I am in warm climate so there is no winter starting.....and wouldn't changing at 5000 compremise the last 2000 on the filter????

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

That's a d@mn good question. And one I assume oil analysis answers for those who get their oil analyzed. What about the rest of us?

Are there modern cars that call for oil changes more frequently than 5000 miles? 3000 miles seems to be a fabrication of oil change shops possibly egged-on by oil companies. I don't remember what the SDL manual says but I'm sure it's more than 3000 miles under normal suburban commute conditions. And if I'm using generally accepted brands of filters I imagine they're up to the task of at least the manufacturer's longest service duration.

Is there a Topsider model that sucks out the old oil filter so there's really no mess?

Sixto
87 300SDL

This is the one I saw a while back on an MB clubs website..

http://www.liquidvac.com/

It comes in a nice "girlie" color.....(-:

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

Graham,

I am ROTFLMAO at this post! If you end up lying on your back covered in oil when you change oil via the drain plug, let me give you some advice:

Don't get under the drain plug and then remove it. Rather, lay on one side in front of the car and slide a drain pan underneath the drain plug. Remove the drain plug and then let the oil drain INTO THE PAN, rather than onto yourself.

If you happen to be wearing a $500 suit while changing your oil, then throw down a piece of cardboard or something before you lay down on your side in front of the car. You might also roll up the sleeve on the arm in which you hold the wrench. For me it seems more convenient to wear old clothes.

Thanks for the giggle,

I bought one of those and still have it - Green colour! It never worked too well - In fact it broke first time and they had to send me some plastic parts.
Later, the seal on the pump shaft started to leak and it sprays oil mist over me when I try and use it - worse than lying under the car

The Mityvac is a MUCH better unit. Others liked the Topsider, but the Mityvac also allows the old oil to be pumped back into oil containers.

Graham

Larry, When I wrote I didn't mention anything about oil changes did I?

My pleasure

This is indeed a silly thread. A "topsider" is a type of shoe, well suited to wearing around the boat deck, town or whatever. Oil is drained from an engine by removing the "drain plug".

That being said, I have used one topsider once while working on the car. The garage was such a mess I simply couldn't find the second shoe.

__________________
'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

I bought a 2-ton hydraulic floor jack for something cheap, like $25. ... Can it really take a lot longer to jack up the car (OK, and put it on jack stands) than to pump out two gallons of used motor oil against gravity?

__________________
-- 1983 300D, acquired 10/19/2005 at 215,000+ turbodiesel miles ... engine croaked almost immediately ... back on the road at 217,210 with a 144K turbo motor from a donor '85. ... May 2007, replaced radiator. ... Now (2/28/08) about 240K miles and dead due to battery?

As far as the mileage between changes goes, the Tahoe has a light that comes on as a reminder to change oil and it is usually around 7,500 miles. Granted it is a gasser, but I have had the vis checked and it is virtulally the same as new oil (Mobil1 5-30). I have used Mobil in my gassers since they were new and was planning on using Rotella Synthetic in the MB.
The pickup has had Mobil since new and I replace the filter and add a quart at 5,000 miles and change every 10,000. I know that sounds like a long time between changes, but Mobil is now advertising 15,000 between changes.
I still have a few miles to go before a change, what would you put in Mobil or Rotella? Whatever I put in I will need to stick with. How much more is Mobil compared to Rotella?
Thanks

__________________
Habits I support
95 E300 D 220,000 & counting (I think I'll call him Fritz)
02 Tahoe (Momma's ride)
98 GMC Sierra 120,000
57 Chevy Nomad (bought in '69)

I bought a gallon of Rotella today at Wally World for $6.60. That's $13.20 (plus tax, plus filter) for a whole oil change.

It costs almost double that for the synthetic my wife's TDI Jetta demands, even though of course it holds much less volume.

Edit: Of course, if I'm going to be changing the Rotella twice as often ...

__________________
-- 1983 300D, acquired 10/19/2005 at 215,000+ turbodiesel miles ... engine croaked almost immediately ... back on the road at 217,210 with a 144K turbo motor from a donor '85. ... May 2007, replaced radiator. ... Now (2/28/08) about 240K miles and dead due to battery?

If you have to raise a Benz to drain the oil, you need to find a shallower drain pan. There is no need to raise it.

If you are raising it so that you can do an inspection while you're at it, then that makes perfect sense.

All that said, I almost always put my cars on the lift for an oil change. There are several things that I shake and inspect while it's in the air, and I'm rotating tires about every other oil change anyway.

Have a great day,

yeah, yeah keep rubbing it in Larry. Do you use the lift when you shine the hubcaps too, to save your back? Sheesh!

__________________
'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

Ignorance of the sound panel, Larry!?

__________________
'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

I didn't mean to rub it in although I am very excited to retire my creeper after I've owned it almost 35 years.

My point is that if you are not dedicated to get underneath for inspection while doing an oil change there is no need to raise the car, but raising the car and inspecting while draining is a very good practice.

Have a great day,