AMG E53 Oil Specification Requirement
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AMG E53 Oil Specification Requirement
The owners manual for the E53 specifies MB approved oil with approval # 229.71. Apparently this is what MB requires for the M256 straight 6 engine. My dealer seemed unaware of this. I stopped into the dealer to get a quart of oil (the cars sensor said to add a quart.) They didn’t have MB Approved 229.71 0W-20 oil. They gave me MB 229.52 5W-30 to hold me over until my A service. They actually had a sheet indicating that the 229.52 is acceptable.
Have any E53 owners done an oil change yet? If so, what type and grade did you use? I’m going to insist on the 0W-20, 229.71 as recommended in the owners manual.
Have any E53 owners done an oil change yet? If so, what type and grade did you use? I’m going to insist on the 0W-20, 229.71 as recommended in the owners manual.
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Ya, probably a good idea up north where it's gonna see cold morning starts. A lot of the Japanese cars switched to 0w-20 many years ago, it really does make a difference. Most of the older benz cars call for 0W-40. The tolerances in the I6 motors must be closer or something I'd think.
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2019 CLS 53 AMG
The owners manual for the E53 specifies MB approved oil with approval # 229.71. Apparently this is what MB requires for the M256 straight 6 engine. My dealer seemed unaware of this. I stopped into the dealer to get a quart of oil (the cars sensor said to add a quart.) They didn’t have MB Approved 229.71 0W-20 oil. They gave me MB 229.52 5W-30 to hold me over until my A service. They actually had a sheet indicating that the 229.52 is acceptable.
Have any E53 owners done an oil change yet? If so, what type and grade did you use? I’m going to insist on the 0W-20, 229.71 as recommended in the owners manual.
Have any E53 owners done an oil change yet? If so, what type and grade did you use? I’m going to insist on the 0W-20, 229.71 as recommended in the owners manual.
I used 229.51 MOTUL X-Clean+ 5W30. Don't go on 0W20 as this oil is like "water"...
Last edited by F1le; Dec 1, 2019 at 06:56 PM.
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It's interesting that the owners manuals for the CLS 53 and GT4 53 with the same M256 engine lists the 4 acceptable MB approved oils, and the MB oil spec sheets list all 4 MB approved oils for the engine. My manual says only MB approval 229.71 so that's what I will go with. My dealer is having trouble getting it though, but they agree that it would be best.
I actually had the first A service done as I was at 10,000 miles. They used MB approval 229.52. They are going to swap it out as soon as they get the 229.71.
I actually had the first A service done as I was at 10,000 miles. They used MB approval 229.52. They are going to swap it out as soon as they get the 229.71.
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2019 CLS 53 AMG
In my manual is also 229.71, but as an engineer and my MB service started laughing when they heard 229.71 0W20 oil.
I’ll use 229.51 or 52 as I don’t want to go in 0W20. Probably the car will be burning a lot of this oil and don’t comment weak oil film protection.
I’ll use 229.51 or 52 as I don’t want to go in 0W20. Probably the car will be burning a lot of this oil and don’t comment weak oil film protection.
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I've found that the dealer tech guys are pretty good, but I'll trust the engineers that designed and built the engine. My dealer has been very helpful and I think we both learned a lot about these new engines. They have very little experience with the M256 and the 48V system. I've asked a couple of them where the 48V battery is. No one knew. They just haven't had the opportunity to work on one yet. My guess is that in a year or 2 as more of these M256 engines are in use, everyone will nail down what works best. I'll certainly watch oil consumption when the 229.71 is added to see if it burns more than expected. There are online videos explaining why the M256 can use 229.71 0W-20. Some even say it's a requirement.
Last edited by BenzC400; Dec 5, 2019 at 02:41 PM.
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Especially if doing a oil change I would only use the 0w-20 oil as benz specs for this car. I know many years ago when the japanese cars went to the 0w-20 oil it was very important. I think they had tightened up the tolerances in the engines so I wouldn't worry about burning oil with it.
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From: Europe
2019 CLS 53 AMG
We don't care what oil you use but you must obey 229.51/52/61/71 norms and oil viscosity spreads between 5W40 to 0W20 in those norms. We'll help you by sending you a link with oil with approvals. Feel free to select any you want :
https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevol...carspecid=7062
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After 2 weeks of driving since my A service and oil change with 0W-20 229.71 I got a oil level high message that told me to remove some oil. I was on the highway at normal highway speeds for about 40 miles when the message appeared. The oil level indicator has been at the max line (in the green area) since the oil change until the high oil message. I Stopped at a rest stop for about 5-10 minutes and the warning message went away and the level was in the normal green zone again. I drove for 3 more hours with no further messages.
Has anyone else seen this message?
Has anyone else seen this message?
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2019 CLS 53 AMG
No, but I can say the reliability of this sensor is just a joke. My sensor is running up and down from 1/3 to maximum, stopping at 3/4 to move down to 1/3 to go back to maximum another time, what actually scares me (each move lasts about 2 days, so 2 days with 1/3, 2 days with max, 2 days with 1/2, sensor hangs up and start measuring for a whole day, another time 1/2 for 2-3 days, move to max for a day or 2 etc) as I have no idea if
1/ New car burns oil like crazy
2/ If I can trust this sensor at all / and/or it is broken.
3/ What is a REAL level of oil which can't be checked due to no dip-stick
I changed the oil and I observed they poured 8L (not 8.5L as in the manual as I brought my own 2x5L packages for the oil change) and of course after 300km (200miles) I have 1/2 oil. So took and poured another 0,5L and sticking to maximum. A guy in MB told me not even to look at this sensor and just await if car will shout "add 1L of oil"...
BTW : Congrats to your bravery with 0W20 on this car... My next oil after 5W30 will be 5W40 which is now available in 229.52 specification and approved to 53 AMG engine looking at BEVO site :
https://www.motul.com/en/en/products...ean-gen2-5w-40
What was your maximum oil temp in this car? I observed regular driving when a car is fully warmed is around 105*C (221*F) and this temperature 105-108*C (221-227*F) is being kept as you can drive even in my car 270km/h (168mph) with AMG Drivers Package (which in Europe is offered as an option to remove standard 250kmh limitation and upgrade it to 270kmh in this car due to no speed limit highways in Germany) but keep automatic gearbox ON. When had fun with manual gearbox it reached 115-117*C (~240*F) (I saw Mercedes warning appears at 130*C - 266*F)
1/ New car burns oil like crazy
2/ If I can trust this sensor at all / and/or it is broken.
3/ What is a REAL level of oil which can't be checked due to no dip-stick
I changed the oil and I observed they poured 8L (not 8.5L as in the manual as I brought my own 2x5L packages for the oil change) and of course after 300km (200miles) I have 1/2 oil. So took and poured another 0,5L and sticking to maximum. A guy in MB told me not even to look at this sensor and just await if car will shout "add 1L of oil"...
BTW : Congrats to your bravery with 0W20 on this car... My next oil after 5W30 will be 5W40 which is now available in 229.52 specification and approved to 53 AMG engine looking at BEVO site :
https://www.motul.com/en/en/products...ean-gen2-5w-40
What was your maximum oil temp in this car? I observed regular driving when a car is fully warmed is around 105*C (221*F) and this temperature 105-108*C (221-227*F) is being kept as you can drive even in my car 270km/h (168mph) with AMG Drivers Package (which in Europe is offered as an option to remove standard 250kmh limitation and upgrade it to 270kmh in this car due to no speed limit highways in Germany) but keep automatic gearbox ON. When had fun with manual gearbox it reached 115-117*C (~240*F) (I saw Mercedes warning appears at 130*C - 266*F)
Last edited by F1le; Dec 24, 2019 at 07:00 AM.
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2019 CLS 53 AMG
Have to understand that 0W20 was created only because of CO2 issues to avoid another diesel gate in EURO6, so the piston rings can have minimum resistance not saying how weak this oil is and how easily oil film can be broken and how easily this oil can enter into combustion chamber. Using this oil in small hybrid car running in a town I can accept from the engineering point of view but pouring it in a 400-500HP car is just asking for troubles.
Car manufacturers love it because troubles after warranty will not be paid by them, so people with zero engineering knowledge can help manufacturers to be a little bit more profitable.
Car manufacturers love it because troubles after warranty will not be paid by them, so people with zero engineering knowledge can help manufacturers to be a little bit more profitable.
Last edited by F1le; Dec 24, 2019 at 08:41 AM.
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What was your maximum oil temp in this car? I observed regular driving when a car is fully warmed is around 105*C (221*F) and this temperature 105-108*C (221-227*F) is being kept as you can drive even in my car 270km/h (168mph) with AMG Drivers Package (which in Europe is offered as an option to remove standard 250kmh limitation and upgrade it to 270kmh in this car due to no speed limit highways in Germany) but keep automatic gearbox ON. When had fun with manual gearbox it reached 115-117*C (~240*F) (I saw Mercedes warning appears at 130*C - 266*F)
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2019 CLS 53 AMG
The worse thing in the US when I fly there is to ... ride a fast car on a highway with 70mph limit ... what a joke, and you can go to jail in some states for excessive speeding LOL ... You should have only Priuses allowed to be bought 
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 70 mph limit. 65 mph is the limit in the northeast US. 85 mph is considered reckless driving in most places.
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2021 AMG E53 Sedan
Hi, this is from the Owners Manual of the 2020 AMG E53. The 229.71 oil (0w-20) is not only approved for the E53 but also is recommended for those that wont to have less fuel consumption.
Best regards.
Best regards.
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From: SWFL
2024 GLE 53 2023 GLA 252021 S580 2023 MB GLA 250, previous 2015 Porsche Turbo S 2014 Cayenne Diesel
I have a 2020 E53 convertible. So the owners manual only calls out 229.5 and 229.6 and it says capacity is
6.9 quarts or 6.5 liters. the manual also references the http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com which states the
fill amount is 8.5 L with filter and includes the 229.71.
Any thoughts? The dealer here in Bonita Springs only has 229.51
6.9 quarts or 6.5 liters. the manual also references the http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com which states the
fill amount is 8.5 L with filter and includes the 229.71.
Any thoughts? The dealer here in Bonita Springs only has 229.51
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After 2 weeks of driving since my A service and oil change with 0W-20 229.71 I got a oil level high message that told me to remove some oil. I was on the highway at normal highway speeds for about 40 miles when the message appeared. The oil level indicator has been at the max line (in the green area) since the oil change until the high oil message. I Stopped at a rest stop for about 5-10 minutes and the warning message went away and the level was in the normal green zone again. I drove for 3 more hours with no further messages.
Has anyone else seen this message?
Has anyone else seen this message?
This happened again. A couple of weeks after the first incident, I got the “remove engine oil” message again. Again, it was at highway speeds after about 20-40 miles of driving. As before, it reset after a brief stop. I brought it to the dealer. They were able to access data that showed the exact amount of oil. They ended up removing .2 quarts. I’ll be making another trip soon and see if the message reappears.
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From: SWFL
2024 GLE 53 2023 GLA 252021 S580 2023 MB GLA 250, previous 2015 Porsche Turbo S 2014 Cayenne Diesel
So do you think that was a dealer screwup adding too much oil. I assume they changed the filter and the
oil at the same time.
oil at the same time.
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I don’t necessarily think it was a screwup. They put in what was required and made sure it was full. I don’t think it was overfilled, but it was at the max and with some expansion, the sensor said to remove some oil. They assume AMGs, at least the 63s, will burn oil during the oil change interval. They really didn’t seem sure about the oil burn rate for the E53 though. The filter was changed with the oil.
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Amg E 53
Oil level high.
After 2 weeks of driving since my A service and oil change with 0W-20 229.71 I got a oil level high message that told me to remove some oil. I was on the highway at normal highway speeds for about 40 miles when the message appeared. The oil level indicator has been at the max line (in the green area) since the oil change until the high oil message. I Stopped at a rest stop for about 5-10 minutes and the warning message went away and the level was in the normal green zone again. I drove for 3 more hours with no further messages.
Has anyone else seen this message?
Has anyone else seen this message?
HowI don't know ..I bought the car in August so how is it over full....smh
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From: SWFL
2024 GLE 53 2023 GLA 252021 S580 2023 MB GLA 250, previous 2015 Porsche Turbo S 2014 Cayenne Diesel
Checked the oil at least 5 times week, also right at the max. So today on the highway that warning
message came on. Went to the nearest MB dealer and he told me the sensor was sensitive and could
go past the max limit easily. Well it never happened in 3 weeks of driving. So I know that the E53
manual says 6.9 US qt or 6.5 liters. I was charged for 9 quarts of oil.
Next back to the dealer that changed the oil to see how much oil they put in. Very strange
and not a good feeling when you are doing 75 mph and are not close to a dealership.
Worse is that there is no dipstick, so I need to depend on the oil sensor. I hate that.
