is it OK to put QS 5W30 Synthetic into MB 229.5 ?

[bwco]

My wife's car ask for MB 229.5 oil which is a 2005' Mercedes C230 Kompressor.
So, I'm planning for a rinse due to excessive engine noise with the compressor. She always have it serviced at the dealer with 12,000 km OCI.
I'm trying to use some QS horsepower syntehtic 5W30 for the next oil change and rinse it out. Why? - Mercedes dealership always leave about 0.3 quarts of old oil in the engine due to the method they use for oil change (which is sucking oil out from the top).

Is it ok to run non MB spec'd oil in the engine for a shorter period of time? lets say 6000 km or about 3600 miles?

 

[wavinwayne]

Is it still under factory warranty? The warranty is the only thing QS synthetic might hurt. It won't harm the engine whatsoever in my opinion, assuming it's not run to redline constantly.

FWIW, I use non-MB spec oil in my wife's Mercedes SUV. I use Rotella T synthetic 5w40.

 

[VK56VD]

Run some Auto-RX through it. Does the MB dealer use synthetic? Which brand?

 

[HTSS_TR]

I used PP 5W20 in '00 E430 with 95k miles for 4k miles to clean the engine from 12k miles OCI's with M1 0W40. After 1k mile the oil is very dark and became very black after 3k miles, it tells me that PP 5W20 did the cleaning very well. It is filled with Chevron Delo 15W40 for rinse phase for 4-5k miles, it will be replaced with Valvoline Synpower 5W20 in November-December.

The engine noise was much quieter with PP 5W20 and fuel economy was improved by over 1 MPG.

 

[JHZR2]

the dealer likely uses M1 0w-40, which is suitable for far longer intervals than 12k miles.

0.3 qt left behind isnt going to hurt anything, and where did that number come from anyway? In OM617 engines, it is far less than that.

Id verify simply if there is an ACEA A3 requirement. If so, Id go with an oil that meets that.

JMH

 

[lexus114]

I would definitely go with the German Castrol 0W-30 you cant go wrong with that oil.Unless its not available to you,then I would use the MB one 0W40.

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
bwco - You said this:
"So, I'm planning for a rinse due to excessive engine noise with the compressor."

Can you please explain?

IMO you should not use things such as RX in this engine and you should conside using M1 0W-40 which is an ideal marriage with this engine family

 

[wcbcruzer]

Originally Posted By: Spartuss
Run some Auto-RX through it.


Why?

 

[bwco]

they car is equipped with a eaton compressor from the factory. But the car is getting noiser as mileage goes up.
It's now about 50,000 km. Dealer claim they use Pennzoil 5-30 euro formula. But it seems to get dark very soon after each oil change.

So, people use a topsider siphon pump to suck oil out from the dip stick tube. Then, there's only 5.5 quart that came out, while the car can hold about 5.8 quarts. So, 0.3 quart is left insde.
Some other people tried to drain it from the bottom, and there's roughly 0.5 quart left inside.

That makes me wonder!


Originally Posted By: Doug Hillary
Hi,
bwco - You said this:
"So, I'm planning for a rinse due to excessive engine noise with the compressor."

Can you please explain?

IMO you should not use things such as RX in this engine and you should conside using M1 0W-40 which is an ideal marriage with this engine family

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
bwco - What model Benz do you have. The superchargers are very reliable and the dealer should give you a Technical opinion before taking action. IMO it is unlikely to be a supercharger/lubricant marriage issue

I have owned a number of late series supercharged Benzes (and I have friends with SLKs, CLKs and etc - trouble free) my last one was at around 90k when I purchased my CLK

The four cylinder engines are a little "harsh" and "noisy" (at cold startup - like BMWs, Porsche and the like)- as the basis for a racing Group in Europe these Benz engines were shown to be bulletproof! And that is my experience too

Again in MO you should be using a lubricant from the MB Approved List and M1 0W-40 is the WW popular lubricant in these engines. here in OZ this lubricant has an average OCI of around 17kkms

Lubricant should be drained from below and a Benz filter used

 

[VK56VD]

Originally Posted By: wcbcruzer
Originally Posted By: Spartuss
Run some Auto-RX through it.


Why?


...because he is trying to rinse out the oil. Auto-RX would get the job done more effectively than the add-pack in the oil itself.

 

[bwco]

Originally Posted By: Doug Hillary
Hi,
bwco - What model Benz do you have. The superchargers are very reliable and the dealer should give you a Technical opinion before taking action. IMO it is unlikely to be a supercharger/lubricant marriage issue

I have owned a number of late series supercharged Benzes (and I have friends with SLKs, CLKs and etc - trouble free) my last one was at around 90k when I purchased my CLK

The four cylinder engines are a little "harsh" and "noisy" (at cold startup - like BMWs, Porsche and the like)- as the basis for a racing Group in Europe these Benz engines were shown to be bulletproof! And that is my experience too

Again in MO you should be using a lubricant from the MB Approved List and M1 0W-40 is the WW popular lubricant in these engines. here in OZ this lubricant has an average OCI of around 17kkms

Lubricant should be drained from below and a Benz filter used




yes, in fact, i know these engines are bulletproof.
However, the 4 cyclinder supercharged engines had aluminum head and aluminum bottom ends. And it's among the first few DOHC engines Mercedes made. So, the tolerence isn't that tight. They have a cam sensor leak with the 05' M271 engine.

Also, lots of canadian / us dealership use the method of sucking out oil from the dipstick instead of draining it from the drain bolt. That explains why the oil turns black quickly after fresh oil change.

anyhow, i'll stay with the M1 0W40 euro formula. But I'll drain the oil from the drain bolt on the bottom of the engine.

Cheers,
BWCO

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
bwco - You said:
"However, the 4 cyclinder supercharged engines had aluminum head and aluminum bottom ends. And it's among the first few DOHC engines Mercedes made

Benz have been making DOHC engines for some decade or a few. They were pioneers in light metal engine construction (ALuSil and etc - block/heads)- and the M271 engine which I was referring to was a development of the M111 series - and they have been produced in some millions

The head on the M271 is made from ALSi10Mg (very familar to Benz & Porsche) variants of this having ben used since around 1975
The M271 is more likely to have some resonance from the Lanchester balace shafts than from the superchargers - both items have been almost totally bulletproof

I drove the latest version of the M271 engien today on a special road test (along with the V6 diesel) and the M271 still has the same "harshness" that was in my first one when they were first released here in OZ some years ago

Your are wise to drain from below, use a MB filter (MANN and etc) and your selection of M1 0W-40 is most wise! I normally use Delvac 1 5W-40 in my engines but the M271 is best kept on M1 0W-40 - it has many "hydraulic" actuators etc that depend on a almost linear lubricant flow cold to hot - like Porsche engines do

 

[bwco]

Thanks doug. That's good to know.

I said that mercedes haven't been making DOHC engine just ebcause I don't see much DOHC engines here in North america. Most engine that make are SOHC. I mean, relatively more in SOHC. Those big chunky V8 and V6 are mostly SOHC. But the special amg vehicles back then is DOHC.

Well, I'll try to stay with M1 0W40. We don't have much choice here in Canada. Especially when 1 quart of M1 is like $12 CAD$. It's like $5/quart in the USA.

I always stick with mahle/mann/fleece etc

but thanks for the reconfirmation and info !

 

[ez_livin]

I would think the Quaker oil would do a good job for you, and it's cheaper than Mobil 1. Good luck!