Frank Wiesmann

Or will it tell me automaticallly when it needs refilling?

jim256

It will tell you automatically via the message screen--it will also advise you of overfill.

Fastbuck

I think this thing is a POS. It asked me to add 1 litre which I did. Now it tells me to take some oil out!

MadManAboutTown

Did you have the vehicle on level ground when measuing the oil?

Fastbuck

I'm afraid so.

Barry45RPM

No dirty fingers, no oily rags...and MB says its accurate (enough) and good (enough)!

DWP

Does the system refuse to tell you whether you need oil or not if it decides that the car isn't level enough? I'm in a flat part of the world and can't easily check that. I know that the system refuses to give a reading until the car is warmed up.

Barry45RPM

No. It will give you a reading no matter what position you are in, hot warm or cold. Like in a car with a dipstick, nose down will read High, rear down will read low. Assuming the dipstick is in the left front part of the engine.

BudC

That's not the case with my 2004 E320. I just returned from a long trip and always checked the oil before I started the car in the morning.

DWP

It may have to do with the ambient temperature, rather than whether the engine is warmed up like I said. The previous time I tried to take a "cold engine" oil reading and got refused, the temp was around 60. I just tried again; the car said the outside temp was 91F (which it is, or higher) and it gave me an oil level reading without also making me (further) warm up the engine.

Barry45RPM

I've checked the oil in the NY winter @ 17 degrees. Dont know why you couldnt.

jim256

The engine needs to be off, off course, but I believe the engine must also have been off for a given period of time, something like 15 minutes, in order for it to give a reading. That allows time for upper crankcase oil to settle in the pan for an accurate reading.

lig

I just check every time I fill up the car.

Can't really say I trust it though... level ground blah blah... it told me right after Service B that it had too much oil.

Took it in and they said it was pretty much o.k. but removed a touch anyway.

Shortly after that it said it needed oil. I let it go for a while.

Now it says "o.k."

Give me a manual dipstick.

BudC

I think you can buy a dipstick from Mercedes but that they have put a rediculous price on it. I suppose they want to discourage people from going back to the dipstick.

When I bought my new E320, I stuck the tube from a Topsider extractor down the dipstick tube and measured the depth of the oil. At least now I'll have a rough idea about what it should be after I change oil or if I get an indication that I need to add oil.

Barry45RPM

Once every few days is a lot. So just check it before you go to work, or come home... whatever routine works.

BudC

Checking oil is far less important with these M112/M113 engines. First of all, they aren't likely to use much oil and secondly, they have as much as twice the oil capacity as most domestic and Japanese cars.

I checked it daily when I was on vacation because I was driving long distances but I have only checked it once since I got home. It appears that I didn't use much oil on the 4,600 mile trip despite starting with only 200 miles on the clock.

glojo

Did it say April fool straight afterwards?

A litre would seem a huge amount to put in considering the system is supposed to continuously monitor the level.

I reckon it was an April fool and the computer just could not wait until April

John
Absolutely sweltering Torquay
(I'm off swimming)

Double Eagle

After 10,500 miles without changing or adding oil in my E-500, the maintenance indiator suddenly said I had too much oil and needed to remove some. It did this on a hill while moving about 80 mph. Later it went out. I talked to my service advisor and he said they would replace the indicator the next time I brought the car in but it was not a problem to drive it. The indicator continued to cycle on and off for next ~1000 miles and then I brought the car in for the routine oil change and service. They changed the indicator at this time and it's never shown I need to remove oil since. I think they had a bad batch of sensors in some of their vehicles. No car will MAKE oil while you drive so I wasn't too concerned about it.

Recommend you get a new oil level sensor and DO NOT remove any oil.