pirlouit21

What's the recommended mileage for the first oil change after breaking in period ?
Thanks.

Glyn M Ruck

As per the Assyst service indicator setting for your market severity. Do not change the oil to a 229.51 in your case early. You can retard the break-in of the engine if you do which can lead to oil consumption above normal later in the vehicle's life. Listen to Benz.

mikbar2

According to our salesperson the assist will come on at app. 10,000 miles and/or 1 year depending on driving conditions. One reason they recommend Mobil One syn. only.

Glyn M Ruck

We are talking about a diesel here.

mikbar2

Sorry about that. By the way, that beach is beautiful.

Glyn M Ruck

Thanks Bud. Yeah, we love it!

jkyriakou

Service indicator for Aus cars is 12 months or 25,000 km which is a VERY LONG time in oil standards.

Incidentally just checked my oil level out of curiosity and the engine seems way overfilled. Is this normal? Does anyone else have it overfilled?

Oil seems particularly thin too.

Leslielp

I had the check oil come on about a week ago. It was a bit low so I only added 1/3 Litre of 0W30 which seem to be the right amount and the warning went away.


Synth light weight oil is always very clear in appearance

Glyn M Ruck

Just fine for a modern diesel with adequate sump capacity. Some markets have 30K Km's changes for diesel.

jkyriakou

What about a petrol? Higher piston temps means almost guaranteed carbon deposits and I know of no oil that can last that long without oxidizing and reducing protection.

mikbar2

Smell the oil. If it has a diesel odor you could have a leaking injector.

vic viper

There are no problems, the new fully synthetic oils with 229.5 classification are by far better than any older part or full mineral.
I want to bet that Mercedes are on top of this, they would actually benefit from shorter service intervals so I am pretty confident that they are well calculated.

Glyn M Ruck

Stick to the Assyst once again. Benz service interval is conservative. I've looked at thousands of used oil samples & they were all fine.

It is even more crucial that you don't change the running in oil early on petrol/gasoline cars. Benz uses MOS2 coated rings in Alusil bores. This regime is difficult to achieve full break in. 229.5 oils can retard break in badly & leave you with an oil burner. So don't change the oil early & don't over baby the engine during break in as long as temperature remains stable & does not climb above normal. Avoid constant throttle for long periods during break in.

notabenex

I am receiving new C250 petrol in one month.

Could you tell me whats best for the new car? Especially engine. THANKS

Glyn M Ruck

Best what? Driving style for new engine? As above. Don't make high demands of the engine before it has fully warmed up & clearances have normalised. Drive off immediately after start. This warms the engine more quickly. As above. drive noramally. Don't use full rev range & don't lug the engine either.

notabenex

Thanks.. How many kilometers should I do before i enter redline first time?

Glyn M Ruck

At 1000Km you can do bursts at full throttle & at 1500 red line it. Watch the temp gauge. If you still have a tight engine the temp will rise.

jkyriakou

Every run in I have done has been a hard run in. Manufacturers don't favour this as it can lead to excessive damage if there's something wrong with the engine. The benefit is you get a better piston seal.

Remember all cylinders have honing marks when manufactured. These wear down on the first 1000klms and allow for a tighter clearance between rings and cylinders. If you don't wear these down quickly and evenly, you will allow the gasses to bypass Pistons which means less power.

Over the last 8 cars I've had, this has never let me down.

Hard run in is varying engine speed, putting 80% load on the engine and revving higher loaded. No free reving, no lugging and no babying. Drive it like you stole it.

Glyn M Ruck

The Benz regime is different. On a properly run in engine you will still have honing marks on the alusil at 150,000Km's. You need these to hold oil & properly lubricate the thrust side of the piston skirt. Benz rings have a slight chamfer which is designed to wear off & provide greater area of bore contact after break in. Most properly run in Benz engines will consume zero oil worth talking about between services.

I agree don't over baby the things but severe use in the first 2000 Km's will adversely effect engine longevity. You risk premature cam & tappent wear, the most highly loaded part of the engine & piston thrust side scuffing.

These are not Holden 3.8 litre V6 lumps or Ford 4 litre inline 6's that dominate the Aus market. Both hopelessly old tech engines.

Carsy

Just for information , my 646 diesel was run in conservatively through the lower rev range with varying loads on the freeway. I also changed the run in oil at 6000 km/7 months because I believed that there has to be wear material at that mileage . I did not know that there was run in oil until told my SA friend :-).

The car has now done 90,000 km , & there is no discernible oil usage between 10,000km changes/approx. 11months . So I have been lucky.

It is now over 4 years since the 3 year warranty period ended & touch wood , I have not had one single issue with the car. Just oil & filters ,oil & filters . It is coming up to its second auto gearbox drain & filter at 100,000 km.(5 speed box).

One comment, both my rear tyres wear on the inside , settings are correct. It is put down to predominantly freeway driving & sedate cornering. We have moved to 2 1/2 acres in town so it will be interesting to see whether a lot of roundabout use changes the wear pattern.

Glyn a couple of maintenance questions , the car is close to its half life for us ie 7.5 years old & say 100,000 km.

The coolant is supposed to last 15 years , will it ?

When do you suggest changing the diff oil if at all ?

All the best,

JC

Glyn M Ruck

JC ~ the coolant can go 15 years with the silica gel sachet in one of your tanks (placed there at assembly) to top up silicates.

As long as it remains clear & bright you are fine. If you ever notice any corrosion by-products causing discolouration of the coolant then change immediately.

Carsy

Thanks Glyn.

benzw205

This is an interesting post thank you.

My idea is that Benz just like any cheater make has no interest that you keep your car as you can, so better change more often than they tell you in the manual.

Am I totally wrong ?

Thanks again.

mtyson227

I would disagree. They would not want a reputation of engines having pre-mature deaths/problems. They want a reputation of reliability so when you tire of your current, well-running Benz, you'll want another. With that logic, it would make sense that they give shorter maintenance intervals, which is why I trust the 10,000 mile/1 year US interval.

notabenex

So I have 10000miles on my petrol C250+Brabus.
Many thousands in constant speed over 120mph on highway.
I would like to change oil. What do you recommend