ATS

I was cleaning my car last night and I noticed in the upper left part of the engine cover there is a little dipstick looking thing sticking out at the top near the window wipers touching the plastic engine cover. I didn't pull it out, is that what it is? What is it a dipstick for?

BudC

If it's red, it's the plug for the dipstick tube. There is no dipstick. You can pull it out and see that it's only a couple of inches long.

This tube is used to extract the oil by the dealer or by private individuals using something like the Topsider.

DWP

I'm not able to check for myself at the moment, but if the W211 has an empty (but for the plug) dipstick tube, could a clever aftermarket vendor come up with a real dipstick to go in the tube? Given all the kvetching in this forum about the inability to directly read the oil level, lots of people (count me among them) might buy an actual dipstick, if only as a backup to the ElectroTechnoRemotesenso display.

BudC

I've read somewhere that you can buy a dipstick from Mercedes but they have a rediculous price (probably to discourage you from checking the oil yourself).

Call parts at a dealership and ask them.

Here's what you might do. Go to a hardware store and buy about 3' of 1/4" OD plastic tubing. Wait until the dealer has changed your oil and when the car is level and oil is cool, put the tube down the dipstick tube and then pull it back out. Mark the place on the plastic tube where the oil level is at or measure it with a tape measure. From then on you should be able to use that plastic tube to verify that the oil level is correct.

I use the tube that came with the Topsider to check the oil level.

ctemkin

I had the experience of getting messages about having too much oil--this, after my first service at my MB dealer. Actually, I got one or two briefly, and then they went away. The real problem was that my wife borrowed the car for a trip and got the oil message over and over again. When I called a service person at the dealer, his response was that it was hard for them to be precise about the oil because there is no mechanical dipstick. Also, apparently, the sensor goes off if there is too much oil by even a tiny amount. If the car is not billowing white smoke, it is OK.

I, too, would be happy to buy a mechanical dipstick, but it sounded to me as if this is not possible.

BoSoxFan

Check this thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/mercedes-tech-talk/73954-mbtech208-oil-dipstick-q-2003-e500.html

DWP

Thanks for the thread link ... although now I'm not sure if the part that Scorchie identified by number is just an $80 conventional dipstick or a tool of some kind.

BudC

I called a local Mercedes parts department. They told me there is a tool that can be used to measure the oil level in all the engines w/o a dipstick.

She said she thought it was about $150 but looked just like a regular dipstick.

She also said the service department used it to verify they have put the correct amount of oil in the engine.

Apparently, there are two tools called Dipstick, oil level test

A 120 589 06 21 00 and A120 589 07 21 00

DWP

The more I read about the dipsticks/tools available from the M-B dealer's parts department, the better your plastic tubing suggestion sounds. As it so happens, our car is having a warranty oil change at the dealer on Friday, so that will be a timely baseline for the tubing.

BudC

Got this quote from an Internet source. It's a special order tool.

A 120 589 07 21 00 Engine oil level dip stick $159.50