Time for MB A service! Oil

[geoffus]

I hear and agree with every well reasoned argument but I’m still going to change my oil more often . I just like doing it . We’ve all got issues .

I think I will start changing mine when it goes black, that's the best indication.

 

[alecmascot]

I'd be changing mine every other day

 

[Dickster]

I think I will start changing mine when it goes black, that's the best indication.

no good for diesel

 

[Dickster]

I’m in the old fashioned change your oil regular camp. Those that aren’t, do you also stick to the schedule for the so called sealed for life gearboxes?

I’ve had gearbox issues on two cars at way less than 100k miles, both requiring not much more than a simple service.

I don’t trust the recommended schedules.

 

[Petrol Pete]

View attachment 124479 LOL what fun...

Oi ! Tony , that's my popcorn, get your own !

 

[mioba]

I’m in the old fashioned change your oil regular camp. Those that aren’t, do you also stick to the schedule for the so called sealed for life gearboxes?

I’ve had gearbox issues on two cars at way less than 100k miles, both requiring not much more than a simple service.

I don’t trust the recommended schedules.

the sealed for life gbox issue was a well known error by merc and affected so many vins, my W220 included.

It is actually sealed from service schedule.

Then it comes down to the nous of the owner. I have mine done every 35k.

 

[W1ghty]

I’m in the old fashioned change your oil regular camp. Those that aren’t, do you also stick to the schedule for the so called sealed for life gearboxes?

I’ve had gearbox issues on two cars at way less than 100k miles, both requiring not much more than a simple service.

I don’t trust the recommended schedules.

What the old sealed until death gearbox schedule !

 

[Monkeylegend]

I ran three consecutive E220CDi's to over 300k miles each.

They all had one thing in common, an engine oil and filter change approx every 18k miles as requested by the car to conform to Mercedes service schedule.

Never had a single engine issue and the last one which I sold last year is still going strong, just MOT'd at 324k miles.

 

[geoffus]

I ran three consecutive E220CDi's to over 300k miles each.

They all had one thing in common, an engine oil and filter change approx every 18k miles as requested by the car to conform to Mercedes service schedule.

Never had a single engine issue and the last one which I sold last year is still going strong, just MOT'd at 324k miles.

I love when someone replies like this, especially when.others have said they don’t trust Mercedes or their oil service intervals,
“I change my fully synthetic oil every 3000 miles, manufactures don’t know nothin” etc etc

 

[Gazwould]

18K intervals over 300K is only possible with long motorway journeys and the egr operation is fairly limited .

A once Audi fan used to boast of his no DPF issues whatsoever over 240K where many experienced problems .

It transpired he only did long motorway journeys and had a small petrol car just for the shops .

 

[merc estate]

So on my old merc i always did my own oil changes, i like to know what is going in it.
So a few years ago i got under the car to take the pans off and started going all giddy and felt sick, so then i decided i am getting too old for all of this, what am i doing i am going to kill myself.
Right put the pans into the boot phone a merc indy arrange for him to finish the job giving him the oil and filter, when i went to pick the car up he wanted £70, a bargain he said, as we know he had to undo the sump nut and change the filter with (my merc oil and my merc filter) so with a bit of moaning i paid up telling him he would never see me again.
The next year did it myself and guess what, he did not put my merc filter in it was just a crap one.
Trust is hard to come by, i don't think this place exists anymore or at least i hope not.
I am going to be trusting an indy on here next time, as i know they are recommended.

 

[pioneercollector]

Interesting thread! I am in the process of getting a major service done on my car, i only purchased it on New Years day and it came with a wodge of receipts - but the servicing looked a bit sketchy after the last MB dealership service in 2015. For my peace of mind i was planning on getting the 'everything' serviced completed and then see what mileage i do.... I doubt it would be more than 2000 a year. At least i know it is as it should be.
My rusty old truck ( Mitsubishi 3.0L 24V ) had been with me for nearly 20 years, It had the odd oil change and managed over 200,000 miles without issue.... But every now and then i treated it to a full tear down.

For me it is the peace of mind - Doesn't oil degrade after a set time?

 

[190]

For me it is the peace of mind - Doesn't oil degrade after a set time?

Not unless the car is used for arduous duty e.g all short runs which don't get the oil hot enough to evaporate off the condensate produced by the combustion process. At 2000 miles per year there can be no rational argument against a 2 year service interval if the engine is regularly allowed to get up to temperature.

A good example to illustrate that oil doesn't degrade after a set time is the service intervals for diffs and gearboxes. Where there is no source of contamination from combustion, the oil will last 5 years with ease. Oil doesn't wear out but the additives are eventually consumed.

 

[pioneercollector]

Not unless the car is used for arduous duty e.g all short runs which don't get the oil hot enough to evaporate off the condensate produced by the combustion process. At 2000 miles per year there can be no rational argument against a 2 year service interval if the engine is regularly allowed to get up to temperature.

A good example to illustrate that oil doesn't degrade after a set time is the service intervals for diffs and gearboxes. Where there is no source of contamination from combustion, the oil will last 5 years with ease. Oil doesn't wear out but the additives are eventually consumed.

@190 OK I was in that camp anyway, and i do agree with you, I never changed the oil in my diff on the Shogun...and it always worked perfectly... Metal mice were the thing to look out for!

 

[Tonygw]

Oi ! Tony , that's my popcorn, get your own !

LOL Opppops my bad Im off to the Co-op to get a large bag of butterkissed..... ;-)

 

[Tonygw]

As to the topic of regular oil changes.. I cant help but have a massive dis-trust of OEM manufacturers and their service schedules..

Lets be honest they don't have a great track record of honesty..

Sealed for life transmissions.. Fail
Diesel emissions- Fail
Audi and Saab suffered from oil sludge blockages from extended service intervals.

Profit is their main target.

Its not the main engine components that wear out. its the tiny oil ways and other parts, chains, tensioners, variable valve timing gear, turbos, etc etc.. Modern engines rely on oil very heavily for more than just suck squeeze bang blow..

Each to their own.. of course.

 

[tonysmb]

This old chestnut; each to their own .

Extended service intervals were introduced simply to reduce fleet cost-per-mile. I remember when Rover (or whatever they were called then) changed the oil change schedule from 6,000 miles to 12,000 miles on the V8 in approx. 1982. No change to the engine, filter or oil-spec.. However the blurb, which I still have somewhere, simply boasted about how they were now cheaper to run per mile. As long as the engine lasts for the warranty period, that's enough.

Of course, the car's use is a relevant point, long m/way journeys being much better than short stop/start, so a strict mileage criteria can be misleading. Kia, for example, schedule 6-monthly oil changes/service on the V6-Stinger in order to maintain the 7-year warranty, presumably for a reason.

Different people have different views; some express a view that a filter performs better as it becomes clogged. Taken to its logical conclusion, why change filters at all if they improve with use. That's not my experience so I change them more often than scheduled, ie I think 60,000 on MB air filters is too much.

Me, I'm in the regular much-less-than-scheduled mileage change but then I tend to keep my cars for 10+ years, not just the 3-year warranty period. If I was buying a secondhand car, I'd rather the previous owner was like the OP.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Diesel emissions- Fail

What was a fail about emissions?

 

[Fastcar155]

Hi , a friend of mine use to work for Toyota as a service representative.He told me that from his experience cars that have regular engine oil changes last the course.

Extended service intervals were introduced by Audi to increase fleet sales.

My C207E400 has been serviced every 3000 miles from new.

Servicing is all down to your personal requirements but I purchased a Volvo V90 from a friend who serviced the car every 3000 miles and I ran the car up to 230000 miles with out a hitch.

I have been in Skoda Superbs used as Taxis that have interstellar miles on them , 350000 miles and still going strong.

These cars are serviced every 7500 Kms.

 

[Tonygw]

What was a fail about emissions?

I seem to recall there was some issue with "erm" VW and their published diesel emissions which were 100% accurate and they didn't lie about it one bit, because OEM car manufacturers never lie and always tell the truth. They have their customers best interests as a priority. Never profit and keeping the share holders happy.. I'm sure they got a small fine in the USA and a few legal claims about it.
Pretty sure all OEMs were at it.

Such an honest group of companies they really are..