w211 & w203 CDI's thirsty for oil

[msmitas]

Hi. there lads,
I have:
w203 c220 cdi 2001 190'000km on the clock
had turbo refurbished profesionally arround 5000km ago and asked for 1litre yesterday
w211 e320 cdi 2004 160'000km on the clock
no records on turbo.
service 7000km ago and asked for 1 litre a week ago.

neither of these mercs are driven hard, oils are changed every 10'000km (6000miles) LIQUI MOLI fully synthetic merc approved.

Is it normal practice to top up the oil between services?

 

[markjay]

Some cars do, some don't. In fact current wisdom says some oil consumption is actually good because it helps keep the piston rings lubricated. Anyway, there is a spec for this, can't remember off-hand, but apparently up to around 1L for 1k is OK. Sounds a lot, I know...

 

[msmitas]

I heard that from mercedes already. Also heard "unoficial" version of this.

"we don't want mercedes users coming back to us if it drinks oil"
or somethink like that

I thought healthy engine shouldn't take any oil between services..

 

[rascalmaster]

my w211 e280 cdi doesn't seem to use much oil at all; in a year- i've never had to top up... reads about the same on the dipstick

 

[fah320]

Mine serviced 13000 km(8000 miles) ago( I think it was august)have not asked for oil yet; when reset it read 11000 km(6800 miles), and now reads 700 km(435km) for next service. I dont think it will ask for oil till oil change.

 

[markjay]

...I thought healthy engine shouldn't take any oil between services..

Not so. As said, some do some don't. But it is quite normal if they do. If you added 1L over 7k, this is nothing to worry about.

 

[rf065]

My engine oil level does not drop at all between services, 13,000 mile intervals & no oil usage whatsoever. Still only 56,000 miles on the clock though.

Russ

 

[artyman]

Using a small amount of oil is no problem it's when it gets to 40 miles a pint you need to worry, I used to take a gallon with me in the back of my old Austin Cambridge when visiting my now wife

 

[camerafodder]

Some oil usage over that mileage is not unusual. Do you have them serviced at the same place? It's worth bearing in mind that the garage may be a bit light when refilling.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

As suggested, it's fairly normal for diesels to use oil. Our ML270 CDi gets topped up between services, but that extends the time to the next service on cars with variable servicing like ours.

I recall dealers only investigate if consumption exceeds 1 litre per 1000 km, which I think is quite a lot for a short distance. Any less is considered "normal".

 

[jonm]

always had to pop 1 liter in my w203 C200k between services, for the whole 90K or so that I had the car. Dipstick on current car shows I will be doing the same before too long ...

 

[Dieselman]

All engines consume oil and as long as it's not excessive then that's OK.

If an engine isn't showing as consuming oil it's probably because the sump is being refilled with fuel. A quick smell of the filter will reveal if tat is the case.

 

[msmitas]

Well w203 220 cdi was eating 1l every 2000miles, that was corrected by turbo refurb..

Regarding services beeing light on oil.. I always buy all parts and oil myself and give it to the mechanic, so he doesn't really have much point in adding too little. always using same oil..

Thanks lads for the advise

 

[lupi]

Hi. there lads,
I have:
w203 c220 cdi 2001 190'000km on the clock
had turbo refurbished profesionally arround 5000km ago and asked for 1litre yesterday
w211 e320 cdi 2004 160'000km on the clock
no records on turbo.
service 7000km ago and asked for 1 litre a week ago.

neither of these mercs are driven hard, oils are changed every 10'000km (6000miles) LIQUI MOLI fully synthetic merc approved.

Is it normal practice to top up the oil between services?

Hi, I have w124 with 40k km ( 200 D) and w211 320cdi v6 7 speed with 64k km. firstly I would mention that they are both sophisticated when checking the dipstick, especially the w124, this engine takes 6.5lts oil,
when changing both oil and filter, used to get incorrect readings by the dipstick, then I went through the owners manual and it says,you should
measure the oil after the engine has reached the normal temp and switched off for about 3 minutes,so is the w211, the w211 owners manual
specifies that a comsumption of up to 1lt. for every 600mls,after running in could be normal but MB also says that this is not common on all engines.Nowadays some garages suck oil instead of draining (it`s faster) myself I and not happy to change oil that way, then they check data for the quantity needed to fill up and to play save they fill up with about 8%
to 10% less,there is no damage in doing so,but if you do not check the
oil level after a fresh oil change,then you are already short of that quantity from the begining !

 

[msmitas]

Thats it... Next service will be carried out by myself.
So I will know that the levels are spot on from day 1.
Any guides on how it's done?

I have the tool for oild filter on 220CDI, hope it will work on 320CDI
other thing is that both cars have no dipstick for oil. All done in the menu. Any point in purchasing the dipstick for oil?

 

[markjay]

w203 c220 cdi 2001 190'000km on the clock... had turbo refurbished profesionally arround 5000km ago and asked for 1litre yesterday...

Well w203 220 cdi was eating 1l every 2000miles, that was corrected by turbo refurb...

Not sure I understand what you trying to say there...?

 

[msmitas]

summing this up:
w203 was eating a lot of oil, then had turbo fixed, but still consumed 1litre in 5000km. I wanted to find out if all this is normal now or should I still be looking for another problem anywhere. I'm convinced I can accept 1litre topup between services. I change oil every 10-12K

 

[msmitas]

sorry, the fact that I'm referring to 2 cars for the same problem, doesn't make things easeier..

 

[shorty]

My 211 200k uses 1l every 4000km ,
I use Mobil 1 oil and service it my self .
Before this I had a 210 200k , it never used any oil between servicing ( eg 16000 km )
I cant find any oil leaks or any signs of oil burning .

 

[lupi]

Hi msmitas,

The tool you have should fit the present oil filter.
Since your car has no dipstick,forget to fix one.

Before doing anything first check the oil filter tool,
then check your car specs.for the max amount of oil
the engine holds including new filter, run the engine to a warm temp,
you will have to jack up the car or go
under in a pitt, remove the bottom engine cover and look
for the sump drain plug ( hope there is one on your model)
if you don`t` have a drain plug,then the only way is to suck up the oil,
but you need special equipment.
Assuming you have a drain plug, undo the plug and put a suitable container
ready to collect the old oil, plug removed, take care to spot the plug washer,
sometimes it sticks to the sump,sometimes it goes in the drained oil and sometimes
it is still in place on the plug. Leave the drain plug open and go for the filter,
remember to replace the oil filter rubber washer. Do not over tighten the oil filter
housing.
Tighten the sump plug and fill with the correct amount of oil,start the engine
and watch for any leaks around the filter housing, leave the engine to run until
normal running temp is reached. On level ground check your oil level from the menu
and take note what the reading is, so now you know that with the amount of oil
you put in,the reading is X, so from then onwards you can check oil level periodically
and monitor.