ML430 Oil Extractor

Hello! Can someone tell me if using an oil extractor will cause any damage to the analog and digital oil sensors? I was at my local MB dealership the other day for an A service and asked what method they use to change the oil, i.e. with an oil extractor or the coventional pull the drain plug method. Their reply was that they pull the drain plug and that I should be careful should I ever use an oil extractor because it could cause some damage. Has anyone ever heard of this? Thanks, nboyer

[daddiojiggy]

i've done it both ways but i prefer the suction method and so does mercedes.i've never heard of suction damaging but i guess it could happen if you had any of the suction tube scrape off or a piece fall off into the pan(highly unlikely) but that's the way i do my suction.mercedes uses the dipstick tube as their suction tube and i guess this avoids any chance

[Gilly]

Boy, what a load of BS they loaded you up on!
MB specifically states to NOT pull the drain plug on ML's, as the flow of oil will run down into a couple different rubber-containing components and degrade the rubber (motor mount and I believe the front differential mount?).
MB has used extraction equipment in Europe for many years, they made the oil extraction unit a mandatory piece of shop equipment in the US when the ML came out (maybe a year afterwards actually).
I can't imagine how the extractor could affect the oil level/quality sensor.
The extractor, especially on these newer engines, is very efficient. I did an oil change on one of these, then pulled the drain plug, and the level was lower than the plug, as not a single drop came out of the drain hole.
The extractor machines used by MB actually just connect to the top of the dipstick tube, the tube itself is the suction probe, MB doesn't want a seperate probe tube shoved down the dipstick tube.
Gilly