I am going to do the first oil change. I want to see the oil and get up close and personal. I know most of you, or some of you, use the pumps or vac. I don't have one.

So I will have the right oil and filter. I think i saw a video of someone doing it, but just want to make sure I wont have any surprises like a panel being held on with a special star bolt. A washier on the drain plug or having to replace the plug.

The indy mech told me to do it while its hot. I also need a better plan then my 5 Q pan.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

I've been doing my own oil changes on my Benz's for years. Quite frankly, it takes less time to do it myself than to take it somewhere.

I use a vac, because it actually gets a little lower into the oil pan and gets more oil out than removing the plug. I get a full 10L out with the vac, I've heard from others that when removing the plug they can only get 9 - 9.5L out - that's a lot of dirty oil left in there. Any way you slice it, you're 5qt pan won't be big enough, even for a gasser.

When it's warm the oil flows faster and you'll get a little more out.

Everything else is a simple as can be. The underside panel uses standard bolts. The oil filter is on top of the engine. Just make sure you push the new filter on all the way - some filters have lines on them to indicate this, others do not. There are usually extra o-rings left over when you swap them all out - they almost always provide extras - so don't worry that you might have missed one.

 

Oh, one other thing. With the R-class you have to remove the cross member to get the engine cover off. Don't try to leave the brace in place and force the cover off - there's a good chance you'll break something.

For an oil change, you can get away with just lifting up the front of the cover.

 

well, unless you enjoy being under a car and having dirt fall in your eyes while removing the plastic under pan, get a vacuum system. I did the under side thingy once and threw in the towel. Do you have a good compressor? If yes then you can get vacuum extractors that work with it for a $100 to $200. Is yours a Diesel or gas? If diesel don't forget to empty the water from the fuel filter, and change the fuel filter every second oil change. Get a quick clip plier on amazon or ebay. An absolute must for the fuel hoses.

 

I got my vac at Princess Auto for $137. You can hand pump it or connect it to a compressor.

 

I will invest in a vac at some point. I see mitty vacs for sale on amazon for say 90 and up. I planned on getting one, but the reason I want to do this one old school is because I want to get a better look at the vehicle. For future reference I need to be able to visualize whats going on. If you have already done it and moved on to the vac, I will probably come to the same conclusion. But that will be after I have had a better understanding of what parts are where.

Its gas. The r350 cdi's were not offered in 2008. I also do not have a compressor so it would be hand pumping. I will need to do the brakes and other fluids so the pump may come in handy.

I have the filter ordered from amazon and just got the oil from walmart. 2 oils were $54 minus $24 the filter is $11, so oil change is not done yet but it will be done for $42. I talked with the indy mech and he will do everything else for $80. We are heading to disney at the end of the month, I just want an overview before we go.

 

On my 2006 the engine cover is two parts. The front cover is removable without messing with the cross member. This is fine for oil changes and belt replacement (even power steering pump replacement ).

I am pretty sure most are like this...It has two metal clips that slide into the rear part of the cover so the proper procedure is to pull up on the front to loosen the rubber retainers, then pull straight out to free up the metal clips.

Well, I know a little more now. Since the gas engine has the air box with filters mounted on top, Mercedes makes the cover in two pieces. The diesel doesn't employ the same system so the engine cover is one piece. Ewwww......

BTW... I don't do the vacuum pump on purpose. One of the main points of me doing my own service is to inspect and address any pending issues. When I remove the under pan, I then inspect all the hoses, suspension, and steering components.

 

This is my thinking as well. I will be doing as much work on my r350 as I can. This is both financial and for the joy of it. When I have to bring it to someone, I would like a better idea of things. This is my first mb, not my first car.

 

That will certainly make things easier if you don't have to remove the cross-member. My V6 gassers had the same 2 piece design.

 

all good points.. I just sold my 2008 320CDI and the buyer had it inspected. They found steering rack leak and a few minor other things. Had I regularly removed the cover and looked underneath while doing oil changes I probably would have found it also.


I have 3 cars, the best one for vacuum is the C240, the dipstick tube is made for vacuum and you don't need a long tube.


As for using a vacuum pump for brakes, I did buy a hand pump and tried it, but frankly I go back to the brake pedal pumping method for purging brake fluid.


The messiest part now is to empty the huge vacuum container back into oil jugs to bring to the recycling facility.

 

So good news bad news. The oil change was very easy, but that was because I am missing the protective under cover. What is it called and about how much? Also I can look it up later but what type of power steering fluid is needed?

 

You might only be able to get that from the dealer. Probably big $$$

 

Where on the stick should I fill too?

 

Right in the middle of the fill zone. You should see a cross-hatched section on it.

If the engine is hot, you can fill it to the top line.

After you add the oil start the engine, let it run for a minute then shut it off. Wait a few minutes and check the level again.

 

Just min and max. I put a little over 8q in which was halfway. I started drove around and shut off. Now its up to the screw near the max. Should that be good?

 

Yes, that is fine...

Get your power steering fluid from the dealer. It isn't expensive and I have heard about issues mixing it... but may be wrong. I play it safe with stuff like that...

Do you have a power steering fluid leak? If so, I just did a pump on ours and it is really pretty easy... I can walk you through it...

Also, if you have a leak it may just be the o-ring between the tank and pump... a bit of a PIA to change but only a couple of bucks from the dealer....

 

I didnt see any leaks. Everything looks good. Brakes, hoses, belts, shocks, bushings. I am guessing the oil and air filters werent done by the dealer. I am thinking of complaining or writing some nasty reviews. They may have also taken the guard. Maybe took it off and forgot. I remember it wasnt on when I got it. Being so new to mb and not having it on another vehicle I didnt notice. At the least maybe they did the cabin filter and an oil change but maybe with regular oil. But they said they did the air filters too, but when I took it out and looked inside it had the same leaves I pulled out of other areas when I did my full detail. The previous owners parked it under a tree. I dumped the container and shock out the filters as best I could and put them back. I will buy and do them later.

The ps fluid was low, but the engine was cold. Not sure if thats worse or better. I will buy some from the dealer and see if it holds. I will keep an eye on the pump.

I should have checked the oil level before starting, but it seems to have made a big difference. I have alway felt that I can tell before and after an oil change. Maybe its in my head. I also didnt pull out 8q. I let the oil drain for over an hour while I checked on the rest. It was still dripping slightly, but I didnt let it get hot. Also because of the the way my drivway is I should have backed it I so it was pitched forward. I didnt care to much because I plan on doing another oil change when we get back from disney. Should be only maybe 2000 miles or 3000.

The only thing left to do is check the air pressure in the tires. I rotated them. Front to back or back to front. It spooked me when I took the bolts out. Never owned a car that used bolts. Usually the axle had the bolts sticking out and you used lug nuts.

Off to search for a guard and see how expensive. I wonder if that guy who posted from cal that had a 2006 would still have parts. Thanks for the help and insight.

 

Some helpful tips in red below.....


Here is a thread that shows the box. It really is easy to clean. It opens by undoing some clips.

https://mbworld.org/forums/r-class-w...intrusion.html

 

Josworth.

Thanks for the input. The plastic piece you pull off and inner pieces looked new. Or at least not water marked. I was able to pop the 2 clips on top and pull out the plastic piece and look into one of the 2 cabin filers. I know the filters are behind the glove box. All looked good. The debris was in the air intake before the car filter.

My concern for the oil and mileage is based on not trusting the dealer used the right oil. I usually do a quick oil change after buying. In my mind its like a reset to clean out what was left behind.

I will check trunk. Really didnt know whata all that stuff was back there. Guess I hoped I never got a flat.

 

Glad yours was clean. Still, check it for the rubber check valve. If it is still there, rip it out. I keep the wife's car free of leaves and stuff, and it happened to us. Lucky for us it happened just once and I found it right away before anything got super wet.

 

I will check. I have to double check the tire pressure and I am still searching for the encasement, shield, guard thingy. I went into an indy shop, the guy told me the name and within 5 minutes I had forgot. He did say maybe 100-150 at the mercedes dealership. So thats not bad. I am hoping to find one used for cheaper. The guy who posted he had a 2006 in Cal. I contacted him yesterday. Not sure how much to ship or if he even has it but he is checking.

 

Encapsulation panel... nice name. Its 182 at one dealer and 200 at the other. Both say they need to order it. I will be checking fleabay and junk yards.