CLS 55 AMG Recommended Oil Level (currently 5.7 liters)

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Thanks everyone for chipping in! I really appreciate it :)

@Petrol Pete I think I will go with this strategy too and just add a liter and see what happens. I too am wary about dipsticks because I see as many conflicting readings on the net for these than I do for the incluster reading. Also a bit wary of trusting a dipstick that I will most probably be buying off ebay (unless someone knows a link to a reasonably price OEM one). I didnt know they dont have an oil pressure sensor?! Surely that's just madness!!! Makes me even more on edge now to figure it out! Used to run a formula student race team in University and know first hand what low oil pressure can do to your engine :wallbash:

@Petrol Pete do you have any helpful guides/tips on how I can vacuum out the oil if I do indeed over fill it and any tools needed?

@merc85, @Will & @mbzclk thanks for the advice regarding seal leaks! The previous owner took good care of the car and replaced the valve cover gasket not long before I purchased. Cant speak for the rear main seal but the parts of the underside of the I could see were bone dry when I checked.

Haven't had the car long enough to be able to monitor the oil consumption but will start doing so as soon as I figure out what good looks like ;)

Kind Regards,


Simone Zucchet
I have a manual vacuum oil pump from Sealy , there are all sorts available out there from £50 upwards. ironically the vac pump is no real use for total oil change on my C55 as it has a saddle sump. The front sump would remain filled (approx 1.5 litres) with dirty oil if I vacuumed the oil out from the rear sump via the dipstick tube.
 
I have a manual vacuum oil pump from Sealy , there are all sorts available out there from £50 upwards. ironically the vac pump is no real use for total oil change on my C55 as it has a saddle sump. The front sump would remain filled (approx 1.5 litres) with dirty oil if I vacuumed the oil out from the rear sump via the dipstick tube.
The CLS55 also has a saddle sump and vacuuming out the oil will not fully empty the oil. These sumps must be drained from bellow, removing both drain plugs...
 
The CLS55 also has a saddle sump and vacuuming out the oil will not fully empty the oil. These sumps must be drained from bellow, removing both drain plugs...

I wasn't aware that that esteemed forum member had a single drain plug, let alone two... :eek:
 
If you're using a litre of oil every 300 miles, there's something wrong.

My bad - it’s about 500 miles sometimes more depending on how I drive. There are no issues - Wayne Gates fixed an oil leak previously, so some months it asks for nothing, but if I drive it in ‘race mode’ it reminds me to top up...
 
This thread seems to be massively over complicating such a simple thing?!?

No secret menus needed, just the menu with the temperature, scroll along to the oil menu, turn the car off once warm on a flat surface and let its do its thing. It'll tell you if you need to add any. If you need to add a significant amount it will "bong" on the dash anyway whilst driving.

Randomly adding oil could do more damage if anything - seems an overfill is almost worse than an underfill from forums I have read.
 
This thread seems to be massively over complicating such a simple thing?!?

No secret menus needed, just the menu with the temperature, scroll along to the oil menu, turn the car off once warm on a flat surface and let its do its thing. It'll tell you if you need to add any. If you need to add a significant amount it will "bong" on the dash anyway whilst driving.

Randomly adding oil could do more damage if anything - seems an overfill is almost worse than an underfill from forums I have read.
This. I’ve driven over 40k miles in mine and I’ve never topped up the oil unless it explicitly asked me to. It’s that simple really :)
 
I think you guys are right, might be overthinking it a bit too much.

Honestly I am used to being able to wrench and see things as vital as the oil level myself without so much unclarity, I guess this is one of the things I will have to put up with in exchange for the sweet sound and torque 😅

Thank you to everyone that pitched in tough, will be going to the Merc dealer some time soon to get some bits and bobs and will ask them to do an oil level check, if that turns out Ok then the answer to my initial question on 5.7 liters being normal will be "yes" 😆

Will update everyone as soon as that is done 🙂
 
Hey guys!

So just to come back full circle on my post, I have been keeping an eye on the indicated oil level and it has continued to hover around the 5.7L mark when warm and measured using the dash/key position method (full description in my original post).

Saw a sunny gap in the always lovely Manchester weather (😅) this afternoon so went for a blast on my favourite road. At some point during the enjoyment I got a dash message to the tune of “please fill up with 1L oil on next refuel” so calmed everything down (just incase) and did so on my way back. I purchased the oil from my local Merc dealer thats only up the road from where I live. Filled up well, no issues and must say that the warning only came up for a second while on WOT and then went away. The engine ren well both before and after the top up, out of curiosity I talked to the local tech about oil levels and about the message. He said that its nothing to be worried about as long as you don’t continue to run the car for a very prolonged period after seeing such a warning. Was in a rush after I got home so havent checked the current oil level but will do so later on and update :)

To answer my original question, I believe that on my car, a 5.7L indicated oil level on the dash is low but not low enough to raise a warning during normal use but when pushed (to the speed limit and not a mph above 😏) it might flash up an oil level warning and that you should top up with the quantity displayed as soon as is convenient after this.

I will continue to monitor my oil level as I use the beast and report what the oil level is. I theorise that it should be between 6.5 and 6.7 liters if the reading is consistent!

My findings definitely line up with everyone’s comments so thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences! I hope this thread also helps someone in a similar position to I was wondering about oil levels on the m113k 😊.

Kind Regards,


Simone
 
a. Oil pressure switch and oil pressure gauge are great, but we should keep in mind that the low oil pressure warning will come-up only when the oil level is way below the minimum, so even on cars that do have low oil pressure warning, it is not a substitute for oil level checks.

b. Even on cars that have no dipstick, there's a Min and Max level (though you can't see them). The given figure for oil capacity is from empty to the Max. So a lower electronic reading is fine, i.e. it does not necessarily mean that the oil quantity is below the Min.

c. The oil capacity is measured in Litre, which is a unit of volume, so with a hot engine the oil quantity reading should increase.

d. When asked to add 1L, I usually add half that, then see what happens. If the car isn't complaining any more, I leave it at that.
 
Thanks for the input @markjay, definitely agree with points A - C!

Think point D might be a bit of a hit and miss one depending (probably) on the situation the low oil reading was generated. To elaborate, I am not sure if cornering or driving on an incline would force the oil do different parts of the engine (since oil level is supposed measured on a level surface) and skew the measurement. But maybe internal baffles mitigate this 🤷🏾‍♂️

Definitely think the cautious approach of adding 0.5L then 1L is a good idea but I went for the 1L as I felt the oil was on the low side to begin with.
 
I remember in my 2006 Omega Elite the low oil warning said 'oil level low' that was the cue to add one litre of oil to the straight six BMW engine that Vauxhaull had fitted in their flagship diesel bus. The second warning was 'oil lack'...that was the serious one, top up or die !

I used to carry a litre with me and on some longer business trips the 'oil level low' would pop up and I would ignore it until I left the motorway , then on going around a tight bend the 'oil lack' message would come up. I have no idea how many millilitres difference their was between the two, but for old school tech it was very helpful. I think it had a dipstick as well. I put many many miles on that car without a hitch.
 
I remember in my 2006 Omega Elite the low oil warning said 'oil level low' that was the cue to add one litre of oil to the straight six BMW engine that Vauxhaull had fitted in their flagship diesel bus. The second warning was 'oil lack'...that was the serious one, top up or die !

I used to carry a litre with me and on some longer business trips the 'oil level low' would pop up and I would ignore it until I left the motorway , then on going around a tight bend the 'oil lack' message would come up. I have no idea how many millilitres difference their was between the two, but for old school tech it was very helpful. I think it had a dipstick as well. I put many many miles on that car without a hitch.
Interesting. I thought that the Omega Elite were all petrol V6 (3.0L pre-facelift, 3.2L post-facelift). Didn't realise they had a Diesel Elite. Also didn't realize they still made them as late as 2006 - my last Omega was a 2001 CDX, I didn't think they continued to make them for that long.
 
Interesting. I thought that the Omega Elite were all petrol V6 (3.0L pre-facelift, 3.2L post-facelift). Didn't realise they had a Diesel Elite. Also didn't realize they still made them as late as 2006 - my last Omega was a 2001 CDX, I didn't think they continued to make them for that long.
My bad 1996 !! only 10 years out ! same here , my mate in the motor trade at the time was very surprised when I turned up in a 5 speed manual Elite,he had never seen one before even I thought it odd that their flagship 'executive' model was available with a a manual box and a BMW engine. The CDX diesel I had was manual ..nice car ruined by a horrible engine. My other Elite was 2.5 V6 petrol auto.
 

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