Mobil 1 synthetic is recommended. Some of the dinosaurs on the board are running regular oil and changing it every 100-500 miles or so. MB says change oil and filter at 10,000 miles. Better for the environment that way, too.
Hmm.. why (or who) would anyone change oil EVERY 100-500 miles?
Hmm.. why (or who) would anyone change oil EVERY 100-500 miles?
Some believe that MB has put a "break in oil" into their cars at manufacturer that needs to be changed very early (not true). Some think that engines need to have factory installed oil replaced early because of abnormal wear during the first few hundred miles (also not true).
smart recommends the first oil/filter change at 10,000 miles (or one year) and every 10,000 miles after that.
You can see the schedule in your owners manual. The best place to find what the manufacturer recommends. You can also find this information at www.smart.com.
I like what Fred wrote in the other thread, actually, and subscribed to his views. Never knew what 'breaking in' an engine was like, and I've owned about forty vehicles in my lifetime so far..
Maybe "easier" is not the right word. He said something about "modern" engines, and how they are made now, and oils, german engineering, and race cars, etc. etc. ...
I can say that I have been involved in the break-in of a few race engines in my time. There is no magic in how engines are cast and machined, just the quality of components and how carefully they are assembled (aka "blueprinting"). The engines were run-in on high detergent fossil oil for about 500 miles, opened, cylinder bores and bearing surfaces inspected for uniform burnishing (not wear), buttoned-up, and filled with synthetic oil. During the same time the run-in oil filters were cut and the fossil oil analysed.
Last edited by Old smart; 03-30-2008 at 05:51 PM.
Reason: sp.
Facts:
> The car comes from the manufacture with full synthetic motor oil in it
> Full synthetic motor oil has exceptionally high shear strength
> The mass assembled motor has NOT had the piston rings seated yet
> High shear strength oils delay the wear in, seating process
> To date 100% of everyone, who looked, has reported some amount of visible wear material in the used oil
> No member on SCOA has ever recommended 3000 mile or more frequent oil changes
> Because this is a hard working small motor with high load demand and high cruising RPM, several of us think 10,000 miles is a very long change interval, and suggest something in the 5000~7500 mile range
> No member of SCOA has ever suggested NOT using the recommended full synthetic oils for the life of the motor
> Some of us have recommended a particular break in procedure with conventional oil to speed up the break in and increase the probability of a longer life motor that should use less oil between changes
> No member of SCOA has suggested that the factory oil, is a break in oil
> If the piston speed during wear in is briefly too fast, the probability of galling, super heating, or coking the oil film is very high
> Changing out the factory full synthetic oil early, will reduce the level of wear materials and micro fine honing residue that are flushed from all the nooks and crannies during the break in period
BEFORE WEAR IN
\/ cylinder wall honing grooves
>
>
> [top compression ring] <
>
>
AFTER WEAR IN
\/ cylinder wall honing grooves
]
]
][ Top compression ring ] [
]
]
I took mine for an oil change at 1200 miles due in large part to the forums here. I was told much the same from the Laguna mechanic. Todays engines are computer made, not machined and don't have the debris that was mentioned in other threads. He told me as long as I put Mobil 1 in she would run for another 10,000 miles. He's been a mercedes mechanic for years and I believed what he was telling me. I will be calling him in the future if I'm not sure about something.
It cost $100 and they did the points inspection, etc. and washed it. At this point I feel like it was worth it for piece of mind and it did no harm. I was the first oil change at Laguna and he thanked me, saying he'd been waiting for the first guinea pig.
... Todays engines are computer made, not machined and don't have the debris that was mentioned in other threads. ...
Huh?? The process may be computer controlled, but the boring, milling, drilling, honing, de-burring, threading, etc. are all done with machine tools with a cutting edge or abrasive. Computers are "brains" not "hands."
Hey Smarties........(I mean wadda I know....I'm just a GIRL!!)
All this dialog about changing oils, when to do it, mileage on vehicle, synthetic or organic, small filings in oil pan and maybe a brautwurst or two, in my opinion is **- like "bovine scatology". I mean - like, what's wrong with following the book as recommended from/by MB!! If the engine craps out ** hey!! mon I did it your way!! Also, as an aside, what the HEY is an oil filter there for anyway,.........am I imagining that it is there to seperate out particulate matter that "could" get back in to the crank shaft or moving internal parts of the engine, or what ever?? I'm thinking that I just might change my oil after every trip to the grocery market.!! Don't want to endanger my motor!! (Wadda Ya Thunk??)....
Evelyne
Hey Smarties........(I mean wadda I know....I'm just a GIRL!!)
All this dialog about changing oils, when to do it, mileage on vehicle, synthetic or organic, small filings in oil pan and maybe a brautwurst or two, in my opinion is **- like "bovine scatology". I mean - like, what's wrong with following the book as recommended from/by MB!! If the engine craps out ** hey!! mon I did it your way!! Also, as an aside, what the HEY is an oil filter there for anyway,.........am I imagining that it is there to seperate out particulate matter that "could" get back in to the crank shaft or moving internal parts of the engine, or what ever?? I'm thinking that I just might change my oil after every trip to the grocery market.!! Don't want to endanger my motor!! (Wadda Ya Thunk??)....
Evelyne
You should be just fine following smarts recommended service intervals. Have fun
karl
Huh?? The process may be computer controlled, but the boring, milling, drilling, honing, de-burring, threading, etc. are all done with machine tools with a cutting edge or abrasive. Computers are "brains" not "hands."
Just telling you what he told me. I know nothing when it comes to this stuff but I do know if I listened to everything that was recommended I'd be real poor - real fast. I think I'll stick to what the manual says in the future, that's all.
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