Oil Analysis

After all the talk about the flexible service system, and how oil changes have increased by 200-300 percent, and the better quality oils on the market, and one person saying one thing, and then we go back to "change every 5,000 km,s like we have done for the last 20-30 years," who are you going to believe?

Does any of us actually have any scientific ground to stand on that gives us the knowledge to say with an actual air of authority that we know what we are talking about?

Think about this, there are a lot of mechanics on this board, but no-one can claim they actually know.

It is so-so-so-so-so-so- easy to say something but have no scientific facts to back this up.

Well I have had enough of all this Bull*&%$ talk, and am going to get to the bottom of this oil question.

I have talked to a lab that tests oil, and have spent weeks on this internet studying all aspects of oil, and am going to get an oil analysis on the oil that just came out of my car.

What they will tell me, is where and when my oil is or will be breaking down, along with a lot of other techno-mumble jumbo.

Once this is done, I will post the results here.

May I suggest to the owners of this board to make a seperate column maybe on the left side for others to see, I know there must be a few million people out there wondering the same thing.

My cost to do this test is around $ 400.00 for the whole battery of tests.



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Chris Ecklund
98 300 DT

Chris,

You can pay for a LOT of oil changes for the cost of one $400 oil analysis. Oil is relatively cheap, and if you do your oil changes yourself, as it appears from your other messages that you do, all it costs you is some of your time and a few bucks for oil and a filter. I would say frequent oil changes are cheap insurance against engine wear and failure, and if you do it more often than really necessary, what's the harm?

Further to that, you have a diesel, and Mercedes or not, diesels have their special requirements. Because diesels use the heat of compression for fuel combustion, the high pressure in the combustion chamber causes combustion gases to blow past the piston rings and into the crankcase. Nothing you can do about that. This is what causes your oil to turn black after 30 km. For this reason, it is probably more important to change oil in a diesel more often than a gasoline engine.



[This message has been edited by TimBru99 (edited 09-17-1999).]

i think its great you are doing this.
we have a talk show here, and they claim that synthetic oil is good for 60,000km and more.
i change my oil filter every 10,000km and oil every 20,000km and no problems so far.
co.aulakh
300d
1984
217000km
owner from 93000km

Just so this thread does not get out of hand, please lets not have anyone "tell" me about oil changes, etc.....

I am after a scientific answer, not more of the same......



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Chris Ecklund
98 300 DT

[Rocky]

You need oil in your car?