Mercedes Oil Change to A-Service & B-Service?

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BHopkins

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For those of you that own, or have owned, Mercedes cars, how many of you actually follow the A-Service and B-Service for oil changes? Or do you change the oil more frequently? Longer interval? If you follow the A-Service / B-Service oil change interval, have you gotten UOA to validate the oil life?

Per the Mercedes maintenance schedule on my SL550, the oil change interval is 13k miles. I went 12.5k on the first oil change I did on the car, and the Blackstone UOA came out nice. I remind myself that it is a 9 quart oil change, and that Moblil 1 European Formula motor oils are formulated well. And I remind myself that I should have confidence that Mercedes would not recommend an oci that would risk their reputation for long lasting engines. I know that long oil change intervals are very common in Europe. But it still makes me a little apprehensive to go that long.

I would like to know what others do, and how it works for them.
 
I do service a&b on schedule while still under warranty.
I also change oil in wife's GLA every 5-6 months in between those dealer changes, it's cheap insurance (m1 0w40 is $23 + $9 filter) and the oil comes out pitch black. No UOA done, I think it's cheaper to change it every 6 months than bother with UOA
 
A service and B service are basically once a year or 10k. They got away from those 13k oil changes and now just do 10k oil changes. I typically just do them in the 8-10k range whenever I get around to it. Never bother with UOAs, other people have posted ones here so I'm not too worried about the interval.

It's somewhat ironic you mention their reputation for long lasting engines, their early M272 engines had balance shaft problems and their M273 engine which is what you have also had early issues with the timing chain guide wheels. Those mostly affected early production engines, problem was fixed after a certain point.

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211/442004-dreaded-m272-balance-shaft.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211/388060-class-action-suit-over-m272-m273.html
 
I follow both schedules, but also change the oil in between--I use 5K OCIs for both of my MBs.
 
Just based on nine quart sump alone you can extend interval 80% compared to a five quart sump. I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by SlavaB
I do service a&b on schedule while still under warranty.
I also change oil in wife's GLA every 5-6 months in between those dealer changes, it's cheap insurance (m1 0w40 is $23 + $9 filter) and the oil comes out pitch black. No UOA done, I think it's cheaper to change it every 6 months than bother with UOA


+1 on that!
 
Originally Posted by BHopkins
For those of you that own, or have owned, Mercedes cars, how many of you actually follow the A-Service and B-Service for oil changes? Or do you change the oil more frequently? Longer interval? If you follow the A-Service / B-Service oil change interval, have you gotten UOA to validate the oil life?

Per the Mercedes maintenance schedule on my SL550, the oil change interval is 13k miles. I went 12.5k on the first oil change I did on the car, and the Blackstone UOA came out nice. I remind myself that it is a 9 quart oil change, and that Moblil 1 European Formula motor oils are formulated well. And I remind myself that I should have confidence that Mercedes would not recommend an oci that would risk their reputation for long lasting engines. I know that long oil change intervals are very common in Europe. But it still makes me a little apprehensive to go that long. I would like to know what others do, and how it works for them.


Follow the book, Nothing is more expensive than a neglected MB!
MB expects you to follow their instructions/recommendations to ensure long life of the vehicle.
Today's MB are NOT the ones of the 70s and earlier they are not built for longevity anymore, only to show off that you can afford them. They do give very good performance and enjoyment at a price. I now drive a Lexus, and though I know that it will be trouble free for the rest of my short life, I still miss my E350. If out of warranty find a GOOD indy and follow the book.
thumbsup2.gif
 
I think that the OEM OCI is OK, but I go by the advice of Kent Bergsma, an MB expert. He recommends reducing the OCI to 80% of factory after 80k miles, and 60% after 100k, if I recall.
I do an oil/filter change myself at 50%, using M1 0W-40 and an MB or Mann filter. Dealer does the scheduled change so that the car gets a complete inspection.
Currently have 3k+ miles on the MB oil change and the oil still looks new. 128k miles on my car.
 
It sounds like most do oil changes more frequently, particularly those of you with cars that were on the 13k service schedule.

Originally Posted by Wolf359
A service and B service are basically once a year or 10k. They got away from those 13k oil changes and now just do 10k oil changes. I typically just do them in the 8-10k range whenever I get around to it. Never bother with UOAs, other people have posted ones here so I'm not too worried about the interval.

It's somewhat ironic you mention their reputation for long lasting engines, their early M272 engines had balance shaft problems and their M273 engine which is what you have also had early issues with the timing chain guide wheels. Those mostly affected early production engines, problem was fixed after a certain point.

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211/442004-dreaded-m272-balance-shaft.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211/388060-class-action-suit-over-m272-m273.html


There are definitely some exceptions to Mercedes reputation for long life engines. When I bought my SL550, I specifically verified the VIN was after the fix.


Originally Posted by IllinoisSparky
I think that the OEM OCI is OK, but I go by the advice of Kent Bergsma, an MB expert. He recommends reducing the OCI to 80% of factory after 80k miles, and 60% after 100k, if I recall.
I do an oil/filter change myself at 50%, using M1 0W-40 and an MB or Mann filter. Dealer does the scheduled change so that the car gets a complete inspection.
Currently have 3k+ miles on the MB oil change and the oil still looks new. 128k miles on my car.


I had totally forgotten about his advice on the subject. Now I remember watching that video. It seems that for those of us that, at least occasionally, get a uoa, Kent's advice should be tempered by the uoa results. Kent's advice may be great if one never gets a uoa. Blackstone advised to "check back next regular oil change". But I wonder if they are aware that the next regular oil change is 13k miles.

I've got 21 quarts of M1 0w-40 on the shelf, so perhaps I'll do my next oil change at 10k miles, and see how the results look.

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your experiences.
 
Originally Posted by BHopkins
I've got 21 quarts of M1 0w-40 on the shelf, so perhaps I'll do my next oil change at 10k miles, and see how the results look.

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your experiences.


That's what I would normally use, don't forget the $12 off 5 quart rebate that's still going on by Mobil. Good for up to four 5 quart jugs.
 
Originally Posted by BHopkins
For those of you that own, or have owned, Mercedes cars, how many of you actually follow the A-Service and B-Service for oil changes? Or do you change the oil more frequently? Longer interval? If you follow the A-Service / B-Service oil change interval, have you gotten UOA to validate the oil life?

Per the Mercedes maintenance schedule on my SL550, the oil change interval is 13k miles. I went 12.5k on the first oil change I did on the car, and the Blackstone UOA came out nice. I remind myself that it is a 9 quart oil change, and that Moblil 1 European Formula motor oils are formulated well. And I remind myself that I should have confidence that Mercedes would not recommend an oci that would risk their reputation for long lasting engines. I know that long oil change intervals are very common in Europe. But it still makes me a little apprehensive to go that long.

I would like to know what others do, and how it works for them.



I personally own 2 Benz's, and maintain another 3 for close family members (total of 5). My wife's B-class is now 11 years old (had it since 1 year old), and my C-class is now 10 years old (had it since 2 years old). My dad's C-class is almost 12 years old now and he's had that since it was 2 as well.

For all of these vehicles, I follow the service computer in the car to a tee, and never do anything else in between or early without worry. The large sump and fleece filter go a long way to ensuring that these vehicles can endure the 13k oil change interval (and much longer in Europe) without sweat. Also keep in mind Benz mandates oil changes every 1 year if the 13k is not reached at that point (and the computer in the car keeps track of time as well). This basically ensures that short trip drivers are also well served by this maintenance schedule (as highway driving or longer trips are generally much easier on oil, making the potential OCI longer in those cases). Our Benz's have all generally been very reliable vehicles, and have had very little trouble over the years. They all run perfectly well without any apparent issues, mechanical or otherwise.

Also, to address the other comments that came up... Yes, the OCI has been moved to 10k in the US, but I strongly believe that was a result of marketing, ease of scheduling, and/or desire to make more money on service. Here in Canada, the 13k interval on all brand new Benz is still in force for gasoline engines (diesels are ~9k OCI's though). So again, no worry about the 13k OCI, so long as you're following that or the 1 year mark.

About the balance shaft and timing gear problems on the early M272/M273 engines, yes, those were manufacturing and material quality problems. You could have changed the oil every 1k and would still have those issues come up because they both involved defective parts. So in other words, there has been no evidence of any issues related to the longer OCI's on any modern gasoline Benz engine. I can't comment on the brand new direct injected variants as of yet (someone with a GLA made a comment above about black oil), as I'm not sure there is enough history in North America to make any determinations, but so far, I haven't heard anything.

In any case, don't worry about the OCI on your SL550. Something else will go wrong long before the OCI will ever cause a problem!
 
Originally Posted by il_signore97
I can't comment on the brand new direct injected variants as of yet (someone with a GLA made a comment above about black oil), as I'm not sure there is enough history in North America to make any determinations, but so far, I haven't heard anything.

In any case, don't worry about the OCI on your SL550. Something else will go wrong long before the OCI will ever cause a problem!


The direct injection engine on the E-350 came out in 2012, so far there haven't been too many complaints about it and after 8 years if there were major problems with it, it would have started showing up by now.
 
Originally Posted by Wolf359

That's what I would normally use, don't forget the $12 off 5 quart rebate that's still going on by Mobil. Good for up to four 5 quart jugs.


The $12 rebate is why I have so much on hand.


Originally Posted by il_signore97

In any case, don't worry about the OCI on your SL550. Something else will go wrong long before the OCI will ever cause a problem!


Too funny. Made me laugh. But absolutely true.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Mercedes in your stable. All excellent information.
 
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