+1

Are you +1ing to the first, second, or both parts of his response?

The most current recommendation for the M156 engine is 5W-40 per 229.51. The 0W-40 Walmart oil meets the older, but still valid 229.5 MB spec.

Regards,

Joe

Cheers

My SA has always maintained that any tech in his store's service dept will be terminated if they are caught using a topsider. Now I don't know if that's true or not but obviously they want the job done right. It's as easy telling your SA how it should be done and having him/her confirm it. Otherwise there is NO reason whatsoever to take your car to a dealer for an oil change...one dealer oil change more than pays for a topsider.

Not that hard to drain properly. Plus with using GOOD oil no need to change but every 5-6k. (That's 9+months for me) just changed mine over to same I use in my race engines, Motul 300v 5/40 and oil temps have dropped. Love Motul!

I've changing oil in my boat since the '60's with an extractor, much easier than hauling the engine out of the hull. No gunk or deposits.

Mercedes has proved that there are no ill effects using extraction. In the world of electronic oil level measuring the only reason for the sump tube to remain is to use extraction. There is no difference between extraction and gravity in terms of what you remove. If there is thick gunk on the bottom of your sump it will not fall out because you removed the plug. You need to remove the pan and scrape it out. If you want to crawl about on the ground to drain the oil feel free, but no crying about the oil dripping on the garage floor, OK?

If you remove the plug you risk a leak unless you change the plug. Synthetic oils sneak out of conventional class B threads quite easily. The class A thread used is designed to have a slight interference fit. This is supplemented by a micro-encapsulated sealant on the plug. Both are impaired when removing the plug.

When you change the oil by either technique, about a quart remains behind in the engine. You are practicing a process in the chemical industry know as "replenishment" and since synthetic oils don't really wear out, you are replacing the additive package that does become depleted. The dilution by the oil is well understood by the engineers and incorporated into the design, otherwise flushing solvents would be necessary at every oil change.

Boutique oils are not higher-end, simply higher priced. As long as you use the specified sheet for your car, and the correct viscosity per Sheet 229.5 you will be fine. Sheet 229.51 by the way is for diesel cars, and should not be used in gasoline engines per Mercedes. There are hundreds of stories by users how great some oil products are, but none of them have a "secret formula" that performs better than Mobil 1 0W-40 in mass spectrometer tests of the used oil.

This document is for WEU (Western European Union) only.

Always consult the owners manual for exact recommendations.

Your info on the 229.51 is wrong. This has been well discussed. 229.51 is the latest recommendation for our engines, with 229.5 still acceptable as well.

Regards,

Joe

Check out the wear inhibitors in the 229.51 5W-40
Much less than the 229.5 0W-40.

That is why I run the 0W-40. As does the ADA.

As for oil change methods, a post on the PL states extraction is not recommended.

The EPA upper limit for ZDDP is 900/800 for oils that meet the 229.51 standard, IIRC, a level insufficient to prevent certain types of engine wear. The M156 was designed and engineered in what, 2005? It was not designed for use with low-SAPS oils. Engineering a catalytic converter to meet federal 100k mile warranty requirements?...I think that should be MB's problem, not mine.

Have you seen this from Mercedes?

"As a precautionary measure and in an effort to better protect Mercedes-Benz engines from the potential long term effects of the increased use of ethanol., DCAG has decided to differentiate the engine oils that are used for Gasoline and Diesel engines.


As such, Mercedes-Benz 229.5 0W40 engine oil must be used for all gasoline engines including AMG. Mercedes-Benz recommends the use of Mobil 1 0W40 for all gasoline engines including AMG, with the exception of the SLR. 0W40 engine oil is more effective in resisting the possible corrosive effects of acidic moisture that can be caused by the increased use of ethanol. The SLR requires specification 229.3, Mobil 1 5W50 oil. To maintain the integrity of the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF), specification 229.51 must be used for Diesel engines."

Has Mercedes changed their mind again?

Bull****.

Hand start all plugs , avoid strip out. MB mandates of always replace plugs is more MB hogwash. Buy a whole box of Harbor Frieight copper washers for a few bucks. If ID is not quite right open it carefully in a vise with a rat file. These copper washers used to cost 50c to $1.00 each. Make sure the seating surface of the washer is perfect. In a pinch anneal the old compressed , hardened copper washer with a torch and reuse it. Reuse the tapered pipe thread plugs on the diff. Make sure they are clean. Be careful of the torque converter plug . I made a new washer for it out of the HF .

The biker dude and others are correct. Removing the under cover and drain plug is a 15 min task. The real chore is hoisting the 4000 lb beastie up if you only have jack stands. For you newbies...believe us that nothing flows faster than a lot of the rubbish from MB regarding maintenance.

Confirmed QUADCAMMER today at WalMart: 5 qt jugs on sale at $22.98 plus tax. The jug label on the back duplicates the 1 qt 0-40W label. Both cite the 229.5X (and one other). Go figure. Exxon is not a welfare agency. Either a glut or someone's hurting them at the check out stand. Go snap 'em up. They are not diesel oil.

Edit: Norb , tfhatch13 is right about the dealer.