gstatus929

hey

just got a new w211 e350w, when do i do my first oil change. sythetic or regular?

any reccomended oil and filters?

new to benz dont know the requirments

lkchris

All the requirements are in the literature you received with the car.

It will be a very bad idea to not let the dealer do the oil changes. You get to wait 13,000 miles BTW.

amdeutsch

Requirements are listed in your manual, please read it, and are scattered throughout this forum, please search and read it as well.

vettdvr

The computer on the car will advise you when to service. It is in your scroll window and gauge cluster. You will see a Service in XXXX Miles. If you see a + after the service note it means your brake pads need replacement but you can't tell if it is front or rear. It does not mean the pads are unsafe the warning goes off with the + way before you are unsafe. This allows you time to wait until the next "normal " service in most cases. If they wear is extreme you will get a second level warning that will basically state "fix em".


The oil in the US to use is mobile 1 full synthetic 0w40. Usually the engine has a decal stating Mobile 1 only. Mobile 1 is full synthetic. Do not be tempted to switch oil to save $$ because many are not approved by MB and would be a warranty issue.

If you decide to do it your self I would use only Mercedes filters. They do have a microfiber fleece layer others don't. If you don't use the proper filter it will be a warranty issue.

Much of this information is in the owners manual.

cyclrder

I just changed mine... just don't like the idea of running a car the length of miles that MB recommends. I also like the idea of knowing exactly what oil is going into the car... someone on the forum had made comments that you don't always get what you think you are from the dealer.. who knows if that is horse **** or not....


I actually bought an oil extractor $60... picked up the Mobil 0w40 and the oil filter cap remover adapter at AutoZone ($62.74 with an extra qt.) .. and bought the MB filter from the dealer ($22 ouch)...

took about 15 minutes and I was done....

clearly, that bumps up pretty close to the dealer cost of having it done... but the next time.. I will buy a Mann filter from the net at half the cost and will only need the oil... so the payoff is longer term for me.. plus, I will use the extractor for my other vehicles... the other thing for me is that my time going over to the dealer, using taxis to get back and forth and the general pain in the *** is not worth it to me when I can do it myself in front of my house!

one last note.... I was kind of concerned about using the extractor vs draining from the oil pan..... I talked with the dealer here in the city.. and they say that most of the techs use the extractor... go figure..

it is a little un-nerving not having a dipstick to know exactly about the level..

vettdvr

I have to use the drain plug. There is no dipstick tube on the 03 E500.

Never found it, only found the tranny tube.

There is a note on using the Mann filter. If it does not have the microfiber in it I don't think it will meet warranty requirement. This is why I use ONLY MB filters. They are different and to run the FSS recommended change you will need the MB filter even with the ouch factor.

If your dealer changes your oil for $70 or so,, I would have it done there. For me it is a 100 mile drive and a 2 day wait to have the car serviced and I have never driven out for under $700.

So to change at home using MB factory parts M1 0w40 and my own brake jobs save me days of travel and wait time. I do use the dealer for other work to include buying tires. They give good service but with the typical
MB tax.

cyclrder

I agree on the filters.. I haven't done the research as of yet to know what would work the best.. but I tell you.. no MB dealer does the change for $70.. if the filter is $22 and oil cost for the real stuff is $56 something...something doesn't add up!

on the 03 .. I believe the dip stick tube is under the airbox cover in the back of the engine...

tires... Tire Rack rules... just find a guy local who will mount and balance for $20 bucks a wheel....

best of luck.

vettdvr

All I found under the back of the cover is the tranny tube, It's not infront of the pass cyl head or under the front of the cover. As my grandkids would say, Maybe someone took my oil tube.

Diesel Benz

Never know but I've never seen a car that would not have the engine dipstick tube. Cars were built without the tranny tube. I believe the engine tube on some models is close to the fire wall, could look like the tranny tube. Cars were built without the tranny tube. Would like to have your car VIN so that I could check this.

Can you have one more double check on this, what sort of a cap does the tube have on your car? Have you tried if the oil looks like tranny oil or engine oil? I guess it isn't too difficult to figure out where the tube really goes.

On many engines the engine dipstick tube really is hidden by the engine top cover.

vettdvr

Check your PM for the info. Thanks Jim

LAZARU5

The first time I changed the oil on my 2005 E500 I removed the plastic panels from under the engine compartment, positioned the car with all four tires on RV ramps, evacuated 8 liters of oil thru the dipstick tube, and then removed the drain plug. A small puddle of oil about 4 inches in diameter was all that came out thru the drain plug.

On the second annual oil change on my SLK350 I went thru the trouble of getting the tare wait of the Mityvac extractor and then weighing the amount of oil evacutated. I was about 4 ounces short of the theoretical weight for 8 liters. This seemed reasonable considering the trouble other have had with oil consumption on the 2005 272 engine.

I am satisfied that the oil extraction method removes most of the oil. Saying that, if the amount of oil that I extracted did not measure up to the 8 liter mark, I would probably remove the drain plug to verify that there was no oil remaining in the crankcase.

LAZARU5

My dealer here in OH will accept shipments from Tire Rack and mount and balance tires for the same charge they have for changing snow tires.

The only condition is that they will not do this for tire models that they also carry. The Conti ExtremeContact A/S directional tires are not on the dealer price list so they qualified for the Tire Rack drop ship arrqangement.

cyclrder

hmmmm... a 4 inch puddle isn't all that bad.. my problem is that since I have moved to Brooklyn... I don't have access to a space where I can jack the car up and deal with the panels and such... (my partner has a new S550 ... he thinks that I am a fool to even worry about washing the car myself much less changing the oil on the streets of Brooklyn.."how can you drive around in a $70k car new and not pay someone else to wash and maintain it?"... and then again.. he has clear plastic mats in his car!)

I agree... it would be hard to believe that the car doesn't have some kind of access tube on top to measure the oil (what happens if the electrics are out.. and you can't read if from the dash... or you don't want to take a chance starting the car to get it to engine temp to measure? )

I also hate the fact that I can't monitor how much oil the car actually burns over time....

if I had my way.. I'd also want to install a magnetic drain plug....

Diesel Benz

An update on this one, had a look at EPC for the E500 I assumed this car was. EPC did not show the engine oil dipstick being a part for this particular car (although it was for some other models using the same basic engine).

EPC is not always absolutely accurate, for this car it indicated the dipstick tube cap being a part for the car while the tube itself was not. But it really looks like some cars were built without the engine dipstick tube.

vettdvr

Just an FYI after correcting the vin on our Starmark certified car we can still find no record of a dipstick. I have still not found the dipstick on this 03 E500. But I will be looking closely when I do my first oil change. Previous have all been at the dealer. Jim