Oil change..by mileage or time? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

richard u · #1 12-18-2008, 04:04 PM

I bought a 99 e-300 new and have only put 32k miles on it since
...How should I handle oil change interval?

BoomInTheTrunk · #2 12-18-2008, 04:07 PM

To be cautious use the normal 3000 mile interval. While the oil still might have another 1000 miles left in it, just be on the safe side. Unless you do oil analysis test you really wont know just how many miles you can get out of the oil. So do the 3000 mile oil interval.

richard u · #3 12-18-2008, 04:10 PM

so that would be only once a year for me? I change it 3 times a year now..just to be safe (G)

TMAllison · #4 12-18-2008, 04:13 PM

Using synthetic oil you should follow FSS which will trip based upon your driving style. FSS will allow a maximum change interval of 16K miles or ONE year, whichever comes first.

Mine went 15,414 miles before it tripped last time. I usually get 16k as I am heavy on highway driving with no short trips where the engine fails to reach operating temps.

Jeremy5848 · #5 12-18-2008, 04:13 PM

It also depends on the type of oil. In my wife's car (1996 E300D), about 8000 miles a year, I change the Mobil-1 once a year, with an oil analysis at the mid-year point. For my '87 (about 10,000 miles a year) I change the dino oil every 3000 miles and also have the oil analyzed.

So far, all of the oil analyses have looked good.

Jeremy

Skid Row Joe · #6 12-18-2008, 04:32 PM

I have been changing my '99 E300TD's oil filter and Mobil 1 full-synthetic every two years or so. This is because I don't put the miles on it I did when I first bought it new.

I switched to full-synthetic Mobil 1, when Mercedes-Benz sent out the extended warranty of 150,000 miles or 10 years, if you would use 100% synthetic motor oil. I think it's a good idea to use full-synthetic, especially if the drain periods are in terms of years, because of only driving it about 4K miles a year. It's a regular garage queen diesel for the time being.

DieselAddict · #7 12-18-2008, 05:09 PM

Use a real synthetic diesel oil like Mobil1 TDT and you're good for at least a year. Changing oil more often than necessary is a waste of money and resources and may even do more harm than good to the engine. That's because new oil requires some operating time in the engine before it starts to give maximum protection.

Hatterasguy · #8 12-18-2008, 07:46 PM

Use a real synthetic and change it once a year.

MB got rid of FSS awhile ago, now they just tell you to change it once a year or every 13k miles, whichever comes first. Thats probably about right with a modern oil.

DieselAddict · #9 12-19-2008, 03:07 PM

With ULSD it might be possible to safely go beyond a year. The main limitation is the base reserve of the oil to counteract the acid build-up from combustion, or soot build-up in older diesels.

LUVMBDiesels · #10 12-19-2008, 04:38 PM

On the 300SDL I change it (with M1 or Rotella Syn) every 4000 miles and do the filter every 2000 miles. Works out to every three months for a full change.

On the gassers, which get much less use, I do M1 every six months (April/October). I don't want too much moisture getting into the oil.

Gene Horr · #11 12-19-2008, 04:39 PM

> Changing oil more often than necessary is a waste of money and resources and may even do more harm than good to the engine. That's because new oil requires some operating time in the engine before it starts to give maximum protection.

Ah, no. I'm sure that a mechanic told you that one time but mechanics can be full of just as much BS that they heard from somewhere else as any other non scientific field.

But changing the oil could be a waste of money because as DieselAddict states that it is diesel fuel and the burning of same that cause the primary oil degration. And to the best of my knowledge the synthetics are less prone to age/oxygen degredation than real oils.

But I would be more worried about the car not being driven enough. Water condensation becomes a far larger factor in engine life than fiddling with oil change intervals when you don't drive a lot of miles.

That being said personally I would change it at least once a year whether you need it or not.

DieselAddict · #12 12-19-2008, 06:26 PM

Over on the TDI forum someone took a lot of oil samples and confirmed that most wear occurs shortly after an oil change. So it's not just some BS that I heard somewhere. I was initially skeptical of this too, but now I believe it. The real BS is changing oil every 3000 miles. That's nothing but JiffyLube marketing. When in doubt, do an oil analysis and unless you're dumping tons of soot or fuel in the oil, it's very unlikely you'll need to change the oil that often.

pawoSD · #13 12-19-2008, 06:34 PM

I do mine every 4,000 miles....usually ends up being 2-3x a year....with synthetic.