E-Class (W210) 1995-2002: E 200, E 220D, E 240, E 290TD, E 300TD, E 200, E 240, E 280, E 320, E 420, E 430 (Wagon, Touring, 4Matic)

Regular Oil vs Synthetic ??

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Old Feb 23, 2007 | 10:08 PM
  #1  
KINGGLORY's Avatar
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Exclamation Regular Oil vs Synthetic ??

I was about to get my first oil change and the dealership stated that all the proir owner's changes were made there. Anyhow, I stated to use synthetic and the Tech said NO WAY!
That the car has 80k miles on it and this would be a bad move in changing.
Personally I see it as a gain not a set back with all the advances of synthetic.

He repeated that he wants to use only regular 5-40 motor oil in this car.

Told them forget it I will be back later.

Anyway, What do you all think about putting a synthetic in a 1997 E 320 in-line 6 ?
Good, bad, comments please
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Old Feb 24, 2007 | 12:10 AM
  #2  
hadam's Avatar
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2007 S-550, 2001 E-430 & 1997 E-420
Thumbs up Mobil 1 Synth 0-40

I am using Mobil 1 synth 0-40 on my 1997 E-420, work great. Actually I get 1-2 miles more per gallon with Synth oil and also in winter it start like champ.

I switch to 0-40 synth at 110K miles. No problem and no leaks as been told by many on this forum.


My E-420 with 119 engine now have 131K miles and no problem with Mobil One Synth 0-40 oil.
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Old Feb 24, 2007 | 01:47 AM
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ML320, Looking for my S4
i use mobil one on my 1996 e320 no problems
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Old Feb 24, 2007 | 02:00 PM
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I would make the switch because synthetic overall just provides more protection. In all honesty 80k is not very high to make a switch. A lot people even switch later than that. The only reason I can see why the tech was against the switch is that since synthetic oil molecules are finer they are more able to get through leakage spots and a car with your miles may have leaks/weeps (I really doubt it though). For example if you have a "weep" on one of the gaskets, the synthetic will increase that leak. That is why it is best to make sure you take care of any leaks before making the switch, but it is not necessary (make sure you keep the oil topped off at least). Just keep in mind synthetic oil does NOT cause oil leaks it simply points them out. Hopefully that helps.
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Old Feb 24, 2007 | 02:57 PM
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i am sticking with SJ/SM grade dino oil in my 97 E420 because

1. the car came with dino oil from the factory
2. car has never seen synthetic oil in 10 years/110k miles, why switch now
3. i'd rather replace dino oil more often than run on synthetic for 10-12k miles
4. however little improvement in gas mileage is well off-set by the higher cost of synthetic oil
5. any of the oldschool MBs which ran 300K+ miles always ran on dino. good enough for me.
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Old Feb 24, 2007 | 06:45 PM
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Dino is fine if you change it at more frequent intervals. MB switched to synthetic with the '98 year+ in order to stretch the intervals to 12-15k miles with the advent of the FSS system.

Bottom line, if using regular oil, change it according to the old recommendations (not Jiffy Lube's suggestions) and you will be fine.
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Old Feb 25, 2007 | 01:11 AM
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ML320, Looking for my S4
just outa curiosity, how often should i change mine? i have a 1996 E320 with 66K on the clock running mobil 1
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Old Feb 26, 2007 | 09:08 PM
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From: Temperance, MIchigan
Originally Posted by RBrenton
Dino is fine if you change it at more frequent intervals. MB switched to synthetic with the '98 year+ in order to stretch the intervals to 12-15k miles with the advent of the FSS system.

Bottom line, if using regular oil, change it according to the old recommendations (not Jiffy Lube's suggestions) and you will be fine.
You are correct. The Stealership stated that Mercedes recommends changes every 7500 miles. So the ol' 3000 mile Jiffy Lube is nothing more then Hipe!

I am going to do mine about every 5000 to be safe but still on the Conservative side.
Then again what American car has a 7 quart oil pan ?
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Old Mar 5, 2007 | 05:46 PM
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Mobil 1, Synt is the way to go, always used on my 99' E300 TD. The car now has 75k miles on it, and no problems since.

Last edited by lxl_Jeffro_lxl; Mar 5, 2007 at 09:12 PM.
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Old Mar 6, 2007 | 09:53 AM
  #10  
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Originally Posted by lxl_josh_lxl
Mobil 1, Synt is the way to go, always used on my 99' E300 TD. The car now has 75k miles on it, and no problems since.
Just a suggestion regarding the oil you use for your diesel. If you're using that M1. make sure it's diesel rated. Many stealers run M1 0w-40 or th elikes thinking it's the right oil. IT may work just like most other oils but not suited to use in a diesel engine. Mobil 1 has the Turbo-Diesel 5w-40 rated diesel oil. Great oil but difficult to find most places and expensive if you do. Recently I switched over to AMSOIL 15w-40 HDD & Marine for hy diesel. The oil is thicker, since I live in a warmer climate cold starts aren't an issue and it's slightly cheaper than M1 Turbo-Diesel and is at least the same quality if not better, from my homework the base stocks for both oils are on par with each other.
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Old Mar 6, 2007 | 11:14 AM
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Originally Posted by KINGGLORY

He repeated that he wants to use only regular 5-40 motor oil in this car.

Told them forget it I will be back later.

Anyway, What do you all think about putting a synthetic in a 1997 E 320 in-line 6 ?

All 5W40 oils are "synthetic" unless you know otherwise....

If you can't figure out what oil is correct for your car, why not defer to the factory's written recommendation
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Old Mar 6, 2007 | 06:56 PM
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Mobil 1 all the way! My previous E420 had something like 130k miles on it and as soon as I started using Mobil 1 (at like 100k) it ran better, cleaner and quieter. My MB Tech made me start using synthetic to prolong the life of the engine...
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Old Feb 6, 2010 | 07:13 PM
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so regular oil is still good for 97 and under cars ?
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Old Feb 6, 2010 | 07:29 PM
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Originally Posted by benznyc
so regular oil is still good for 97 and under cars ?
MB recommends a 229.3 listed oil for 1997 and older. If unavailable an oil with a API SJ classification can be substituted. Most of the 229.3 oils are synthetic as well. Here is a list of approved fluids. See page 3-4.

https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...toryfluids.pdf
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Old Feb 6, 2010 | 09:43 PM
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From: Pittsburgh,PA, Cambridge, Ontario, CN
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I ran my 1990 E300 on Mobil One for 242000 miles before it was hit from behind and totaled. The cylinders had less 5/1000s taper in the walls. The changes were with filter every 6000 miles. The taper at breakin is typically 3-4/1000s. All seven of our vehicles run That cycle with Mobil One only. With your inline 6 motor use the MB spec filter as your filter sits upside down. The MB spec brand will not drain therefore there is immediate oil on start up where most of the engine wear takes place. Fram and purolater will drain out.
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Old Feb 7, 2010 | 12:24 AM
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From: suffolk longisland newyork
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so i should be good with 10-40 regular oil with a fram filter?
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Old Feb 7, 2010 | 02:46 PM
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Originally Posted by RichardM98
MB recommends a 229.3 listed oil for 1997 and older. If unavailable an oil with a API SJ classification can be substituted. Most of the 229.3 oils are synthetic as well. Here is a list of approved fluids. See page 3-4.

https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...toryfluids.pdf

The document states that 229.3 and 229.5 are recommended for 1998 - 2004 gasoline vehicles. 229.5 is recommended for 2005 to present vehicles. I use either Mobil 1 0w40 (229.5) or Castrol Syntec 5w40 (229.3). Both are recommended for my vehicle
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Old Feb 7, 2010 | 03:27 PM
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Originally Posted by 01BlackE320
The document states that 229.3 and 229.5 are recommended for 1998 - 2004 gasoline vehicles. 229.5 is recommended for 2005 to present vehicles. I use either Mobil 1 0w40 (229.5) or Castrol Syntec 5w40 (229.3). Both are recommended for my vehicle
I was responding to the OP who has a MY1997 as to the minimum requirement according to MB.

You are correct. But in spite of the table almost everyone out here and other MB sites recommends and uses 229.5 spec in 1998 and newer. I guess we pamper our cars more than necessary. Also, Mobil 1 ECF 0W-40 is easy to find and competitively priced which makes for an attractive option.
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