2008 Mercedes C300 3.0L V6 -M1 0w-40, 5,700 Miles

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This oil was sucked out of family member's car piping hot after a 170 mile roundtrip. I expected that to make the flashpoint and fuel % better, and it did. It really makes me wonder sometimes when we see low viscosity and low flashpoint if it could be from fuel temporarily being in the oil that would have later gotten burned off and returned to normal? The last time I did this sample for them it was only driven 5 miles around city streets to warm it up and Flashpoint was much lower with a trace of fuel. Makes me think the immediate driving before the sample is a big indicator on those readings?

This car had a lot of city driving during the 5,700mi and one year. They didn't have me run an analysis on this one in over two years, and I don't think they need to next year either. It looks good (knock on wood). It does have some solenoids and sensors slightly leaking on the front of engine, but they are fairly easy 75 cent O Rings to replace, and it makes no difference on the dipstick yet. The report is rather boring (good thing).

5,700 miles on Oil
45,600 miles on Engine
One Year

Aluminum - 4
Chromium - 0
Iron - 10
Copper - 3
Lead - 0
Tin - 0
Molybdenum - 84
Nickel - 0
Manganese - 0
Silver - 0
Titanium - 0
Potassium - 0
Boron - 144
Silicon - 7
Sodium - 7
Calcium - 2999
Magnesium - 20
Phosphorus - 887
Zinc - 990

SUS @ 210 F - 67.7
cSt @ 100 C - 12.35
Flashpoint in F - 425
Fuel - Antifreeze - 0
Water - 0
Insolubles - 0.1 %

(Note - the viscosity was essentially identical to this Mobil 1 0w-40 I tested a couple years back with only 189 miles on the oil! It must shear SLIGHTLY immediately in this engine, but then stay right there both SUS & cSt were virtually identical when it had only 189 miles on the oil).
 
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Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
Fuel does not burn off.


Thanks. Good to know then. I had seen that repeatedly on some of my analysis. If I barely warmed a car up, took it around some city blocks, I had fuel dilution. If it came in straight from highway, it did not. Must have just been a coincidence. I appreciate that I now know otherwise!
 
Originally Posted By: Ayrton
This oil was sucked out of family member's car piping hot after a 170 mile roundtrip. I expected that to make the flashpoint and fuel % better, and it did. It really makes me wonder sometimes when we see low viscosity and low flashpoint if it could be from fuel temporarily being in the oil that would have later gotten burned off and returned to normal? The last time I did this sample for them it was only driven 5 miles around city streets to warm it up and Flashpoint was much lower with a trace of fuel. Makes me think the immediate driving before the sample is a big indicator on those readings?

This car had a lot of city driving during the 5,700mi and one year. They didn't have me run an analysis on this one in over two years, and I don't think they need to next year either. It looks good (knock on wood). It does have some solenoids and sensors slightly leaking on the front of engine, but they are fairly easy 75 cent O Rings to replace, and it makes no difference on the dipstick yet. The report is rather boring (good thing).

5,700 miles on Oil
45,600 miles on Engine
One Year

Aluminum - 4
Chromium - 0
Iron - 10
Copper - 3
Lead - 0
Tin - 0
Molybdenum - 84
Nickel - 0
Manganese - 0
Silver - 0
Titanium - 0
Potassium - 0
Boron - 144
Silicon - 7
Sodium - 7
Calcium - 2999
Magnesium - 20
Phosphorus - 887
Zinc - 990

SUS @ 210 F - 67.7
cSt @ 100 C - 12.35
Flashpoint in F - 425
Fuel - Antifreeze - 0
Water - 0
Insolubles - 0.1 %

(Note - the viscosity was essentially identical to this Mobil 1 0w-40 I tested a couple years back with only 189 miles on the oil! It must shear SLIGHTLY immediately in this engine, but then stay right there both SUS & cSt were virtually identical when it had only 189 miles on the oil).


No TBN?? IMO the most important thing is missing from your sample.

Jeff
 
Your MB is not a DI motor is it? Amazing how this oil keeps a better 100c viscosity with different fuel delivery.

Seems German cars always have high IRON levels. Wonder why? They are still using Alien Iron that leaches it into the oil I guess haha.

Jeff
 
Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Your MB is not a DI motor is it? Amazing how this oil keeps a better 100c viscosity with different fuel delivery.

Seems German cars always have high IRON levels. Wonder why? They are still using Alien Iron that leaches it into the oil I guess haha.

Jeff


Thanks Jeff,

Nope, no direct injection. Pretty much all Mercedes have direct injection though.

No, no TBN. They used to get it. If I wasn't familiar with TBN on this engine and oil, I would have gotten it. 5,700 just isn't pushing it at all.

10ppm is not high iron in 5,700 miles.
 
10 IRON may not be high in 5700 miles but in my past tracked Evo 9 MR making around 400hp and tracked almost every weekend using RL 5w30 the IRON on a UOA was 5.

Every UOA I have seen on a German Car is higher than other cars I have seen. Though it may be within "Normal" limits. Its just high to what I am used to seeing.

Again, its from the Alien German Iron.
50.gif



Jeff
 
Originally Posted By: steve20
^^^ haven't seen many GM UOAs, huh?


^^^^^ NOPE. Mainly Asian vehicles have been my M/O for the past 20 yrs. Did hundreds of UOA's on my tracked cars (Lancer Evo's) and never saw IRON levels that high. Ever.


so your saying that GM and Zee Germans are sharing the same Alien Iron???
50.gif


Hehe...


Jeff
 
Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
10 IRON may not be high in 5700 miles but in my past tracked Evo 9 MR making around 400hp and tracked almost every weekend using RL 5w30 the IRON on a UOA was 5.

Every UOA I have seen on a German Car is higher than other cars I have seen. Though it may be within "Normal" limits. Its just high to what I am used to seeing.

Again, its from the Alien German Iron.
50.gif



Jeff



I see what you are pointing out. It does vary a lot though from engine model to engine model. I have seen some of the Nissan engines and GM engines, etc. with much more wear.

And the thing is I have ran analysis on this oil at 200 miles only for them (they wanted to see if dealer used the oil they took in the trunk), and it will show 4 PPM Iron fresh with remnants of old oil I guess, so it's really 6 PPM in 5,700 miles. When you start talking teens and below on ppm though, I don't really know what that means, it's so insignificant. I just don't consider it wear. Certainly, it sounds like your evo engine, it truly was virtually no wear. Nice!
 
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I would love to run RL 5w30 in my VW. Just not sure I want to venture off the VW "approved" list while under warranty. Though I know RL has proven to me, in my past applications to be a very stout oil.

I like also that RL is a USA company, here in California where I live. Yes it is more expensive but its keeping jobs here in California and the USA. To some that means something too. Though I bought a VW haha. My family is from Germany though, so what can I say? haha. My car is an immigrant like all our families were at one time or another haha.

Jeff
 
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Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Originally Posted By: steve20
^^^ haven't seen many GM UOAs, huh?


^^^^^ NOPE. Mainly Asian vehicles have been my M/O for the past 20 yrs. Did hundreds of UOA's on my tracked cars (Lancer Evo's) and never saw IRON levels that high. Ever.


so your saying that GM and Zee Germans are sharing the same Alien Iron???
50.gif


Hehe...


Jeff




But exceptable iron limits are 150PPM. The differance between 5-10 PPM doesn't mean anything. Metal counts in UOAs, for the most part, tell you nothing about real engine wear.
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Originally Posted By: steve20
^^^ haven't seen many GM UOAs, huh?


^^^^^ NOPE. Mainly Asian vehicles have been my M/O for the past 20 yrs. Did hundreds of UOA's on my tracked cars (Lancer Evo's) and never saw IRON levels that high. Ever.


so your saying that GM and Zee Germans are sharing the same Alien Iron???
50.gif


Hehe...


Jeff




But exceptable iron limits are 150PPM. The differance between 5-10 PPM doesn't mean anything. Metal counts in UOAs, for the most part, tell you nothing about real engine wear.


Very True.
 
"Hundreds" of UOA's? Wow, across 40 years of oil changes I haven't done that many, and I have owned a ton of fleet trucks and automobiles in addition to my personal stable.

But I totally agree that UOA's are usually misinterpreted to be the end all be all for info on your car's engine when in reality they are just one piece in the puzzle and must be carefully analyzed in detail for the real meaning.
 
The hundreds were not all for me I just did hundreds total for my club when we would track our cars. Sorry for the confusion. When you have $30k in engine mods making serious power out of a 2.0 you check the after every race. (Yes few spent that much crazy!!)

One guy in the club had an evo drag car making 1500hp and did the 1/4 in under 8 sec.

Good times. I mainly did solo 2.i didn't have the bucks for that crazy stuff.

Jeff
 
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Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
10 IRON may not be high in 5700 miles but in my past tracked Evo 9 MR making around 400hp and tracked almost every weekend using RL 5w30 the IRON on a UOA was 5.

Don't you know that M1 delivers high iron on UOAs?

27.gif
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
But exceptable iron limits are 150PPM. The differance between 5-10 PPM doesn't mean anything. Metal counts in UOAs, for the most part, tell you nothing about real engine wear.

Right on. Some people obsess about the most meaningless of details. It's the trending that counts when it comes to UOAs.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: tig1
But exceptable iron limits are 150PPM. The differance between 5-10 PPM doesn't mean anything. Metal counts in UOAs, for the most part, tell you nothing about real engine wear.

Right on. Some people obsess about the most meaningless of details. It's the trending that counts when it comes to UOAs.


I agree, and this 10 PPM was the lowest Iron had ever been on this engine. Honestly, I know there are single digit iron UOAs out there, but to me, 10 PPM was as good as I would ever dream/wish to see.
 
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