sdcaclint

i just went to the dealer to purchase an oil filter for my coupe. i know the fss says wait until 10,000 miles, but i just can't. well there are a couple of reasons. the first is when i left the dealer at delivery, i leased. three days later i decided to buy my car. so in those first 3 days i wasn't exactly kind to the car. second it is just my opinion, that during breakin, there is a higher chance of metal getting into the oiling system. it isn't totally cheap, i would just feel better doing it this one time. the filter is $8.50, kinda pricey, but i don't know if anyone makes them aftermarket. does anyone know? i know that wal mart doesn't carry them. and does anyone have a recomendation for weight of oil? i know rtfm...

vadim

Doesn't make sense - worrying about metal particles possibly ruining your engine and at the same time trying to save a few $$ on an already cheap filter that is supposed to protect this expensive engine and prolong its life! Could never understand this kind of logic.

Buellwinkle

I know you live way down south but MB of Laguna Niguel charges $39 for a oil/filter change, it's in a mailer they sent out last week. I think that's cheaper than the parts to do it yourself. 8 qts. of Mobile 1 at Pep Boys is about $40. Personally I wouldn't do it but it's your car, do what make you feel right. I got my first oil change at 9,500 last week.

I bought an MR2 from a fanatic that not only changed his oil every 2,500 miles but every other oil change included a bottle of Slick 50. I got the car at 50k miles, followed the same oil change schedule until 75k miles when I sold it to a friend who also maintained it well. At 95k miles it spun a bearing. He replaced the bearing and put it back together and it happened again 100 miles later. The reason, clogged oil pasageways. What I got out of that was it didn't matter, the Slick 50 didn't help and changing twice as often didn't help. The reason you would change oil is because of contaminants and oil breakdown, the MB uses Mobil 1 which doesn't break down like natural oils and having 8 qts and a good filter keeps it pretty clean.

vadim

Ha.... Most likely it was Slick 50 that was the reason. Didn't you hear about lawsuits against many such snake oil sellers? They were eventually forced to pull their TV ads, at the very least. I also read numerous stories from credible sources about engines ruined by these additives.

sdcaclint

that is so funny, i have watched so many of those informercials, and i dont' recall any of them ever showing a test that proved it would make the car last longer. i have never used any of these products, but have often been tempted by their advertising.

Spyke

You forgot the smilies, because this HAS to be a joke.

sdcaclint

i guess i missed the punch line, enlighten me.

Buellwinkle

Check with Hoehn in Carlsbad, they advertise wholesale prices to the public in the back of autoweek. They can probably get you the real filter for a discount. I called them on the CD changer a while back and they wanted $550 vs the $700 or so that list price is.

sdcaclint

i have the genuing mb filter now, i bought it then. it was expensive for a filter, but it still was only $8.50. it wasn't worth shopping and driving to save a buck or two.

Spyke

Apparently my time around Italian bikes has warped my sense of reality then. To me $8.50 for a filter is downright cheap, and since it's only replaced every 10,000 miles. I mean dang, I spend that much on lunch most days.

Add that to stories here of people gladly spending $700 on a muffler...

I honestly thought you were joking!

mdp c230k

Slick 50 uses SOLID teflon particles that can build up and start clogging the oil galleries if over used as you did. The oil itself didn't break down to cause the problem, the PTFE did! If you must use a snake oil then use Zmax. Zmax is not a solid and has very small molecules to get in the nooks and crannies. The metals in modern engines are well matched and dont wear each other like they used to, so there are not a lot of metal particles in the oil to worry about either. If an early change makes you feel better, then do it, but you will be fine without it too.

SoCal240/6

Its tough to think that anyone who says they think that $8.50 for an oil filter is expensive, and asks whether they can get an aftermarket one at Walmart for cheaper (what, $6.50???), is being serious. Because it's so idiotic. I guess that's the punch line.

sdcaclint

ease up socal. it isn't that i am worried about about the 8.50, i was simply saying it was rather expensive for a cartrige filter. dude, why do you need to use that offensive language. i was just posting something i found out, if you don't like it or me, you don't have to respond.

Buellwinkle

I never used the snake oils myself, the guy I bought the MR2 from did and belived in Slick 50 like a religion. I believe in a decent quality natural oil like Valvoline, Castrol or Havoline. I like synthetic oils but never saw the advantage for the price paid. Since MB uses and recomends Mobile 1 I will stick with that, after all the price is right for the first 4 years and at $39/oil change I may even stick with it afterwards.

Are all the oils in the car synthetic (rear end, transmission, power steering)?

sdcaclint

that is a great question, i wonder? at $40.00 i may have to take a trip up north every 10,000 miles. it isn't all that far. and it will be an excuse to go for a cruise.