Mercedes car.. Pull the drain plug and oil shoots out,hits the frame and goes everywhere except into the bucket... Stevie Wonder could have designed this better.
Fine German engineering here
- Thread starter Chris142
- Start date
Lisle 17892 Transmission Drain Pan is a life and floor saver. Especially when you are like me and have terrible aim when draining. Also the Lisle 38780 22" Square No-Splatter Pad is pretty awesome to keep splashing at bay.
The OEMs all engineer them to build them, not do routine maintenance. None is better than another.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Well our Lexus is not immune - the drain plug for ATF is easy whilst the fill plug is blocked by the exhaust - but the other side is wide open and no fill plug there …
same engine goes into multiple vehicles...probably works fine on others.
Luved the Stevie Wonder comment.
Mercedes official service information on that car probably says to use an extractor from above.
So, yep, carefully engineered, actually. They knew that this would be a problem and specified a different procedure.
But one would have to actually read the service information, and spend the $100 on an extractor, to know that.
Don’t you have a subscription for this kind of service information?
I am an “amateur” and use Mercedes factory service information from WIS. I don’t make a mess like this as a result. If you’re going to keep working on Mercedes, I can share how to get a copy. But I bet AllData would say the same - use an extractor - if you have access to AllData.
How many threads will you author, complaining about Mercedes, before you, as someone who charges other people for your work, join the “amateurs” who have good information, and stop making a mess?
I mean, as an experienced professional, you couldn’t see where the oil was going to go, and at least put a funnel there?
Here is the most important Mercedes tool in my shop:
So, yep, carefully engineered, actually. They knew that this would be a problem and specified a different procedure.
But one would have to actually read the service information, and spend the $100 on an extractor, to know that.
Don’t you have a subscription for this kind of service information?
I am an “amateur” and use Mercedes factory service information from WIS. I don’t make a mess like this as a result. If you’re going to keep working on Mercedes, I can share how to get a copy. But I bet AllData would say the same - use an extractor - if you have access to AllData.
How many threads will you author, complaining about Mercedes, before you, as someone who charges other people for your work, join the “amateurs” who have good information, and stop making a mess?
I mean, as an experienced professional, you couldn’t see where the oil was going to go, and at least put a funnel there?
Here is the most important Mercedes tool in my shop:
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Considering your incompatibility with European cars I don't understand why you keep working on them. The term factory-trained has meaning. Having owned several Europen cars I learned quickly that a mechanic familiar with the particular vehicle is a requirement. For example, I knew the peculiarities of some of my previous cars in great detail. I had to learn new and different things for each one. I don't know my Mini super-well, and there are things I would not attempt because of that.
GON
$100 Site Donor 2024
As @Astro14 mentioned, extractors for Mercedes when feasible is the way to go when changing motor oil. I have numerous Mercedes and exclusively use an extractor for removing engine oil. With the top mounted canister oil filter, one doesn't even need to get under the vehicle.
My extractor provides clear measurements of the quantity of oil removed, and the extractor does a great job removing essentially all the used oil, and I suspect on a Mercedes, the extractor may remove more than what is removed from a pan drain. Not remove the drain plug also reduces certain risks/ issues/ exposures.
My extractor provides clear measurements of the quantity of oil removed, and the extractor does a great job removing essentially all the used oil, and I suspect on a Mercedes, the extractor may remove more than what is removed from a pan drain. Not remove the drain plug also reduces certain risks/ issues/ exposures.
Yeah, that's not how you change engine oil on a modern Mercedes.
If only they could... i don't know... make the drain bolt at least be angled down a bit more? OE can't design well it seems.
Future humans will put away with sit-down toilets. We will use convenient extractors.
Pretty much any modern vehicle is this way...All too often the German–designed vehicles are needlessly complex or have glaring design flaws like this. Their engineering reputation is grossly overblown. And I'm saying this as someone of German heritage.
Drain plugs don't bother me; but filter location can be the end of the world... Sheesh!
There may be other considerations.
Manufacturer tells you exactly how to work on the car, but you “know better” and make a mess?
Let me ask you this - should I rely on how I think airplanes should work?
Or would you like me to read the actual aircraft manual and learn how it was intended to work, how it was designed to work, before you board and I fly you across the Atlantic?
I have acess to aldata but not an extractor lol. I looked at the area and "Thought" it would be ok..... It wasn't.
I initially thought I could prove your wrong since my RX 350 is pretty straight forward with both the oil drain and oil filter being super easily accessible. Then I remembered you have to disassemble the entire air-intake just to change the rear bank of spark plugs. You are correct, most of the them are bad at designing for maintenance and only care about putting the thing together.
