Which engine oil should I be using? The dealer recommended Quaker State 5W-40 for my car.

 

What does your manual recommend?

I have a C240 and Mobil 1 0w40 is recommended, however some substitutes are listed as well.

Crack that baby open and see what Mercedes Benz recommends!

 

...is too long to repeat here, and should be part of your owner's book package [a separate publication from the manual, like the warranty book].

In general, any synthetic with a viscosity range from 0-30 all the way to 5-50 is OK; there are 5/30s, 10/40s, 10/30s, 5/50s, etc ad nauseum on the list. As long as it's synthetic and meets the latest specs, there should be no issues.

 

Look in the book for MB's recommendations. It depends on what temperatures you will be driving in. Since you are in Canada, some people's recommendations may not be for you. You probably always run in colder temps than the 2 people that have already posted. The book will tell you what oils to use for different temp ranges.

 

You should be running mobil 1 no matter what. And i dont see why 0W-40 wont work up there, Benz hasnt used anything but mobill 1 since MY 2000.

 

http://www.whnet.com/4x4/oil.html

It has a complete list of recommended oils for USA and rest of world, for engines with FSS and without FSS as well as diesel engines.

It should be noted that all MBs with FSS should use oils that meet at a minimum the MB 229.1 specifications. For those newer models with the second generation FSS+ (e.g. new E-class W211), the oils must meet at least MB 229.3 or MB 229.5 specifications. For W203 C-class, MB 229.1 is ok. You will find a long list of recommended oils through the link (though some are not available in North America).

A note on Mobil 1: yes, it is the factory fill oil for all AMG cars, and is one of the best synthetic oils on the market (they use Polyalphaolefin (PAO), the true synthetic base stock). However, please note that MB 229.1, 229.3 or 229.5 specifications also imply ACEA (Association des Constructeurs Européens d'Automobiles, the European counterpart of US's API) A2 or A3 classification compliance. Among the Mobil 1 oils, ONLY the 15W50 and 0W40 meet ACEA A2/A3 classifications and are on the MB 229.1 list (0W40 is the only Mobil 1 oil that meets MB 229.3 and MB 229.5 specs). So if you choose Mobil 1, your choice is down to 15W50 or 0W40.

Arguably, 0W40 is more suitable for Canadian climate. The fact is, mainsteam stores do NOT carry Mobil 1 0W40. Not in Canadian Tire, not in War-Mart. I used Mobil 1 15W50 (and a block heater in winter), and have searched all workshops in Toronto for a year but to no avail (includng posting on this board three times). Until recently I saw MB dealers carry 0W40 for their new E-class. When I asked the parts department they said they order direct from MB Canada, and they charge 33% more than other Mobil 1 grades sold at Canadian Tire. Then I called Imperial Oil and I finally found the 0W40 grade available at NOCO Canada, a wholesaler of industrial lubricants. Big Sheesh, I suggest you call Imperial Oil and see if any retailer / wholesaler carries 0W40 in Vancouver. I know Autozone in US carries 0W40 so you may cross border to get it.

For me, I'll switch to Mobil 1 0W40 after I use up my 15W50 stock.

 

....use synthetics other than Mobil1. My choice for the past 10 years in all our cars has been Castrol Syntec 5/50, which is on the approved MB list.

There is a lot of voodoo and urban legend surrounding the whole question of motor oil. If MB says it's OK to use in the car, it should be OK...period. And their list, as I said before, is too long to quote here verbatim. Refer to your owner's books or talk to the dealer or call the hotline.

Mobil1's main advantage is that they spend more on marketing than the rest of the industry combined...I'm unimpressed. Nothing wrong with their stuff, but it is not the end-all-be-all that is implied in one of the posts above.

 

I finally found a auto store that sells the Mobil 1 0W 40. I was surprised to see it. The manager told me they had a tremendous number of customers looking for it so they made arraignments to start stocking the product. I am quite happy because the 4.99 price at Autozone beat the dealers 8.00. I am sure if the AutoZones in my area can get it, other areas can order it if they don't already stock it. Just for your information, before I was able to get the Mobil 1, I was using the Vavoline 5w 40. I was told by a technician at the 1800 number for Mobil that the 40 weight is the most important factor. 0w 30 will not cut it. That is why the 15w 50 is also listed since it meets the requirments on the heavy end. I however will not use the 15w; I just feel it is too heavy, and I am sure it will steal some power with the exrta thickness. I feel as long as I keep it filled and clean I will be fine. I change between the FSS and use the dipstick because I don't know how much variance is in the computer. I would not know what to do without a dipstick. I really don't know what MB is thinking getting rid of dipsticks in their cars.
On a final note, at 3,000 miles. my FSS kept telling me I was a quart low; however, after adding only 1/8 of a quart the dipstick was up to the full line. Needless to say, the car had a faulty oil sender. I asked the service tech what would have happened if I would have just followed the FSS an added a quart. He laughed and told me I probably would have had a new motor. He also stated that even the techs complain about the lack of a dipstick. To think a parth that would probably cost less than ten dollars coould save an engine worth several thousand. Finally, when my car was in to have the sender replaced--of course it had to be ordered from the father land and it took three weeks--I had the pleasure to drive a new C240. I took the car down to Florida form NJ. I am kind of **** when it comes to checking the oil on long trips like that, and even though it was a loaner, I still like to take care of what is in my possession. It drove me nuts not having a dipstick. I just didn't feel comfortable leaving it in the hands of the computer. Hell I can't even get through a Windows session without some sort of error. In my opinion not the best idea MB ever had. I guess they don't want all the high paying customers getting his or her hands dirty. Enough of that. Just remember Autozone for the Mobil 1.

Regards,
John Cappuccilli
'02 C230