tbal

When doing an oil change is it always better to drain the oil through the oil plugs, or is it same thing to suck the oil out from the motor

BlackBeast'06

Ok. Just did a my DIY. Now I'm getting the at 1/2 quart and then red code of engine oil low..visit workshop. When I check its ok. How do I get this code from come back?

Roverron

just add the 1/2

TraumaDude

Drain it through the plugs to ensure you drain ALL of the oil.

So I'm on my fourth or fifth oil change now. I wanted to send out a minor warning for the do-it-yourselfers. On my last change I bought two oil plugs and the correct copper washers that go with them. After the change I noticed a few drops of oil on the ground under the car. When I dropped the shields down there was a substantial amount of oil collected in the shields. After further inspection I noticed one of the plugs was leaking. I went back to the dealership and got two new plugs and washers. I found that the tolerance for the washers to the plugs is a little sloppy. Thus once the plug was tightened the washer left a small gap for oil to drain through. The good news is that I caught this problem before I ever started the car.

When I did my second change of the day (because the oil drained out when swapping plugs and washers) I had to make sure to center the washer with my finger nail while tightening the plugs. Long story for my message of- use caution! I'll tell you that I am convinced that had I gone to the dealership they would not have caught the leak before I left their lot.

Rmayrap

Good write up man, I'll be doing my own oil change soon and wante to ask if you ended up using all 9 qts or less?

Thanks

TraumaDude

About 1/2 quart less.

Jawzey

Thank you for this thread. It was very useful while doing my own oil change for my CLS55. You were right about the old drain bolts being on too tight. I, too, needed a breaker bar in order to get them loose.

voml55amg

My MB dealer only charges me $116.xx per oil change for my cls500 as well as my wife s550.
I don't think I'd save much by doing it myself.
Let break it down:
Oil filter $25.xx
Two plugs $5.95 x 2 = rounded off as $12.00
9 qts synthetic oil $6.95 x 9 = approx $63.00
That's $100 already. Unless my dealer is taking care of me.
Just sharing
Ned

Jawzey

Nice. Sometimes it is better to take it to a dealer if you're unwilling to do the job yourself. I'm just the kind of guy who would rather do it himself if he knows how to. My closest dealer is MB Calabasas and they want to charge $150 for an oil change, and I'm pretty sure they don't drain it correctly because they use the topside extractors.

I spent this amount on products:

Oil filter and o-rings: $10 from Amazon
(2) drain plugs and washers: $12 from MB Calabasas
(2) 5qt jugs of Mobil 1 0w-40: $50 from Walmart

That's a total of $72 just for parts. I'd much rather do it myself. Plus, I get the piece of mind knowing it was done correctly.

GuestFromTampa

or even $60
Oil filter and o-rings: $10 from Amazon
5qt jugs of Mobil 1 10w-40: $50 from Walmart

Use fluid evacuator so no need for new drain plugs ))

Jawzey

Do you have a 55k engine? Because if you do, using an oil evacuator will not take all the oil out. 55k engines have a second sump in the oil pan that extractors can not reach. You will be leaving roughly a quart and a half if you vacuum it out. (This only applies to 55k engines, I don't know about the CLS63 as I don't have one).

GuestFromTampa

I did not know 55 engines have a second sump in the oil pan. Thank you for the correction. In either case its cheaper when you do it yourself and you don't have to drive to a dealer either

Jawzey

I see you have a CLS500. Yours might have a second drain plug next to the sway bar that you may not be aware of. The second drain plug faces the drivers side front wheel. First drain from the main drain plug in the back of the oil pan (facing the rear of the car), then once it has finished draining, drain from the second plug that is next to the sway bar facing the drivers front wheel.

Og Asr

If you ever need OEM MBZ parts and you have time to wait for them from shipping....

www.oediscountparts.com

I've used them a lot for Cabin Filters, Oil Filters....etc.

I usually will buy like 5 pairs at a time of Copper Washers from the Stealership.

2 5 quart Mobil 0-40 from Walmart - Sometimes they go on sale for $23.99 per 5 gallon jug.

Just stock up for your next oil change...and after you do it, you have 10,000 miles to buy the parts again...and set them aside for the next oil change.

phenoyz

are the engines of these the same to do an oil change?
2006 cls 55 amg

5.0L 302 hp (225 kW)
5.4L 469 hp (350 kW)

Crankturner

I noticed some of you are purchasing 0w-40 mobil1, and others say they purchased 5w-40 mobil1 for the CLS 55 AMG. Which is the correct oil ?

I am coming from an 09 C300 and always got 9qts of 0w-40 mobil1 and it can be hard to find at Walmart or Meijer, but the 5w-40 is always stocked.

StarvingArtist

0w-40 is the proper oil. 5w-40 does not have the right additives, and is not MB approved.

Jawzey

0W-40 should be used for the CLS55. 5W40 was used temporarily by Mercedes for some reason (probably to save money).

Crankturner

Awesome, thanks for the confirmation Picked up 9 qts at the local Meijer store for $7.50 each.

Jawzey

Try Walmart next time. I believe a 5 qt. jug of Mobil 1 0W-40 is $25 over there. More economical with those jugs and saving money too ;-)

useras224

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. I'm having my dealer do my first oil change tomorrow (since I've owned it) but once I get their feedback I'll probably do the next one myself.

Our being educated on these things makes us all more appreciative of the work that goes in, but more importantly knowing what could be missed.

Thanks again.