Glyn M Ruck

Tru - this makes sense. When the oil is nearing it's end the VI improver in a multigrade gets chopped up and the oil returns to a viscosity close to that of the base fluid & even with a high VI PAO this can lead to some oil consumption.

W203E35

I got the same problem. And I changed my oil last month. Is there something seriously wrong with my car? It's probably burning oil right? I added half a qt and it seems fine now. Is this normal or do I have a serious issue here?

Thanks

johnand

OK, here are a couple of things:

1st, to answer Glyn's question, the M272 equipped W203's have a oil level sensor AND a dipstick. According to the local stealerships lead tech, the sensor on these cars is just a "dumb" sensor, and just senses low oil level condition and can't read actual level. It at a point where it detects oil level low at ~1.5 quarts below max level.

2nd, These cars are VERY sensitive to the car being PERFECTLY level when checking the level. My garage is fairly level. When doing alignments, I only need ~1/8 spacer on the front side of the garage to get the car perfectly level, But, when I check the oil level when pulled in straight, then when backed in (Opposite directions), the oil level on the dipstick is DRASTICALLY different. One way shows over 1/2 quart overfilled, and the other shows over 1/2 quart below max.

3rd, I suspect the dipstick it not quite right for these cars. When my car was delivered to the dealership from the assembly plant in Germany, the dipstick showed ~1+ quarts overfilled. And I have done all my own oil changes and even did the test of the "drain vs. suction" and there is not a drop of oil left when I change the oil, but I can still only get 7-7.5 quarts of oil in the car until the dipstick reads max. That is 1-1.5 quarts less than the fill capacity of 8.5 quarts.

4th, I have had the "Check oil level at next gas station" message several times after an oil change before getting the level to the max. And all of those times the oil level read 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up from the LOW.

5th, My 07 C230 does not burn any oil between 10K oil changes using Mobil 1 0W-40, and I don't baby mine at all, but don't drive quite as aggressive as Karo.

LILBENZ230

I had wondered about the 06-07 cars having oil level sensors. I wonder what made them stop being able to measure the level, like mine can? Thanks for clearing it up, John.

Doesn't sound like you have a problem Karo, just an annoyance.

W203E35

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your help. ^^ You are lucky you have the digital level indicator. I agree on the dipstick part, the dipstick is horrible. One moment it says it's normal the next moment it only has oil on the tip.

Glyn M Ruck

Thanks John - I did not know dipstick cars had a low oil "dumb" sensor. It makes good sense. I'm not delighted to hear the calibration issues. Why can't they get the dipstick correct. They won't be the first manufacturer to ship cars with the wrong dipstick. My mom had an Austin 1800 "Land Crab" many years back which she loved . The thing drank oil from new. Dad complained & Leyland said - Oh crap - your car has the wrong dipstick & is hopelessly overfilled. Changed the dipstick & corrected the level - never used another drop. Mother's likes moved on to a Chrysler Valiant & then an Alfa. She liked variety - I can't imagine 3 more different cars

Alan B

Hey Now,

[QUOTE=splinter;3559296]MB’s contention is that consumption in excess of .8 liter per 1000 kilometers is cause for concern – and only then justification for warrantable repairs."

I have a 2002 C320, 109K miles, that is driven under normal conditions. We use Mobil 1 and change oil at 7K intervals. Around the 4 to 6K mile mark, I receive routine promptings to add oil. I usually pour in 1/4 to 1/2 quart,then drive until the next prompting. During the most recent 7K mile interval, I have added 2 quarts.

Based on what you people (who are far more knowledgeable that I am) say, my vehicle's oil consumption is well within normal operating standards. Should I dismiss my worries or is this cause for concern? Since the prompt to add oil arrives late in the mileage interval, does this prove the theory that degraded oil wears out or burns quicker? Is there anything I s/do or can do to prevent such oil consumption?

Thanks,
Al

mleskovar

How much oil do you put in at a change (capacity = 8.5 quarts)? Do you change the filter at the same interval? Have you gone into dyno mode and checked actual oil level after a fill and when it prompts to add? Spoon feeding it oil a bit at a time just makes the light come on sooner and makes it always run less than full. My understanding is the "Add Oil" message comes on when you are two quarts down from max.


Don't worry, be happy. Yes that's a lot of oil to be using but if it's actually burning/using oil (as opposed to leaking it) the alternatives are expensive.

Actually, the normal change interval for Mobile 1 in your car is 13K miles and testing has shown it can go much longer.

Check for leaks. If there are no leaks and the motor is actually consuming the oil the only thing you can do is find the source and repair it....or keep adding oil when needed.

W203E35

"That's what she said"

Alan B

Ok...following up on this matter:
* My Indy garage just did my oil change and put in eight (8) quarts of Mobil 1 5w/30 and a new MB oil filter kit, at a cost of $121. They recommend changing oil/filter every 7k miles.
* I tried going into the dyno mode, but no luck.
* I only add oil when the light prompts me to do so. At that time, I add (a/k/a "spoon feed" for some of you) anywhere b/n 1/4 and 1/2 quart. When I start the car up later, the malfunction has disappeared from the screen.
* I have never observed any oil leaks, nor does the exhaust show signs of oil burning.

I see from you knowledgeable folks that the oil capacity is 8.5 quarts, yet my Indy adds 8 quarts for an oil change service. Why would they do this? Should I just add 1/2 quart now to keep it at full capacity? Why or why not?
It seems that MB's do tend to use an acceptable amount of oil for every so many miles. Does anyone have hard facts on this?


Thanks again for everyone's assistance.

LILBENZ230

Capacity is 8.5. Also, it makes no difference what your indy recommends. The place I go to "recommends" 3500. Waste of time.

Since you have pre-facelift, I'm not entirely sure the exact procedure for your car. But search the forum and possibly youtube for a demonstration. You'll get it. Then you can see the real level.

You may be adding just enough to get the light to go off but not enough to reach max level. It's normal for a car to use a little oil so this might explain the regular warnings.

* I have never observed any oil leaks, nor does the exhaust show signs of oil burning.

I'm not sure. Mine adds what I tell them to. I keep a close eye on them and perhaps you need to do the same.

Don't add anything until you can get the dyno mode to work and check it when the engine has been sitting a bit. I think oil usage that is acceptable to MB is 1L per 1000km, if I am remembering right. If I'm wrong someone please correct this! I've never experienced oil usage anywhere close to this, though.

mleskovar

Capacity = 8.5 quarts, not debatable Your Indy probably doesn't want 1/2 quart of oil left over. He should just charge you for 9 and give you the remainder for use at next oil change. MB fleece filter will easily go 13K Miles, waste of money changing it sooner.


1. Start with key removed.
2. Insert key and turn to position 1 (first detent)
3. Press 'Page Down' button on steering wheel (lower right button on the left side of the wheel) to select any MFD display other than trip odometer or it will reset the mileage.
4. Press and hold trip odometer reset button until you hear a beep...takes a while. You may see changes in the MFD but hold reset button until beep.
5. Press 'Page Down' once
6. You'll see a screen with numbers etc. and oil level values will be dashes
7. Turn key to position 2 and wait for it to measure the oil.

If this procedure doesn't work for you then where do you get stuck? Also, my car show 7.8 quarts when I fill with 8.5 qts. (some in the filter).

All you are doing is raising the oil level just above the point it trips the "add" message. Your engine oil is still below optimum level and it will trip the light again as soon as you get to that magic point. But....without using dyno mode or a measurement stick (available, STFF) you can't be sure how much to add.

If you trust the person who changed it yes. But the only way to know for sure is to measure the level. A dip stick can be purchased (it's considered a tool).

"Acceptable" amount of oil usage per MB is ridiculously high. No sane person would accept their number as OK. It would have you adding more than 20 quarts between changes and still be "acceptable". It varies car to car but after 100K miles my car used no oil. Now at 162K miles it's down a quart when I change it at 13K miles. Very little weeping from a couple seals and gaskets, not enough to even bother correcting, and no smoke.

Oops...just noticed I said the same thing LILBENZ230 did

LILBENZ230

I'll take that as a compliment!

Glyn M Ruck

As long as the vehicle is not smoking just fix leaks & drive it. MB for years has considered oil consumption at 1% of fuel consumption to be the condemning limit. That's high!

Alan B

Thanks Guys!

mleskovar

Yes!

LightDragon

Guyz its the oil u are using, try switching to Kendall GT1 and every problem will be eliminated

LILBENZ230

No you must use an oil that meets MB 229.5 approval. I am not sure if the oil you mentioned meets that but if not don't use it. The oil I and several of us use here is mobil 1 0w-40 euro car formula. Fully synthetic of course

LightDragon

Kendall GT1 meets all the standards of the the mb and even exceeds the most required matt, go for high performance blend, it rocks believe me...

W203E35

I should have taken the car to the dealer before acting, they would have saved me the headache. When I got this message couple of months ago I added some oil. Well last night I got this message again so I said I will check my oil tomorrow morning. Car needs to sit 30 min before checking the oil (coming home at 3:00 AM I couldn't wait 30 min lol) Just now I went to check the oil level.

I don't know if you guys recall when my neighbor got into my wireless network and I hacked his computer and got WIS/EPC?

Well that same neighbor was walking his dog. He said what's wrong and I told him. He said "Don't worry" "our cars don't have a capability to read engine oil and it's just there for you to check JUST IN CASE"

Bottom line is the oil message doesn't really mean the oil is low. What it means is just to be safe check the oil level.

Case Closed.

I'm glad I hadn't damaged anything by adding a half quart of oil.

P.S. He has a ML350

W203E35

Above is false. F my neighbor.


This message isn't a courtesy reminder to check your engine oil level. You got this message because you engine oil level is low.

If you constantly get this message (after adding a quart) then something is wrong.

On the dipstick it should be between MIN and MAX. Mine was MIN and the manual said between MIN and MAX the difference is 2.1 qts.

This is what I am stuck with. Luckily I have warranty still.

jivko2886

Hi Guys,

I know this post is quite old, but I'm in a pretty much the same situation.
I have a 2005 CLS 350 and I keep getting "add 1 litre engine oil when next refueling" warning on the dash. I got an oil leak from the oil cooler next to the oil filter, but wasn't a major one. Chnaged the seals and it's all good now, but still getting this message. I've added around 2,5 liters for 13k km(~8.1k miles).

@Karo - what was the cause for the oil leak? Did the oil consumption stop after fixing the leak?

I use Fuchs TITAN Supersyn LONGLIFE 5W-40 which is a 229.5 spec oil.
I'm planing to change the oil with Mobil 1 New Life 0W-40 although Mobil has a pretty bad reputation here in Bulgaria as it is imported from Turkey(or God knows where else ).

I don't have balance shaft issues, or at least don't have the relted errors P0016 nad P0017. Actually I don't have any other errors in the ECU. No other leaks are observed.
The local mechanics want to open the engine to check what's going on but I wouldn't like to take this step.

Any comment would be much appreciated.

Cheers!

Ocampo111

Guys I need your help, I notice today i have a small leak in my 2006 c230 sport. I think it is coming from the oil cooler or oil housing because it drips on my serpentine belt. There is a chance i could be the the gasket located inside? Please help