Which synthetic oil??
- Thread starter LDB
- Start date
RLENT
Veteran Expediter
Good question .... and probably a hard one to answer - since it depends on how you define "best".
I use Mobil 1 0w-40 synthetic - it's a good oil. I generally get around 15K miles before the oil quality sensor says it's time to change.
Is it the best ? I dunno .... but Mercedes thinks it's good enough to use as the factory fill ... which says something.
Does the oil life remaining monitor have a way to differentiate between oils or is it set for "standard" oils? If the oil life indicator goes 7500 miles with dino oil is it going to do about the same with synthetic based on hours/miles/temps etc. or is it going to give around a 15k 100-0 span (based on the generality of double the life with synthetic oil)?
RLENT
Veteran Expediter
That was without the bypass - just using the stock, full-flow filter that comes on the engine from the factory.
And I had that oil analyzed at that point (at change, when the sensor said it was due) and Blackstone said it was still good enough to run more miles. (I'm guessing that it could easily go 20K on an '06 and earlier Sprinter with just the stock filter)
With the bypass filter I've gone over 50K miles IIRC, before changing out the oil. Of course the oil was being refreshed constantly (every 5K miles or so) due to the make up oil being added (usually around 1/2 quart or so)
That bypass filter (a TP filter) currently isn't on the van - I pulled it off to replace the TP filter with a centrifuge (to avoid having to change the TP - I'm lazy
) and haven't gotten around to completing the swap - so I'm just running the stock filter at the moment.
Last edited:
RLENT
Veteran Expediter
Leo,
That is my understanding - that the sensor was designed and calibrated to work specifically with at least one particular oil: Mobil 1 0w40 European Car Formula synthetic.
It might also work with others (either dino or syn) - I'll try and check and see if I can find out more on it.
The sensor itself measures the dielectric (or resistance) properties of the oil - but IIRC supposedly the computer or maintenance system that the sensor is hooked up to uses other data as well to determine when the oil should be changed - such as how much the engine is idled, short trips vs. long trips, etc., etc. (examples only, not sure if those items are actually what the system is looking at)
It appears that the system is fairly conservative, telling you to change the oil well before it is in a degraded condition.
(Interestingly, I had the oil condition checked when I was running the bypass filter at around 35K miles or something like that, using the Chrysler DRB-III service tool/diagnostic computer. The built-in maintenance computer on the vehicle had said to change the oil long before that - the DRB-III however showed the oil condition to be in reasonably good condition)
I'm not really sure - since I have never run anything except Mobil 1 synthetic.
Last edited:
In your GM Leo the oil life monitor will not adapt to the different oil. I ran synthetic and dino in the Duramax and it never changed it always flagged a service between 10 and 12,000 miles based on the season (shorter in the winter). I am reasonably sure the GM system does not measure oil condition like a Sprinter, it simply uses a history of load, temp, and length of trip algorithms. The math is based on regular oil. When I ran synthetic I would add 50%.
In the 07 Sprinter when you re-set the oil life at a service, you are given 3 choices based on the oil you put in (reset std, .31 and .51 based on the MB spec # and all are synthetic) and in Europe the van will then change it's time factor. In NA, the time is fixed at 10,000 miles no matter what the oil spec is. One of the other cool features on an older Sprinter that is no longer on the newer ones.
In the 07 Sprinter when you re-set the oil life at a service, you are given 3 choices based on the oil you put in (reset std, .31 and .51 based on the MB spec # and all are synthetic) and in Europe the van will then change it's time factor. In NA, the time is fixed at 10,000 miles no matter what the oil spec is. One of the other cool features on an older Sprinter that is no longer on the newer ones.
The Sprinter's Oil Quality Sensor (the ASSYST settings in the computer, actually) is indeed calibrated specifically to Mobile 1 0W-40 synthetic oil, but MB says any synthetic oil on The List will also work. Regardless of which synthetic you use, at RLENT said it will err on the side of caution and tell you to change oil well before you really need to. I haven't done one in a while, but every oil analysis I had done showed that 20,000 between oil changes was very doable. Probably not on a single filter, tho. I change my filter every 7500 miles or so, and have only once gone more than 10,000 miles (it was 11,500) on a single filter.
There was a short period of time (about 6 months) where Shell Rotella T was the initial fill, and MB stated that particular dino oil was the only one that the ASSYST would work reliably with. But they then moved back to Mobile 1, so I'm not sure if the Rotella T did, in fact, work with the ASSYST as advertised.
Piper:
The MB Spec for 06 and earlier Sprinters is 229.5, and the new oil is 229.51. The older Sprinters actually have four different specs that can be used, as per The List:
228.3
228.5
229.3
229.5
Mobile 1 0W-40 is both a 229.5 and a 229.3 MB spec oil.
I think the 07 and later manual lists MB 228.51, 229.3, 229.31, 229.5 and 229.51 as the oil spec, but you have to be careful with that, as the gasoline engines in the new Sprinters can use those spec oils, but the new diesel engines need the 229.51 spec oil (anything ending in .x1 is fine for the diesels, but the .51 is preferred).
One has to remember that the Sprinter, later models in particular (and many other vehicles more and more), are a complicated system as a whole, and not just an engine. The oil has a more direct effect on the engine, to be sure, but it also has a direct effect on everything from the many various and sundry sensors to the EGR valve to the DPF. Using the wrong oil may very well have no discernible detrimental effect on the engine, but it may be royally mucking up the EGR valve, the DPF filter, the O2 sensor, lots of things. Stick to The List. Always stick to The List.
There was a short period of time (about 6 months) where Shell Rotella T was the initial fill, and MB stated that particular dino oil was the only one that the ASSYST would work reliably with. But they then moved back to Mobile 1, so I'm not sure if the Rotella T did, in fact, work with the ASSYST as advertised.
Piper:
The MB Spec for 06 and earlier Sprinters is 229.5, and the new oil is 229.51. The older Sprinters actually have four different specs that can be used, as per The List:
228.3
228.5
229.3
229.5
Mobile 1 0W-40 is both a 229.5 and a 229.3 MB spec oil.
I think the 07 and later manual lists MB 228.51, 229.3, 229.31, 229.5 and 229.51 as the oil spec, but you have to be careful with that, as the gasoline engines in the new Sprinters can use those spec oils, but the new diesel engines need the 229.51 spec oil (anything ending in .x1 is fine for the diesels, but the .51 is preferred).
One has to remember that the Sprinter, later models in particular (and many other vehicles more and more), are a complicated system as a whole, and not just an engine. The oil has a more direct effect on the engine, to be sure, but it also has a direct effect on everything from the many various and sundry sensors to the EGR valve to the DPF. Using the wrong oil may very well have no discernible detrimental effect on the engine, but it may be royally mucking up the EGR valve, the DPF filter, the O2 sensor, lots of things. Stick to The List. Always stick to The List.
comet_4298
Seasoned Expediter
It's a job trying to find oil for my 07 sprinter,so today I just got some Amsoil sitting at my front door ,so I hope I made the right choice.
I was putting Mobile 1 0w-40w European Car Formula,but found out that was not the right MB#,so I hope I didn't hurt anything.
I like starting one oil and stick with it.........but this MB costing me more than my big truck,so much for cutting overhead by moving into this.
I was putting Mobile 1 0w-40w European Car Formula,but found out that was not the right MB#,so I hope I didn't hurt anything.
I like starting one oil and stick with it.........but this MB costing me more than my big truck,so much for cutting overhead by moving into this.
Last edited:
DannyD
Veteran Expediter
I don't know which one is the best for sure. I'm partial to Mobile 1 though. Others may be just as good. Again I don't know. I'm happy enough w/ Mobile 1 that I'll keep w/ it unless I happen to find out another brand is even better.
So at the very worst, ya can't go wrong w/ Mobile 1 as it's pretty dang good.
So at the very worst, ya can't go wrong w/ Mobile 1 as it's pretty dang good.
RLENT
Veteran Expediter
You can source the proper Mobil 1 oil for '07 and later Sprinter diesels at Mercedes dealerships - I understand from a friend that it is significantly cheaper than at Dodge dealers (about on par with M1 0w40 European Car Formula)
Use of the incorrect oil will poison the DPF (diesel particulate filter)
Last edited:
Care to expand on that?
RLENT
Veteran Expediter
Just to clarify - finding M1 for the '06 and earlier Sprinter diesels is generally no problem - it's the '07's and later diesels that are so fussy ...
Dealers and SOME lube shops have M-1 Ow40 Euro blend in 55 G barrels...take your empty gallon jugs in and negotiate a refill price...