2013 Smart 451 oil for hot climate

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Jul 5, 2024
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Have heard both sides of this all over the internet.
Use 229.5 mercedes oil, that only goes up to 5w40 (the manual doesn't mention anything about 229.5 rating though)
Or go by the manual and use 15W40 or 15W50 for the hot climate I drive in.

Thoughts? It's a small three cylinder engine that's often compared to a boat's outboard motor.

I'm on the gulf coast in Houston, and the coldest it has ever been on record is 5F which is the lowest for 15W oil according to the manual that I should use.
 
Mine is a 2005 and a Forfour so not comparable, but the manual recommends MB 229.5 for all engines but the 4G15T (which I also had in a Colt).
I figured they didn't really change anything in these engines until the switch to Renault, but of course could be wrong.

MB 229.5 is pretty much guaranteeing a good oil, and also something that will be easy to find.
 
I'd say use the 15w-40 in your climate. What is the oil sump capacity?
Not sure, the total capacity is about 3.7 quarts if changing the oil
I was looking for 15w40 oils but most I see are diesel oils and the Smart I have is a regular gas engine
 
Gotcha, got a bit of conflicting information from the smart site:
https://www.evilution.co.uk/mod/oil-specifications.htm

"For the hot places like Spain, consider 15W or 20W."
It is an outdated terminology.
The reason why 15W or 20W were used is shearing.
MB229.5 guarantees that oil will only shear so much. You can buy 15W40 off the shelf, but unless that oil is Motul 300V, Redline etc. Mobil1 0W40 or Castrol 0W40 will do a better job over OCI and shear less.
Also, SPain is hot, but nowhere near as let's say Las Vegas, where Pilot I have spent first 100,000 miles of its 105,000 miles on the clock running 5W20 or 0W20.
So, unless there is a certain issue with the cooling system in your car, running good MB229.5, 5W40 is always a better choice than some off-the-shelf 15W40.

That link you posted is one of those examples of why some people should have been legally banned from access to computers.
 
It is an outdated terminology.
The reason why 15W or 20W were used is shearing.
MB229.5 guarantees that oil will only shear so much. You can buy 15W40 off the shelf, but unless that oil is Motul 300V, Redline etc. Mobil1 0W40 or Castrol 0W40 will do a better job over OCI and shear less.
Also, SPain is hot, but nowhere near as let's say Las Vegas, where Pilot I have spent first 100,000 miles of its 105,000 miles on the clock running 5W20 or 0W20.
So, unless there is a certain issue with the cooling system in your car, running good MB229.5, 5W40 is always a better choice than some off-the-shelf 15W40.

That link you posted is one of those examples of why some people should have been legally banned from access to computers.
Thank you!
Probably the option I'm gonna go with. I did shoot a email to the mercedes dealer, I bet they'll say the same thing
 
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