I have a 2018 GTR and was wondering what you guys are using as far as brand and weight of oil ? Also where are you getting drain plugs/washers,filters ?

 

Just drop it off at the dealer. Get a cup o’ Joe and the car will be ready , clean and serviced with OEM fluid and parts.

and , if any forum members say that it’s cheaper to do it yourself, then all I can say is if you got to scrimp on oil changes, this is not the right car for you to own .

But use Mobil1 0W-40 and oem seals and plugs from MB

https://youtu.be/43CV76ZBnVs

 

First up...never let a poster make you feel badly if you choose to do your own oil change or maintenance.
To answer you question, any MB dealer will probably have the parts in stock. If you want to do it the easy way like many have chosen, try Amazon or maybe ebay.

I believe the part numbers are the same as for my 2018 GTC.

They are: A 278 180 00 09 OEM Oil Filter.
A 178 014 03 00 OEM Oil Drain Plug for sump
704-3005 Copper Drain Plug Gasket at NAPA (order at NAPA online right now for less than $1 each)
Mobil1 0-40 European Formula Full Synthetic to meet MB specs (May check Mobil 1 rebate center for $10 or so rebate from Mobil1 on 5qt container at times at participating sellers)

Hopefully this info will get you going in the right direction. Check the part numbers for your car to be sure they are the same for yours. Take the savings and do something fun with the extra cash. Enjoy your car.

 

I’m all for DIY, and NEVER get the “Service A or B” done at the dealership, which is like flushing cash down the toilet.

BUT, with the AMG GTC and the G550, I started getting oil changes and other fluid changes, done at the dealer. Why? Because if you car is under MB warranty, it’s important to have a record of service.
Let’s say you get an oil leak and the engine is seriously damaged. Even if it had nothing to do with your DIY oil change, you will now have to convince MB that it was unrelated. If there is a record of annual oil changes at an AMG dealership, you have the added piece of mind that engine damage will be covered under warranty. I think that’s cheap insurance for the ~$200 cost of oil change.

 

The problem at my dealer is that every time I have had the oil changed (three times on the 2018 coupe and coming up on the 2020 GTA) they have added too much oil and the oil warning comes on. This is almost certainly because they do not drain the oil within a few minutes after making sure it is hot enough and then putting in the amount that would have replaced all of the drained oil if it had been drained at the proper temperature. I anticipate the problem again in August even though I will have a talk with the service writer.

 

That’s bad. Time to find another dealer!
Ask to have your car serviced by the most experienced AMG tech. Get his/her name and only deal with them going forward.

 

It is presumptuous to conclude some change their own oil just to save money. There are other reasons.

If/when I do change my own oil, it has nothing to do with the cost of an oil change. I will do it for one or all of the following reasons:
1. Expediency
2. Assurance
3. Knowledge

Expediency - The last time I had my car in for warranty work, my dealer in Scottsdale had (has) a 2 week calendar lead time. Once I reached that point, my car sat in the back lot for 4 more days before they could get the car in for diagnosis/repair...as I drove around in a rental car. I changed my own oil/filter in less than two hours.

Assurance - I want/need to know the work was done, and before anyone thinks it is impossible to take your car in for an oil change, and NOT have the work actually done but they say it was, is not dealing in reality. No, not all the time, but when you come to understand how techs are compensated and the pressure they're under to turn around jobs, it will start to make sense it is a possibility. This is especially true when you can use some disguised method to "check" some of their work. Not making any accusations about my MB dealer, but I no longer even bother taking my wife's F-Pace in for the "no cost" oil, filter changes for sound reasons.

Knowledge - If I am dealing with a new platform (as I recently was with this GT) I changed the oil BC I wanted to know/learn the entire process, and more importantly, WHY certain things were specced to be done, and did it make sense the dealer could perform the task in a practical way...or were there possible shortcuts. And, of course with so many reporting they routinely get their cars back with the oil overfilled, I now know why...it's because they're shortcutting the process.

 

Very much agree. When my GT is out of warranty and if I have a lift, I will be changing my own oil. I used to do it on our B250 and C63 (W204) all the time, since the filter was on top and I would suck it out.

I also have a direct relationship with the service tech. And I only let him touch my cars.

 

I am all for DIY and documenting the process. Done it for most of my cars. Though I have yet to DIY on the merc.

Firstly, I didn't think the services aren't that expensive compared to some other marques of the same power class (check GT3 and Mac argh). Secondly, I like my SA and the tech. Got to know them quite well over the years and they have been very meticulous. Paying forward by giving a shoutout for their hard work to corporate and they in turn appreciate customers like us. Makes the world go round and round.

And I get a new loaner (odo under 20 miles) every time to drive for a while.

 

That’s BS if you think you can service your car better than a true qualified technician at a reputable dealer. You have to have a dealer you can trust or move on.

my patients don’t attempt to do their own Coronary bypasses. I won’t attempt to service my car.

 

Wisdom, straight up. Fiat Lux.

 

Wait a second.
Are we really comparing bypass surgery to oil/filter change in a car?? :P

 

more like a blood transfusion 😃

 

When you have a copy of WIS you follow the directions to a T your doing as good or better than a tech at a dealership since you have the exact directions they have.

 

Ignorance in a process along with blind faith in a service provider is an option, especially if little or no mechanical aptitude exists, and I respect that and completely get it; but, it's an option that would never work for me. It's nothing more than differences in talents.

 

i love people like you, because you will pay good ££££ for what is pretty much a basic task.

i get what youre saying in essence, but for us guys who are hands on, changing oil is the most basic of tasks that our father would have taught us. I do have a little giggle to myself when I see grown men waiting for the roadside recovery to turn up and change their flat tyre.

for me i think its a task every man should be able to complete, but this is the beauty of life, not everything is for everyone, and I certainly couldn't perform surgery. Basically we all have our strengths and our weaknesses in life.

P.S

i stopped paying dealerships to do work on my car years ago as i found i was often paying twice to get the same job done. What something done properly, gotta do it yourself.

 

I agree with both @Poverty750 and @thecutter64. The point I was also trying to make is that, regardless of how you feel about DIY service, it makes sense to have your fluids changed at an MB dealership while your (expensive) AMG GT is under warranty. If you are changing the oil yourself and the engine dies due to oil starvation, for example, you have a tough uphill battle to fight when Mercedes asks why there is no documented service history. You will then have to prove that you didn’t accidentally damage anything when you did it yourself.

Post warranty, I totally agree - I would do much as possible on my own, unless I really like and trust my service tech (not impossible, but most don’t really care about you or your car). I’m sure that’s not the case with most cardiac surgeons!

 

I agree with getting your hands in there....if you can. Some people just can't (live in a condo complex, don't have equipment and tools, know how, etc). But I'd rather do it myself....every single damn time I give my car to the dealer they scratch something or just man handle the car too much.

 

I decided to bring my car to the dealer(7/15) for this oil and filter change and to have the diff. fluid changed since it is still on warranty. I always do my own oil and filter changes but I dont have a lift at the house where it is now (looking for one now), and keep records of fluids and parts purchases. My car only has 1300 miles on it and is perfect so the dealer will know, before the service, that if I find anything wrong on it,I will not be happy,lol.... I did find out they have 2 AMG techs,for what thats worth....Kevin

 

Kevin,

Out of curiosity, could you report back if you are overfilled when the oil change is done? If so, it is easy to correct, but the datapoint is worth something to me.

Thanks,

 

Funny you mention that as this is my first MB vehicle and thats why I joined this forum. I did read the thread about that problem so I am on alert, so to speak, of it happening...What do you guys suggest as far as telling a tech about that.

 

My AMG GTC and the Maybach I sold both called for one quart of oil capacity more in WIS than what you can actually add in the car. I learned this the hard way and had to suck out one quart on either car if I followed WIS. I am of the mindset that when WIS says the capacity it is referring to TOTAL oil capacity and not what remains in the engine when your changing oil which turns out to be one quart.

 

It's a simple oil change, not exactly rocket science and certainly not a coronary bypass. Doesn't take an engineering degree to replace an oil filter and remove a drain plug.

 

Kevin - I would ask that you NOT mention it, or act like there is suspicion about it; but, it's your car and I can understand if you want to alert the tech that you are aware of the potential issue. Once the tech knows of your concern, then it still means he might "short" the process, but he'll just make sure he "shorts" the fill too. After that, you can only make a "guess assessment" whether the oil on the dipstick looks like really clean oil, or oil contaminated by one quart of old/dirty oil.

My "selfish" need is to know how they get by with the warmup oil to 100*C w/o driving the car some substantial miles, or letting it idle in a bay for...a loong time... before spending the 3 minutes to shut down and get the drain plug pulled on the tank. All of this part of the process is antithetical to a busy/bustling shop...especially given the way a tech is compensated.

Your call, but appreciate anything you can report back.

 

Not selfish,lol...I will not say anything but what potential damage can be done by a quart overfill? My shop is ~7 miles from me and temps around here are around 110F. I doubt there will be a problem as far as oil temp . I do have a scheduled time but you know how that goes...... What do you recommend as far as checking the oil,wait until I get it home??