PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - Opinions of Rotella T6 Synthetic for M103?

d.delano · #7 02-19-2012, 06:17 PM

I've used it in the diesel and in the M103. I've even used it in my motorcycle. It's comparatively inexpensive. However the thing that bugs me is it's not a true synthetic oil; group III.

When I have used it, I noticed no particular benefit over anything else I've used. I did kinda sorta notice that the M103 seemed to prefer M1 For High Mileage over anything else, and that's what I continue to use. For the diesel, I use M1 Turbo Diesel Truck/Delvac Synthetic.

Regarding the valvetrain, both show no wear and are clean so I suppose it's not an issue that I'm not using an oil that is known for its ZDDP content. It doesn't seem to matter.

For my part, I need an oil that you don't have to change very often. For that I'm only confident with M1 class and above. Since you can buy M1 at Walmart and it's frequently on sale, I feel it's the best solution for someone like me who needs at least 7500 miles out of an oil change. I'm not confident I can get that out of Rotella Synthetic, especially with the diesel. The additive pkg may be excellent but the basestock isn't as good as M1.

In the end, it probably doesn't matter. As far as your engine 'liking' it better, how does one quantify this?

Switching to synthetic oil in my experience hasn't caused any leaks anywhere. I don't know where people get that. Both my cars I know for sure were run their whole lives on dino before I got them and switched to syn. If they leaked it was because they needed new gaskets.