gas-man

My GL consumed about a quart of oil after about 1100 mile trip. I have 6200 mile on it now. It also happened when it only have about 1500 miles I went for a 750 mile trip and have to pu about 3/4 quart of oil after. driving for short distances did not any issues but when I go for long trips like the one I just did there is oil consumption. it was below halfway on the dipstick. No warning on the dashboard.
Anyway I brought it to the dealership in Charleston WV( Smith Class) they agree that it is consuming oil. They told me that they have to do an oil consumption test but they do not have the tools/test kityet They have to order it and I will be notified when it arrived. Meantime I just have to be vigilant to check the oil every so often. The SA told me worst case scenario they have to change the engine
I am thinking my Gl less than 4 months and will have a new engine or a remanufactured oneI followed the break-in instruction on the manual, treated it with TLC, never towed anything on it.
I will await for that tool kit and let you know what is the prognosis.

Trodas

I just got back from my dealer for oil consumption as well, i have 3400 miles on since my last oil change and my message came on and said check oil level at next refueling. So i went to the dealer and it was about 3/4 quart low and the tech told me he remembers reading something about these diesel engines
consuming oil, has anyone heard anything about this.

infamily

We have GL 320 cdi . had same problem, yes the new car will burn a bit of oil during breakin.. Our problem was bad design bracket for oil sensor. We would get same message after driving for 80 or so miles. The bracket design was such that it did not allow sensor to sit deep enough in the oil pan.. Check with MB service there is a bulletin out for this. our GL was built in July 2007, they have to get this bracket from Germany.. at least for us they had to .. maybe now they are in stock.

Trodas

My 320 has 4500 miles on it so i think the break in period is over, plus mine took 3/4 of a quart. How many miles do you have on yours??

infamily

about 5000 miles now.. but when the problem first showed up it had 2200 or so miles

gas-man

I do understand that the new engine will consume oil. As I have stated before I have about 6200 miles on my GL. I went for a long trip 700+ miles and it consumed 3/4 quarts. For short trips it would not consume any. I again took 1100+ miles trip and it consumed about 1 quart ( that is how much the SA told me to top off my oil. I also mentioned to them that when the oil is on normal level(top level) every 100 miles I would have a warning of check oil level but after I took that long trip recently there was no warnign for check oil level until I have check the oil level and brought to the dealer service.

Danno4x4

I have an 07 and it has consumed a bit of oil as well... Mine has about 4K miles on it now, so it is probably still breaking in... Only consumes 1/2 a quart or so every 2k miles, but it does consume it quicker on long trips...

Maybe its just a quirk with this engine... I bought a few quarts of the special Mobil 1 oil from the dealership just to have on hand. I did mention it at the last service, so it is documented. I figure I will monitor it until 10-12K miles when the engine should be fully broken in.

In the mean time, 5.50 a quart for the special Mobil 1 stuff isn't too bad. I checked the Jeep dealership to see if it is cheaper (since the Grand Cherokee also uses the same engine) and they wanted more than 10 bucks a quart!

It sounds like it might just be a quirk with these motors until the rings fully seat.

scottybdiving

Gentlemen, don't get too discouraged if your diesel always uses a little oil. My new Duramax Silverado has used a little, but not enough to add, between oil changes, which requires 2 qts low to reach the add mark. The owner's manual states this fact. My two previous Ford Powerstrokes used at least 2 qts between oil changes and sometimes more. Both of them went well over 200K miles and were still running in top form when I sold them. My wife's Excursion with the Powerstroke used 2 qts +, between oil changes. We sold it to buy the GL and I'll gauantee you it will continue to run for many years for the person that bought it.

This is probably one of the reason they are so specific about using an oil that will not harm the exhaust system because they know some oil will get burnt.

Now, the overly sensitive oil level sensor is a different story.

firefighter608

When i read this post I checked my oil. With 4567 on the clock it was 1/2 way down the dipstick. Tech told me that it was not bad and just added more oil to top it off. Since it's documented I'll check again before scheduled oil change (6000miles) which will be before the holidays since I need to drive to NYC and Florida

BritBlaster

On my outbound trip to MT (700m) the "check oil at next fuel stop" warning came on. Sure enough, the oil was down way low on the dipstick. This is my first diesel and now has 6500m since June on the original oil. I put in a quart and that kept it happy -- until the return trip when the warning came on again. On examining the dipstick the oil looked especially black -- I'm used to gas engines where the oil tends to have a "golden-black" color. Is this something to be concerned about, or is it par for the course for a diesel ?

Funnily enough my E63 started prompting for an oil-check just prior to its first service at around 9500m. I haven't taken that car on any long trips though; and it hasn't reported a problem since.

infamily

I am sure you know what you are looking for on dipstick.. But just for your info, as per MB the Oil level on dipstick should be half way between the low and high mark for proper oil level.

tm4exc

+1 Oil is not low if between the marks on the dipstick. Quote from the manual-
Insert oil dipstick into the oil dipstick tube to the stop, and take it out again.
The oil level is correct if the level is between lower mark and upper mark"

firefighter608

Then i should have read the manual------ Tech just went and overfilled my oil.

Should have just left it be

tm4exc

Of interest is the note in the interactive on line manual about oil consumption:
"Depending on how it is driven, the vehicle consumes a maximum of 0.8 l oil per 1,000 km. The oil consumption may be higher than this when the vehicle is new or if you frequently drive at high engine speeds.

You can only estimate the oil consumption after you have driven a considerable distance.

You will find further information about engine oil in the "Technical data" section "

It does not say to what engine this consumption data applies. One can assume all of them at this point.
This is the link. I have not got my GL yet (arrives in a week) but I have found this International manual very informative. You can also search with it in the detail section. Link followshttp://www4.mercedes-benz.com/e/cars/gl-class/betriebsanleitung/flash6.html
Good luck!

scottybdiving

That's exactly what I have been trying to say. I have owned and driven diesel engines for a lot of years, not counting the 8 excavators, 10 end loaders, and 7 bulldozers, and 9 work trucks we own. With very few exceptions, diesel engines use a little oil. Nothing to get alarmed about. 0.8L / 1000km seems on the high side but obviously they think it is possible.

ZLK

I have the same engine in my 07 R320 CDI. I recently checked the oil and it was at the MIN mark on the dipstick. Then I looked around under the hood and noticed oily dirt on some components. Alarmed, I immediately took it in to service. The initial thought by the service advisor was that if the low oil warning hadn't come on it was most likely ok and that these engines have a 12000 mile break in period with some oil consumption being normal. When he inspected it he didn't think anything was wrong either, but he had a technician take it up on the lift and sure enough, they found an oil leak and started taking it apart piece by piece until they traced it to a seal in the oil separator. Turns out oil had even gotten into the turbo. They had to order the part from Germany and it took them a week to get our car back to us.
I have a feeling this seal may be more or less the culprit in most cases. Ours was probably a more severe case than they normally see. I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually becomes a recall item when enough vehicles have to have it replaced.
Another thing that surprised me is that for a car made in the USA the part had to be shipped from Germany. Wouldn't they have plenty of parts ready for the vehicles being assembled in Tuscaloosa that they could scavenge from? I guess with "Just in time delivery" they can't afford to upset the supply chain for their factory.
So, I don't have any clue what the Oil Separator is, but you may want to keep it in mind in case you have to keep refilling your oil.

Trodas

did you see any oil leaks on the ground??? Or is this oil getting burned thru the turbo or something??

ZLK

I never found any puddles, that's why I was doubting myself when I saw the wet dirt on some components under the hood. I especially noticed it on a 1/2" steel pipe towards the lower right front of the engine since the contrast was good. Plus it hadn't rained in days. Maybe it only leaked under pressure and got sprayed around the engine bay while driving.
But I am sure glad my instincts were correct.

scottybdiving

I was told by my SA that the engines are built in Germany, shipped to Alabama for installation, then 70% of the 320's are shipped back to Europe. Seems like a lot of shipping to me.

BritBlaster

No doubt!

That's about a quart for every ~750m (or, stated differently .. a gallon per 3000M!). That certainly matches my experience with my long-distance trip (avg speed was 72mph, and had many long stretches of 80-85mph sections).

LASCAUX

That is why your fuel mileage is so good, the 320's are running on part diesel and part engine oil. Mobil 1 is $24 per gallon.

HoustonRider

when my 08 320cdi hit about 5150 miles, the "check oil level at next fill-up" message came up. I'm getting 600+ per tank (and just filled up), so I checked it this am. It was slightly under the halfway mark (between min and max) on the dipstick.

I drove about 260 miles today, then stopped at a MB dealer to have it double checked. (370 miles for the day) He told me it was .25 qt low, and topped it off (no charge). he said it should burn 1.5 qts by the first service (10k).

I drive ALOT (as far as I'm concerned). I've had this truck about 60 days or so, I'm at 5400 miles today. Before Friday I'll do at least another 600 miles. Some days I'll do 400+ miles with about 90% on the hwy.

I like it, and if I can get 23+ mpg (avg) and have to spring for more oil every now and then.... so be it.... way it goes..

Svalko

I had the same problem. 600 miles before the first 10 000 miles interval for oil change, the "Check oil level" message appeared. I changed the oil and putted 9 quarts. To the next change the oil was still to the top, no any consumption! I have 40K miles already on the car, I changed 4 times the oil, no any problems so far, no leaks, no burning.

scottybdiving

I am surprised that 1/4 qt had such an effect on your oil level. My "check oil at next fill up" light came on this week at 6400 miles. I have checked the oil weekly and saw that the level was creeping down, but within the safe zone. After the light came on, the level was toward the bottom end of the safe zone. With the engine warm, I added 1/2 qt and it was still below the middle. I added the other 1/2 and this brought the level up to about 3/4 of the safe zone, which is about where it started when it was new.

Maybe mine was built after the oil sensor problem was discovered.

N'AWLINS

+1 ScottyB....I added 1/2 quart at 6200 miles after I got the check oil at next refueling note