I am new to this forum so this may already have been answered.
I have a 2006 E350. After last dealer service i needed to add 1 litre (quart) of oil after 2950 km (1800 miles) Since then I have added 4 Litres (quarts) in 21,000 KM (13,000Miles) No signs of leaks and no evidence in the exaust.

I am concerned and wonder if it is time to get rid of this car.

 

It has been my experience that the newer (aluminum) engines from MB sometimes use oil, perhaps in part due to the low-tension piston rings and nickasil linings, perhaps also due to break-in. My M113 (E430) V8 used oil, and at a greater rate than yours. I looked into the issue extensively.

MB's stance on oil consumption is that 1L/1000 Km is within spec. They will generally not perform warranty or remedial work on an engine unless it is using more than that. Yours appears to use 1L/5000 Km. I would not worry about this too much.

My E550 doesn't use any but as stated my previous E430 did. My GL450 sometimes belches a slight blue cloud on the occasional startup but doesn't use any appreciable oil between services (15,000 Km).

I also know Audi, VW and other manufacturers have similar issues on some engines. The 6.2L NA AMG V8 also seems to have occasional consumption issues.

So, it appears to be a luck of the draw thing and I would not get overly concerned about it, especially since yours is using comparatively little.

I am assuming you are using the correct oil? MB spec 229.5?

My E430 used oil since the day I bought it and it ran perfectly nonetheless.

Hope this helps.

 

Sounds excessive, the burn rate should actually start slowing as the miles get past 5k if everything is seating correctly. Any blue smoke during hard acceleration or cold start up?

 

Thanks for the info, gives me more confidence with the car. I have 128,000 KM on the clock and hoping for another 100,000k

 

Over a Gallon of oil (4 litres) in 13,000 miles is not normal...

 

No evidence of smoke at any time and no oil drips on the garage floor. At first I thought the dealer had not added enough oil at service time as there had been virtually no oil use in the previous 4 years. However after a 1500 mile(2400KM) road trip I had to add more. and had to again on the return trip.

 

Oil refilling between oil change intervals is normal and does not necessarily mean oil consumption has increased. MBUSA considers consumption of up to 2000 miles/quart within spec. I would suggest for your E350 (211.056) if engine # is 30 052208 or below (after this # a modified piston ring went into production) dealer perform an oil consumption test.

 

If this increased oil consumption has just started with the last oil change I would find out what oil was used and see if it is different from previous use. For the car to start using oil after a oil change is not normal and not to be expected. If a different oil was used I would go back to the previous oil and see if you have the similar consumption.

 

I have seen the same thing on my wagon. I keep a few quarts in the back, I think it's just the way it is, dealer says it's not a problem. I have not clocked mine but think it's about 4,000 miles for me but I'll check next time.

 

Please note that synthetic oil WILL NOT have any visible evidence in the exhaust like the old organic oil did. If you are seeing some at startup and it is running synthetic, it is most likely just running rich and some moisture. I have had 4 MBs personally and my family has had even more. NEVER have we had to add oil between oil changes!! My E320 has 69,000 miles or 112,000 KMs. I have yet to add one drop of oil and I have had the car since it had 7 miles. I have driven as many as 14,500 miles or 23,000 Kms on one oil change too and it was still full at the end of the cycle.

Just my experience here.

Steve