Hi, new here with an Oil Level Problem!

[Mickyh7]

Just jumped from Audi to Mercedes and bought a C300d 2019.
Just starting to get used to all of the new technology, and find I have no Dipstick. So now I find out the electronic oil level doesn't work!
Tried hot and cold, ran it for half an hour, tried with engine running and engine off.
It's going back in tomorrow, but I find it almost unbelievable how difficult it is now just to check the oil!
I'll also have to go back to climbing under the car to do oil changes. I certainly can't find a Dipstick holder anywhere (my A7 had one) and I could vacuum pump the oil out.
Oil and filter was a 20 minute job.
But....
I'm loving the car, same performance as my old 3 litre, out of a 2 litre engine!
Not loving the auto braking though!

 

[SmartAmg]

Micky.

 

[Mickyh7]

Well! Feeling a bit of a D***head here.
Sat on the M1 at 70mph, on the way to the Service Centre, I thought I'll just press this 'Oil Level Button' again'.
What could possibly go wrong?
Oil Level came up green and all OK.
So, the car reads the Level Dynamically, with the ENGINE RUNNING at temperature.
Whilst driving or stood still.
I'm guessing the temperature had dropped whilst it was on my drive, confusing me.
Back home, feeling a little happier with my new car.
Every day is a learning day!

 

[markjay]

Welcome.

This makes sense, as engine oil level should be checked with the engine at normal operating temperature, when the oil expands to it maximum volume (this is important especially for Diesel engines, where the engine oil can cause serious damage if overfilling).

Regarding the dipstick tube, I am not familiar with your particular engine, but my guess is that there will be a way to extract the oil from the top using a pump, because this is how MB dealers usually do this

And, if you intend to do any DIY, then I suggest that you invest in an iCarsoft code scanner - it's obviously not as good as the dealer's MB STAR, but it's as good as you can get for DIY money.

And last, keep in mind that you have essentially four alternatives for servicing: Dealer service, Dealer service on MB Service Care Plan, independent specialist service, and DIY. See also:

Servicing and ServiceCare FAQ | Parts, Maintenance & Servicing

Disclaimer The authors of this FAQ are not affiliated with Mercedes-Benz in any way. The information in this FAQ is provided in good faith and based on knowledge the authors have acquired through their personal research and experience. The accuracy of the information provided cannot be...

forums.mbclub.co.uk

 

[Mickyh7]

Welcome.

This makes sense, as engine oil level should be checked with the engine at normal operating temperature, when the oil expands to it maximum volume (this is important especially for Diesel engines, where the engine oil can cause serious damage if overfilling).

Regarding the dipstick tube, I am not familiar with your particular engine, but my guess is that there will be a way to extract the oil from the top using a pump, because this is how MB dealers usually do this

And, if you intend to do any DIY, then I suggest that you invest in an iCarsoft code scanner - it's obviously not as good as the dealer's MB STAR, but it's as good as you can get for DIY money.

And last, keep in mind that you have essentially four alternatives for servicing: Dealer service, Dealer service on MB Service Care Plan, independent specialist service, and DIY. See also:

Servicing and ServiceCare FAQ | Parts, Maintenance & Servicing

Disclaimer The authors of this FAQ are not affiliated with Mercedes-Benz in any way. The information in this FAQ is provided in good faith and based on knowledge the authors have acquired through their personal research and experience. The accuracy of the information provided cannot be...

forums.mbclub.co.uk

Thanks for that. I've done my own services for 45 years.
Can't imagine how much I've saved, and always knew it was done perfectly, not some half cut apprentice on his phone!
But frankly, it's getting more tricky! For the Audi I used Carista. Great bit of kit did everything I wanted including coding.
I'll probably buy iCarsoft when the first oil change is due.
I cant believe Dealers would go back to removing the cover and dropping oil from the sump!
Turns a 20 minute job into at least an hour. Oil filter hole will have mesh on the pick up I guess, so that's a no go!

 

[markjay]

With MB, unfortunately coding is not possible DIY, it required MB STAR which is out of reach for most DIYers, and even then some coding will require a live connection to MB. If coding is required, it's best to take the car to an independent specialist who will have genuine MB STAR with subscription for live access to MB.

The iCarsoft is a great tool for detailed insight into the supported ECUs, as well as live data, forced regen, etc.

With regards DIY, you are correct that cars are becoming more complicated, specifically on modern Diesels such as yours the emissions control system (SCR etc) are particularly difficult to work on DIY, due to the difficulty in identifying faults.