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Interesting posts/replies on this - but let's get back to basics on your new Mercedes.
Fuel Oil capacity on your Mercedes is 8.5qts - a oil service (drained from bottom of the pan) and fresh filter will take about 8qts - and the properly measure oil level is DIPSTICK ONLY.
On your dip stick - there are two markers - Max and Min - and the space between the two actually is about 2-2.5 qts.
After a 8qt oil service - with fresh fleece filter - oil level will be a bit less than Max - and note going OVER MAX is actually more harmful than running at min.
To me - from what you mentioned "the dealer" did a oil change - sounds like a non-MB dealer - and from your description they didn't know they did a "light" job..
If the fill was measured cold - started off a bit low - after driving around and filling the oil filter with oil - yes - you could be "qt" low.
In a 96K mile MB - there is going to be some oil residue around the filter area - and some oil/dirt residue around the rocker gaskets - don't let somebody "scare you" into added major service unless there is more evidence here.
If it was me - know how to check oil level - get that oil level correct - spray clean your engine gunk away - mot hard to do - engine running - pop engine cover - prudent use of high pressure wash - and from there see what happens over the next couple of weeks.
You sound like a good egg - what you DON'T want to do is over react - go to a dealer/service house and have them rip you off on unnecessary service.
Keep the beat !
I recently bought a 2008 ML350 with 96k miles on it
When I bought it it was down about a quart and the dealer gave it an oil change.
About 1200 miles later it is down a quart of oil again, the low oil warning came on the dash which is what notified me of it.
The car does not leak any oil , I have checked in my car port and not a drop has leaked.
I do seem to smell burning oil to some extent
This is coming from the engine and I notice it after I have been driving and get out of the car.
I do not smell it inside the car, I need to get out of the car and smell near the hood.
Could it be leaking valve cover gaskets, oil burns as it comes in contact with engine, hence no dripping on the ground?
Car (when started) runs good and smooth , lots of power and normal oil pressure.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance!
Kendinitto,
I noticed this with my 2006 ML 500 (W164) I bought 2 1/2 years ago. 174,009 miles. I don’t have a dipstick or drainage plug. The car tells me when oil is low & oil changes they suck the oil out through the neck where a dip stick would be. I suppose you can by one. I’ve done all recommended oil changes at dealer. Asked them about the quart usage every 1200-1500 miles. I was advised it was normal for that many miles. I have no problems with leakage or performance. Not to say that valves & such are not wearing but my dealer has given me no indication of loosing HP or performance. Check with them all the same. Buy a gallon 0-20 and carry it with you. Post if you get any other advise or comments from the dealer. Thanks much. Spartydani
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
Sure, if the "dealer" is a car lot using bulk 5w-30 from a drum, you can get some consumption. This is why I say, going into summer, if you think you are burning oil try some 15w-40. If you burn that grade, it's not the oil's fault. My engine is super-duper smooth and quiet on it.
Last edited by Audi Junkie; Mar 17, 2021 at 09:35 PM.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
The specification scam is just a revenue generating scheme for Mercedes, it doesn't have much to do with the oil quality, there are great oils w/o a license like Redline and AMSoil
Same as other oems, the oil company pays a license fee, in thecase of VAG it's $500k for 3 years license to use the spec.Moreover, anybody can get into the spec oils business. Simply purchase the pre-approved additive package from some additive company like Lubrizol, Oronite, Infineon, etc. Then mix it with a specified base oil, usually Korean, bottle it an put your own label on....oh don't forget to write a $1MM check to Mercedes.
People think that list of 100s of little oil blenders exists because it's "the best", ma and pa tinkering away with a super-secret formula, lol....no. All the Euro specs overlap too, nothing special about VW 502, BMW LL01, MB 229.X....they are simply high quality oils that meet a few criteria. The oil needs to be a certain visc at +150C and not leave deposits when it burns off....most oils do this but most are somewhat thin forthe US market. We dont' drive on the Autobahn for hours at a time, and dont' heat the oil up like Euro specs anticipate with the buffer of a 40 weight. Also the oil needs to cold-crank and deliver MPG. I dont' need cold cranking in FL or NE summers, I dont' care about MPG to pass a EPA fleet requirement, etc and etc.
I say you can run ANY OIL in the store; 0w-20 in Artci cold, 20w-50 in desert heat...etc. Dino 5w-30 is fine at a short interval in cool temps, it's NO BIG DEAL. People think the engine is exclusive to 229.3/5 but again no. There's a generic ACEA spec called A3 that defines the oil sold in many markets, as the basis for 229 and other mfg specs. Most any 40 weight, inc 10w-40 meet this in Europe. The OCI FSS reset on your car allows for "standard" oil, you just have to scroll to it, and boom....you run it for 5000 miles.
So, my car was overfull with "dealer oil" when I got it at 1500 miles into the change. I could drain a tiny bit for my drive home, but I could just as easy drain it all and replace with $20 worth of Delvac 15w-40. HD diesel oils have more detergents and solvency, so it will clean the engine as good as anything. It's won't burn off either....a perfect oil for my needs. omg does it run smooth and quiet, you have to try for yourself. Nothing is smoother than Mobil 1300S imo.
5w-40 HD oils like Rotella and Delo and Delvac are the best 5w-40 products, Euro 5w-40 is usually an older formula....it can't be updated w/o recertification! HD oils are updated constantly, so they have the best newest formulas. 0w-40 has the newest formulas for passenger cars. Look at Edge, the 5w-40 is 229.3 the 0w-40 is 229.5, a higher spec. The thing to know is the HD 5w-40 far exceeds A3, 229.3, VW 502 etc....but it's not marketed for Euro cars, no need for a license.....see now?
I own 4 MB and work on family cars, how much should I spend on oil every year??? I'm using 15w-40 here because it's best for summer. I use Rotella 5w-40 in winter....because it's best. I just happen to pay less for it....that pesky license again!
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
spec oil can be total crap. ill take a wild guess that Rotella 15w-40 would produce less wear, HD oils come in 10w-30 too, thick like a Euro 30, truly a sleeper product unless you need the spec to sleep at night.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
The main spec for Euros, the visc at +150c the HT/HS high temp - high sheer rating needs to be greater than 3.5cP, as shown on the Lubrizol graph I posted.
Chevron Delo 15w-40 has a 4.2cP HT/HS. Which do you think would be better in a tuned AMG, the spec oil like Edge 5w-40 229.3 3.5cP or Delo at 4.2cP @+150???
See, spec is calling for ONE oil for all conditions all drivers. Granny driving 3 miles to church in winter, or tuned AMG summertime track....does anyone really believe the one oil is ideal for all conditions? No, you simply optimize, Granny can get thin jug 5w-20/30 and AMG can get 15w-40
Find me a greater HT/HS....you wont. Redline would be worth a look, just search out the "PDS" product data sheet for your oil. All the Euro oils top out at 3.5cP and thin American API 5w-30 is only 2.9cP. Like I said, you can use the 2.9cP oil in cold for short trip driving, I use PZ Platinum and get low wear in the lab result. Turbos like thin oil flow in winter. No turbo, use whatever oil suits you. 15w-40 is fine down to +15f or so.
Last edited by Audi Junkie; Mar 18, 2021 at 04:31 PM.
I got 08 ML 63AMG 109K on it Using Mobil-1 W0-40 and add a can of Lucas pure synthetic to it, engine sounds great.. the biggest trick is keep it at the right level and change your oil regularly. Not every 10k miles but cut that to 5k miles. keep your engine clean and happy
Too high a film thickness will hog out your bearings, lowering oil pressure and forcing you to continue increasing specs. Not a good recipe for longevity. And a commitment to continually sending oil off for testing. Unfortunately it's difficult to measure oil pressure to see if you may be starving critical parts as a result of out-of-spec bearing clearances.
Stick with the manufacturers' recommendations unless you need another hobby.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
Originally Posted by mikapen
Too high a film thickness will hog out your bearings, lowering oil pressure and forcing you to continue increasing specs. Not a good recipe for longevity. And a commitment to continually sending oil off for testing. Unfortunately it's difficult to measure oil pressure to see if you may be starving critical parts as a result of out-of-spec bearing clearances.
Stick with the manufacturers' recommendations unless you need another hobby.
Tasty word salad, short on facts and data.
Got any examples? I have one:
Which mfg recommendations do you not recommend? lol.
The only spec that matters is HT/HS > 3.5cP and low deposits, and you don't even need that much HT/HS.
How about when your precious spec oil sheers 10% in 1000 miles and is now a 30 weight? That's exactly what Mobil 1 0w-40 does.
All the rigor that's alleged from sending oil samples off, show me one single "bad" result. There is none, because any modern motor oil will work.
Did you miss this?
"Standard oil"....what do you think that means?
How very well spec oil worked in the RS4...
any explanation? That was, after all, the mfg recommendation.
It's easy to quote the manual without any foundation, nor without even acknowledging any other positive result, or even admit you learned something today.
See, the crux is relying on your own knowledge base, not the suggestion that one single oil grade is ideal for all drivers in all climates, it's just not. Check that 0w-40 oil pressure after a while on the track compared to a 15w-40.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
Originally Posted by IgorE350
I got 08 ML 63AMG 109K on it Using Mobil-1 W0-40 and add a can of Lucas pure synthetic to it, engine sounds great.. the biggest trick is keep it at the right level and change your oil regularly. Not every 10k miles but cut that to 5k miles. keep your engine clean and happy
The super-thick Lucas will quiet the lite M1 0w-40, but it's just greasy slop in a $12 bottle...with no additives, none. It will actually dilute the chemicals in your oil too as it sheers into sludge. https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/th...bilizer.75180/
If you like thick greasy motor oil, 15w-40 is the ticket....and you don't have to add anything to it.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
According to the BEVO chart, Mercedes actually "recommends" 14 different oil grades.
How is it that we are fixated on only one, 0w-40?
You don't NEED 229.3/5, nor do you need to go 10k miles, that's a MAXIMUM oil change interval.
I wish more posters had a technical background, because reading those charts I provided should shock people who claim 229 spec 0w-40 is the ONLY acceptable product.
It's turned into a bit of a joke for people who know what they are talking about.
The super-thick Lucas will quiet the lite M1 0w-40, but it's just greasy slop in a $12 bottle...with no additives, none. It will actually dilute the chemicals in your oil too as it sheers into sludge. https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/th...bilizer.75180/
If you like thick greasy motor oil, 15w-40 is the ticket....and you don't have to add anything to it.
I have never used Lucas engine oil additives, but some of their products are good.
One thing I find VERY unreliable is the Bob is the Oil Guy site. Almost 100% - things that I actually know about, he is just wrong. Makes me suspicious of the things I don't know about, so I consider it a poor source.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
The Bitog guys submitted a sample of Lucas Oil Stabilizer to Blackstone and got a result = zero additives. The only thing suspicious is why this product is even on the market.
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