W210 AMG Discuss the W210 AMG's such as the E50, E55, and E60

shell 5w30 fully synthetic oil

Old Aug 17, 2009 | 01:03 PM
  #1  
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99 model w210 e55 amg
shell 5w30 fully synthetic oil

hi guys is it safe to use the shell 5w30 fully synthetic oil . it hs approved by benz and bmw is it safe to use on our engines? because this is what the shop is offering me to my oilchange... thanks
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Old Aug 17, 2009 | 02:23 PM
  #2  
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I know we covered this before.

Do you have a manual? What does the manual say under oil types?

Here is a reference of oil you can use:
http://www.whnet.com/4x4/oil.html

From that list, here are the most common oils you can use in a W210 AMG:
Mobil 1 European Car Formula 0W-40
Castrol Syntec 5W-40
Pennzoil Synthetic European Formula 5W-40
Quaker State Full Synthetic European Formula 5W-40
Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40

So, no, you shouldn't use any Shell 5w30 in your car. If you didn't have an AMG, you could use Shell Helix 5w30 (not just any Shell 5w30, but only the Helix "brand"). You can use certain Shell 5w40 in an AMG (Helix, Pennzoil, and Quaker state are all Shell brands). The oil your shop is recommending may be ok for Mercedes in general, but isn't recommended for your AMG.

At the very least, the oil bottle should say something like "Approved for Mercedes 229.3" or "Approved for Mercedes 229.5." Note, though, that many of the 229.3 oils on that chart have an asterisk next to them, meaning they aren't approved for an AMG.

I would ask what else your shop has and maybe show them this chart.
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 03:09 AM
  #3  
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99 model w210 e55 amg
but isnt 10w40 a bit thiner than 5w30? cause its hot here in the philippines and maybe a thicker viscocity may help? thanks and alos how about the royal purple oil? is it ok what viscosity? thanks
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 05:23 AM
  #4  
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Originally Posted by pinoyk20
but isnt 10w40 a bit thiner than 5w30? cause its hot here in the philippines and maybe a thicker viscocity may help? thanks and alos how about the royal purple oil? is it ok what viscosity? thanks
How does that saying go? : " You can lead a horse to water..."
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 07:36 AM
  #5  
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99 model w210 e55 amg
Originally Posted by ruBENZ
How does that saying go? : " You can lead a horse to water..."

im sorry sir rubenz but i cant understand what you mean sir..... thanks
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 08:34 AM
  #6  
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Originally Posted by saintz
I know we covered this before.

Do you have a manual? What does the manual say under oil types?

Here is a reference of oil you can use:
http://www.whnet.com/4x4/oil.html

From that list, here are the most common oils you can use in a W210 AMG:
Mobil 1 European Car Formula 0W-40
Castrol Syntec 5W-40
Pennzoil Synthetic European Formula 5W-40
Quaker State Full Synthetic European Formula 5W-40
Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40

So, no, you shouldn't use any Shell 5w30 in your car. If you didn't have an AMG, you could use Shell Helix 5w30 (not just any Shell 5w30, but only the Helix "brand"). You can use certain Shell 5w40 in an AMG (Helix, Pennzoil, and Quaker state are all Shell brands). The oil your shop is recommending may be ok for Mercedes in general, but isn't recommended for your AMG.

At the very least, the oil bottle should say something like "Approved for Mercedes 229.3" or "Approved for Mercedes 229.5." Note, though, that many of the 229.3 oils on that chart have an asterisk next to them, meaning they aren't approved for an AMG.

I would ask what else your shop has and maybe show them this chart.
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 09:02 AM
  #7  
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10w40 is thicker than 5w30. Higher numbers mean more viscous (generally, thicker). It's regularly 35 degrees Celsius and very humid where I live, and I use Mobil 1 0w40. I'm guessing although it's hot where you are, it's not that much hotter.

Royal Purple seems to be a decent oil, but it's not approved (not on the chart I listed) and does not meet the Mercedes spec (doesn't say 229.3 or 229.5 on the bottle). I would not use it. If I had to use it, I would probably pick the 0w40.

I would run one of the following oils only:
Mobil 1 European Car Formula 0W-40
Castrol Syntec 5W-40
Pennzoil Synthetic European Formula 5W-40
Quaker State Full Synthetic European Formula 5W-40
Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 09:07 AM
  #8  
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Originally Posted by saintz
Do you have a manual? What does the manual say under oil types?
I was serious about this, too, not just trying to give you a hard time.

I would check your manual, as well. Generally, especially on an AMG motor, I would expect any service specifications to be region independent (worldwide). But there are differences between US, Euro, and other region spec cars. So it can help to check your manual, which will be based on your specific type of car.

Again, for oil, I think it's the same recommendation regardless of the region spec of the car. For something like headlight bulbs or the coolant to water ratio for the radiator, maybe it varies.
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 12:13 PM
  #9  
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99 model w210 e55 amg
thanks saintz but the problem is that i dont have a manual anmore i bought the car used already and the former owner lost the manual sucks huh... ehheeheh

so i guess i have to look for mobil 1 , castrol and shell helix 5w40 sucks bigtime heheh thanks
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 01:05 PM
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Originally Posted by pinoyk20
thanks saintz but the problem is that i dont have a manual anmore i bought the car used already and the former owner lost the manual sucks huh... ehheeheh

so i guess i have to look for mobil 1 , castrol and shell helix 5w40 sucks bigtime heheh thanks
Go to the MBUSA website and register your car. You will then be able to download a PDF version of your manual - free.
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Old Aug 18, 2009 | 01:16 PM
  #11  
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99 model w210 e55 amg
Originally Posted by Jen_Kenne
Go to the MBUSA website and register your car. You will then be able to download a PDF version of your manual - free.

cool thanks! ill check it out!
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Old Sep 14, 2009 | 08:03 PM
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does it actually say "European Formula" on the box of Mobil1 oil?
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Old Sep 14, 2009 | 10:53 PM
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In small print under the weight, yes. It's 0w40, that's the key. It will have the Mercedes spec on the back, too. Here's a picture:
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Old Sep 14, 2009 | 11:00 PM
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are there just regular mobil1 0w-40 oil?
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Old Sep 14, 2009 | 11:36 PM
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do not use any 0W weights, they are just too thin (unless you are talking below freezing). For more people 10w-30 is the lowest you should ever go. 10W-40 isn't a bad weight and will suffice for most climates.
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Old Sep 15, 2009 | 12:37 AM
  #16  
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99 model w210 e55 amg
for my car i went with royalpurple oil and im lovin it!
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Old Sep 15, 2009 | 01:12 AM
  #17  
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Originally Posted by pinoyk20
for my car i went with royalpurple oil and im lovin it!
Yes, RP in engine & diff is the best combo for the 55 AMGs having tried every oil out there, nothing else performs better.
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Old Sep 15, 2009 | 11:43 AM
  #18  
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yup im using it on my diff also! engine feels so smooth!!
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Old Sep 15, 2009 | 11:56 AM
  #19  
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In my E55 I've used Mobil JUNK 0w40 (lots of valve noise), Royal Purple 10w40 (some valve noise), RP 5w40 (less valve noise) and now RP 0w40 (NO valve noise....NONE!). I have 74,000 on the motor and since I had the car with 35,000 it always made some kind of valve noise until it was completely warmed up.

Now no valve noise for cold to hot starts. None. I need to do a commercial ad on this oil for RP>

The new Royal Purple 0w40 is the best oil I have put into my Mercedes. I need to thank them for listening to us users and bringing this new oil to us. This sound be the only oil to use in our E55's.
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Old Sep 15, 2009 | 01:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Dawson AMG
In my E55 I've used Mobil JUNK 0w40 (lots of valve noise), Royal Purple 10w40 (some valve noise), RP 5w40 (less valve noise) and now RP 0w40 (NO valve noise....NONE!). I have 74,000 on the motor and since I had the car with 35,000 it always made some kind of valve noise until it was completely warmed up.

Now no valve noise for cold to hot starts. None. I need to do a commercial ad on this oil for RP>

The new Royal Purple 0w40 is the best oil I have put into my Mercedes. I need to thank them for listening to us users and bringing this new oil to us. This sound be the only oil to use in our E55's.
Yup, it really is the best oil on the market, Only the best for our AMGs .

If you REALLY want to make it completely silent you can go for a 50 weight but that's really thick and should only be used during summer months.
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Old Sep 15, 2009 | 01:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Jen_Kenne
Go to the MBUSA website and register your car. You will then be able to download a PDF version of your manual - free.
But you can not get the approved service product pamphlet. Which bugs me. Maybe the W210 had the same infor in the main manual or service schedule manual.
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Old Sep 15, 2009 | 04:19 PM
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I have used RP 10w40 for the last two oil changes and I like it but as of the last oil change, i have an oil leak somewhere, most likely my valve cover. Not sure if it's related to the oil or not but thats just my experience.

Going to try to tighten up the bolts to see if that helps any.
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Old Sep 15, 2009 | 07:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Jon2007E63P30
But you can not get the approved service product pamphlet. Which bugs me. Maybe the W210 had the same infor in the main manual or service schedule manual.

This is purely for $$ reasons. MB has contract with mobile1 so obviously they pump their products heavily. Its the same thing with tires... MB come with certain tires stock (continentals or michelins), that doesn't mean those are the ONLY tires allowed on the car or even the best ones. In fact both tire manufacturers suck as far as performance is concerned. They do it again for $$ reasons. Don't read to far into that literature, most of it is political & monetary.
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Old Sep 15, 2009 | 09:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Ammi
are there just regular mobil1 0w-40 oil?
As far as I know, the only Mobil 1 0w40 is the Euro version.

The 0w40 weight of Mobil 1 is different from other Mobil 1 weights (by most accounts it is much better quality). Specifically, 5w30 is not just a thicker version of 0w40. It has totally different properties, cleaners, friction modifiers, etc. I'm not an "oil guy" or chemical engineer, but if you read from those who are, there are major differences between oils. The days of changing weights based on season are largely gone, as the additive packs can be totally different (read: not optimal) between different weights.

Also, oil's job isn't to make your valves quiet. It's to lubricate the moving parts. Oil that makes your valves quiet likely does so by being viscous enough to stay on the valve lifter and by absorbing kinetic energy from the moving parts (meaning instead of making noise, it makes heat). Being viscous enough to stay on the valve lifter may make it too viscous to flow as designed.

Mercedes recommends roughly 10 brands of oil. The Mobil 1 sticker under your hood may be marketing, but the recommendation to use certain oils is coming from the engineers and the accountants (think: reduce warranty costs), not the marketing department. Mobil 1 0w40 is the cheapest, easiest to get, and, by many accounts, best of the recommended brands.
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Old Sep 16, 2009 | 12:20 AM
  #25  
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Mobil 1 is not as good as you think. Yes the 0w40 is a blend for our type of Euro spec. engine and when we talk about hearing valve noise we know it is flowing over them. Our AMG engines are higher performance then the regular 4.3 V8 in the E430 and this is why our engines sound louder under the valve covers like any over HP built engine. Both my Ford cobras sound loud under their valve covers until they warm up.

Try RP 0w40 for your next oil change and see if you find any thing different, if you don't like it go back to mobil 1. This test will not harm your engine and you may find something different about how your engine may perform for you. Run the oil 10,000 miles and change your oil filter at the first 5,000 miles. Royal Purple Street oil is good for over 12,000 miles of heavy driving. If you want more info call them and talk to a tech about all of this Toll Free: 888-382-6300

Originally Posted by saintz
As far as I know, the only Mobil 1 0w40 is the Euro version.

The 0w40 weight of Mobil 1 is different from other Mobil 1 weights (by most accounts it is much better quality). Specifically, 5w30 is not just a thicker version of 0w40. It has totally different properties, cleaners, friction modifiers, etc. I'm not an "oil guy" or chemical engineer, but if you read from those who are, there are major differences between oils. The days of changing weights based on season are largely gone, as the additive packs can be totally different (read: not optimal) between different weights.

Also, oil's job isn't to make your valves quiet. It's to lubricate the moving parts. Oil that makes your valves quiet likely does so by being viscous enough to stay on the valve lifter and by absorbing kinetic energy from the moving parts (meaning instead of making noise, it makes heat). Being viscous enough to stay on the valve lifter may make it too viscous to flow as designed.

Mercedes recommends roughly 10 brands of oil. The Mobil 1 sticker under your hood may be marketing, but the recommendation to use certain oils is coming from the engineers and the accountants (think: reduce warranty costs), not the marketing department. Mobil 1 0w40 is the cheapest, easiest to get, and, by many accounts, best of the recommended brands.
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