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Old 04-20-2010, 02:08 AM
Skid Row Joe's Avatar
Skid Row Joe Skid Row Joe is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeBobJr View Post
I can see where that is a good idea to go by what Mercedes say themselves. I mean they did design the car so they should know better then anyone else what is best for it. Although sometimes promoting something like that could have been one person's idea at Mercedes and they all went with it without actually testing to back it up.

A lot of things like that I don't believe unless I see it. Any motor oil company is going to claim they are the best of the best just to get sales so yeah even though it's coming from Mercedes doesn't always mean it's correct that's for sure!
What happened was according to the copy of the lawsuit proceedings that MBUSA mailed to me several years ago - the FSS ( Flexible Service Schedule) on cars similar to mine were supposed to measure when an oil change should take place - by means of sensors of some sort.

Well, whether it was valid or not a litigant got to MB with coddled conventional motor oil in their crankcase - with a damaged/blown engine - claiming rightly or wrongly that it was MB's fault. The litigant prevailed over MB. MB never prescribed using full-synthetic in the first place - so they realized they'd better do something or they'd be buying a lot of replacement engines for owners. MB then put out the mailer telling us owners that if you would switch or continue using full-synthetic motor oil - they would stand behind the engine for 10-yrs./150,000 miles.

11 years ago in 1999 - best I can recall when buying my MB new - we were in the throes of the green movement. It was marketing that MBs (my model anyway) didn't need to have it's oil changed until the FSS on your instrument panel notified you that it needed changing. Mind you - this was approx. 14K mile plus between oil changes - which I guess devasted some engines running conventional motor oil. That's the extent of what the source on this FSS was - extended oil usage to of course - ALL together now; "save the planet," LOL!

I reasoned that if I wasn't careful - my conventional motor oil may coddle, damaging my MB's engine - so rather than take chances - I better just spring for the full-synthetic for my Benz. I still think it's overkill, but I go 3-yrs./10K miles just to be safe. The car sits for literally weeks w/o being driven - which in itself using full-synthetic is a problem on start-up potentially because the oil is so slick - none remains above where gravity pulls it after one month just sitting.

An aside - I use Mobil 1 in the generator of my diesel-motorcoach. The manufacturer (Onan) recommends starting and letting the generator run 30 minutes a month minimum, under 50% or more load to keep it exercised - if you will. I am derelict to the extent that sometimes I go 6-weeks between the exercising of the genny. Here again - it is a negative influence in the starting process of the engine with Mobil 1 - because the oil has completely withdrawn in the time frame of one month plus.

All things considered, if I used one vehicle often - I would definitely stick with Rotella T 15W-40.

Last edited by Skid Row Joe; 04-20-2010 at 02:30 AM.
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