Oil recommendation for high mileage Mercedes S500?

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Hi all, I've spent many hours reading this site and searching the forum, and while I've learned a lot about oil, I feel even less confident in picking a motor oil for my recently acquired 1996 Mercedes S500. I've got to do an oil change in the very near future and was hoping to get some recommendations here. Apparently it's best to extract the oil on this model, so I've purchased a mityvac 7201, and got a Napa Gold (WIX) filter, I just need to figure out which oil to use.

The car has 351,000kms, but I don't know what (if any) engine work has been done. The engine seems to be in good condition with no smoke or noise and I haven't noticed any drips. It seems to hold good oil pressure, 3 bar + on startup and just over 1 bar at idle when fully warmed up. Judging by the windshield sticker, the PO used Amsoil 10/30 and it was due to be changed a while ago so I might look in to a flush.

I live near Calgary, Alberta and we are just going in to Winter, so i'm thinking maybe a synthetic with a low first number to get good startup lubrication? I use the car for both short trips around town and a daily 25-45 minute commute that is mostly highway. I'd like to see this car last for a very long time so I figured I'd put some extra thought in to the motor oil. I don't mind spending some money more to put good oil in, but keep in mind it holds 8.5l and I'm just a working man, so I'd like to stay away from any of the super exotic oils. I was leaning towards Mobil 1, but for no good reason other than it's what I always used in my newer vehicles. I don't know whether I need to hunt for something with higher zddp due to the quad-cam OHC flat tappet setup, or look for a different grade or special additive pack due to the excessive mileage. Oil change intervals aren't a huge concern to me, especially since the filter is top mounted and I will be using an extractor.

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
Mobil 1 0w-40 meets the Mercedes specs you need. In addition, I'd seriously consider using the OEM Mann oil filter, especially if go by the computer for oil change intervals. It's a heavy duty piece designed for 10,000 mile intervals. Mercedes has TSBs out covering this, as other filters degrade and can come apart, damaging the engine.
 
For reference, Mercedes have back-spec'ed 0W-40 for your vehicle. I believe it is an appropriate oil for your vehicle and application.

Extended oil changes with synthetic oil should use the fleece filter Mercedes sells. This filter is designed to hold more contaminants that the regular filters, which is what you'll get with extended oil change intervals.
 
Some Mercedes owners simply prefer the cleanliness and convenience of changing the oil with an extractor. Many people don't like to get on the ground to do maintenance.
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Best to extract the oil?
Why not drain it?


Originally Posted By: Kestas
Some Mercedes owners simply prefer the cleanliness and convenience of changing the oil with an extractor. Many people don't like to get on the ground to do maintenance.


I don't mind getting under the car and getting dirty and actually just bought a nice set of ramps for oil changes, but apparently this model was designed to have the oil changed by extraction and actually gets up to 1/2 a litre more oil out than by traditional draining. I spent a few hours researching it before I bought the extractor as I have always believed in the traditional oil change method, but many owners have tested and verified that the extractor gets more oil out of these cars. As a bonus, I won't have to remove the plastic fairings under the engine.
 
Originally Posted By: Carson_Blocks
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Best to extract the oil?
Why not drain it?


Originally Posted By: Kestas
Some Mercedes owners simply prefer the cleanliness and convenience of changing the oil with an extractor. Many people don't like to get on the ground to do maintenance.


I don't mind getting under the car and getting dirty and actually just bought a nice set of ramps for oil changes, but apparently this model was designed to have the oil changed by extraction and actually gets up to 1/2 a litre more oil out than by traditional draining. I spent a few hours researching it before I bought the extractor as I have always believed in the traditional oil change method, but many owners have tested and verified that the extractor gets more oil out of these cars. As a bonus, I won't have to remove the plastic fairings under the engine.


The thing I wonder about extractors though is whether or not they get all of the gunk out of the very bottom of the oil pan. I just picture a tube getting almost to the bottom of the pan but leaving some crud behind. I think if I were going to try an extractor I'd use it, then pull the drain plug to see if anything was left behind.

Oh and btw, I love those old S500's. They were engineered and built like tanks.
 
Last edited:
Mobil 1 High Miles seems as though it was formulated for German cars. The 5w-30 HM being the one for winter. If you drive hard (mountains especially) step up to the 10w-30 HM or even 10w-40 HM for summer.

The 0w-40 might be better with a turbo in extreme cold, but not really.
 
Originally Posted By: kbohip72
I think if I were going to try an extractor I'd use it, then pull the drain plug to see if anything was left behind.

Someone on the MB forums tried both ways:
Extractor first then drain plug - no oil from drain plug.
Drain plug first then extractor - few ounces of oil extracted.

Extractor is faster to do oil change with cartridge filter on top of engine.
 
The last thing a working man needs is an old German car as a daily driver.
Good luck!
 
Thanks for the help guys. I did the change today, using the Mobil 1 0w40. I couldn't find the high mileage formula in anything other than 10w30 and couldn't find any other appropriate Mobil 1 grades that met the Mercedes 229.5 spec. I always thought wix filters were the best, but I will swap it out for the Mann as soon as I can source one for a reasonable price. I only plan on running about a 7500km OCI, but still want the peace of mind.

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
The last thing a working man needs is an old German car as a daily driver.
Good luck!


I'm hoping with some clever parts shopping on the Internet and some half-decent DIY skills that I can keep this old girl running long enough to get one of thoise nifty 500,000km badges that Mercedes offers, and that doing so won't absolutely break me. I'm big on maintenance and using good parts, and avoid dealerships like the plague. I do plan on having a spare car around though, so I can afford to wait on parts and take my time on difficult repairs.
 
When I have had Benzes, I found dealer parts pricing not all that bad, and there are discounts available online.
Another nice thing is that Mercedes takes great pride in supporting their cars, so you can order just about any part for any car, inclucing interior and exterior trim pieces, as well as the correct clips to hold them in place.
Mechanically, Benzes are very solid machines, with only a few exceptions, like the early single row timing chain alloy V-8s, or the old 2.8 inline six.
Body construction and hardware are very good, and the interiors hold up well.
As long as you are willing to do most of your own work, and you can locate a good indie for those jobs you either can't do, or to diagnose a problem that you can't figure out, the car should not break you.
Also be sure to check out the various sites for MB owners.
You'll often find useful advice on doing the hard jobs, as well as diagnosing problems.
Finally, you have bought a really nice sedan, with ample performance. If you use an oil meeting MB's spec and an OEM filter, you can make those 8.5 liters last for at least 10K (miles).
For something less expensive, use any A3, and change more frequently.
An A3 is by definition both a long-life oil and a high HTHS oil.
Maxlife or Durablend 10W-40 are both A3, and are quite a bit less costly than any flavor M1, although you would have to change more frequently.
If I had known then what I know now, I would not have been using 20W-50 as a summer oil in the last Benz we had.
 
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