Using too much oil?

[Flyer]

Should I be concerned?

My 1999 CLK320, with 59k miles (all done by me) informed me that the oil level was at minimum. The last service (B) was on 02/06/03 at 51,114 when 8 litres of Shell Helix were added (or, at least, charged for ).

When I did the dashboard check, it said to add 2.5 litres, which I did about 100 miles later*. This is the first time I have ever had to add oil to this car (in fact, any car apart from my first, an Escort). Is this something to be concerned about? I haven't used it much this year (10k miles in 12 months), so could it that have something to do with it? Or is it perfectly normal to use a quantity of oil and I have just been lucky in not having to put any in?

Thanks chaps.

Andrew

* I was in mid-Wales heading for Saundersfoot and the garages only stocked some dodgy stuff (Murco?) or oil for diesels so thought it best to wait until I could find a Shell. Steve (Perry): I was in your neck of the woods yesterday and did spot a vivianite green 202 in Mumbles but it wasn't yours .

 

[Gizmo750]

Andrew,

Mine uses a reasonable amount of engine oil. I didn't know whether this was normal or not so I had it checked out at the local dealers. Apparently, Mercedes quote usage figures of something daft like half a litre every 1,000 miles and anything within that is within normal parameters! ! ! ! !

I, like you, have never had to add engine oil to a car between services (apart from early cars - old bangers). Even my last car, a Honda Civic VTi didn't burn any oil.

Not having owned an automatic, a V6 or a Merc before I really didn't know what was "normal". Prior to my last major service I used approx 5 litres in 18,000 miles. In fact, I had to top up so often that the ASSYST meter kept getting put back and back until I bypassed the A service completely. However, since the last service the amount I am using has gone down considerably. I put about a litre in two weeks ago and that is nearly 6,000 miles since the service, making me think that something was not quite right last time.

I would expect to have to put some in and Mercedes would agree but I wouldn't expect the usage that I was geting. Since the service things are more sensible however that litre I put in has put the ASSYST meter back by nearly 2,000 miles so I might end up going straight from a B to a B service again if I have to add some more in a few thousand miles time.

In summary, I wouldn't worry about it unless the usage really starts to go up.

Guy

 

[Ian B Walker]

I dont know about the modern breed of engines but I use about a pint every 8000 miles in the 260E and about a pint every 5000 miles in the 200T. Both are high milage engines and do get the occasional swift run. I think I would be a tad concerned at your oil consumption, especially it is reasonably low milage. I think a call to the stealers to ask the question is the next step.

 

[Flyer]

Thanks Guy. My last car was also a V6 - a Corrado VR6, and I never put a drop of oil in, in over 120k miles, so I was a little concerned at seeing the warning. Interesting that your car did use a lot of oil and then has cut down again - what could cause that?

I certainly don't have an oil leak and there's no smoke coming out the back (although the exhaust is black - my dear dad used to say that a healthy engine would have a grey exhaust ), so maybe Mercedes do know what they are talking about .

So, nothing to worry about ...

And then Ian, you tell me it could be! Mine certainly gets some swift runs (the A49 last night from Hereford was sublime ), but it always has.

I posted on here to obtain the collective wisdom of MBClub, and chose not to go to the dealer where I could be informed that, "yeah mate, the cylinder main shaft dioxyribonucleic hydraulic activator needs replacing - they all do that at 60k miles and it will take 3 months and 3.2 gazillion euro-pfennigs to replace".

Also, what it this "pint" thing you talk of? Please express in litres (there's a joke in there somewhere ).

So, a dilemma: go with Guy's thoughts and not worry, or go with Ian's thoughts and worry ...

 

[Brian WH]

I certainly don't have an oil leak and there's no smoke coming out the back (although the exhaust is black - my dear dad used to say that a healthy engine would have a grey exhaust ), so maybe Mercedes do know what they are talking about .

...

I agree with your dad, it should be grey, as black is either a rich mixture or burning oil.

I'd be more worried that they had not topped it at the service, see how the next 8k goes then worry Andrew.

 

[jaymanek]

Mine doesnt use any, but its been posted many times about the V6 2.4 llitre and up engines using a bit of oil... When i had my C240 done at the dealer, they automatically provided a litre of oil and they told me that they always give extra oil with the V6 engines!

jay

 

[Robbo]

I reckon it is likely to be the dealer not adding enough oil during the service. It would seem rather strange for it to suddenly start consuming oil for no reason IMO. When mine was last serviced, they put too much in and so I got an overfill warning. Probably just carelessness on the techs part.

Another possible cause could be the oil level sensor has packed up and is reading incorrectly. Personally, I'd just monitor it over the next few months and see what happens.

I do around 10K a year in mine and dont have any noticeable oil consumption.

Cheers, Robbo

 

[Flyer]

Thanks chaps, I think I'll have to do what Brian and Robbo says and monitor oil consumption a fair bit closer than I have been.

Jay, is that gave you as in "gave you" or gave you as in "that'll be extra £8.99 please sir"?

Robbo, mine also came with the manual option, ie. a dipstick. It was reading on the lower end of the scale. I have checked it in the past but the level never made me think it was a problem.

Let's hope I'm not revisiting this thread in 6 month's time ...

 

[IanT]

Warning: Comment from diesel owner coming up...

My 36k mile C250 diesel used a litre and a half over about 5k miles leaving me both worried and horrified at the time. Naturally I topped it up and left it until my next trip to the dealer for service.

They came out with the 500ml in 1000 miles malarkey (apparently true) and I found it hard to believe that any engine would be in spec when it was consuming that much oil (except a two-stroke ). By the time I sold it, it had settled down nicely and wasn't using more than half a litre between services. I've been informed it's using less then that now by its current owner.

The dealer suggested it would settle down as the miles increased...

Ian.

 

[IanT]

Ooooh... just remembered reading something a while back that modern engines are supposed to be run on semi-synthetic oils (or a very good mineral oil) for the first few thousand miles to help them bed in. As pretty much all high performance engines are run on full synthetic from new (apparently) this causes greater oil consumption.

I don't know what the provenance of that information is, but that's as I remember it.

Ian.

 

[Flyer]

Thanks Ian. Of course, most manufacturers, including Mercedes, say that the oil they provide at manufacture is sufficient until the first service, at c.10k miles, so it better be good!

Just remembered; one of my brake light bulbs also failed on this trip - how annoying is that reminder?

Cheers
Andrew

 

[jaymanek]

lol yes they did charge for it so i told them to stick it where the sun dont shine after the £1k bill they put in front of me for what was supposed to be a £300 service.
I have learnt to do all the little things myself before a service now!

Jay

 

[Gizmo750]

Andrew,

I do keep an eye on mine manually these days. I try to ensure that the oil level on the dipstick is somewhere in the middle of the upper and lower markers. One of the chaps at the dealers suggested that the engine might use more oil if overful or full right up and that it was better to maintain it at the midpoint? ? ?

I'm not sure that I totally trust the electronic level meter and so I keep an eye on the actual level as per the dipstick.

When I said earlier that I wouldn't worry about it I didn't mean to give the impression that I thought it should be ignored. I think that it seems to be relatively normal though (at least that was the impression that the dealer gave me) and therefore should be monitored and see what happens.

I'm still not sure why mine was using so much oil before my most recent service and seems to have calmed down after it. Heaven forbid that they did something wrong in servicing it the time before? ? ?

Guy

 

[Sp!ke]

They say......

If your oil light comes on (or oil gets low) between services then you are using too much oil and it should be checked out.

With a bit of luck it will just be your valve seals which may of hardened whilst the car was left standing for long periods. Valve seals are cheap and easy to replace.

 

[Flyer]

Guy, gotcha

Spike, I'm sorry, did you say "cheap and easy" about a Mercedes? I take it you mean cheap and easy compared to an engine re-build, just like going to the Moon is cheap and easy compared to going to Mars?

The periods of not being used would only be a week or so (work from home). Maybe it just needs a damn good thrashing? (Oh, forgot, did that on Sunday night ).

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Steve_Perry]

Hi Andrew,

There's a few Vivianite W202's round my neck of the woods

Like Jay, I've also heard that the V6's use oil though my C240 doesn't drink oil at all.

S.

 

[IanT]

Thanks Ian. Of course, most manufacturers, including Mercedes, say that the oil they provide at manufacture is sufficient until the first service, at c.10k miles, so it better be good!

Just remembered; one of my brake light bulbs also failed on this trip - how annoying is that reminder?

Of course they also recommend that you check the levels weekly so that put you into the 2000 miles a week bracket before there's an issue. Some (ahem) Vauxhall drivers have been advised to run a mineral oil for a few thousand miles after complaining of consumption but try as I might, I can't find any technical guidance notes in TIS to confirm it.

LOL at the bulb check lamp. They usually come on when you're driving back late at night with a boot full of luggage. That's the time you resolve that the spare bulbs will live in the glovebox or somewhere sensible in future, but instead you just end up pulling over at the next services and haemorraging some exorbitant £5 for a spare rear sidelight bulb...

Ian.