products of combustion. The products of combustion exposure starts the clock, and the depletion of the additives begins. The oil should be changed at the end of one year.
When new car are delivered from the factory the one year clock is started. If the car sits in new inventory for several months the first owner will get a service A message less than a year after purchase. The oil should be changed at that point.



First off, microencapsulted has nothing to do with steel drain plugs, and Im sure that you cannot explain it!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-encapsulation
Second, the copper crush washer is nothing "special" for mercedes benz. You simply buy a washer that fits your plug size "PERIOD". Nothing more, nothing less. Its just like my Toyota, and my Saturn, and the Acura I used to have. Nothing different here!
As for Amsoil, I am also a dealer, and have been for 10 plus years. As for Amway, or Mary Kay, what are you talking about? You to can buy amsoil from their website. As for repackaged Penzoil, NOT. Do your homework prior to posting information which is not factual.
I would like to see a TSB which states that you cannot reuse your drain plug.
I use Royal Purple too. Both Oils are great RP mobil1 and Amsoil



To make cars lighter many aluminum components are used. Aluminum is resistent to corrosion by its nature, however, galvanic action between the aluminum and steel or galvanized parts can lead to severe corrosion.
There are any number of chemical solutions to provide an effective barrier between the dissimilar metals and microencapsulation is the technique used to carry a plastic sealing material to the point of use in Mercedes cars. This is used on the oil drain plug, on brake caliper bolts, and suspension fasteners. The process places the sealant inside wee tiny little ***** (microscopic in nature.) The wee tiny ***** protect the sealant from contamination until use. When the fastener is installed, the wee tiny ***** are crushed releasing the sealant. The torque specification must be carefully measured to ensure the wee tiny ***** are properly crushed to release the sealant.
Microencapsulation has many uses, from the International Space Station to Scratch-N-Sniff perfume advertisments in magazines.


With several hundred copper alloys available and numerous washer type specifications available from ANSI and DIN, "anything that fits" is hardly the road one should take when maintaining machinery.


