Valvoline 5w40 synthetic engine oil question

[C250cgicoupe]

Hi all and best wishes for 2023, my c204 c250cgi is due an oil change which since falling out of warranty I have done myself always using Valvoline 5w40 full synthetic which meets mb229,3 requirements until recently anyway. I have always purchased the oil from a discount store at a very reasonable price of 5,99 euros per litre which is excellent value. However I went to purchase
6 litres last week from the same supplier but noticed the approval for all manufacturers' no longer appears on the container, would something have changed in the spec of this oil for the labelling
to have changed? I've been very happy with this oil so far but am wondering if I should continue to use it without the Mercedes approval.

 

[Skd884]

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[markjay]

Hi all and best wishes for 2023, my c204 c250cgi is due an oil change which since falling out of warranty I have done myself always using Valvoline 5w40 full synthetic which meets mb229,3 requirements until recently anyway. I have always purchased the oil from a discount store at a very reasonable price of 5,99 euros per litre which is excellent value. However I went to purchase
6 litres last week from the same supplier but noticed the approval for all manufacturers' no longer appears on the container, would something have changed in the spec of this oil for the labelling
to have changed? I've been very happy with this oil so far but am wondering if I should continue to use it without the Mercedes approval.

I don't think anyone here would know the answer to your question, but for your C204 I would stick with engine oil that meets MB229.5 spec, and says so on the box.

 

[optimusprime]

C250 I would message Valvoline and talk to them . I like Valvoline oil myself . Reason is that after a guy in front of me in the parts shop , purchased 10 x 5L tins of Valvoline . After he had gone out the shop i asked the chap behind the counter - he must like Valvoline . He said yes , he is in to formula 2 racing and its all he uses .

 

[C250cgicoupe]

C250 I would message Valvoline and talk to them . I like Valvoline oil myself . Reason is that after a guy in front of me in the parts shop , purchased 10 x 5L tins of Valvoline . After he had gone out the shop i asked the chap behind the counter - he must like Valvoline . He said yes , he is in to formula 2 racing and its all he uses .

Hi, I contacted them and already received a reply that my query has been forwarded to the appropriate department and can expect a reply asap, I've been using it for the past 5 years and the car runs great, smooth, quiet no oil consumption between oil changes. Someone else mentioned that I should only be using mb229.5 however the first 4 years of ownership I had a service contract with Mercedes Benelux and on each invoice 10w40 mb229.3 was used by them, in fact when resetting the service interval 229.3 is one of the 4 types of oil you can select in the system, my understanding is by selecting an oil other than 229.5 the interval is reduced from 25k to 15k but seeing as my annual mileage is 6k max don't think this will be an issue.

 

[johnsco]

I find it hard to believe that a well-respected oil brand like Valvoline would downgrade its specification.
I used it for years with total satisfaction.
It is widely-used in motor-sport
I see the OP has already contacted the company.
Let's see what they say.

 

[Gazwould]

They haven't down graded anything it's just that to gain and maintain manufacturer approval involves eye watering amounts of money .

It's a financial decision .

 

[markjay]

Hi, I contacted them and already received a reply that my query has been forwarded to the appropriate department and can expect a reply asap, I've been using it for the past 5 years and the car runs great, smooth, quiet no oil consumption between oil changes. Someone else mentioned that I should only be using mb229.5 however the first 4 years of ownership I had a service contract with Mercedes Benelux and on each invoice 10w40 mb229.3 was used by them, in fact when resetting the service interval 229.3 is one of the 4 types of oil you can select in the system, my understanding is by selecting an oil other than 229.5 the interval is reduced from 25k to 15k but seeing as my annual mileage is 6k max don't think this will be an issue.

MB229.5 is the latest oil spec, and it will provide your engine with better protection than the older spec MB229.3. That been said, use of MB229.3 is permissible for your car, if you have a reason to prefer it.

Oil manufacturers make different blends for different applications, and Valvoline most certainly still do MB229.3/MB229.5 oils - what probably happened is that your local shop stopped stocking the MB229.3/MB229.5 Valvoline oil, and started stocking a different type of Valvoline oil.

Below are a few Valvoline oils that meet the MB229.3/MB229.5 oil spec. They are actually Approved to MB229.5, and also meet MB229.3:

EUR_Val_Syn_0W40_MO_EN.pdf - DocuSign CLM

sharena21.springcm.com

EUR_Val_SynMBO_5W40_MO_EN.pdf - DocuSign CLM

sharena21.springcm.com

EUR_Val_Syn_5W30_MO_EN.pdf - DocuSign CLM

sharena21.springcm.com

It's just a question of buying the right Valvoline product - not all oils are the same, even from the same manufacturer.

 

[markjay]

... am wondering if I should continue to use it without the Mercedes approval.

And given that your car has the M271 engine... I would definitely stick to MB229.5/MB229.3 engine oil only.

 

[grober]

One possibility is that Mercedes or independent test facility may charge a hefty fee for inclusion on the MB approved list-- to cover any testing /certification of the specific oil in question. This may require a periodic renewal cost and Valvoline may have decided it's now simply uneconomic for an older specification oil, despite the fact the oil has remained unchanged?? Or they may feel that it simply dates their product to label it with an older type approval specification?? I confess I am unaware of what process is involved in how exactly any ENGINE oil gets on the MB type approval list?

 

[markjay]

One possibility is that Mercedes or independent test facility may charge a hefty fee for inclusion on the MB approved list-- to cover any testing /certification of the specific oil in question. This may require a periodic renewal cost and Valvoline may have decided it's now simply uneconomic for an older specification oil, despite the fact the oil has remained unchanged?? Or they may feel that it simply dates their product to label it with an older type approval specification?? I confess I am unaware of what process is involved in how exactly any ENGINE oil gets on the MB type approval list?

As per my post above, Valvoline currently have three oils that are MB229.5 Approved (I.e. gained MB Approval). I think that the issue is that the local stocker simply stopped stocking that particular oil for whatever reason.

 

[C250cgicoupe]

Hi all and thanks for your replies, today I received a response from Valvoline in Holland who are the suppliers to the discount store where I have been purchasing
their 5w40 synthetic the past few years, they confirmed that the labelling for this oil has indeed been updated for this store and no longer displays the Mercedes
spec 229,3 however they assured me the formulation has not changed and the oil is exactly the same as previously, apparently the change was purely for marketing
reasons. I assume the same oil is being sold at a higher price in other outlets where the OEM spec still appears on the labelling. I had not expected to hear back from them anymore and have in the meantime retuned the oil for a full refund. I went for Shell Helix Ultra 5w40 full synthetic 229,5 and a Bosch oil filter substantially more expensive
but peace of mind for the next 12 months.

 

[190]

I went for Shell Helix Ultra 5w40 full synthetic 229,5 and a Bosch oil filter substantially more expensive
but peace of mind for the next 12 months.

You picked a good oil. Helix ultra is a so called GTL oil meaning is made from the natural Gas To Liquid process and it's very highly thought of. It's probably a better oil than MB's own labelled oil.

On the 229.3 vs 229.5 the attached MB spec sheet gives as definitive an answer as you are going to find. A quick scan through the various tests that the oil has to pass suggests 229.3 is a s good as 229.5 within it's rated oil change interval. Specifically all the wear test results including the M271 wear test are the same so I would have no concerns about using 229.3 if your annual miles are low.

 

[optimusprime]

C250 Although i love the oil ,, but in your case, its just what i would have done ,,so rest assured .I find it strange to ommit Mercedes from oil packaging , or any product is not good marketing practice .

 

[Skd884]

Hi all and thanks for your replies, today I received a response from Valvoline in Holland who are the suppliers to the discount store where I have been purchasing
their 5w40 synthetic the past few years, they confirmed that the labelling for this oil has indeed been updated for this store and no longer displays the Mercedes
spec 229,3 however they assured me the formulation has not changed and the oil is exactly the same as previously, apparently the change was purely for marketing
reasons. I assume the same oil is being sold at a higher price in other outlets where the OEM spec still appears on the labelling. I had not expected to hear back from them anymore and have in the meantime retuned the oil for a full refund. I went for Shell Helix Ultra 5w40 full synthetic 229,5 and a Bosch oil filter substantially more expensive
but peace of mind for the next 12 months.

My link is for 10l for £48 from mb why pay loads more?

 

[C250cgicoupe]

My link is for 10l for £48 from mb why pay loads more?

I live in Belgium and its not available here for anything like the price you are able to purchase it for, if I had to pay the import charges and postage from UK it would probably cost as much as I paid for the Shell Helix Ultra but I do appreciate the link.