JimGnitecki

I have previously mentioned on the forum that in over 7200 kilometers(4464 miles), the oil level in my C63 remains pretty much exactly where it started after its pre-purchase oil change.

Yesterday,right on startup, i got a message saying (approximately,from memory) "Check oil at next fuel fill". So naturally, I was surprised. The message cleared when I hit "enter" on the steering wheel,and never returned, even after a couple more drive cycles yesterday.

This morning, after a 35 mile drive to warm the oil,and then to let it settle for a few minutes after ignition off, I checked it physically. It remains exactly where it has always been, which is at the top of the 2nd plastic clip on the dipstick. (i.e. the "full" point). It also continues to look very clean and transparent.

Note that the message presented itself after i had owned and driven the car about 4464 miles.

So, I am guessing that the message is a pre-programmed MB message to remind "non-enthusiast" owners that oil level and condition DOES need to be looked at at least every 4500 miles or so. Am I correct?

Jim G

I am Jeff

Nope, I've never seen that message before. It's definitely not a pre-programmed message.

JimmyR

I have had that message several times. Always seems to be when I getting close to a service being due. Doubt it is pre-programmed. More than likely you have used oil and that hard to pick up on the stupid dipstick with the bobbles and lines on it.

BLKROKT

No. It’s not. Move on

Jasonoff

A level sensor in the upper pan triggers the the notification message.

JimGnitecki

So, given the replies above, and my oil level being normal, WHY did I get the message??? And, why has it never repeated (at least so far after several more start cycles?

Note that it never said "low" oil. Just "check oil level".

Jim G

Alex.currie44

In 11 cars which use the same alarm system for low oil including 298000 km on my W124 E300 with the DOHC I6 I have never seen that message. I have read on other forums where people check the level and fail to reseat the dipstick so it stays in position. If it floats and momentarily causes exposure of the lower limit I suppose that could trigger it but I doubt that.
Chalk it up to the one of the mysterie s of Mercedes Benz ownership and move on. I suspect you check oil level regularly so it is inconsequential what the system does. If it came on and stayed on then the boys and MBN can take a look if the oil level is OK,

Celicasaur

I've had that message, funnily enough about 2 weeks after a service at MB. I checked it and it was fine. Soon after, I heard ticking from the top end. A litre of oil later and the message was gone, along with the ticking. I can only conclude that 1) the dealer didn't factor enough oil to get eaten by the filter and 2) i didn't check the oil well enough to realise that it was actually low. It happens.

NotABaller

I get the message when my oil is low. It's not preprogrammed.

JimGnitecki

Please clarify: Does the message wording say "LOW" oil or merely "CHECK" oil? There's a big difference.

Jim G

skratch77

Going on 3 years on my c63 and never got this message. I do my own oil changes also and don't reset anything on the dash either.

Could be a faulty sensor if the car has oil

NotABaller

it's not a "low oil" message. It's the same one you saw "check engine oil level at next refueling" or something. My engine oil was always low when this showed up.

JimGnitecki

Wow.Must have been a sensor glitch on mine for that one-time message.

Jim G

Diabolis

Jim - I am assuming you are reading the dipstick correctly, but just in case - the full point is at the topmost orange blob, which is the third one counting from the bottom. The bottom orange blob is not a marker - it's just there to guide the dipstick into the tube easier. If you are at the top of the second orange blob on the dipstick, you are in fact too low by at least a liter. Look at the the attached photo for the actual markers... are you between the MIN and MAX marks on the attached pic?

JimGnitecki

Ah!! You correctly diagnosed the situation.I was indeed misunderstanding the dipstick. My oil level is in fact just above the middle marker which you describe as the "minimum" marker.It was pretty much there right after the pre-purchase oil change and has not changed - at least to the precision level of my eyesight-since I bought the car! So,I guess that is where the MB dealership had filled it to. I guess it has in fact finally after 4500 miles(!!) dropped JUST enough to have activated the low oil level sensor. I guess I cannot complain.I wonder why MB made the dipstick so much longer than necessary?

Should I just add a quart of Mobil1? Which viscosity for my climate? (Vancouver Island, winter lows rarely below freezing, and summer highs never above 80sF (mid 20's C)

Or,after 4500 miles and 6 months, should I instead just have it changed? (It is still honey colored and pretty translucent)

Jim G

BLKROKT

M1 0-W40 is fine. But perhaps you should just do a full oil and filter change anyway. Try not to *** it up.

Diabolis

I suspected that may be the case... with the exception of some SL63s with the M157, I've never heard of intermittent erratic oil level warnings on any MB made in the last ~12 years.

The oil volume corresponding to the difference the MIN and MAX marks on the dipstick is 1.5 liters, so I would add a liter of oil and check the level. If you know what oil MB put in your car at the PPI, buy a bottle or two and top up with the same oil. If you don't know what oil they used, you can top up with M1 0W-40 (which you can buy at any Canadian Tire or Wallmart) which will work fine for normal driving until your next scheduled oil change (if the oil still looks clear and you're not going to be tracking the car or otherwise torturing the engine).

Cheers,
Doug

Jasonoff

AMG6.3

Ditto....

Alex.currie44

I was working under the assumption your reading of the manual would have clarified the way this works.
I wouldn't arbitratrilly add a 1 L of oil. You could end up over filling it.
Add about a 1/3 of a L and check it after you have run it and let it sit for 5-10 on a level surface and go from there. You don't track your car and you certainly are not at risk here with it between the marks.

JimGnitecki

Good advice, Alex. I found the page in the user manual that describes the "chekcing oil"process and it is clear as mud. The dipstick shown is a generic C300 for starters! I looked at the history on this forum,and found a 2015 post where even BlkRokt is unsure of what is "correct". I bought a liter of Mobil 1 0-40 and will try adding half of 1liter,then wait until I get the engine properly HOT later today to check the level, and then wait until tomorrow morning to again check the level COLD. Should be interesting.

Jim G

Vladds

How long does it take you to read the oil level, it should take a long time.
You have to establish a recurring condition.
I do this in the morning with the engine cold. I back the car down my driveway because it's not horizontal. Once on the road, shut it down and wait for the oil to settle.
Then do at least 4 readings, to make sure that the level is not trending up or down, wiping the stick with a clean paper towel every time. I'm usually happy with the reading 15 minutes into this operation.
At the same time, next time I do this, I know conditions will be the same and I can compare.
I am doing this because my previous car being a boxer engine has oil level reading anomalies as the oil pools in the heads and takes time to return. if you top off, you overfill, unless you take a correct reading.
Now I became suspicious of every engine however and go through this ... just in case.

NotABaller

This is what I've been starting to do as well. I park my car in the same spot every night and I only check in the mornings for the most accurate reading. It's tricky because your dipstick will contact the oil from the sides of the dipstick housing tube, which messes up the reading. So I check a few times and look for the clear horizontal line that should indicate my oil level down in the pan.

Mort

That is what I do as well. And the oil does contact the dipstick in the housing tube. I pull it out and rotate it carefully holding it as level as I can and look for a void in the oil to find the true level. It makes, what should be an easy job, more difficult because the nubs on the dipstick drag oil up into the housing and deposit it on the sides of the housing. The more times you try the worse it can get. My truck on the other hand has a flat dipstick, with lines to mark the acceptable level and it has this problem as well, just not as bad, as the sides of the dipstick leave oil on the inside of the housing as well.

JimGnitecki

As I mentioned above,I did an experiment on this oil level stuff. Here is a complete summary:

2017-10-17: Got message "Check oil level at next fuelfill" while driving

2017-10-17: Checked oil level when engine was warm and after waiting 2 minutes (in a hurrt for appointment), and oil was at "middle" tab on dipstick

2017-10-19 7:45am: Checked oil when engine was cold (after overnight). Oil level was at "middle" tab on dipstick.I added half a liter of Mobil 1 0-40. Note: Oil is still so clean after 4500 miles that reading the oil level accurately on the dipstick is still hard.

2017-10-19 9:35am: Traveled several miles, coolant temperature was normal, oil temperature was 97C, stopped at gas station,fueled car, cleaned windows, washed headlights and tallights (lots of wind and rain!),and then after more than 5 minutes had passed, checked oil. Oil level was very slightly above "Middle" tab (1/8inch?).

2017-10-20 6:30am: Checked oil level when engine was cold (after overnight). Oil level was above "middle" tab on dipstick,but closer to middle tab than to upper tab. I added half a liter of Mobil 1 0-40.So,now, I have cumulatively added a full liter of oil since I got the dash message.

2017-10-21 7:30am: Checked oil level when engine was cold (after overnight). Oil level was much closer to the upper tab than to the middle tab,but not at the upper tab.

What I think I have learned:

- The engine oil takes a LONG time to "completely" drain back to the pan. This is probably deliberate on MB's part, as it ensures a generous oil supply to the complex valvetrain on every startup short of the first startup after an overnight

- This means taking a dipstick reading right after, or even several minutes after adding oil, is pretty much useless

- The distance between the middle tab on the dipstick and the upper tab appears to be MORE than one liter - at least on my car, as adding a full liter (two half-liter adds) did NOT take the oil level displayed on the dipstick all the way from the middle tab to the upper tab

- Even after 4500 miles on my C63 since the last oil change, the oil remains clean enough that it is still hard to get an accurate visual reading, because the oil is not dark enough yet.I am impressed by this, because I am used to changing (synthetic) oil and filter at 5000 mile intervals on my cars for the last several years, and I have always seen notable visual darkening of the oil by then. But this is my first Mercedes and therefore also my first AMG. Are the Mercedes AMG engines THAT much better built? I DO try to ensure that after every startup, I do get the oil to at least 90 degrees Centigrade.

Jim G