Yes I did change the filter. Mike, I figured that if the specs. call for 8 quarts at an oil change, that would be including the filter. I have a Haynes manual which is for the W123, but with the same engine. It says the oil capacity for turbo-charged engines (with filter) is 7.9 qts. With every other car I have owned, when I did an oil change and put in the "with filter" amount, the oil level was always at the top mark on the dipstick. So it seemed odd that this didn't happen with this car.

__________________
1999 MB SL500 (110,000 mi)
2004 Volvo V70 2.5T (220,000 mi)
2014 Tesla Model S 85 (136,000 mi)
MBCA member