I changed the oil on my '02 C320 this past weekend. The hardest part was getting the garage from -4 to a reasonable comfortable temp. :-)

The process was very easy if you have ever changed oil on any car before. First, I put it up on the new "Rhino" ramps, slid under and removed the 2 plastic under-carriage pans. It's true that you only need to remove the rear on, but I took them both off and cleaned the dirt, etc. The drain plug is obvoius with it's copper washer gasket. Undo the plug and be prepared for a little clean up on the floor since it's near impossible to guess where the stream will initially go. While that is draining, unscrew the filter housing and remove the old filter assy. Pretty straight forward replacing it. Remove and replace the o-rings push on the new cartridge and screw it back in. I torqued it to 25nm as specified. Put the drain plug back in. Put in 8 qts. Mobil1 0w-40, fire it up and check for leaks. Pans back and you're done.

Having now changed the oil at 4800 miles, I can tell you it certainly could have gone longer. Not that I will though :-) (anal oil changer) The oil that came out was almost as clean looking as the oil that went in. I know that's not necessarily a good measure of "good oil" - just an observation. The wifes Exploder's oil is BLACK at 3500 miles. MB = Clean engine!!!

Brian

Thanks Brian. I was talking with someone recently on how easy was it to change the oil on the newer cars. Sounds like the '02 C320 is pretty easy.

Have you checked into pulling the oil out from the top? Use the search feature with the key word: Topsider

Haasman

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'03 E320 Wagon-Sold
'95 E320 Wagon-Went to Ex
'93 190E 2.6-Wrecked
'91 300E-Went to Ex
'65 911 Coupe (#302580)

Never gave the topsider much thought. I like the idea of draining the oil from it's lowest point. Makes more sense (to me) that doing this has the best chance to get ALL of the oil and crud out from the bottom of the pan.

Brian

Draining via the drain plug is not the lowest point of the engine because of the thread of the drain plug. The topsider way is a great way to easily change the oil without going underneath the car. Especially since you have a new c320, I wouldn't worry about sludge and crud at this point of the engine's lifetime. MB has designed these engines to have their oil changed via suction. How much did you get the OW-40 oil for?

if you use the topsider...you don't have to "warm" the garage .
Let's get ready for another "oil thread".

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J.H.
'86 300E

Let's get ready for another "oil thread".>

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Let me tell ya something...
At -2 you NEED to warm lots of things:-) Oil change kit consists of oil, filter, BMF propane heater for the body and good Brandy, Cognac, or other non-freezing spirit for the insides.....

Brian

8 qts. of Brandy and 6 oz. of oil?
You're messed up man.

__________________
2007 C 230 Sport.

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Now you've done it. I have to drill a new hole in the bottom of the pan!!!

With the car on ramps, tilted towards the plug side of the pan, it doesn't get any lower. If you're really anal (I am), flush a half qt of fresh oil through with the plug still off. I won't worry about sludge ever if I continue to get ALL of the old oil out..


I got the oil from Autozone for 4.95/qt

Brian

Autozone seems to be the only place (besides dealers) that carries Mobil 1 0w40. Some Autozones will match prices, so they'll honor the occassional Kragen sale coupon for $3.99/qt Mobil 1.

glenmore
1991 300CE

brian,

Good job! Draining with the plug will get out at LEAST as much as drawing through the dipstick tube on this engine. I have looked at the location of the drain plug and done the oil change just as you did on my C240 which is the same configuration.

Whether one doesn't want to get under the car or not, the main thing is to change it and change it often.

Those that THINK they are actually drawing more oil out with their gadgets than they could get out by pulling the plug are just justifying their method in their minds. In some engine configurations they MIGHT get out a negligible amount more, but in other cases they won't get out as much.

Draining with the plug is my way, keeping ones hands cleaner might be someone elses way, but just change it regardless of method!

Have a great day,
Change oil hot and change oil often.

I understand how to change the oil .. but i just got my C320 and i do not know how to Measure the oil.. it doesnt have the conventional way of measuring oil... like through the stick.. there is a plug i suspected a stick for measureing the oil would be there.. but it wasn't
What do i do and how do i measure my oil?? thank you

read the owners manual, it is done through the dash display and the menu buttons on the steering wheel. Car level, key in postion zero or one, press the upper left button on wheel till oil level message shows and follow directions.

Just so you know, these vehicles are factory-designed to have their oil drained from above. That's the way the dealerships do it (although they use a vacuum extraction device that uses the dipstick like a giant straw). For the truly anal, tests have shown that Topsider oil extraction actually removes more oil than gravity draining (although Larry and others will probably dispute this). It probably isn't enough of a difference to worry about, when you consider the significant amount of old oil which stays in galleries, etc. anyway.

Obviously, you can change oil any way you want, but to me, it's really handy to do it from above, esp. in bad weather (can do it in the garage -- I wouldn't be able to do that using ramps).

The other point that non-Topsider-owners forget is that it's a good deal less messy -- you drain the oil right into the container you use to take it to the recycling center. Heckuva deal if you ask me!

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Steve
'93 400E

The other point that Topsider owners forget is that part of an oil change is to perform an inspection of the vehicle. I usually check for loose/worn suspension components, fluid leaks, condition of rubber parts, brakes (since I rotate the tires as well), tire pressure and check all fluid levels.

I sacrifice a messy oil change any day if I can catch a potential problem before it becomes an expensive problem.

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Ray
1998 Mercedes E320, 200K Miles
2001 Acura 3.2TL, 178K Miles
1992 Chevy Astro, 205K Miles

I agree wholeheartedly. While lying on my back changing the oil the old-fashioned way on my 300E, I noticed 2 tiny droplets of antifreeze. They weren't readily noticeable until I touched a white paper towel to them and analyzed the color. It was the start of my water pump going south. I kept an eye on it and just 3 days later was able to replace the water pump in my garage before it failed and stranded me somewhere on the side of the road.

The day I got the new pump, I jacked up the car and removed the plastic pan and there was a fair amount of coolant trapped in it. My pan, like many others on these older cars, was somewhat warped from gravity, heat, and vibration over the years. The slight warping was enough to make it so that the low point in the pan wasn't where the weep hole is. So there were no signs of coolant leak being left on my garage floor.

The point is, if I didn't change my oil the old fashioned way, I would have never been alerted to begin monitoring a potential problem. Convenience does sometimes have its drawbacks in my opinion.

With that said, the idea of being able to change oil in a suit does intrigue me...

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08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280