C63 first service, and not happy!

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akhan48

Active Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2010
Messages
146
Location
Leeds
Car
2010 C63 AMG
Had the 1st service done on my C63 last week, and I am less than impressed as they have used Castrol SLX oil instead of Mobil1. Ok, it has the 229.5 approval etc but still, AMG recommend Mobil1 and I'm not happy that they've used Castrol. Looks like it was silly of me to assume they would use the recommended one.

The damage: £300

Anyway, I am finding it hard to find a top up bottle of this oil as it seems to be one you can only get from the stealers. Would it be ok to use any 0w-40 229.5 oil like Mobil1 or does it have to be Castrol?
 
AMG (which is Mercedes) only said to used Mobil1

What dealer serviced your car ?
 
MB of Leeds are ones that did the service.

Lewyboy, I like to keep a top-up bottle just in case. I have used a full 5L bottle in the last 12 months for topping up!
 
how many miles was that?
 
I'd email AMG and await their response before doing anything.
 
I would be livid if that was me . . Mobil one, as the book says!!

As for a top up bottle, yes indeed as these engines will burn a little oil. About 1 litre between services I found. . However since the engine got more and more miles on it, the oil usage has gone down funny enough.

But back to your first point, if they cant show you written proof from AMG that the oil they used is okay, and not the oil in the handbook etc . . I would make them change it and give you a reciept to prove if anything went wrong later etc etc.

Wonder if this is just a case of the dealership cutting costs accross the group.
 
Even though it sounds like you could measure oil consumption in mpg on your car, Merc will probably say it is 'within tolerance'.

That was BMWs one liner.
 
Guys, as long as they use an oil that meets the spec MB is okay with it. Even the flagship Brooklands doesn't us Mobile1.
 
Well that's what I thought, it is an oil approved by MB, but I'm just picky and I'm still not happy! I will call MB UK tomorrow and see what they have to say.
 
MB UK now use Petronas oil for MB owned dealerships (ref F1 sponsorship).

Mobil 1 is used by some dealers not owned by MB.

You'd think they'd tell you first, before putting in something other than Mobil 1 But they clearly won't (maybe margins are thin these days.....).

I'd go back and insist on them putting Mobil 1 in it. No way would my C63 have anything else, and thankfully the dealer that gets my service uses Mobil 1.

Good luck.
 
Mercedes don't supply the oil to dealer groups - they're open to negotiate their own oil supplier providing that the oil meets MB specifications.

I believe Mercedes-Benz of Leeds are part of the Pendragon Group - with 150+ dealerships (not just MB) they have significant buying power - and probably use Castrol across all of their dealerships.

Castrol is good oil, and if not equal may even be superior to Mobil1, so I'm sure your engine and warranty will be fine. Sounds like it's just not what you were expecting...
 
Though this was several years ago now, MB changed their recommended manufacturer for oil, I went in my local MB Dealer (Southampton part of Ridgeway group) for a litre top up of Mobil 1 for my AMG, they told me they were obliged to still stock Mobil 1 Oil for their AMG customers, I,m not sure whether this obligation was the dealer group, or an MB dictate.
To be honest I had thought that newer AMG vehicles oil recommendation had changed from Mobil 1, but surely if Mobil 1 is still recommended by AMG they should have used it.
I to would feel upset if they had,nt used Mobil 1, i think I would ping an E-mail off to MB technical and ask them their recommendation, if they reply quoting spec then ok the dealer has fulfilled his commitment as the Castrol will undoubtedly fulfill this, but if they quote Mobil 1, I would tackle the dealer armed with the E-mail and ask them why they did,nt fulfill the MB recommended service requirements for your car and use Mobil 1.
 
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Wouldn't worry about it. As long as the oil meets the required spec that is all that matters. AMG recommend Mobil as they get something out of it. Simple as that. Just pay attention to grade

Anyways compared to many other engines out there the 63 is a fairly low stressed engine so in theory would be able to tollerate a wider classification of oil compared to many
other engines
 
AMG recommend Mobil1 - it's not a mandatory requirement, and as such using a lubricant of the same spec will have no impact on warranty
 
Looking at other forums, there seems to be a suggestion that new MB cars were traditionally factory-filled with Shell, except for AMG cars which came factory-filled with Mobil-1.

Apparently there was some long running relationship between MB and Shell (perhaps in a similar way to Renault/Elf), but MB have now switched to Petronas (of Malaysia) due to the F1 sponsorship deal.

MB Dealers in the past have used Castrol and Shell Helix Ultra on my (non-AMG) car. The most recent service was done by Olly (BlackC55), and I believe he used Petronas.

I think that unless there is a clear directive from either AMG or MB that only Mobil-1 must be used (as opposed to 'recommended) on AMG engines, then you can't really fault the dealership for using any MB-Approved 229.5 oil. As a customer, if you care about the oil brand then you can enquire in advance what oil they will be using, and even supply your own oil if you are not happy with the dealer's brand (or chose a different dealer).

If you can demonstrate that there is a directive to use only Mobil-1 on AMG engines then this is obviously a different story altogether. What does you owner's manual say, Mobil-1 or just the generic 229.5?

Just to clarify, this is not a comment regarding the quality of any of the oil brands, it is quite possible that Mobil-1 is indeed the best oil there is - all I am referring to is your position with the dealer on this issue. As said, I think a lot will depend on whether there is an official document stating 'Mobil-1 only' for AMG.
 
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I do some work for a vehicle manufacturer that recommends a specific premier-brand oil is used. This is how it works.

The manufacturer designs an engine and specifies a grade of oil that is suitable (e.g MB 229.5). That is all that is necessary for the engine to live a long and happy life.

Next, an oil company comes along (or the manufacturer approaches an oil company) and money or equivalent services (such as sponsorship) change hands and the next print of the handbook says "only use Brand X in the engine".

If the dealer had filled your car with Aldi own-brand oil it would still be fine so long as it carries the correct grade (229.5) - it will have all come from the same refinery, after all. However, you have a top brand oil in your engine so it will be especially OK.

I can honestly tell you that the brand-specific recommendation in the Owner's manual has nothing to do with the quality of that particular oil; it is purely a ploy to drive sales of that brand of oil.
 
Wouldn't worry about it. As long as the oil meets the required spec that is all that matters. AMG recommend Mobil as they get something out of it. Simple as that. Just pay attention to grade

Anyways compared to many other engines out there the 63 is a fairly low stressed engine so in theory would be able to tollerate a wider classification of oil compared to many
other engines

Yep, as long as it is to spec who cares. Just so long as they never mislead you into thinking they were using Mobil 1.

I have used Shell, Castrol & Mobil1 to top up as my car has hammered 8 litres in 11000 miles!

That is also quite pricey on the service, where was it done? Pistonheads said theirs was only £199 for their fleet C63.

S
 
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