jkwng5

This may be a dumb question on my part, but I own cars like Fords, Nissan, Mazda, Kia Honda and Acuras which I've done and will continue to do my own oil changes on these cars so I kinda know where and what the oil pan and drain plug looks like...but for the life of me now that I owned my 2011 E350 4-matic since 2014 I am not able to locate where the oil pan is on this car!!!

I've jack the car up and rested it on jack stands, removed the dust shields from underneath the engine...if the oil pan is there I'm not finding it!!!

Please someone help...pics would be great.

konigstiger

Check link: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ml#post6938112

Merserybenze

I couldn't find it either. I removed both plastic covers under the car (after driving it onto a pair of ramps). I gave up. Bought a mityvac oil extractor from Amazon. Took 15 mins to change the oil without getting under the car.

By the way - Mobile one has a rebate. Buy 10 quarts from Walmart and you get $24 rebate - got the check after 2 weeks, did everything online.

nicobaires

It's there, I had the same issue when I first did it. I can't remember exactly where it is, but it is there. It's the second cover towards the middle of the car that you need to remove.

belarus27

took me about 10 min to find it the first time i was doing the oil change , but now i know exactly where to look. (felt kinda dumb at first tho lol) but oh well , we all learn.

jkwng5

Yup, I started to remove the middle cover but got frustrated and just abandoned my search and used my mityvac...I've using in past oil changes but want to drain the oil as completely as possible this time...but I guess I'll have to open the middle cover during the next oil change...thank you for your help.

Bmiso

I have been looking all over for the oil drain plug and still can't find it on my 2010 E550.
Does anyone have any photos?

konigstiger

No photo, but...

bhvrdr

Theres kind of a relatively small (maybe 4" by 5") access panel bolted to the bottom of the drain pan. There's a plug off to the side of the pan (obviously the bottom of the side). On the 4 matic the center diff kind of sits off to the side of it. Obviously you'll be looking forward of the transmission. You see it by just removing the engine aero pan (the second one back from the frond of the car).

Mike

belarus27

ill be changing oil this saturday.... if you want i can take some pictures.

beejAMG

you teasing? just do it.

seriously, yes please.

belarus27

lol no teasing man

any preferences on angles , or quantity of pics , maybe a video? hahaha
JK JK

will do.

beejAMG

lol

belarus27

here are the pics i promised.
after doing this , i realized im not so good at making a diy lol
but at least whoever needs it will have an idea.

Arrie

I don't understand why it would be difficult to locate the oil pan and drain for it if it looks like in the pictures...?


But it could be difficult to find if it is true that the 2016 models and after do not even have an oil drain plug under the engine like the MB indy shop told me. Oil changes are done only thru the dip stick tube.

ItalianJoe1

They all have a drain plug. Dealers just don't use them, we always extract from the dipstick tube.

Arrie

Just saying what the Indy shop told me...

Sunnyslope48

I just did my first oil change on my 2016 E-350 and what I can tell you is that the oil pan is quite small, painted black, and so is the drain plug, which is located on the forward part of the pan. I had to look a couple of times and even thought at one point that they must have changed the 2016's in favor of always using the dip stick tube removal method. Took another look, this time using a very bright flash light and found the drain plug. Fortunately it was not installed by a gorilla with a huge air impact.

belarus27

Gorilla with a huge impact hahaha too funny.
Why did u do it yourself tho? Didn't wanna wait for dealers 10k?

cetialpha5

Why wouldn't he do it himself? I don't think Service A is included unless you buy a maintenance package. The standard $299 for what is basically an oil change and a check on everything else is basically highway robbery. You can easily pick up oil and filter for $30-$50.

belarus27

Spent 61$ for 10 quart 0w40 mobil 1 and a mann filter. A place where i used to change oil was charging me 110.
Oh and I didn't know u have to buy it as an extra.even if the car is still this new.thnk u

cetialpha5

I guess you missed the $12 Mobil 1 rebate that was going on last month. Brought it down to $11 for a 5 quart jug and they had a limit of 2. They seem to run this about two times a year the last couple years. Pepboys also tends to have a 5 quart jug of Castrol 0w40 sale around Black Friday and you can throw in a Purolator fleece filter for $20.

Sunnyslope48

The reason I mentioned the Gorilla with a huge impact was because, in addition to changing the oil, I also rotated my tires (and the rest of the A Service requirements). The only lugs on the wheels that were anywhere near the torque they should have been were the locking lugs. The others were torqued MUCH HIGHER. On one wheel, I broke the lug wrench that came with the car, broke a ratchet, broke 2 sockets. Finally went down to the parts store and bought an impact 17MM deep socket and pumped the compressor up to 150 lbs, attached the Earth Quake air impact gun and let her rip, and rip, and rip, and rip. The lug just wouldn't budge, even with the impact with plenty of pressure. Finally got another breaker and a 3 ft piece of pipe and loosened the lug. The factory (or someone) really tightened those lugs way too tight, I'm guessing something north of 200 ft lbs. If I had a flat tire somewhere and decided to change the tire myself, there would have been no way I could have remove ANY of the wheels with the lug wrench that came with the car. I now have purchased a 1/2 breaker to go along with the 17MM deep impact to keep in the car so that I will be able to remove a wheel if I want to do so.

As for the oil change/A Service, I'm the kind of guy who wants to know for certain exactly what a particular job entails, at least the 1st time. The 2nd and subsequent times, I will then know if I'd rather pay someone else to do it or not. AT this point, I see no reason to pay anyone to do an A service as it really is not necessary to get under the car for anything and the oil change is extremely simple if you suction the oil thru the dipstick tube, oil filter is easily accessible at the top front of the engine. Check all the fluids, go down the check list and do what a competent MB tech would do.

I also rebuilt the auto trans (C4) in my Mustang years ago, put in a shift kit, and my drag race friends couldn't believe how nice that trans was. Wanted me to do theirs also. But too much work because I didn't have the correct tools. Now THAT, I'd pay someone to do that if ever I needed a rebuilt transmission again.

Arrie

So you need a good pump for oil removal. I read about the MityVac but did not go with it as I thought it was a bit pricey. Changed oil few times using the $7 small hand pump that I bought with oil from Wally World. This pump last only one oil change as obviously the old oil ruined the seals of it. It worked but took about 1/2 hour to suck oil out from the engine.


Then bought an electric piston pump. This lasted two changes.


Bought another electric pun that broke after one change.


Then bought the MityVac and have done 4 oil changes with it. So very easy as it takes the whole oil volume in it in just 5 or so minutes. And I don't see it would fail as no oil runs thru the pump itself. Yes, it is a hand pump but does not take much effort at all.


The other very easy jobs for you are spark plugs and air filters.

belarus27

happened to me once back when i had my e60 BMW , when i got a flat tire on the freeway , couldnt remove one of the luyg nuts , had to call towing , and taking it to a tire shop , because someone tightened the lug nuts so tight nobody could budge them. lol hate when ppl do this.