uzmcue

Dealer told me every 20000KM or 1 Year, Is that reasonable? I always hear people say it should be changed in very 5000-7000KM

Thanks

NYCGLK

Here in US it's 10-15k miles or 1 year, so the same. 5000-7000km is for car with regular oil, synthetic oil allows much longer intervals.

uzmcue

Sorry, I am from Canada. Thanks for your reply

Baby G

You will be fine; just follow the recommended service

chilledbenz

In the cars on board computer (found using the buttons on the steering wheel) you will find the maintenance setting, just follow that. Depending on your driving, its usually a year.

Leslielp

I think its just over 20,000km before the 1st service. I did get a message to check the oil level and had to add a litre of Mobile1 synth.

NYCGLK

I found out that you can check how many days you have till service. Mine said 245 days till service A, which is about 8 months and I had car about 4 months (only 3500 miles). So once a year seems accurate estimate so far, but I was told it can shorten the time depending on the driving style and conditions.

MBRedux

I own or have built many high performance cars... (Porsche, Audi, MB, BMW etc) There are many here on MBW who agree with me that extended oil change intervals reflect a current trend among high end manufactures... it's in Vogue for a luxury car maker to advertise this! And why should they care? There's no real money in oil changes anyway especially with low mileage warranties. They figure many of their customers will suffer engine wear issues only after their 50,000 mile warranty expires.

I personally knew one of the chemical engineers that worked for Mobil for nearly 30 years before he retired. In contrast to popular belief, synthetic motor oil does not last any longer than conventional motor oils... think not? Then please show me where it's written that it does last longer and I'll show you a hoax. They may hint at it but I'm sorry to report, it isn't actually written anywhere that it does.

Syn oils do hold their properties a little longer, reduce friction at higher operating temperatures, are less prone to water retention, but they do become contaminated just like conventional motor oils do. Extended oil changes are a direct result of better engine manufacturing and engineering precision, thus less friction, less blow-by gases etc etc. However, there are other factors that contribute to oil breakdown regardless of what type it is. Poor driving habits such as pumping the accelerator instead of keeping a steady throttle, slow traffic commutes, cold engine starts, engine braking techniques, towing trailers, etc. These things all take a high toll on any oil.

We had a BMW that also required a 10,000 mile oil change interval with Mobil-1. At 100,000 miles, that engine was nothing but one large SLUDGE BOX... gummy and varnished with worn out valve stem seals blowing white smoke at every stop light.

If you took apart engines as much as I do, you would understand. Our new GLK will get the same initial treatment as all our new cars have.

Oil Change at 1000mi.
Again at 2000mi.
Then again at 4000mi.
Then every 4000 miles thereafter.

When you dismantle an engine after a 100,000 miles that's been treated like I describe above vs. one that hasn't or has followed the manufacturer's recommendation, it can be compared to a dentist looking into the mouth of a 50 year old person who brushed their teeth after every meal vs. one that only brushed before bedtime. Get the picture?



vs

dlinjuly2009

Sounds logical, MBRedux.

No harm brushing more often if I like sweets.

mr.mbenz

it is better to do a $125 oil change than face a $1000 minimum to repair a minor component linked to the oil's apparatus. Definitely, the synthetic oil is better, but there is no evidence that this oil will not gummy up, and leave a 'sludge' in the oil pan.
Everyday driving is exposed to different weather conditions and everyone has different driving habits. Therefore, the best investment you can make to protect and have great longevity of your GLK.


My 2 cents...

yualfred

I found my oil level is at min now. Odo at 4500km. No warning message. What oil did you add? I found the chart in the manual showing different oil at different temperature. But what oil they pre-charged for Canada market?

MegGLK350

I going to change mine every 5000 miles. IMHOP any more than that is a waste of money and time.

MegGLK350

When my level was low I added Mobil 1 0W-40. As a matter of fact when I chang my oil that is what I'm going to use.

yualfred

Was 0w40 filled from factory too, or it doesn't matter, you can just mix?

yualfred

There should be a most optimal oil change interval there. Even its always the more frequent, the better. Same like brushing teeth, if you do that 12 times a day, you will still benefit, but we know whats the optimal time.

Therefore, I would think dealer's recom oil change schedule should be at or near the optimal point. You can do that slightly more often, but anything beyond you will get a diminishing benefit while spending unnecessary time / money for it.

I don't think MB would under-quote the oil change freqency because they don't care about the damage after the warranty period. As higher ownership cost after warranty will drive the used car price down, then eventually hurt the new car sales or even brand name.

nupe494

My understanding in allowing for longer oil change intervals was in the filter. The key was to use high quality oil filter and change it every 3k-5k miles to ensure optimal filtration of the contaments from the oil.

As far as all the speculation on MB's change interval, why not just send a few samples that were changed at the 10k mile mark to a lab for analysis? That should put an end to all of the debate.

MegGLK350

To be honest I don't know. I do know that it's one of the oils recommended in the owners manual. I also use it in my BMW 135. Mixing a liter of a different grade of oil will not damage your engine as long as it's the same type. I.E. synthetics with synthetics dino with dino. Mercedes at least US specs are synthetic factory filled.

yualfred

Just did a little study, you need to have the oil that is MB 299.5 standard approved.

So far I found Mobile 1 0w-40 and Castrol syntec 0w-30.

MBRedux

Okay... here's a real simplified explanation. No it’s NOT the filter! Oil filters only remove metal and other hard carbon particulates found in the oil of all engines... and that's just about it.

But air contains water, right? As the engine heats up, the air condensates inside your crankcase where it soon vaporizes and mixes with combustion blow-by gases creating acids. It then mixes again with the engine oil. (There are hundreds of other contributing factors such as the fuel type used, combustion efficiency etc. but I'm not going there.) Now as this acid mixture increases over time, it dilutes the oil to such an extent that it not only reduces the antifriction properties of the oil, this oil and acid mixture starts to rot every metal component inside the engine, such as crankshaft and rod bearings, piston rings, valve & guides, cams… you name it… it’s getting attacked. So if the contaminated oil is not changed when the oil becomes too acidic (loss of viscosity and lubricating properties), DAMAGE will occur no matter HOW BIG your oil filter is or how FINE FILTERED they say it is.

As far as the correct oil is concerned, Yualfred is right; the oil MUST conform to the MB-229.5 specification. However, the correct viscosity and type used by the factory in our GLK is Mobil-1 Formula-M 5w-40. This oil must be used year round.

WARNING: Please do not confuse this oil with Mobil-1 ESP Formula-M 5w-40. They sound alike but they are NOT THE SAME. ESP is for diesel engines ONLY! Also, please DO NOT GET the “over the counter” straight Mobil-1 5w-40 either. This oil does not meet the strict Mercedes Benz 229.5 spec.

MegGLK350

I read MB-229.5 and it also states Mobil-1 0w-40.

MBRedux

As long as it's the "Formula-M" (for Mercedes) and NOT the "ESP Formula-M!" Personally I would go with the 5w-40. Oils that have rather wide viscosities often have too many (viscosity extender) additives that usually break down quicker.

Although Mobil-1 Formula-M 0w-40 may be standard in Canadian models... but I'm not that sure. It would make sense due to your colder climate.

yualfred

This is copied from Mobiloil.com

Question: Using 5W-40 Grade Motor Oil Instead of 0W-40 in a Mercedes-BenzI've been using Mobil 1 0W-40 synthetic oil in my 1992 500E Mercedes for 4 years now and have been told to consider 5W-40 grade for my car. I live in southern California, my mechanic only carries 0W-40 weight, and I want to ask if the 5W-40 grade is better then 0W-40 grade all around?-- Steve Vainshtein, Los Angeles, CA

Answer: Both a 5W-40 and 0W-40 will provide the same level of protection at high temperatures, especially if you are using a product like Mobil 1. As far as the 0W versus the 5W, this should not make a difference for you other than at start-up. The 0W would provide you a faster start-up at low temperature but you are unlikely to see the differences in your climate. Either grade is fine for you and unless you are having any issues, we recommend you stay with Mobil 1 0W-40 as it is specifically designed for your type of vehicle

---------------

Your logic is current for why using 0w-40 to improve low-temp pumpability while you don't need in warm climate. However I don't think it is fact that harmful additives are added, as from Mobil website, it doesn't seem to make difference. And for Canadian weather 0w-40 is a must. Also 0w-40 is much more popular. I can't even find non-diesel 5w-40 product info in their website.

MBRedux

That's an older benz you reference... so it doesn't apply here... MB engine design and materials have changed slightly since then.

This is the oil the factory currently uses in all NEW Canadian and USA GLK models. It can only be purchased at your local dealer for now. http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lub...la_m_5w-40.pdf

The commercial store version is a straight Mobil-1 0w-40 but make sure you look for the 229.5 Mercedes Spec on the bottle or box before you buy it. The commercial store Mobil-1 5w-40 is NOT to be used since it doesn NOT meet Mercedes specs.

But like I said, in order to have multigrade oils of any kind, viscosity extending additives are blended in. Our race cars use a straight single weight synthetic... and sometimes a racing blend syn multigrade 10w-30/40. The more the spread, the more additives there are... period... there's no other way to do it. That's why Mercedes uses Mobil-1 Formula-M 5w-40 and NOT 0w-40 from the factory.

So do what you wish... I'm sure it will be okay... but do not get the ESP Type-M whatever you do... just Formula-M.

Good luck.....

nupe494

So basically what you're saying is that although engine tolerances are much higher, it doesn't improve or increase the oil life significantly enough to warrant going 10k miles between changes?

Has anyone actually got an oil analysis by Blackstone or the like to determine whether the longer oil runs are prudent? I've seen an oil analysis using mobil 1 synth that went 17k miles and the blackstone analysis stated the oil was in good shape and could have actually gone longer.

JT01

What does the oil and filter service cost at the dealership? $200-$300 bucks??