vistapoints

Hi all,

So my car just hit 13K miles. I was calling around local dealership service centers, all of them charge $250.

Then I remembered there was an independent MB service shop near my house, so I decided to check it out.

The owner was very nice, very passionate about MB and the services his shop offers. The shop has been established over 15 years, and his crew is all Mercedes trained/certified.

He STRONGLY advices that there is no way for synthetic oil to last 13,000 miles, and that the oil should be changed once every 7,500 at the least. He showed me some oil filter / gummy deposits from other MBs that used the manufacturer's service schedule.

He also maintains that his shop is old-school, and emphasize on preventive care/maintenance that would give the car a better chance to last 200k+ miles. The guy came off genuine and really cared about his work.

Motivation for revenue/profit aside, do you think his suggestion hold any merit?


Thanks.
JT

Flame3g

i don't know these cars are newer and the oil is mobil one so i would stick to the mb service schedule but its your car i couldn't hurt changing it every 7500 mile but why id you don't have to i think it depends on how hard you drive you car......the harder you drive the the more oil changes you wold have to do. just my input

AkaSigFreak

It has always concerned me. My service advisor then reminded me that the car IS a V6 running 8 quarts of Mobil 1 Full Synthetic. I just hit 9k and think I'll change the oil at 10k to be safe.

AsianML

MBs in Europe (mostly taxis) are running intervals twice as long as the ones we have here from what I've heard about people that live over there.

RickP330

I just hit 9500 and had it done. I was checking it pretty regularly and it still looked remarkably clean on the dipstick. I was old school too, changing every 2K prior to that, but this sythentic oil is just unbelievable. 13K is proably fine...
RP

atmun

My dealer said for the new '09 C300s will have changes at 10,000 instead. No idea why they are lowering it so all you '08 owners should consider that.

from what I understand, synthetic dosnt break up like regular oil. So all we have to worry about it dirt. MB has a new filter and oil debris moniter that extends the range, getting the most out of the oil. but i could be mistaken.

ColoradoDriver

I will be changing oil and filter every 5K at the dealership. I purchased "free" M1 oil and filter changes for every 5k/6 months of ownership. Probably not necessary, but then, neither is owning a Benz!

ohlord

fleece filter and mb spec oil syn and the same syn oil in commercial truck systems with dual filter systems last over 50k on an oil change.
follow the factory interval change the oil yourself it takes 20 minutes
filters at autohausaz.com
oil 0w40 mb spec mobil one $6 qt. at napa and even some walmarts.
The guy is old school to the point of changing your oil far more often then it needs to be.
5k miles the guy that is doing that is wasting his time,money,and will probably change his plugs sooner then 100k miles for no reason at all.
117000 miles on a E320 following mb spec fss intervals and have never had a gummy filter.
learn to diy under 60 bucks after you pick up the topsider suction unit the first time for about $40.
ohlord

mac911

Tests have shown repeatedly that this Mobil 1 or another good synthetic does better at 13,000 miles than regular oil at 3,000 mile interval.

Furthermore, it actually gets better beyond 4,000 miles than when it's new. There are videos and whatnot from the taxicab tests, where engines have gone 20,000 miles before oil change, and they look perfect.

The frequent oil changes is old school. It really is safe to go 13,000 miles with the oil today. In truth, you could even go longer, if not for the warranty requirements.

I had been concerned by it myself, but from what I had read, ther was really no cause for concern, and this oil is still doing a great job, when it is taken out at 13,000 miles.

chilledbenz

Heres a random tidbit..on the non turbo Porsche Cayenne's they did have a 36k mile oil service interval, that struck me as just pure crazy, even fore synthetic oil.

jrct9454

Well, two or three thoughts:

-10k, 13k....these are quite reasonable numbers for a small V6 that holds over 2 GALLONS of synthetic.

-Our local [Portland OR] dealer charged me $170 for our first Service A, without the tire rotation, since I do that myself. I'm floored by some of the prices that have been posted on this board. [This was at slightly less than 9k miles, but we are coming up on the one-year mark. Oil was remarkably clean on the dipstick - I wouldn't have hesitated to go the full distance but for the calendar requirement.]

-Unless something's changed, I think the 911 uses a dry-sump system, again with an enormous quantity of oil compared with the size of the engine.

It's time for mechanics and everyone else to get on board - it is just not necessary to be dumping the oil in these engines at 5k or 7.5k or whatever arbitrary number is in somebody's head.

Carsy

We all notice how a new engine becomes looser & frees up giving better performance & fuel economy during the run in period. I suggest that this is so because it is "wearing in" ie removing the tight spots on pistons ,cylinders , valve stems & bearings. Where does this material go ? Into the oil then picked up by the oil filter. I think that an early oil change when the engine is new is probably more important than changing oil before the schedule later on in its life.

nyca

They lowered the interval on the 09s to 10K miles? Strange.

jrct9454

I'd wait for that to be confirmed. I'm skeptical. The 13k number is actually a rounded 20,000kms, which is a perfectly reasonable target for all of the reasons previously stated.

AsianML

If the oil filter is doing its job, then the "particles" would be in the filter, not the oil, right?

alpinweiss

Modern synthetic oil has gotten so good, that it will go for extended mileages without breaking down.

What has not changed, is that oil still gets dirty over time and miles. I live in an area that is dry, dusty, and sandy. I therefore still change my oil every 5000 miles.

Disclaimer: my engine only holds 6 quarts, and it is supercharged.

Carsy

If the filter removed all the particles in the oil why does the oil change colour?. Diesel engines have in the past , because of higher concentrations of fuel & carbon , have their oil changed more frequently compared with gasoline engines. I changed the oil after 5700 km & it was a black as a 'witches tit' ie fuel & burnt carbon. I have full confidence that the oil has not broken down but it does hold impurities which will ,I consider increase the engine wear.As another has said on this forum , it is like religion , you will never change some peoples mind on whether or not to change more frequently . Do what you feel is right for your particular circumstance & don't come the response that it is wasteful. Especially from owners of V 6's John , marine diesel engineer.

ohlord

dry, dusty, and sandy. I therefore still change my oil every 5000 miles.???????
If you had a problem with that replace your air filter or check it more often.A clean filter is not going to let dust nor sand in ,and what does Dry have to do with it?
I live in a fairly rainy area does that mean it lubricates my engine better and I can go longer then the normal 10-11k mile FSS oil change intervals?
ohlord
to our diesel engineer if the diesel engine had filthy oil at 5700Km and had been properly maintained it either had a problem or it needed a new engineer.
Were talking about a 2008 engine here guys,it is not rocket science
Plenty of v6 and v8 engines m112,m113 and others running on FSS intervals of 10-13k miles and fleece filter with no issues and over 170k miles

"GOT CODES?"

jstaneff

I'm suspicious that the color change to black may be a heat-induced chemical change and NOT an indicator of the oil carrying any impurities.

Carsy

For those interested in engine oils.
www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html