hi, recently got my service A done at a local indy shop i found highly recommended online but was a little mad when they put in mobil 1 5w30. they assured me that, that was the only oil they use for all the cars they service and that everything will be fine. anyways. ive noticed the car being a bit more audible and cant decide whether i should change it out or not. am i just tripping or should i go switch back to the oil the dealers been putting in, which was 5w40 or 0w40 mobil 1 nix:

 

BTW, we're looking for the answer to be "no problem, oil is oil." We've already gotten the other view but it wasn't very convenient.

https://mbworld.org/forums/mercedes-tech-talk/249126-w220-s500-oil-question.html

 

jeez, since when was it a crime to ask for more owner's opinions

 

Try the 10w-50 I wanna know what it will do.

 

No crime, just a bit of a waste of time. The same people are bound to answer. But you've now got a troll interested.

 

just my opinion but the mobil 1- 0/40 is what i believe to be the european formula.designed for any climate temps imaginable.if the area you live in dosent have the bitter cold requireing the"0" than it is my opinion that you could use 5-40 or 10-40.i would not run the 5-30 because of our extended idleing and heavy traffic "ac"on constantly conditions in the summer.i switched to castrol syntec 10-40 and use only wick filters which are both MB authorized.

 

The shop is right, if you live in SoCal, 5-30 or 10-30 would be best for your car, especially giving that the mileage of your car still low. Some of the new car now (Lexus, Honda) even run 0-20 or 5-20 (google out, you'll see what I mean). The reason you hear a bit more noise is because the new oil is a bit thiner, as it get old, the noise should be less. But consider that the new & thiner oil make your engine "breath" a bit easier.

If you have 150K mile or more in your car, then may be you run 40 grade oil. Your fuel gas mileage will suffer a bit.

Run 50 grade oil in your car, then you'll kill the engine.

Thinner oil won't harm your engine, thicker oil will.

On the list of "approved oil" for Mercedes, there're mostly "5-30" and "10-30". May be different brand. But as long as Penzo 5-30 is okey, Mobil-1 5-30 should be okey too. Stay w/ brand/reputable one, and you're in good shape. Don't have to be too brand specific.

And avoid any sort of oil thicker or slick-50, quickest way to kill your car engine.

 

hey, thanks for the reply, but the reason i was so worried was because in my service packet that came with the owners manual lists all approved oils and also specifically lists oil that is Not approved which happends to include mobil 1 5/30 supersyn. also, the mobil1 oils which is approved is harder to find and more expensive than the 5/30 which can be found at any mobil gas station or walmart. maybe im tripping but here is a link to where it states that mobil1 supersyn 5w30, 10w30 is not approved http://www.whnet.com/4x4/oil.html
Some oils which are not recommended:
Mobil 1 SuperSyn 0W-30 SL/SJ/CF A1/B1/A5 9.7 doesn't meet 229.1 nor ACEA A2 or A3
Mobil 1 SuperSyn 5W-30 SL/SJ/CF A1/B1/A5 9.8 doesn't meet 229.1 nor ACEA A2 or A3
Mobil 1 SuperSyn 10W-30 SL/SJ/CF A1/B1/A5 10.1 doesn't meet 229.1 nor ACEA A2 or A3
These 3 oils do not meet MB spec of > 3.5 cP for high temperature high shear strength.

 

also how is the oil in lexus and honda have anything to do with this? i drove a honda and the owners manual states not to use synthetic oil until 7,500 miles, so should i have taken that knowledge and apply it to the mercedes? im not trying to be an *** but just stating that different manufactures have different requirements and since lexus or honda wont warranty my mercedes, that info doesnt really take a huge load off....you know?

 

AP1ayer, I agree with zam2000. I too live in SoCal and have placed only Mobil 1 5w-30 for past 12 years on all my cars. That includes Nissan, Toyota, BMW, and currently my 2 Mercedes and Porsche. I've always changed oil every 10,000 miles without any problems. My mechanic says 5w-30 is great for newer cars. Also my brother used Mobil1 5w-30 for his Lexus SC400 until he traded it in for another Lexus at 230,000 miles (also oil changed every 10K miles). Just my opinion. But it's not what I've heard, but what I have placed in my cars for as long as I can remember.

 

There is a very good reason MB spends so much time delveloping these oil stnadards. Use the proper oil 229.5 oil, and do not bother with anything else (also, if you simply cannot afford proper care of the car, sell it). Just because other people have half baked ideas of what is okay for the car does not mean they are correct.

 

Does that mean you should only use Michelin Pilot Sport, per the recommendation, as all other tires will destroy the car ? How about the xenon bulb ? Should you go to dealer and pay $240/each, or purchase an IDENTICAL one from site for $40, just that they don't have Mercedes approved stamp ?

Mobil-one cost as much, and is as good as any other reputable brand of oil. Being able to afford it is one thing, being too stupid to tell is another. Guess where you belong ?

 

The difference is that using other than OEM tires won't void the warranty. Use of a non 229.5 or 229.51 oil will. There are a number of "reputable oils" listed as meeting the spec. The OP asks about using a Mobil 1 oil that doesn't meet the spec, but costs the same as one that does.

Your ad hominem attack doesn't answer why you think the 229.x sheets were developed by MB. Or why you seem to be recommending owners ignore it.

 

Finally pulled out my "Factory Approved Service Products June 2003" book for my S430. Under MB Approved Synthetic Engine oil is a list of oils including 5W-30 (also 0W-40, 5W-40, 5W-30, 0W-30).

Also "Viscosity Grades for Motor Oils" states, select oil viscosity according to the lowest air temperature expected using chart below.
0w-30, 5w-30, 0w-40, 5w-40, 5w-50 all have range from -13 to +86 degreeF.

It seems like all the oils we have talked about are OK for use in our S430.
Because nowhere did I find that 5W-30 was not recommended for my car.

 

Your argument has no merit, because it does not address the issues at hand.

You should use the tires with the correct size, load, and speed rating, brand is not the issue, nor was it ever.

Just as with the oil you should use any oil that meets the correct specification. Brand, weight, etc are not being discussed.

If there was a specification for lights that needed to be met, I would make sure any lights I bought from any source met those specifications.

I can assure you that your knowledge of cars and what is "okay" is far lacking compared to the engineers who designed them.

 

maybe i wasnt specific enough, but in my "Factory Approved Service Products" for my 2004 s500, it states
-yes, 5w30 is allowed if it meets requirements.
-and no mobil1 supersyn 5w30 does not meet the requirements
-in short, im not questioning the weight of oil being used, im talking about the specific brand mobil1 5w30 not being approved by mercedes benz.

if you clicked on the link i posted above, you wouldnt have had to go through the trouble of pulling out your 5 year old booklets.

 

That mobil 1 5w/30 is no good for a w220. I used it and after 3200 miles, and one hard launch, my check engine light went on. I read about the european 0w/40 and put that in. After 3 short trips the light went off, and the motor sounds much better. Thank you all for your info and opinions.

 

Looks like you already had your mind made up before you posted.
I don't have your 2004 S500 book, just my 2003 book. I'm just stating that I couldn't find where mobil1 5W-30 doesn't meet requirement.
And I've NEVER had check engine light come on or more audible after any oil change.

 

sorry, didnt mean to come off like that, just sorta pissed at the indy who couldnt even give me a reason or some sort of peace of mind on why he used mobil1 5w30, then acting like he never got the memo on the 0w40 and 5w40 being the only mobil1 oils approved by mercedes benz. well, there goes $180 ill never see again, also maybe me and 2strokepwer having s500 and yours being a s430 could have something to do with the differences we experienced

 

No worries. We're here b/c we want to learn from each other.

 

To add a bit more to the confusion, here's yet another link (to the Workshop MB) that indicates for model years 2005 and later, oils must meet 229.5 or 229.51 standards; and prior to 2004, 229.3 standards. Some brands/viscosities meet both; other don't. http://www.theworkshopmb.com/TheWork...ceProducts.pdf

 

I use 0W-40, Mobil 1 That's what the independent German shops that I have talked to recommend. I noticed from the first owner's receipts, the A Service, the MB dealer used 5W50.

5W30 or 10W30 wont probably hurt it!