The drain hole on some motors is just a little above the bottom of the pan, so some residual oil remains.

Some believe that by "tilting" the car, this residual oil will then drain.

I've never been too concerned about it. I drain my MB on a flat surface from the bottom. Ramps are especially useful on some models that don't offer clearance from below as Manny suggested.

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Mike Murrell
1991 300-SEL - Model 126
M103 - SOHC
"Fräulein"

Some people over-obsess with "getting all the old oil out", without realizing how much old oil is still left in the engine that you can't get out. Oil remains in the hydraulic tappets, oil gallies, and oil pump. You can go through all these great pains and still get only a small fraction of the old oil that is left behind. I'll bet these obsessive types are the same people who only drop the pan to change transmission fluid instead of doing an exchange on non-MB cars, or use a turkey baster to change power steering fluid.

The only obsessive thing I do is to make sure the oil is reasonably hot from running, so the contaminants are held in suspension and the thinner viscosity helps drain the bad stuff away. I let it drain 15-60 minutes while I'm doing other stuff outside before buttoning everything back up.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 169K

Remember the Commercial a few years ago about cooking oil?
The slogan was " It all came back............but one tablespoon ".

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2007 C 230 Sport.

I have used the topsider exclusively for the past 5 years and have no complaints. The suction only takes about 10-15 minutes and I have absolutely no oil stains on my floor. Contrary to most people, I like to do oil changes with a cold engine as compared to a warm engine as I feel I am getting more oil since the motor has had some time to sit. In addition, I think the oil is pretty much homogeneous and any particulates are in suspension or in the filter.

To help with any vaccum leaks with the topsider, I use teflon tape and teflon paste. I changed my oil today and it only took me 30 min which is faster than if I would have driven to the mechanic and have him do it.

I have the MityVac 7201 which I prefer for the
w210 chassis because the oil drain plug dumps
oil everywhere, richocheting off the the air dam
if I remember correctly.

I usually use the same device on my w124 so I
can inspect other components while the oil
drains instead of fritzing with the noise
encapsulation panel.

Darrell