Honda engine may be aluminium too, but they sure don't last as long as Mercedes Engines. If you don't care if your Mercedes lasts half as long as it should you can use which ever fluids you want, you can extend change intervals beyond specifications, and you can use non OE parts for repairs. It is possible your car will function properly with the green stuff, I know the previous owner of my car used it, but I will only use the good stuff. Who knows how many years life the previous owner took off my car without knowing it. The big oil companies like MObile may do just as much research as anyone, but they still make their products to meet the general specifications of the great mass of vehicles, not special vehicle like Mercedes. I don't think anyone here is saying the green stuff will ruin your car, but it I'm not taking any chances, especially since I own an older car and hope to keep it for the rest of my lifetime, even if I do retire it in the future and keep it as an antique or hobby car. The Mercedes dealer only charged me $10 more to change my fluid to the good stuff than the Cadillac dealer charged to change the fluid in the DeVille I used to own. It's cheap protection in my mind.

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Jason Priest
1999 E430
1995 E420 - retired
1986 420SEL - retired