oil change
 

Anyone out there have a good idea for not making a mess on the M class during an oil change. I seem to get oil all over the frame, front driving linkage, and everywhere in between.

RE: oil change
 

HELLO DJWEISER - assuming you are referring to pouring in the oil inlet - if you are in America(i am in Europe) - when i change oil our 5l oil cans are square-ish so if i pour the oil with the neck at the top end (rather than at the bottom end of the cannister) i find i can control the pouring and amount of the oil a lot easier- good luck Andy

RE: oil change
 

If you are referring to an oil change drainage mess.... check out the forum/ discussion on vacuuming your oil out thru the dipstick. No getting under the car and no mess. The filter is still a somewhat hands-dirty operation but the oil thru the dipstick technique is great. Check it out. There are plenty of discussions out there on this very subject. Liquivac is the company/brand that I have used for the past 3 years. I will never use the drain bolt again. Good luck.

RE: oil change
 

Use a funnel or cut an empty 2 litter soda bottle to use as a funnel. Place funnel under oil drain. No mess on frame.

RE: oil change
 

Hi, I would like to know what brand of oil do I used on my Mecedes 1999 ML430.. Do you think is best that I change my own oil .. or should I go to the service at the dealership to change it... Thanks so much for you help. Please respond on your convenience time..

Thanks
Nhoum..

RE: oil change
 

The brand is not as important as the weight and frequency. Read your manual and follow the intervals. Pick a nice synthetic that you are comfortable buying. Best of luck to you.

RE: oil change
 

thank you scuddog....synthetic (0 w 40) is ok...?my ml 430 mileage is 72000
or i use (0 w 30)

Oil
 

Sir, OW-40 is fine and is recommended by many on this forum. Whisper anything but this weight of oil and you will be electronically crucified. Some harsh replies make it sound like you are literally destroying your engine if you don't put Mobil 1 0W-40 in at every change. Your sled has enough miles to be properly broken in. Pick a weight that you feel is the best for your car and stick with the intervals that you choose for oil changes. Save some money and change the filter and oil yourself. There are plenty of threads on this site to show you how. You can save a ton of money and it's a kind of bonding with your vehicle.

Now for the atom-bomb.... I'll get killed for this.... I use............................5W-30 in my E320. OMG. I'm absolutely destroying my car! Ha! Right. Amsoil, Mobil 1, Quaker State, Valvoline.... no matter except the Amsoil is usually too expensive for me to justify buying for my 174,000 mile ride. I don't have smoking, ticking, oil burning or "apparent" sludge issues. In fact, I have successfully removed most of the sludge that was in my 3 owner car by a meticulous oil change schedule. Maybe when I roll over 250K miles, which is the mileage at which I will sell my car.... I will have truly broken it in.

Good luck to you. The bottom line is this.... fresh oil is always better than old oil and some oil is always better than none. Good luck!

Hi...Can I used any brand of oil for my mercedes Ml430? Because I just brought this car, and I want to do the oil change myself, I want to make sure that I don't mess anything up. I know you recommend Mobil1 brand... But I just want to make sure that I can used another brand...
thank you.... again.....

You need 9 quarts of oil from Autozone ($6.50 each) and one OEM filter from dealer or e-bay. Do this every 10,000 miles with Mobil 1 Full synthetic 0W40 European Formula oil and don't worry. I have 152,000 miles on my '99 ML320 with perfectly running engine and doing my own maintenance also replacing intake and cabin air filter at the time of oil change. I would not recommend using any other brand/weight oil.