KidBenz

Today I got a message that said to add 2 quarts of oil. I see that the recommended oil is Mobil 1 0w 40 but I went to the store and found mobil 1 5w 30. Will this work if I add the 5w 30 or will it cause damage. Also I remeber it saying on the bottle that its guaranteed for 5000 miles. Do you think i can run it until my next service which is in about 10k miles.

Also I see many people in the forums burn some oil(mostly AMG's). Is this normal in an E500?

Thanks in advance
-Nick

dvmak

The 0w-40 is the recommended oil .. should not be hard to find .. try autozone or pep-boys .. CT should have them around ..

5w-40 won't 'hurt' it but just not the best weight of oil ... given that it's almost summer even less of an issue but still .. if you can find the 0W .. use that.

I take it that's the Mobile 1 full synthetic .. right?

gisham

i think the real question is why your car burned 2 quarts of oil- any major leaks?

lkchris

It's NOT the "recommended" oil, it's the "specified" oil.

There's a difference.

Oil MUST meet Mercedes spec 229.5 and there are other brands and versions of Mobil 1 that do as well. Just not the oil you purchased.

ALLDATAdiy INFO

I found this Service Bulletin in ALLDATAdiy.com while searching for information about oil for your vehicle. Looks like you will want to double check on the dip stick, the appropriate oil level.

The filling quantity between the upper and lower mark on the oil dipstick is approximately 2.1 US qt. (2.0 liter).

KidBenz

Thanks for the replys guys.
I really dont think its an oil leak. It is fully synthetic. I assume any fully synthetic oil would go for about 10k miles or until my service right? I'll probably go to autozone today and see if they have it.

About the dipstick. I dont think I have one because I have an 05 which measures oil levels through the computer.

KidBenz

Thanks for the replys. I went and got 0w 40 Synthetic. I'll probably get an oil change in about 4 thousand miles anyway because I dont think it would be good to wait another 11k.

dvmak

How many miles on that engine? I was burning a quart every 2-3K miles up until about about 20K miles ... now a quart every 5-6K miles ... I think running it hard finally seated the rings or valves ...

Barry45RPM

I have never burned a drop of oil, nor have I had to add any between once yearly oil changes at the dealer. I did get erroneous Add oil messages on my cluster once in a while on my '04, but the reminder was always in error. On my '07 I have to use the dipstick (no more checking by sensor) once or twice a year just to take a look-see. These are the only cars I ever owned that I never had to add oil to at any time. Be SURE, you really need oil before you add oil.

I wouldn't change oil more than once a year because it is Mobil 1 synthetic, alot of it, and a very good, special oil filter... and thats what both the oil and car manufacturer agree is sufficient. IMHO its a waste of money or a false sense of "doing the best for your car".

KidBenz

I added oil and the mssage went away. I might just wait unit my next service to change the oil. As for my miles, I have about 47k on it. I bought it used back in January and I love it. It's an 05.

vettdvr

My 2003 E500 never triggers low oil and I run the FSS 13,000 recommended frequency with only MB approved lubes and filters.

pinebaron

Bluetec: Despite being a diesel, zero oil used every 5000 miles since I change oil at that interval. I am able to retrieve full 9 quarts when draining.

Benz-O-Rama

Same here. The most I've been short is .5 quart at change time. I've never been significantly low before the 13K interval time and I romp on my car at times.

Something sounds wrong with yours.

dvmak

Do any of you analyze your oil? I use blackstone and found that running over 8K miles is all I really should be doing ...

KidBenz

Well when I got the car I really didn't care about checking oil and just wanted to enjoy it. Then one day I played around with the steering wheel and check my oil level, it said I needed to add a quart so I'm guessing MB service just didn't put enouph oil in. I did find the dealer I got it from to be not so good in service.
So I think I really only burned about .5 to 1 quart in reality in 2k miles, which seems normal in some of the mercs on this forum.

007_e350

Oil level started going down in my car - took it in, they found one valve cover seal leaking, causing oil to seep into the combustion chamber and burning out ... do not have the oil level decrease problem after that ...

mhj202

Some of the posts in this thread have me a little concerned. I have a 2009 E350 4matic that is about 5 months old and has just over 3000 miles on it. Recently got the Check Oil Level at Next Refueling (or something similar) message and checked it today using the dipstick. The oil level was below the minimum on the dipstick so I added one quart of Mobil 1 0W40 and then checked again and was still low so had to add a second quart. After the second quart, the level read just above the middle of the zone between the minimum and the maximum.

I actually had a hard time confirming what type of oil to use -- didn't see it readily in the manual, etc. but I'm sure it's there. Anyone know exactly where though?

Finally decided on 0W40 so I'm glad I chose correctly.

Now I just need to call the dealer to figure out where this oil is going-- hate to see this in a new car.

MBNUT1

What in the analysis told you that?

MBNUT1

A valve cover seal leak will not cause oil to be burned by the combustion chamber. A valve guide seal or a head gasket might.

Old Navy

Probably contamination build up in the oil, as the 0w-40 was not designed to be a diesel oil to start with best I remember. From what I have found out the 5w-40 holds the soot in suspension and has greater shear strength and a stronger additive package.

FT Benz

I have no analysis to back this up but the performance shop I use (and trust very much) suggested every 8K miles regardless of what the interval or car says to do. He said I would thank him when the engine has 100+K miles on it and is still running strong with no leaks or problems. His position was that the engine can do the intervals just fine in a lab, however the cars are driven in the real world under varying conditions at varying intervals, starts, stops, temps and air quality.

On a side note, I just brought the car into him after about 5K miles from buying it CPO from the dealer just to have it checked out and do an oil change. I was surprised to hear (and see) how dirty the oil was.....which tells me that its possible the dealer didn't service the car like they said they did before I bought it. Regardless, I'm glad I did the service with someone I trust.

Old Navy

Hahahahahaha!!! You got ripped. Within just a few minutes after starting after an oil change your oil that was put in will look just like what you drained because of the EGR system and the oil that will not drain from engine because it is in the oil cooler syatem. I been driving EGR equipped diesels (MB & VW) that go back to 83 model year and have never done an oil ghange under 10,000 miles, my wifes car has 202k miles and gets oil changed at 10,000 to 15,000 mile range depending on the weather at the time. In other words I only change it when it fall or spring, so if it has 10k mile on the oil in Oct I change it, but if only 8k miles I will wait til April to change the oil, but I generally average 12K mile changes.

You need to use a good diesel oil and even with the 0w-40 Mobil 1 the last 3 diesels I have had oil sample tested they all came back good to go another 5,000 to 10,000 mile check period. Our VW TDI's could have easy made 20,000 mile oil change without any engine damage, my CDI came back with a change filter, top off and check again in 10,000 miles when I had it tested.

But since for warranty I have to change oil and filter at 12,500 max I do that and the car is fine and I only have to change the oil once a year anyway.

FT Benz

Well, good luck with that.... Imo....$70 every 8K miles doesn't seem like a rip off to me.

Old Navy

Well it is when you are spending that $70 twice as often as needed. Man you be a way off on diesels and modern oil technology.

I will admit I was jabbing a nubie, but I am quite serious, you are being sold a bill of goods on the oil change period in your car. Have you checked t see what your oil looks like now? This has always scared newbie to modern diesels, did me way back in the day on my 83 240D, but I soon found out after oil sample testing.

Go check you oil this afternoon when you get home and then come back and tell me how it looks. Also when you get to 8000 miles suck out and oil sample and have it tested. Let me know if you need oil lab info there are several I can send you. You can pull a sample by sticking a plastic tube down the dipstick tube and then pinch it off and pull it out. Be ready with a rag and gave some gloves on as the sooted diesel oil is nasty and hard to get off when using proper synthetic oil.

What oil was installed by the way?

FT Benz

It was synthetic.... I don't drive a deisel... I have the 5.5 V8...