Hi, I've read a lot of the posts about the check oil message but none fit my situation. I bought the GLK350 new. it has about 145,000 miles on it. The other day for the very first time ever I got the "check oil at next fuel stop message". It was almost time for my 10,000 oil change anyway so I was not concerned. I had the oil changed the next day as I was planning a short trip out of town. The owner at oil change place said he didn't see anything but it was a little wet and I might have a small leak. Eleven (11) days later the same message appears. I can't get an appointment at my MB garage so take it to the MB dealer. They run diagnostics and cannot find anything wrong, no codes, no leaks, nothing, but they did say it was a quart low so added oil. The MB mechanic did say it was "wet under there" and he guessed someone didn't put an oil plug in during oil change, oil spilled, and it was put in and more oil added and not cleaned. He suggested I have it cleaned really well. I didn't get a mile and the light came on again! It is full of oil, couldn't have leaked that much as it had only been a while since oil was added. Now it is on all the time. It seems as if it was the sensor MB service could have figured that out. I'll get it cleaned but I'm perplexed.

I do smell a little burnt oil smell standing outside of it when it is running but that could be due to the "spill". Any other suggestions or has anyone experienced something similar in a SUV with that mileage? Be kind, I could be your mother.

 

moved to X204 forum...

 

Maybe it’s sludged up from those 10000 mile oil changes, and the oil is pooling at the top when running and not draining back down fast enough. Check oil immediately after shutting off the motor to see how low it is .

 

Nope. But since we’re contemporaries, I’ll proceed with all due respect.

My 2015 GLK350 went over 155,000 miles without that message or any oil leaks before being retired.

I don’t think the GLK M276 engine has a conventional oil level sensor like the older M112 had. There is no way to check the oil level with the onboard computer. But for that message to be generated there has to be a signal from somewhere. I suppose it could be from the oil pump or from some other component that relies on oil and has a pressure sensor. So either that sensor is bad or you really have a problem maintaining oil flow.

That brings us to MMR1’s comment. I never did anything but 10,000 mile oil changes on the GLK and experienced no problems. But that comment has real merit.

1) I experienced the exact problem with another brand where the oil sludged on top of the head restricting flow back to the oil pan. The only fix was to remove the valve covers and clean it out. The congealed oil had the appearance of grape jelly. I changed oil type and change interval. The problem never returned.

2) I had a bad experience with one of my Mercedes M112 engines. Being in a rush, I took the car to a quick change location. I carefully watched that they put in the correct viscosity and type of oil. But I didn’t pay as much attention to the oil filter they used. About 100 miles from home I got a message something like STOP ENGINE - LUBRICATION FAILURE. I pulled over and 2 hours later the auto club picked me and the car up and deposited us at the next Mercedes dealer down the road. On inspection the quick change shop had used an off brand aftermarket filter and it had completely collapsed blocking the incoming oil and the return to the pan. Installing an OE filter solved the problem.

You have a real problem and it needs to be addressed because it could damage the engine. I would check 2) first because it’s easy, then check 1).

Please keep us posted so we can learn from this.

 

There might be a low oil level sensor but nice to have dipstick so check that every couple fill ups. With age the car might start burning oil. 1qrt per 1000 miles is normal according many manufacturers, which is crazy.

It could be as simple as faulty sensor, which explains why it says check oil level before and after oil change. Check the level, that simple.
It could be a leak, it could be burning some, or both.

Regarding comments above, sounds like you are driving a lot if you have 145k miles in 7 years, so 10k miles may actually be ok in your case. That implies 2 oil changes a year. Just go by time and not mileage.