Oil Change - Regular Oil vs. Sythentic (A lesson learned...) and a question?
So, I'm going to sound very ignorant here but for the longest time I thought regular oil was ok to use on my ML320. Thats until a guy who also drives an ML320 showed me a letter from MB stating that regular Oil can cause serious damage to the engine....
Today I finally took the car in to get the oil changed. They asked me if I want to go with full synthetic (lower end?) or a Mobile-1 (Higher end, which is what I went with, comments?), and the minute they removed the oil cap, they said the engine was backed up with sludge. Paid an arm and a leg to get it cleaned but the car is finally running like it should. It is MUCH Better on gas now. So for anyone who didn't realize it yet, use synthetic. if everyone already realized, then I'm sorry for being so ignorant thus far
Also, a question - My E-Box fan was squealing as usual during the winter, but now I'm hearing little "bird chip" like noise coming from the same area at random times. I"m guessing its finally starting to crap out? suggestions?
are you sure those are sludge? did you see it? The yellowish mayonaise stuff is normal in winter for the ML, it's just a mixture of water and oil. It does go away when the weather gets warmer. You were probably taken advantange of by the oil change place.
Vehicle: 2002 ML 500, 1994 Ford Explorer donated to Doctors without Borders
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 2,051
Quote:
Originally Posted by supradupe
You were probably taken advantange of by the oil change place.
Supra... You sound like the lawyer commercials on TV. "You took your ML in for service. Was it malpractice? Call ME and I can get YOU the money you deserve! Call now, 1-800-myA$$israw"
Regular oil does not cause "serious damage" if the oil is changed at appropriate intervals. Oil provides lubrication. Over time, oil looses it's viscosity. So, if the oil is changed regularly, then no damage would occur.
About the E-box fan, change that fan (it's about $75). Do a search on this forum. There are many threads on this topic.
Regular oil does not cause "serious damage" if the oil is changed at appropriate intervals. Oil provides lubrication. Over time, oil looses it's viscosity. So, if the oil is changed regularly, then no damage would occur.
About the E-box fan, change that fan (it's about $75). Do a search on this forum. There are many threads on this topic.
Say again?
Regular oil WILL DAMAGE THE ENGINE. Even reasonable regular intervals will likely cause sludging. The previous owner of my 99ML had the oil changed at the dealer every 5000 miles but they used conventional oil, before they knew better, hence why MB issued the letter. There was a surprising amount of sludge in my engine and I cleaned it out. I've used nothing but Mobil1 since I've had it and will use nothing else.
__________________ Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.- Mark Twain
Say again?
Regular oil WILL DAMAGE THE ENGINE. Even reasonable regular intervals will likely cause sludging. The previous owner of my 99ML had the oil changed at the dealer every 5000 miles but they used conventional oil, before they knew better, hence why MB issued the letter. There was a surprising amount of sludge in my engine and I cleaned it out. I've used nothing but Mobil1 since I've had it and will use nothing else.
I disagree, I bought my 98 ML in Sept 98, was using dino oil and oil change every 5-6 k, never had any problem. I switched to Mobil 1 only after receiving the letter from MBUSA which was sometime in 2000. I don't know how and what you did to clean it out, and I don't expect that a casual DIYer can clean out those sludge (if exists) in their garage.
are you sure those are sludge? did you see it? The yellowish mayonaise stuff is normal in winter for the ML, it's just a mixture of water and oil. It does go away when the weather gets warmer. You were probably taken advantange of by the oil change place.
No it was thick dark sludge. The cap was completely covered with it. From the looks of it, others on this forum had the same issue though.
So, I'm going to sound very ignorant here but for the longest time I thought regular oil was ok to use on my ML320. Thats until a guy who also drives an ML320 showed me a letter from MB stating that regular Oil can cause serious damage to the engine....
...
Remember MB also has a memo that the transmission fluid is lifetime and does not need
to be changed.
I concur that the cap residue has nothing to do with the engine sludge.
Our almost 10 years old ML320 was running on dino oil for about 4 years with 13k intervals. Maybe it is because of that that it reminds the most reliable MB on the Earth at this time?
How many other owners spend $120 in 10 years for the repairs?
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