Originally Posted by
nickwe21
A few things I have learned from an AMG engineer in Affalterbach, Germany.
1) The American oil change intervals claimed by service stations are just to make money for them (3,000 miles usually). Per the engineer, synthetic oils can easily last 10-12K miles and sometimes more. He does caveat this with the fact that it's good quality oil (like 0W40 or 5W40).
2) Most importantly he said is that there is always enough oil in the engine - to him that was more important than these low mileage oil changes.
3) ALWAYS use a synthetic filter, NOT paper.
4) Mercedes Dealerships do NOT release the oil from under the vehicle. They use pneumatic pumps to extract the oil from the top, which is why oil and filter are readily available to withdraw from the top. He said that is perfectly fine and he claims if it's a good pump, taking your time, and the car is either perfectly straight or slightly lifted in the read, you will get as much out, if not more, than releasing from the bottom. If you have deposits in the pan, they won't come out if you release from the bottom.
I do trust the experts. I know some of those statements might come as a surprise. But was very interesting talking to him and seeing the factory. High tech, super clean, very cool place and fascinating.
So, after all the excellent explanations and research done by my fellow Forum members, I am now a newly converted "Extraction From The Top" Car Guy. All I have to do is save up the money for the equipment (and survive the current total brake job I am doing, but more about that later...)
There has actually been one more happenstance that helped with the conversion. I took my Porsche Boxster to my trustworthy and expert Indy shop for a full suspension refresh (yeah - at age 74 those days are behind me - thank goodness!). While I have touted the benefits of crawling under the car for an oil change and inspecting the components and parts underneath at the same time, it turns out that I missed some things that could only be discovered on a lift (or by a person with a rubber neck and X-ray vision). As you can imagine, most of the issues involved aged rubber parts and bushings that had broken in spots practically impossible to see on one's back. My Indy (who has done great work on my Crossfire) will actually do these inspections free (no mystery as to why, but they are scrupulously honest). So, henceforth, I change the oil from above, and let the pros with the lifts do the inspection underneath. On behalf of my back, my neck, my shoulders, and my skull (yeah - I invariably bounce my head off of something under there) I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for showing me the error of my ways, and pointing me toward the light (NO not THAT light! I am a young 74 year old Car Guy) Thanks!
I would appreciate some recommendations about some of the better units out there for topside extraction.