While I do prefer draining the oil out of the pan, I can say that using a suction device on models such as the 107 chassis SL with the large drain plugs does make life a little easier. When they come in for an oil change and the engine is hot, you pull the plug and oil gushes out all over the place (good luck keeping all of it in the catch pan!). With the suction device (we use an air powered unit at the shop which is made by Tecalemit in Germany) all you have to do is stick the hose down the dipstick tube and hit the start button and 5 minutes later, you have a dry sump. Now changing the filter on those can be a bit tricky if it's hot, but at least oil won't come spilling out when you remove the filter bowl Just my $0.02

------------------
Rgds,
Aaron Greenberg
MB technician
Precision Motorcars, Cincinnati, Ohio
'67 250SE Cabriolet
'77 450SL
'80 300SD
'85 380SE
'89 420SEL
'93 300E 2.8
'74 Jensen Interceptor Mk.III
'81 DeLorean DMC12
'85 BMW 745i Turbo