W210 1998 E330 TD: engine-oil and variable servicing

[ennio]

Hi

(apologies for thread title; meant to type "E300")

Since buying my W210 I have always used M-B for servicing (although not for all "spanner work").

Initially Road Range Chester then, for most-recent service, M-B Stockport (Dodmanread). Road Range always supplied a Shell semi-synthetic engine-oil: M-B Stockport have used a Mobil semi-synthetic, at twice the price of that supplied by Road Range. Ouch!

In the past have asked Road Range how frequently I should change the engine-oil: "Follow the variable service-indicator; it takes into account the condition of the engine-oil". I have done this. As my mileage is almost all motorway, and not at busy times so rarely stop-start, I have been known to get 15,000 miles between services. Great - keeps the running-cost down.

Because M-B Stockport engine-oil was so expensive, I thought about supplying my own at the next service. Searched on this forum and saw that 'oilman' (Simon at opieoils) always recommends fully-synthetic, so emailed him to get recommendation and price-list.

Simon has also told me that semi-synthetics are good for only 6,000 miles and has advised not to follow variable service-indicator. That is not what I wanted to hear.

Have I been following bad advice since buying my W210 four-and-a-half years ago?

thanks
ennio

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

I do quite a lot of start-stop mileage interspersed with some long runs in my E320CDi. I've owned the car for a year now and it has covered 8k in my ownership and 44K overall. As in all probability it will take me 2 + yrs to to get from 1 oil change to the next I have decided that I will change the oil every 12K (eighteen months).

Providing that the oil used meets spec MB 229.1 I don't think you have a problem. Current generation oils are much improved and quite capable in semi-synth form to meet the demands your placing on them. The only concern I have is that the additives will deteriorate over a given time.

I'm no expert and this is my personal opinion, and yes as oilman says full synth is probably better

 

[maddog]

I do quite a lot of start-stop mileage interspersed with some long runs in my E320CDi. I've owned the car for a year now and it has covered 8k in my ownership and 44K overall. As in all probability it will take me 2 + yrs to to get from 1 oil change to the next I have decided that I will change the oil every 12K (eighteen months).

Providing that the oil used meets spec MB 229.1 I don't think you have a problem. Current generation oils are much improved and quite capable in semi-synth form to meet the demands your placing on them. The only concern I have is that the additives will deteriorate over a given time.

I'm no expert and this is my personal opinion, and yes as oilman says full synth is probably better

I do almost the same , i was told to bring the car in based on the service indicator but take it in every 18mths as i dont do the mileage that tends to be every 12-14,000 miles. The mileage is irrelavant imo but i think its good to have the car inspected every 18mths or so, if i did more miles i would have no concerns running the car to whatever the service indicator said

As far as synthetic oils only lasting 6000miles i dont believe it most cars have 10,000mile between services and Mercs often have even longer.

I would tend to take the advice of the company who designed the engine and spent all that time and money doing the R&D and no doubt testing the engines to destruction over the claims of an oil company who at the end of the day want to sell oil.

 

[Rory]

Doesn't ASSYST (on some cars) have to be programmed with the type of oil used (229.1 or 229.3)?
From other comments I've read, changing ASSYST (where that's possible) to 229.3 (for fully synth) can really stretch out the service interval - so it seems unlikely the car would be doing 15K miles+ if programmed for semi-synth.
If the oil was very expensive, then it's likely to have been fully synth anyway.

It does trouble me somewhat that of course you've got no idea what these guys are actually putting into the engine, and on the later cars there isn't even a dipstick that you can use to look at and 'feel' the oil.

 

[jberks]

my experience is that the oil sensor (anyone know how it works?) can detect when the oil is on the way out. Older service interval systems worked on mileage, stop start, overall time etc so was pretty much a statistical guess, but the MB's system seems to know exactly what its on about. This can be proven by adding a litre or so. You get an extra few thousand miles on your service interval, but not until its bedded in for 100 miles or so. The system must detect it as you don't tell it directly. As fully synthetic breaks down more slowly than semi, or so I believe, it should last longer which is something the sensor should detect and drag the intervals out accordingly. There really isn't much that needs attention these days, so I have no problem with going 17k+ between intervals if the oil lets me. Provided the lubrication is ok and the oil is clean enough, why not?
Isn't there a caddilac with 100k intervals now?

 

[television]

for the cost of the oil,it is the cheapest thing in car service, and protection that I can get
On both of my cars I change the oil at around 7k with a new filter.
It is so simple to do and I do not get dirty, the oil filter is in the top, nothing special needed to remove it, I have engine covers under ,two screws and its off, large tray under and remove sump plug.
At least I know what has gone in, I can see the condition of what comes out.
total time 10 mins and cost all in = £40. Spread that over 7k,its nothing
you cant get peace of mind cheaper than that. I am 71 soon, so I do pick a nice day, and enjoy it.
Any service outlet will drain the oil and put yours in while you wait and watch.
when the car goes in for normal MB service, tell them do not change the oil.

Malcolm

 

[clive williams]

for the cost of the oil,it is the cheapest thing in car service, and protection that I can get
On both of my cars I change the oil at around 7k with a new filter.
It is so simple to do and I do not get dirty, the oil filter is in the top, nothing special needed to remove it, I have engine covers under ,two screws and its off, large tray under and remove sump plug.
At least I know what has gone in, I can see the condition of what comes out.
total time 10 mins and cost all in = £40. Spread that over 7k,its nothing
you cant get peace of mind cheaper than that. I am 71 soon, so I do pick a nice day, and enjoy it.
Any service outlet will drain the oil and put yours in while you wait and watch.
when the car goes in for normal MB service, tell them do not change the oil.

Malcolm

This must be a record, I'm agreeing with Malcolm again. My 500E has had very regular servicing, is a sweet as a bell and has covered 350k kms (~225k mls) and still pulls the red line occasionally. All of the last 130K mls of servicing has been mine on fully synthetic. I intend to service the barge in the same way and ignore the ASSYST, which will probably mean more regular servicing.
I had thought to invest in a Cleanoil bypass filter system, which I know works as I've got one in the Range Rover and is also recommended by Mertrux for the commercial users. This I've used to extend the mileage of the oil changes for the Range Rover's Toyota diesel from 3000 to 6000 intervals. Its a case of keeping the oil clean by more frequent services or using a bypass filter.
Does anyone remember than B*W ran a standard 3 series under test conditions for a MILLION miles on Mobil 1 synthetic changed regularly and when they stripped the motor all the bearings were still within production specs.

Clive

500E
E320CDIT210

PS I'm now buying Castrol RS Performance Synthetic for 12.49 +VAT (4 ltrs) - I was gobsmacked when it was rung up on the till - genuine price!

 

[230K]

Hi

I have a 98 E 300 Turdodiesel and disregard what the service indicator says and change the oil every 10,000 miles with Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel, the indicator would usually say 3-4000 miles left to service.
It is just a personal tyhing i think 10K is enough between oil changes.

230K

 

[ennio]

Thanks for all of your replies: what a good forum this is...

A question for television/clive williams/230K:
What I don't understand is if I were to exchange my engine-oil at fixed intervals like you do, when would I ever take the car in for a service? Surely changing the oil before ASSYST "advises" it will throw the service-indicator.

So please you independent thinkers, if you are changing oil at your own determined frequencies, when does your car go in for an A-service, and when for a B?

(BTW my annual mileage during the 4-years of ownership is 20,000+ per year, so following ASSYST I'm having a M-B service at least every 9 months. Also I'm reading semi-synthetic on my M-B invoices, so regardless of what they charge me it is semi- and not synthetic they are using, and I have specifically asked both dealerships which oil they use)

Thanks again
ennio

 

[tamrsoft]

My last service on my E220 CDi was a mandatory 6000 miles warranty service and the garage used Mobil Super S 10W40 (semi-synth)where I would normally use a 5W40 Fully Synth when doing my own services. Does anyone have experience with this oil and should I be doing an earlier-than-normal oil service to go back to my regular fully synthetic MB approved brand