On a recent trip to Birmingham, Alabama I had our car serviced at Crown Mercedes in Birmingham(Hoover). It was due for service "B" and the timing of the trip worked out nicely for it to be performed there as opposed to my local dealer, Palm Beach Mercedes Benz.

Yesterday I was detailing the car and looked under the hood for the first time since I returned. I noticed that the oil dipstick tube did not have the regular plug in it but actually had a dipstick in it with a screw and washer at the top to sort of half *** stop the hole up. I called Plam Beach Mercedes and asked what they thought and was told that MB engines don't have a dipstick for engine oil and there is supposed to be a plug with a ring handle at the top of the dipstick tube.I became concerned(you think F****n maybe!!!) and asked if they thought any harm had been done and was told to bring the car in and let their QC guy look at it to be on the safe side.

My question is ...have any of you ever had this happen and is it possible that any engine damage has occured by driving around with a dipstick in place? Obviously MB doesn't install one for a reason.

The car runs great and I have not had any oil loss through the dip stick tube.

Any thoughts and comments are welcomed.

If no oil is lost, you shouldn't have a problem. Check for oil around the tube in the engine compartment, and then just replace the oem dipstick.

You should feel lucky!... that's a $130.00 factory service dipstick, meant only for the techs. They obviously forgot to put your plug back in.

If you pull it out, it should show strange millimeter marking on it, not the normal min/max.

You need to know how many millimeters up the stick your engine oil level should be to properly use it.

I am sure they would love to have it back!

As long as there are no signs of leak you should be ok. Just check your oil level electronicly.

Thanks guys...I guess my main concern now is wheather any dirt or crud found it's way into the crank case due to the tube not being sealed. The oil level looks to be good. I'm probably ok but seeing this sort of freaked me out.

It reminds me of things that can happen at dealer service departments.

We can't "assume" excellence.

Call me crazy but my S 500 has had a dipstick since I picked it up new. It seems to seal fine and my local dealer did not change it during the cars first oil change July of 2005!

Call me crazy too. Are you guys talking about Engine Oil Dip Stick (or) Transmission Oil Dip Stick? I know for sure engine oil dip stick is there since new for sure.

Call me crazy three! What the hell are you talking about Ss not having dipsticks?? Mine had one when I bought it new 6.5 years ago and I believe it is still in there. It is of little use, however, because my engine oil (Mobil 1) cannot be seen on the dipstick because it is perfectly clear. Did MB stop putting dipsticks in in '04 or something???

Jay, they have to be talking about the Tranny dip stick used by dealers,I dont know of a car on the road without an engine oil dipstick, even if they have an electronic checker.

Ok...just got back from Palm Beach Mercedes. Certain models that have the oil level sensor were not provided with dip sticks...mine is one of those. What I ended up with originally was a dip stick "plug". Seems that when the tech performed my service "B", the "shop dip stick" was inadvertantly left in the engine. These are dip sticks used by the techs to insure that the proper level is left in the engine at the time of crank case re-fill. This particular dip stick had no seal at the top of the tube to prevent dirt and moisture from entering the crank case....it has a couple of washers and a phillips head screw to prevent the dip stick from falling thru the tube into the engine. In my case the screw was only being held in by about two turns and was about to fall out.

I am by no means an expert on this subject but am passing along what was told to me by the service manager at Palm Beach Mercedes Benz. He removed the dip stick, put it in a plastic bag for me to keep and put an OEM plug on the tube.

He advised that I call the last dealer that seviced the car and let them know what happened. He mentioned that if this had happened at Palm Beach Mercedes Benz that he would want to be made aware of it and is certain that the sevice manager at Crown in Birmingham would appreciate being informed as well. I have made that call but was only able to leave a message.

In summary, some MB engines come with a dip stick...some don't. How MB determines which ones do or don't is a point for speculation. In any case, a service tech should not let a vehicle leave the dealership with a "home made" contraption left in/on the vehicle. Considering the litigious nature of our society, a dealer could easily find it's self in a compromising and liable position. 'Nuff said.

I don't think there's such a thing as clear engine oil. Sounds like you don't have enough oil. Either that, or you're running on water.

Didn't you read my earlier post in regards to your question

Of course no one reads the posts, they see the original thread then spout off.

Yes...I read ALL of the posts...what I had/have is not the Factory Service Dipstick. It was a "shade tree" gizmo made from another dip stick. Again...my concern was the lack of a seal at the top of the tube. I saw a Factory dipstick today. It has a nice seal at the top with a handle. I wish that it what I had but it wasn't...but I learned some neat stuff today anyway.

Sorry, I didn't it was a "homemade rig" . I thought you were lucky enough to get the real deal.

I was going to buy one, but somehow couldn't justify $130.00 for a dipstick!!

PA55AMG,

I was looking at the list of what you drive...an '06 S55...the last year of the W220 and in my opinion (as well as that of others) the S55 was the best of that run. You have got to love it. Have you posted any pics?

Sorry, I don't have any digital photos to post. I am still old fashion about cameras, although I am thinking of buying a digital one soon.

The car is just a bone stock black S55 (no big pimpin' wheels or anything), but I have to agree it is the last of a great era. I do love it.

No. I've run this issue by many people on the board and my dealer's service department, and all tell me that newer engines using Mobile 1 will stay relatively "clear" because they are so well designed. The oil may not actually be clear but it is impossible to tell the level on my dipstick because the last three or four inches of the stick is a reddish/orange color and unless you hold it under a florescent light at an angle, and even then it is very difficult to read. I don't know why they do that because it is very annoying to say the least. As a result I just check oil on the display. That isn't very helpful either because it only indicates that the level is "OKAY."

Might be a good time to get the old eyes tested,by the way are you really a "Hawk", dear me,lol.