Letter From Mercedes Benz RE: Syn. Oil

[phouse]

Did anyone receive a letter from Mercedes stating that they are recommending synthetic oil to maintain warranty service on all 1998 or should I say all flexible service models

[goldenbear]

Yes. You are not alone.

[phouse]

I was under the impression that you could change after running regular oil.. I have 49,000 miles so far.. I am getting ready to purchase the extended warranty before the new car run out.....

[goldenbear]

I assume you meant to state: "I was under the impression that you could NOT change after running regular oil.."

If so, it is not a problem and you have nothing to worry about assuming the engine is in proper operating condition.

[phouse]

Yes you are correct, I meant to say Could Not change. It's just so expensive.. Forget every 3k miles using synthetic, I may go with the 12k plan.. or just wait till it says replace it.. Huh

[goldenbear]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I have always had difficulty understanding how anyone that spends >$50k for a vehicle can complain about spending $20 v. $10 for oil?. Engine work down the road could potentially be MUCH more expensive.

[G-Benz]

I just received the letter in the mail yesterday for my 99 ML320. Considering what it costs to get the A/B service performed, I can't imagine complaining about the miniscule cost that is added for using synthetic oil.

Reminds me of some time ago reading about a new Rolls Royce model that came out where the factory decided to use mineral oil instead of brake fluid because according to the spokesperson, it was "cheaper"! (Ya think that's a real concern with the typical RR owner?)

Anyway, the whole idea about using synthetic oil is that it requires less frequent oil changes, which align well with the service intervals for the later Mercedes-Benz models.

But there are enough posts here that deal with the regular vs. synthetic oil question...

[MikeyE430]

Yep, I got the same letter from M-B about synthetic oil. I have been using Mobil 1 since new anyway on my 2000 E430. My question is this: Will they pay for the synthetic oil when the car is serviced under FSS? I have been taking my own oil or paying extra from the dealer for Mobil 1.

The weights they recommend are kinda strange. I cannot find 15w 50 Mobil 1. Must be some kind of bulk thing. I have been using 10w 30 from the bottle.

[Gilly]

Mikey: Yes, as of Feb 1 2001, MB insists that Mobil 1 be used for the free maintenance FSS services (maintenance is free during warranty period for 2000&2001). Actually I heard they may have OK'd some other synthetic oils for this, but Mobil 1 is preferred. The weight they want us to use is 0W-40. A couple of weeks ago we got this in bulk, no more sloshing quart bottles. I don't know if 0W-40 is available in quarts or not, we were using I believe either 5W-30 or 10W-30, it was a choice of 2 that we had that were lighter viscosity, or else there was a heavier viscosity available, I think it was 15W-50. But anyways we have the 0W-40 now, that is recommended year-round. Also to directly answer your question, yes, MB is paying for the Mobil 1. What you put in it after the warranty has expired will be up to you.......Gilly

[rickjordan]

Mikey, you should be able to find Mobil 1 15W-50 at any Walmart or NAPA auto parts store. Mobil 1 is now being sold in 1 gal. jugs along with the familar quarts.

[Kuan]

Mobil 0-40 will be available in stores in about a month. I'm surprised that MBUSA sent us this memo so late. This change has been generating much discussion on our M-Class list since the March.

Kuan

[MikeyE430]

Gilly, thanks for your info. I am wondering why M-B is recommending 0w 40 especially in the summer. Is it for mileage, or ???

[rickjordan]

Most engine wear is at the top end and comes from lack of oil for the first couple of seconds of not having enough oil. Over time of course this adds up. So the faster the oil gets to the top, the better, hence the very thin oil, "0W". Once the oil heats up, it'll thicken up to "40". It's sort of the best of both worlds. I am sure there is some fuel savings to be gained, but I think for the FSS cars, it has more to do with preventing any premature engine wear due to extended oil change intervals. Of course this "0W" can only be obtained with synthetic oil, at least right now. Porsches come factory filled with 0W-40.

[G-Benz]

Are we going to have to start another forum just for this topic?

[Gilly]

Mikey: I can go along with what Rick is saying. My additional comments would be that with FSS, the oil is in there for roughly 10K miles +, so if the car is driven an average of say 10 to 20K miles a year, you want the oil to cover a large area of ambient temperatures, at least in an area where I am, the upper midwest, which wouldn't be too different than Germany, it's the Germans calling the shots here, they are probably basing some of their decisions on a climate with seasonal changes, not the sub-tropics. I feel also that this is a good choice of viscosity. If I drove my car alot of miles, I may try doing a service in the spring and run 20W50, then hope the next service was due in the fall and go back to the 0W-40 for winter. But I don't have any problem in servicing customer cars with the 0W-40 year round. I just think it's great MB is paying for the Mobil 1, or I hear they will pay for other synthetic brands as well......Gilly