Just did an oil change on my w221 s600, 108k miles (5k miles on the oil). And found what appears to be the forbidden silver sludge in the oil filter. It does feel like metal when smeared on my fingertip. Are these bearing materials? Am I basically f***ed?

Based on my experience on more fragile aircraft engines, when we found something in the filter, and we often did, we would first test it with a magnet to see if the stuff was metalic and then send it with the oil to a lab for identification of what is wearing or breaking. Some mechanics would say it may be a one off event and it is safe to put in new oil and filter and inspect again in 5 or 10 hours (1000 miles).

Whatever it is, the filter is going its job.

If you're paranoid, drop the sump pan and clean it along with the oil pick up. See what you find in there.

Then, pop in a fresh filter, some decent oil and a quality engine flush. Drive it for a couple of hundred miles and repeat the above. Any thing amiss should be obvious.

Alternatively, put it back together and stop trying to scare yourself by cutting open the oil filters.

Using the correct oil and filters is actually important and why MB service parts are reasonably priced.

Did you find anything in the oil? Drain it from the drain plug and inspect for any metal.

Only a proper oil analysis will tell you what this material is for sure. But it doesn’t look glittery.

OP oil analysis is the correct answer.

That said.... I've seen a LOT worse that keeps on chugging another 100,000 miles.

I'm a lot more concerned when I see 'Glitter.' But answer ends up the same there too....

It is quiet, not knocking?

Quality engine oil and OEM filter changed on time FTW.

thanks for all the replies! unfortunately the oil is drained to an ultra dirty pan with old oil, trans fluid, coolant, ps fluid and dirt, leaves, dead spiders etc etc so I can't do oil analysis for this oil change. Will do an analysis the next time I change oil. I took another look at those chunks under strong light and they do not glitter, and after looking at a bunch of other peoples filtered sludge online, I think they are more likely to be just sludge/carbon, so I'm feeling slightly better now

Connecting rod/main bearings would be a very unusual failure in your V-12. When the 275 in my 221 spat a main bearing shell into the chains... minimal glitter in the oil... Just plastic parts torn off of timing chain guides as the bearing shell landed on the chain pulley on the crank and tried to roll the chain forward. It jumped time for a dozen bent exhaust valves. Good times.

Oil analysis = $29.00

Please post photos of the filter pleats from the prior oil change.