A Brilliant device

[timskemp]

Synthetics are not all they are cracked up to be .

ba-dum... tish!

 

[grober]

Oil threads

Oil threads------- don't ya just love em. They give you a strange warm feeling---a bit like when you drop the sum plug and all that nice black engine oil runs down your sleeve.

 

[flango]

ba-dum... tish!

See post#14

 

[Number_Cruncher]

>>but oil starvation ones are much more common

If you're seriously trying to suggest that lubrication based engine failure is more common than cam belt failure, then, I can do no more than to register my strong disagreement and incredulity.

Satch mentions adverse usage; If there are such criteria, then, if the car meets the critria their stipulations should be followed - yes! - I fully agree with this, it's part and parcel of following the manufacturer's recommended oil change advice.

 

[flango]

>>but oil starvation ones are much more common

If you're seriously trying to suggest that lubrication based engine failure is more common than cam belt failure, then, I can do no more than to register my strong disagreement and incredulity.

I never said that I said " The engine failures THAT WE SEE are more commonly caused by lubrication failure and not snapped cam belts" I wasn't talking about engine failure in general as it still amazes me how many people will change a cam belt and not the tensioners and what more garages still do it. With us its a complete cam belt kit or nothing at all, so it doesn't really surprise me if cam belt failure is the most common cause of engine failures.

Satch mentions adverse usage; If there are such criteria, then, if the car meets the critria their stipulations should be followed - yes! - I fully agree with this, it's part and parcel of following the manufacturer's recommended oil change advice.

Nope I'm not trying to suggest that at all, see above

 

[ringway]

So, what is the best oil I can use for my:


2002 W210 320 CDI? (141K Miles)




2001 Sprinter 220 CDI? (152K Miles)



Also, where is the best value place to buy from?


Many Thanks.

Paul.

 

[lynall]

Modern engines are fantastic bits of kit, where i work truck dealer, been there 3 years so far and in that 3 years, Dafs latest engine the mx i have not seen one blown up yet, 3 have been torn down due to excessive oil consumption and they were fitted with new style liners and pistons.

We see hundreds of these, but the local Man dealer spends all their time rebuilding engines, replaciing cylinder heads and turbos etc.

Engine blow ups are so rare i cant remember last one.

I have always said oil is cheap and engines and gearboxs are expensive.




Lynall

 

[sspeed]

So, what is the best oil I can use for my:


2002 W210 320 CDI? (141K Miles)




2001 Sprinter 220 CDI? (152K Miles)



Also, where is the best value place to buy from?


Many Thanks.

Paul.

Hi Paul,
I use this excellent facility on the Castrol website where you enter your reg number and it will give all the recommended lubricants for your car. Print out the page and go shopping..
The link is below:
http://www.castrol.com/castrol/iframe.do?categoryId=9024084&contentId=7044829

Hope this is useful to you mate.

 

[Satch]

So, what is the best oil I can use for my:


2002 W210 320 CDI? (141K Miles)




2001 Sprinter 220 CDI? (152K Miles)



Also, where is the best value place to buy from?


Many Thanks.

Paul.

Good question. Going to be either an Ester based full synthetic or a Ultra High Performance Diesel [UHPD] oil.

You will get the better deals on the latter because they are intended for use in commercial vehicles so you would be looking at a suitable oil from the Mobil Delvac or Shell Rotella ranges for example

 

[Rory]

Oil threads------- don't ya just love em.

You should read the oil analysis threads on US forums, where it seems to commonplace to regularly send engine oil samples off the the lab.

Many posters are beyond horrified at extended oil changes as if they're some kind of scam by manufacturers to sell replacement engines!

Interestingly for those frequent changers, analysis shows that new oil causes increased engine wear, then it settles down, then it starts to increase again as mileage increases.

I'd love to see a report where the oil was in the engine for the 20K miles or so that an Audi/BMW/Merc can achieve in Europe but I don't think any American would dare leave it so long!

 

[grober]

You should read the oil analysis threads on US forums, where it seems to commonplace to regularly send engine oil samples off the the lab.

I have started on many of these US threads but generally lost the will to live about half way through.

Many posters are beyond horrified at extended oil changes as if they're some kind of scam by manufacturers to sell replacement engines!

I think the problem in the states originated when some US MB dealers continued to use older non synthetic engine oil [quaintly termed Dyno-oil] in cars with extended service intervals - the result was a lot of wrecked engines-- and a lot of suspicious customers who blamed the extended service intervals instead of the dealer/oil!

Interestingly for those frequent changers, analysis shows that new oil causes increased engine wear, then it settles down, then it starts to increase again as mileage increases.

I'd like to see the basis for that statement. I am perfectly willing to accept that the act of changing the oil may cause momentary oil starvation and thus wear of normally lubricated surfaces particularly if the engine is run before establishing oil pressure by turning the engine on the starter. But I can't see how the oil performance would "improve" with use unless engine heat causes further compositional changes to the molecular structure of the constituents?

Aaaaargh I've caught the oil thread disease!

 

[sspeed]

To be honest I am not so sure that oil starvation would apply..
Lets look at the scenarios:
Think about it.. You turn off your engine last thing at night and the oil all runs down and settles in the sump..
First thing in the morning you start your engine and the oils gets pumped from the sump very quickly as modern oils are sooo thin..

After a service:
So when you have drained your oil from the sump (Pela suction or otherwise) you then replace to the correct level before stating the engine.. So when you do actually turn the key its not that much different to leaving the car overnight..
Also engines (in my case Diesel) tick over at pretty slow RPM's (700 in my case) so there should not be very much wear at such lowly RPM

I suppose if you were really paranoid about it then with a petrol car you could spin the engine on the starter with the coil disconnected till the oil pressure light extinguished..
Not sure how you would stop a Diesel from starting (other than by changing the fuel filter)..

 

[stevesey]

I suppose if you were really paranoid about it then with a petrol car you could spin the engine on the starter with the coil disconnected till the oil pressure light extinguished..

I used to do exactly that - stopped when I got a car with a cat though.

 

[alexander patie]

does anyone think there is any benefit in changing the oil more frequently than the manufacturer's intervals though? i cannot seem to find any opinions on this.

from my 15yrs experience in a busy workshop, i can confirm that it is possible to do 55,000 miles on the same oil with a 111 engine without loss of performance or using excessive oil. incidentally we see plenty of cars doing in excess of 30,00 miles without oil changes, often only coming in for an annual mot and "it might need a service too" , don't you just love them. also we see plenty of MB petrol and diesel engines over 250,000 miles without excessive oil or fuel consumption, that start very well and sound just fine. my advice to anyone would have to be to have the services done on time, and if it is 20,000 miles after the last one then so be it. to suggest that a modern engine used under typical UK conditions with a suitable 229.5 or 229.3 oil should have intervals shortened is just plain bad advice - misguided and ill informed.

 

[verytalldave]

Apart from oils job of keeping adjacent metal surfaces from actually touching, the other main job of oil is to work as a coolant - to lower the very high temperatures found near the actual mating surfaces. General engine cooling is carried out by the water jacket as we know, but its the oil that does the really important part of engine cooling.

 

[Number_Cruncher]

I used to do exactly that - stopped when I got a car with a cat though.

One way to do something similar is to pull the fuel pump fuse out and let the engine stall.

Then, you can crank without the engine firing AND without any unburnt petrol polluting the cat.

and

when you come to undo the fuel filter to replace it, there's a lot less spurting of fuel; which is nice!

 

[sspeed]

does anyone think there is any benefit in changing the oil more frequently than the manufacturer's intervals though? i cannot seem to find any opinions on this.

from my 15yrs experience in a busy workshop, i can confirm that it is possible to do 55,000 miles on the same oil with a 111 engine without loss of performance or using excessive oil. incidentally we see plenty of cars doing in excess of 30,00 miles without oil changes, often only coming in for an annual mot and "it might need a service too" , don't you just love them. also we see plenty of MB petrol and diesel engines over 250,000 miles without excessive oil or fuel consumption, that start very well and sound just fine. my advice to anyone would have to be to have the services done on time, and if it is 20,000 miles after the last one then so be it. to suggest that a modern engine used under typical UK conditions with a suitable 229.5 or 229.3 oil should have intervals shortened is just plain bad advice - misguided and ill informed.

Remind me NEVER to buy a used car from you !!

 

[alexander patie]

Remind me NEVER to buy a used car from you !!

i do not sell cars, just repair and service them for the paying public. one of our customers came in recently with a clk 230 showing 39,000 miles travelled OVER the service! we can be sure that the oil has not been changed in this time, and tried to persuade them to have the oil changed and a proper service - it is our duty to the customer to advise on such matters after all. the response way absolutely not, cannot afford it, and will be selling the car soon. we were requested to 'just fix the running fault'. one cleaned air mass sensor later saw this doomed car go down the road, for how long it will continue like this i cannot say, but it is not possible for us to do any more.

if i were to start selling cars i can assure one and all that i would take great care to sell only quality stock, and would hope to cultivate repeat business and recommendations over time - the best business model.

so to recap, sspeed, i am only relating 'tales from the workshop', you will have noticed i took care to recommend MB oils and service intervals in my post. many thanks.