Oil Drain Gizmo- would you use?
 

Would you trust this device not to fail? It's made by Fram and not some no-name outfit.

The oil drain hole on the w126 is open horizontally so I don't think there is danger of snapping it off by hitting something on the road.

http://www.amazon.com/Fram-SD3-SureDrain-Access-Change/dp/B000BQY82E

nope

Changing oil isn't difficult & I want it in the engine unless I take a wrench and intentionally remove the plug. These have been around for a long time. Perhaps I'm set in my ways.

Its a 'nice' concept. Personally I prefer to know my oil drain plug is in solid.

If you dont like using a wrench to change oil then you might opt for a 'down the dip stick tube' pump for oil changes.

I have two of these...
 

I have one of these on the 240D and the Excursion, not on the 300SDL yet:

http://www.fumotousa.com/

The oil drains a bit slower than removing the plug:sleeping:, but it avoids damaging threads:). Nice feature on these is the way the valve locks into place when closed. You can even install a clip so the valve will not rotate at all while in use, but I do not see that it is necessary based on design.

(ref. previous thread: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?p=2376270#post2376270)

The only advantage I can see in the OP's Fram product would be for engines in which the drain plug is hard to access. Even with a drain valve, you still have to raise the car a little and get underneath. In the case of two of my cars, it also means removing belly pans. An oil sucker is much easier and gets as much or more oil out. For most of my life I "got out and got under" but since I bought an oil sucker I have used nothing else.

When I drove "GM iron," I had to get underneath anyway to R&R the oil filter, but since the Mercedes filter is accessed from the top, I no longer have a reason to crawl underneath.

Caveat: getting under the car on a semi-regular basis does give you an opportunity to inspect for problems in the running gear, suspension, brakes, etc.

Jeremy

I installed a http://www.fumotousa.com/ on my 300sdl, because I was having problems with the thread not wanting to hold anymore after 20+ years. After I installed it, I haven't had a problem.

I have never read of the Oil Drain Gizmos causing any problems.

If you have your Oil Changed at one of those Lube and Oil Change places there might be and advantage that they do not get a chance to strip the threads in your Oil Pan. On the other hand they may not be able to figure out how the Gizmo works and might ruin it.

Would drive an extra 1000 mi to get back home before I'd let one of the chains change my oil.

I've installed the fumoto valve on several past and present vehicles but not on the 240d. My opinion is that the design of the fumoto is superior to the fram unit. If they stock the correct part number the price and shipping cost on fumoto valves from http://lubricationspecialist.com/front/index.aspx is hard to beat.

I just bought the Fumoto on Ebay for $30. I'm all for being traditional but at my age, I want convenience.

I believe the lower oil pan is aluminum? With my luck, one of these days I will He-Man the threads off and I'll be in real trouble. This is a pre-emptive strike against my future mistake.

Spend the extra money on a Fumoto valve.

Nope, the lower pan is steel, and it costs about the same as that device to replace, so why bother. I like having a drain plug in there night and tight. It takes about 15 seconds with the drain plug....why bother? And I change the oil in my car several times a year because I drive so much.

so you have to use a 13mm to open the top filter canister, and then, keeping the wrench in your hand, use it again on one easy to access bolt under the car. Incredibly easy and instead of a janky ball valve you get a bolt with a hydraulic crush seal. Well worth the extra effort and ground clearance (my car is a bit lowered though) imo

amsoil also doesnt recommend the fumoto valve for car with low clearance.

Thats proof that their a hazard