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Wrong oil was used

3K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  Blu-spot 
#1 ·
Shortly after buying my 98 SLK230 three months ago (and before I discovered this forum) I took it to an indy MB repair shop for some repairs. Among other things, they did an A service. Today while filing some paperwork, I noticed that the bill indicated they used 6 qts of "10w30 oil", $24.00 It seems to me at that price and description, they didn't use synthetic oil. Needless to say, I'll soon be changing the oil again myself with 0w40 Mobil 1. I've put about 3000 miles on the car since then. Is there any problem switching back and forth between synthetic and non-synthetic?
 
#6 ·
berk said:
well if its 3000 miles and non syn oil then it IS due! i would also give that shop the finger!
As soon as I get a pump and a filter, that's what I'm going to do. Is my capacity 6.5 qts?

By the way, I'm calling the shop tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll flip them off virtually by mentioning their name:

:asshat: J. Frank Motors on Lafayette Road in Indianapolis. :twak:
 
#8 ·
berk said:
i think 6 qts does mine up nice. i need to do my filter also, but i cant get the filter cover cover off. i guess i tightened it too much last time. anyone have a good deal on the special thing that removes it?
Mine was $15 on Ebay, last week someone posted up a US shop that sells them.

Bazzle
 
#10 ·
oberoi said:
When renewing the filter and dropping the oil, a 5 litre can of oil takes me 1/4 inch from top (full mark)

I think your US quarts are very close to litres?

(just checked - 1 litre = .946 US qts)

Oberoi
Uh, no... other way around. 1 qt = .946 l

According to http://www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm

1 liter = 1.056 688 205 quart [US, liquid] or
1 liter = 33.814 022 559 ounce [US, liquid]

so

5 liter = 5.283 441 025 quart [US, liquid]

But thanks anyway. Sounds like I need 6 quarts (US)
 
#11 ·
theres a lot of cheapskates out there who blend synth and dino oil, so there's no harm done at worst. amsoil has a euopean car formula that use in my 72 280SE 4.5 it only has to be changed every 25,000 miles, but i still change the filter every 3,000, and just top off the difference, so i save about $97.65/year on oil changes, or three detailing jobs as i like to see it. since i switched it over, i also got 3.5 extra miles to the gallon, gas is $2.60/gal here, so that's a huge savings for me. might want to check'em out at amsoil.com.
 
#12 ·
WB9AXO said:
Uh, no... other way around. 1 qt = .946 l

According to http://www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm

QUOTE]

You're right - damn the dyslexia!

Thanks for the conversion table. Loved the ancient hebrew and german quarts.

It's not so surprising that the odd Boeing 737 runs out of fuel occasionally with all the different measures in use!

When are you guys going to join the rest of the civilised world and go metric? You stopped at the US dollar and could now be enjoying Hectares/kilopascals/megahertz and newton-metres.

(I know I'm going to regret posting this)

Oberoi
 
#14 ·
berk said:
i think 6 qts does mine up nice. i need to do my filter also, but i cant get the filter cover cover off. i guess i tightened it too much last time. anyone have a good deal on the special thing that removes it?
I recently changed my oil and put a post of the method I used and where I got the parts. Whoever changed the filter last on mine put it pretty darn tight so I had to buy the filter cap remover. I found them rather cheap at WalMart and your basic Autoparts stores (Autozone, Pep Boys). I actually bought mine at a place called Advanced Auto which has them for a little over 5 dollars. Pretty cheap. You just need a 1/4 in ratchet drive to take it off with. Just be sure you check the number of sides your filter cap has and get the correct filter cap remover. I initially bought the 14 fluted one when I needed the 15 fluted one. (Or was it the other way around??)

Blu-spot, I also use Amsoil (love that stuff) and I'm just waiting on a few tank fill ups to see what the mileage is. I wouldn't have thought it made that much of a difference in mileage though. On my truck I got MAYBE a half mpg better. I didn't think you had to change the filter every 3k miles though. I thought the whole purpose of this type of filter was to extend the oil change intervals to 10k miles.
 
#15 ·
25,000 miles?!?!? Are you having the oil lab tested on a periodic basis?

After all, a filter can only remove particulate contaminants -- and even then only down to a certain size. It can't remove chemical contaiminants at all.

Personally, I wouldn't leave ANY oil in a crankcase for 25K miles...no matter how many snakes were made to use it!
 
#16 ·
page62 said:
25,000 miles?!?!? Are you having the oil lab tested on a periodic basis?

Personally, I wouldn't leave ANY oil in a crankcase for 25K miles...no matter how many snakes were made to use it!
Actually I think on the paperwork that comes with the oil (or was it on their site)there is something that says you can go longer than that between changes under ideal conditions. Something like up in the 30k range. It then says under heavy traffic, stop n go, dusty conditions you may want to consider changing oil at 17,500 miles. They say they stand behind their product and that it outlasts pretty much all othe oils. I'm sure they've done the testing but I'm still quite hesitant to follow their extended interval guidelines. Know what I mean?
 
#17 ·
Blu-spot said:
try owning a Jeep and a Mercedes, and switching back and forth from SAE to Metric tools. It's a nightmare
I didn't get this. With Jeep, only tools you need are a pipe wrench, a torch, a drill and a good tap and die set. Because all the bolts and nuts are rusted anyway so the only way to deal with them is to heat them with a torch and then have big enough pipe wrench to get them loose or most of the time, cut them and then get a new bolt in place.:crybaby2:

(ex-owner:D of a '89 Cherokee and a '99 Grand Cherokee Limited)

(also ex-owner of a '93 Ford Thunderbird and therefore, I will go to Heaven since I already have experienced Hell on Earth:p )
 
#18 ·
Gunk Flush

First of all it's nothing to worry about too much, the old nonsynthetic oil. But I use Gunk Flush. You put it in before you drain, and run the engine 5 minutes. Then you get a much better drain that pulls out more grunge, sludge, grime, gunk, and most importantly, gludge.
 
#19 ·
JaxSLK230 said:
I recently changed my oil and put a post of the method I used and where I got the parts. Whoever changed the filter last on mine put it pretty darn tight so I had to buy the filter cap remover. I found them rather cheap at WalMart and your basic Autoparts stores (Autozone, Pep Boys). I actually bought mine at a place called Advanced Auto which has them for a little over 5 dollars. Pretty cheap. You just need a 1/4 in ratchet drive to take it off with. Just be sure you check the number of sides your filter cap has and get the correct filter cap remover. I initially bought the 14 fluted one when I needed the 15 fluted one. (Or was it the other way around??)

Blu-spot, I also use Amsoil (love that stuff) and I'm just waiting on a few tank fill ups to see what the mileage is. I wouldn't have thought it made that much of a difference in mileage though. On my truck I got MAYBE a half mpg better. I didn't think you had to change the filter every 3k miles though. I thought the whole purpose of this type of filter was to extend the oil change intervals to 10k miles.

Normally that's true, I'm just neurotic about filters, I'm in the hight dessert, and there's dust everywhere.
 
#20 ·
finntexan said:
I didn't get this. With Jeep, only tools you need are a pipe wrench, a torch, a drill and a good tap and die set. Because all the bolts and nuts are rusted anyway so the only way to deal with them is to heat them with a torch and then have big enough pipe wrench to get them loose or most of the time, cut them and then get a new bolt in place.:crybaby2:

(ex-owner:D of a '89 Cherokee and a '99 Grand Cherokee Limited)

(also ex-owner of a '93 Ford Thunderbird and therefore, I will go to Heaven since I already have experienced Hell on Earth:p )
mine's an 89 cherokee, LOL, from what I've hard about the jeep line, I think i may have gotten the only reliable on off the line. no need for the wrench or torch, the nuts and bolts do a fine job falling off by themselves.......all by themselves.
 
#21 ·
page62 said:
25,000 miles?!?!? Are you having the oil lab tested on a periodic basis?

After all, a filter can only remove particulate contaminants -- and even then only down to a certain size. It can't remove chemical contaiminants at all.

Personally, I wouldn't leave ANY oil in a crankcase for 25K miles...no matter how many snakes were made to use it!
they have a kit where I send the used filter off to get tested, with the residual oil in it for analysis, then they send me a printout of water and acid levels, trace elements etc..all withing safety margines. the oil amsoil sells in itself has chemicals that neutralize most of the chemical contaminates.
 
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