whats the deal with the 606.962 capacity discrepancy between '98-'99? i have a '98 e300 and on my very 1st oil change i filled it per the manual to 8.5qt and it registered about 1/8" over the full mark, so naturally i drained about a quart. in the past 40k i've serviced to 8 qt and it's spot on the full mark and won't use any measurable amount in 5,000 mile duration (amsoil 15w-40 for summer).

i'm my experience i was always told more is worse than less. i try to run my vehicles at the 3/4 mark. on our jets pratt & whittney issued a service bulletin to run the 535 turbofan 1/4" below the "LOW" mark on the sight glass! different animal entirely as all turbine engines consume oil regardless of condition, the aforementioned 535 to the tune of 1/10 of a pound per flight hour.

i figure the engineers put a lot of time in deciding what capacity and where to place the marks. these are old girls and all consume oil differently - use what works for yours.