BenzE

My 2000 E430 4Matic is at its best after its service, whether A or B, so it must have something to do with new oil, right? Does anyone else change oil every 2500-3000 miles, ignoring the FSS (Flexible Service)? Any feelings one way or the other? Can a car I drive hammer-down on a daily basis really go 10k miles without fresh oil, even synthetic? I've been forcing my service dept to give me new oil for the low price of $90 a pop and a four-week wait for a service appointment. Anyone know and trust a garage in NJ (I-78 corridor) to do off-schedule oil change?

awiner

I change my oil every 4000-5000 miles myself and let the dealer pop for it at the A/B service. Synthetic oil can last up to 10,000 miles without breakdown. The weak link in my view is the small oil filter Mercedes uses. I personally don't believe it is adequate for a 10,000 mile interval, so that is why I choose to change oil and filter inbetween the A/B service's. It may cost a little, but it's peace of mind as well.

AJChenMPH

If you're going to drive WOT at every opportunity, I'd get the oil changed at least every 5,000, and possibly even more frequently. A kid I used to know would change his oil about every 1,500 miles...then again, he was in college and his dad gave him money, so he didn't care how much he spent.

Darkmann

My E430 (non 4-matic) is due for first service in 3K miles. I really havn't noticed any difference in slugging down the highway at 55 or 90. The vehicle has actually gotten quieter. I check the oil as I do with my other vehicles (both us Mobil 1) and I don't see anything difference in color (may not mean a thing though!!!). The FSS does work. However, if you drive hard, you may want to change the oil at around 5K miles. Even my 89 Nissan 300ZX Turbo has a 5600K mile oil change interval recommendation. The tolerances in modern engines and the quality of the lubricants are so good that this is possible.

Rich

The advantage of using synthetic oil is that is lasts longer. It doesn't lubricate any better than mineral oil. As the oil accumulates deposits from the engine its' ability to lubricate diminishes. Synthetic oil is better able to handle these, and can handle more of these without losing it's ability to adequately lubricate the engine. The car measures the conductivity of the oil. The conductivity changes as the oil accumulates these deposits, and at some point the car computer suggests changing the oil. I have faith in the FSS and have followed it except for the first oil change which I did at 3000 miles. I think that there are other more important, and often overlooked issues that will effect the life of the engine more so than changing the synthetic oil frequently. A great deal of the wear and tear on an engine occurs when the engine is cold. When I first start the car I let it idle until the auto choke kicks down, then I'm light on the throttle, and keep the RPM's down until the car is warm. This usually takes less than a mile. I believe that the M5 tach changes colors as the engine warms up, instructing the driver to limit RPM's as the engine warms up.