Adi-Benz

Most people seem to do it from top, but it can always leave some residue/deposits at the bottom of the tank.
This is the best way to do it, of course takes slightly more effort than just from the top.
This is also very similar to the non-biturbo M276; I believe that the oil filter is slightly offset.
Some mods coming soon...stay tuned.

LILBENZ230

I thought WIS recommended topside extraction?

Adi-Benz

Dealership probably does it that way, but I don't see it being "better" as everything settles to the bottom.

This is one of those things though that either way really works. Mercedes has the nice convenience of the oil filter at the top,
so you don't have to get underneath if you have the vacuum.

bmwpowere36m3

Pro-Tip for those underbody fasteners... get yourself a hex-driver drill (with clutch/torque settings) + 1/4" drive bit adapter + 8mm socket

Then you can zip these off and on quickly. I usually set the torque down low and drive the home. Driver also comes in handy for torx screws like those securing the air filter housing and various interior panels. I use a Makita 12V driver [FD06Z] since I have Makita tools in general.

rapidoxidation

Since we're all expressing opinions here: The single advantage of draining the oil over vacuuming from the top is it affords the service person an opportunity to look for issues from the bottom of the car.

Adi-Benz

Good idea, will have to try that next time!

dtsdig

I just did the oil on my E400 last weekend. I started off using my Schwaben extractor but was only able to pull about 5 quarts out, even with the front of the car lifted a bit. I don't know if it's because of the hose I have or what. Ended up putting the car on ramps and draining from the bottom. For me, on this car at least, I think I will always just count on a traditional, drain from the bottom, oil change from here on out. As a side note, the drain plug on these cars is hilarious. There's almost an inch worth of threads on it and it takes a comically long time to unscrew.

nc211

When I do my own oil changes, which isn’t very often anymore, I always drain from the pan. I had one of those mityvac things years ago and simply tossed it out as I did not trust it.

But what I also do when I do my own is (1) sacrifice a quart of new oil as I’ll drain the oil, put plug back in, fill with ½ quart fresh, wait a minute and then open the drain again and pour the rest of the quart in to the point of seeing it come out clean from the pan. You’d be surprised how effective that is to help
flush out the old hiding in the corners of the pan.

The other thing I’ll do (2) maybe once every 25k miles - pour about a cup of Seafoam into the old oil, let the car idle for about 20 minutes to circulate, then let it sit for an hour, then start the drain/flush process as noted above. I’ve done this technique for at least 20 years now ranging from Lexus, Mazda, Toyota, VW, and MB - always amazes me how dark and dirty the oil comes out. The car seems to idle more smoothly once the new oil is in as well.

chassis

WIS specifies top extraction. My dealer ignores this and bottom drains. I have seen this.

The M276 NA oil filter is in the same position as the M276 TT shown in the video.

Agree with the benefits of bottom drain. The biggest hassle is removing the underbody shields, and the electric or pneumatic driver is the way to do it. On the W166 GLE the rear shield needs to come off first for the easiest overall procedure.

Adi-Benz

Haha, I was literally ready to trim down that part of the video because the thing kept unscrewing! 😂