babyboxer1

I just attempted my first oil change on my 2008 c350 (3.5l V6) and I'm a little confused. I bought two 4.4L jugs of Mobil 1 0W40 oil and after about 6 liters of oil, the dipstick appeared to show that I'm just over the full line. I made sure to remove 0.8L litres before starting, so that I could safely just empty both of the jugs I bought.

The owner's manual indicates 8.5 quarts or 8 liters, so I'm confused as to why I'm reading just above full on the dipstick after about only 6 liters. I'm not only concerned about only putting in 6 liters, but the fact that it also reads just above full about halfway up to the plastic top of the dipstick.

To get the old oil out, I siphoned the oil out and I'm confident it all came out because the new oil on the dipstick is so clear it's a little hard to read. I used a TopSider and I ran it through about 10 times to make sure there was as little oil as possible left. I even checked the dipstick after my last siphon and it came back dry.

I know what I'm asking is vague and probably a rookie mistake, but I tend to be quite handy, it's just that it's my first time doing the oil on my C350. Thank you in advance for any help on this.

babyboxer1

I did notice this while browsing another thread, can anyone confirm? I do own a 4MATIC model...

"RWD cars take around 8.5 qt. 4Matics take about 7.5 qt"

lrutt

My guess is you didn't get all of it siphoned out, which I can understand using that method. I always pull the drain plug on my C300 and drain completely. 9 qts and mine is right friggin up to the full mark after the oil filter takes it's share.

so do you have a 4matic?

TheRulesLawyer

FWIW you can actually get more oil out with an extractor. You don't have the bolt lip to worry about. That's assuming you're using it correctly of course.

babyboxer1

Thanks for your replies. Yes, it's 4MATIC C350. I've been reading some other threads where they mention that the 4MATIC capacity is less than a RWD model, so that might be it.

This is my first time doing this myself. The reason being, oil changes are $220 here in Quebec, Canada and my service A or B have been costing a minimum of $1000 a year, and that's while the car was under warranty.

I did siphon the oil using a TopSider I bought on Amazon. Now I'm a little embarassed, because I ran it once using the instructions, blindly added in 8 liters of oil and when I checked the dipstick, I had very dark oil and the indicator was about 2 inches after the end of the plastic end on my dipstick. I clearly didn't get a lot of it out the first time around, and having poured in 8 liters of oil into the engine, I had no choice but to buy new oil. This time, I spent over an hour re-siphoning the oil out of the engine. I would wait for the suction to stop, empty the TopSider into a pan and start over.

I feel confident that all of the oil was removed the second time around. The dipstick returned dry before I added the second round of oil, and when I checked the oil level after I added the new oil, it was completely clear. I took it for a 15 minute drive, and took a look at the oil level again and the oil was still clear as new.

I just can't seem to find a consistent number for the oil capacity on this vehicle. But I guess above all, the dipstick indicator should be king?

C300Sport

You got it, the dipstick is King. Depending on the angle of the car and drain down time, the suction or drain plug method can always leave a little more or less each time. Always fill slowly until you get it right to the full mark.