jcfay

Is it for stupid tire rotation? The '14 car was new as of 6 months ago, and according the service manual the first service should be the 10K oil change. Plus I've got aftermarket staggered wheels that can't be rotated. I can't recall what the message is (could be "service A due"), but I'm mystified. Should I just reset this thing and then go in at 10K? Thx

Roswell

It is a bit early, but normal as the car computer will show this message every 365 days regardless of the mileage. My guess is the last time your light was reset was a year ago.

On a side note, they recommend you to flush your first oil at 1K km which I did... so if you are at 5k miles on the initial oil, I would flush it for the first time to get rid of some metal debris that might be in your oil.

Wobble64

I got mine at around 5,800 miles. It did not say 'Service Due in x miles', but 'Service due in x days'. I guessed it was due to time - i.e. the car had been in transit/inventory for a while before I got it.


I received it in March. It is probably close to a year now that it came off the production line and the service indicator calculates both mileage and elapsed time, then calls out the need for service when the first of both criteria is hit. I will observe the interval between the first and second and see whether my theory gets confirmed or disproven......

Roswell

^^ trust me your theory is correct... with 12k km on my odometers after 4.5 years of ownership, my car computer never forgets to remind me to service my car every 365 days. LOL

jcfay

Thanks, that makes sense I guess it's been a year since someone reset the service indicator. Regarding the 1K service, there is nothing in the service manual about this. The 1st that shows is at 2K for those with LSD (which I don't have) - I'm wondering if they did away with this? By flush you mean full oil/filter replacement, right? Thx

Edit: missed the other posts while I was writing. Guess I'm due for full service A then. Looks like it's time for me to get a vac pump, filters, etc.!

Roswell

The 1K oil change is not in the manual, it's only for precaution & recommended for AMG cars.

Yes, only oil & filter change for 1K & A service.

Wobble64

Roswell, great - I got at least one thing right today it appears. But you really need to post less and get out driving your C63 more! :-)

odonnks

This is the first time I heard of a oil chance at 1K.
My dealer never said a thing about this.

When you say its recommended, by who ?
Thanks !

jcfay

Ditto

SaphGreyC63

I believe the 1K oil change is more of a personal preference. It is not in the dealer manual but my dealer had me come in to change the oil and the differential oil as well (the differential one is in the manual). (also I have 3 year maintenance so didn't cost me anything)

Alot of people will tell you to change at 1K because the engine is still new so there may be a considerable amount of metal shavings coming off from the engine so that's why.

JimmyR

1K oil change would be a recommendation by a service manager keen to hit his monthly revenue target

Spdrcrj

Wonder why these cars need an annual service. It's not like they're a Ferrari or Lamborghini. I would think the mileage timed service would be sufficient. Probably answering my own question but, probably something to do with revenue like Jimmy said.

jcfay

That's what I'm thinking. I've got just over 5K miles on the clock, and because it's over 1 year since the clock was started, even though the oil is probably in pretty darn good shape it's going to continue to bug the hell out of me nagging me to change the oil. I honestly don't think engine oil is probably all that susceptible to aging (it's not like it's cooking oil and is going rancid).

Roswell

^^ this. 1k km oil change is to everyone's discretion. I did it for peace of mind cuz it was indeed recommended by my dealership. Money grabber? Most likely, but I didn't want to cheap out on ~200$ as I purchased the car (not leased) & I always keep my cars for 10-15 years.

In fact I had 5 oil changed in 4 years of ownership & within 12k km.. Overkill? Maybe but lately I get my oil changes for a great deal @ my friend Indy shop. I no longer go to the dealership since I found this option 2 years ago.

Mort

Annual oil drains are recommended due to the ability of the additives in the oil to fight acid that will damage internal components, especially aluminum. The combustion process creates acids and some of them find their way past the rings into the sump. The oil has a starting base number (TBN - Total Base Number) that is designed to neutralize the acid that finds its way into the sump during combustion. Over time this number is diminished and the oils ability to neutralize acids is reduced and the potential for internal engine damage increases. This is major factor in the recommendation for annual oil changes. Another reason is that the oil will shear and lose its viscosity rating in the process. Both good reasons to change the oil on an annual basis.

As an example I did my first oil change at one year and 6499 Km (~4100 m) and the factory fill M1 oil sheared from a 0W40 to a 0W30. Also wear in metal levels were a bit high. The TAN (Total Acid Number) outran the TBN (Total Base Number) and its ability was reduced below zero as acids built up. The factory fill M1 was done and needed to be changed now and not run further to the 15000 kilometer (10000 mile) factory service interval.

Here is a copy of the oil analysis that was done at the time.

Wobble64

Great post, Mort!!


I start seeing the same pattern throughout the forum: There are lots of posts with guesses, speculation, opinions, emotions, etc. They keep going with dozens of equally unhelpful add-ons.


Then there are others, with a factual, well researched answer, and wham: The thread is dead. Many times not even a thank you. Strange really.


Well done, Mort! :-)

jcfay

Nice, thanks Mort. Just curious - why did you do the oil analysis? Do you do these routinely or just because you're a chemist/chemical engineer (guessing here...), and after the first oil change to see what it looked like? Your explanation makes sense - I'm wondering what my oil looks like at 1 year and 5400 miles? I'm certainly going to change it, but I'd be surprised if the TBN would decrease over time even if the engine isn't being run, right? If there is no combustion there is no acid generated hence the alkalinity of the oil shouldn't fall, right? Or is there also degradation independent of combustion over time?

Thanks again - ordered my filter yesterday and will change it before putting it away for the winter :-(

Mort

I started doing used oil analysis when I put a turbo on my 2003 1500HD Silverado in 2007. I wanted to monitor for engine wear, the effects of my tune on combustion, the condition of the oil and oil life. I do UOA on all my vehicles to monitor the oil and increase my understanding of oil life and engine protection. I am not a chemist, just an auto enthusiast.

If the factory fill in your C63 is similar to mine the TAN is > TBN and the oils ability to fight acid wear is depleted. The longer the oil sits in the sump, in this condition, the longer the acid has to wear at the engine internals even if no further acid is produced from combustion. Mind you at a decreasing rate. I don't think the TBN will reduce further without being run. I generally let mine sit until the year is up and change it in the spring, just before putting it back on the road after the winter. This year I think I will change it up and do it this fall as the registration just lapsed and it is off the road. That way it will have fresh oil in the sump sitting over the winter and my year cycle will advance from the spring to the fall.