ive heard of that as well, however its just a threory. in my opinion, if its going to go, its going to go. i just changed mine at 130k for what i believe was the first time and its running fine now. i used mobil 1's gear lubricant found in almost any autoparts store. i wanted to use synthetic so thats what i went with, now i have synthetic trans fluid, synthetic diff fluid and using synthetic oil.. hopefully ill experience some fuel savings with those fluids
there are no additives necessary. i use a 60k service interval, same interval as my tranny fluid. cant remember if thats what my service cd said or if there just wasnt an interval stated and i made one up haha.
I have heard that about changing old fluids in trans and diffs, but it doesn't make sense to me: If your diff is ready to blow with a fluid change, it is ready to blow anyway. Differentials are very stout. I would definitely change it. YMMV
Brake fluid should be changed at two year intervals. Bleeding is a two person job unless you have a power bleeder or speed bleeders. It also helps to have a fluid extractor for a complete change. Check the color of the brake fluid in the reservoir, if it is brown, it likely needs change. If it is low, you likely need brake pads/rotors or both.
Power steering fluid change requires a fluid extractor. I have not changed mine, but we have a PS fluid filter that can be changed. Might start there.
Exactly (75w 90). $9 seems steep. Autozone, etc. usually have it for around $6-7. Does your car have LSD? If not, that additive is not necessary if you are paying a premium for it. However, it won't hurt your diff if it doesn't.
Dot 4 synthetic is what I use. Dot 5 is overkill unless you are racing and reaching very high temps.
i used ate type 200 or its also called ate super gold. that fluid is dot 4+ i believe is fairly inexpensive from autohaus or any other supplier.
as for power steering fluid i changed mine to synthetic, pentosin chf 11s. i also replaced the filter with a mann or mahle, whatever was available to buy. the change out was very simple. you open up the reservoir, pull out the old filter, suck out the old fluid, replace filter, fill with new fluid, then start car and turn the wheel back and forth several times and then repeat the sucking out of fluid and filling with new. i did this until my 1L can of fluid was almost all gone and the power steering reservoir was at the full mark. the ps fluid is more expensive than brake fluid, i think mine was around 30 dollars, however i did notice a difference in steering.
there are serveral great diy on here for both brakes and ps fluid. G-AMG does them the best :thumbsup:
For what you are going to pay a mechanic, go out and buy yourself a power bleeder, and do the job yourself... Nothing like the satisfaction of caring for your baby.... YOURSELF!
Plus, you KNOW the job was done... correctly!!
I have heard of STEALERSHIPS just "Exchanging" the fluid in the Reservoir... and that's it!! What a JOKE!
The Differentials and Brake bleeding procedures are, literally, a "2 out of 10" on the mechanical difficulty scale.
You will need a litre of Brake fluid (MB, ATE200, Castrol GTLMA are all good, and "easy" on the rubber components), and get 2 bottles of Differential fluid (the diff takes around 1,5 litres).
you can also use a vacuum on the bleeder nipple. i used my extractor, pumped up a vacuum and sucked the old fluid through the line until new stuff came out, then shut the valve and removed the vacuum.
i only used about half of my 1L can of brake fluid to bleed all the brakes and fill the reservoir.
I don't wish to "stir the pot", but I think alot of folks would argue that applying vacuum to a brake circut is not a good thing... the rationale being it is more likely to promote microbubble formation.
Another better option would be the "One Way Valve" bleeders available. You place it on the bleeding nipple, unscrew the nipple, then you "Pump the brakes" (aka "old school bleeding"), which supplies sufficient pressure to the brake circut to flush the system nicely, but the "one way valve" prevents air being sucked in.
interesting, i never knew that. why do people think it makes micro bubbles? because it makes negative pressure, causing gasses to come out of a solution more likely?
I am running 5w40 motor oil in the C 230 now, the guys at the shop asked me 3 times if I want this stuff, because it said for diesels on the outside of mob 1 jug.
I looked at the blue clear break fluid and it wasn't brown after 12 years, is that strange??
Even Harbor Freight carries a "one man bleeder kit" for a few bucks and it works just fine. The bottle is a little smal for changing out the fluid though. I did ours when we changed out the stock rims for the blingy ones we bought from a CLK. I had my Wife pumping the pedal on command and I rocked it at the wheel cylinders. Piece of cake and no strain on the Marraige either.
I think the service schedule says something about changing the brake fluid every so often but I can't recall the interval.
I did not notice although someone may have mentioned... Start with the farthest wheel from the Master Cylinder and work towards it.
Good Luck to all and Welcome back G-AMG!:thumbsup:
the 5w40 oil you bought is the correct stuff. it says turbo diesel on it, but it can be used in any type of car. our cars just happen to call for the simillar weight and viscosity of most turbodiesel cars. if you look up your car on mobiles website they will tell you 0w-40. since you are in a hotter climate i highly recommend 5w-40 since it has a higher weight and will provide you better protection in the higher temperatures.
the last time my i had a car serviced at the dealership here in jacksonville, fl. the dealer put in 5w-40 in my clk430 which is not a diesel or turbo. its just a plain 4.3L V8
i use it in my c220 as well. this has been brought up several times on this forum, but i use 5000 mile oil change intervals and my fluid is never black. it is amber/brown when i remove it. if you use a high quality filter and synthetic fluid im sure you could wait 10,000 miles to change your oil, but im not that brave. alot of newer cars have 7,500 mile service intervals even on conventional motor oils!
I WAS READING ABOUT THE catalysts, AND that there were problems with this oil WEIGHT.
I read where in another MB forum, same question by someone else lead to people giving advise to replace oil with 0w40.
MY OIL IS LIGHT BROWN AS WELL AT 5000 MILES WITH SYNTHETIC AND I BELIEVE 3000 MILES TO CHANGE IS OVER KILL.
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