Questions

The 'check oil at next refueling' message came up, so I went to the auto parts store to pick up some Mobil 1. Went to check the oil weight I would be buying, and came upon a whole mess of information, none of which resulted in a clear verdict between Mobil 1 0W40 and 5W40. The 229.5 spec says 0W40, but then in the AMG private lounge they said that a TSB was put out in 2008 recommending 5W40 for future use. The 229.51 spec and Mobil 1 ESP just adds to the confusion.

a little BACKSTORY: I bought my car early this year, and was very aware of the oil temps in the AMG dash display menu. After an oil change, I noticed that the temps would rise much more easily, even in calm driving. I also saw temps I had never seen in ~4K miles. I wonder if my car came from the factory with 5W40 and was refilled with 0W40 at oil change time.
With the high temp 40 rating of these oils being the same, it seems there should be no difference in running temps, but...there has to be some explanation. Maybe it's some other aspect of the oil change. Anyway.

So I need to top off the car. As far as what's in the car, I do know that the oil change invoice listed the oil as Q-1-09-0015. A quick google search shows this is 0W40 Mobil 1, though I don't know how accurate that information is.
Can anyone verify what Q-1-09-0015 is?

I unfortunately don't trust dealers, they've repeatedly proven themselves to be careless, ignorant, and lazy. For all I know, they entered the oil as the previously recommended Q-1-09-0015 0W40 but actually filled it with something else. As far as the invoice goes, I also wonder why they haven't followed the TSB for 5W40, if the TSB is actually a legitimate document.

And once and for all, do we have a final verdict on 0W40 vs. 5W40?

BerBer63

not again.....use either one it doesn't matter

bushburninc63

This, I did my research and posted a thread about this long ago. I been using the 5w-40 ESP M formulation though to fill her up, since they used that to change my oil at the dealership.

iatacs19

HAHA this will never end. I use 0W-40 as per the manual and spec 229.5

The confusion arises from Mobil1's oil markings. They seem to have 2 types of 5W-40, ESP and non-ESP. The non-ESP is compliant with spec 229.5, while the ESP is only compliant to the spec 229.51. To be on the safe side I have only been using 0W-40 since it's compliant with the correct 229.5 spec.

0W-40 (229.5)
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...l_1_0W-40.aspx

5W-40 (229.51)
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...a_M_5W-40.aspx

5W-40 (229.5)
Mobil 1 Formula M 5W-40 (non-ESP)

nonsns3

iatacs is a dork

exdes

0w-40 European Car Formula or 5W-40 Formula M (229.5)
But latter is hard to find, so I used 0w-40

Per Mobil website, the 5w-40 ESP Formula M (229.51) is designed for diesel engines..

MB_Forever

The 5W-40 is designed for diesels; in the manual, it states (in more than one place) that the regular 5W-40 is not approved for any AMG vehicle.

However, the 5W-40 ESP Formula M is indeed recommended by AMG for the 63 engines. All other engines are to use 0W-40 except for SLR.

If the dealership keeps giving you trouble about this, then the easiest way to avoid further confusion (and hassles) is to buy the oil on your own and take it to the dealership and tell them to use that specific oil.

bhamg

My info on the M1 5w-40 ESP formula all comes from the "experts" on the BITOG forum, but I have read pretty much what there is to on this oil...the consensus (which includes a VOA) seems to be that it is an excellent oil which achieves a very high level of performance through the use of high-quality base stocks and not via the usual additive packages...hence its cat-friendly status. The one downside is that it starts with a lower TBN (≈8?) instead of the usual 12-13, so it is not quite as suited for long drain intervals as say the M1 0w-40. My guess is that the low TBN would only come into play for those who go the full 10k and who do lots of short duration winter driving. Personally, I am having the 10k change done at the dealer and using a topsider to pull it out at 5k OCI's myself. I have sent in my first sample for a UOA and will do a few more to make sure but unless I see something I don't like I will definitely continue to use this oil.