How on earth does this work then???

[jonm]

My 200K always needs a drink of oil between services, after 8/9k or so, no big problem with this. Once its request has been met the assyst service indicator seems to slow down a bit, can this be so??
I always top up with Mobil 1, as far as I am aware its the best you can get and meets the 229.5 spec. Whilst I guess that it 'knows' there is more oil than before, can it tell the difference between oil types?
if so, how?????

Assuming that I have got the right end of the stick it kind of looks like I should be insisting on the oil to be used or supplying my own at service time, anyone got any experience of this....

Thanks
Jon

 

[Shude]

Basically it shines a light through the oil to check how dark it is, the lighter the colour the longer the service interval.

 

[nickmann]

...
Assuming that I have got the right end of the stick it kind of looks like I should be insisting on the oil to be used or supplying my own at service time, anyone got any experience of this....

Thanks
Jon

Yes, I have supplied my own oil at service time, as have others on here. Whether your service dept allows this will depend on your relationship with them. As for you insisting on them using a brand that they don't normally stock, well I doubt they'd do that for you.

 

[jonm]

Thanks for the replies, Makes sense on the quality detector, strangely simple!

I'll ask the dealer what oil they use and go from there.

CHeers

 

[Rory]

My 200K always needs a drink of oil between services, after 8/9k or so, no big problem with this. Once its request has been met the assyst service indicator seems to slow down a bit, can this be so??

I *think* this only happens if you wait for the car to demand oil, and then you put in the amount it asks for - ie, if you keep topping it up with small amounts of oil, you don't get the same slowing of the service indicator.

 

[Benzowner]

Thanks for the replies, Makes sense on the quality detector, strangely simple!

I'll ask the dealer what oil they use and go from there.

CHeers

I thought it was either written in the service book, or certainly on the invoice. My local uses Shell Helix

 

[Satch]

There are optical sensors but not sure if current models still use them.

Assyst monitors time between oil changes, vehicle speed, coolant temperature, load, engine rpm, engine oil temperature and engine oil level.

Since oil degradation is correlated directly with its electrical properties there is an oil quality dielectric sensor mounted with the oil level sensor. The sensor measures changes in this, which effectively is a proxy for the amount and type of contaminants and oil degradation products present in the oil.

An increase in dielectric constant indicates oil contamination and degradation.