First Oil Change

scottym

Member
Hey all,
Time is getting near for our first 10K service which I think all is needed is an oil change for our 2006.

Anyhow, my question to you all, does it "have" to be done by a certified sprinter dealer to keep the warranty intact, or going to a local shop will be okay?

The nearest "sprinter" service dealer is 4 hours away and very inconvenient, however there is a "non certified" sprinter dodge dealer 45 minutes away that has done oil changes before on them and they say no problem

What are your thoughts?

Also is there other work required at 10K?

thank you for the help
scott
 

scottym

Member
HK That is great thank you! It even tells me how to reset the ASSYST!

From your PDF, it looks like I should use synthetic with my 06, correct?

Will/would MB/DC honor the home oil change under warranty? (assuming I did everything correct?)

thank you again
scott
 

Nate

Member
In the past I owned a VW passat. The only other vehicle I bought brand new. I did all of my own changes and kept the receipts. When the turbo went on the car the dealer covered the work due to having receipts for the oil and falters that was used.

For the Sprinter I do the same thing and also keep a 1/2 quart of the oil that is drained out. I write the date and mileage on the container.
Why I do this i'm not sure. I just do.

Obviously all dealers are different.
 

contractor

New member
If you have the dealer do it, don't forget the vaseline :bounce: I had the dealer do the first maintenance and it cost $350 plus tax ... the second one at 20K I believe they wanted $450 ... that is when I learned how to do it myself. Necessity is the mother of invention.
 

KL2BE

Member
HK That is great thank you! It even tells me how to reset the ASSYST!

From your PDF, it looks like I should use synthetic with my 06, correct?

Will/would MB/DC honor the home oil change under warranty? (assuming I did everything correct?)

thank you again
scott
:professor:FEDERAL LAW DICTATES THAT AUTO-MANUFACTURERS CANNOT REQIRE DEALER MAINTENANCE (LIKE OIL CHANGES) FOR WARRANTEE PURPOSES UNLESS THE DEALER PROVIDES THE SERVICE FREE OF CHARGE :cheers:.

Two oil specs approved for the 2.7 L I-5 OM647 motor (2006 Sprinter) are MB 228.3 (the 228xx spec is for "Heavy Duty Diesel Trucks") and MB 229.5. (the 229xx spec is for Diesel Autos). The '07 and newer 3.0L V-6 with a Particulate Filter requires MB 228.51 or MB 229.51 (this can also be used on the '06, but is not REQUIRED).
A good standard DIESEL TRUCK oil like Mobil Delvac 1300 Supper 15w-40 or Chevron Delo 400 LE 15w-40 cost around $9/GAllON at WalMart or Costco :thumbup:. Both brands meet the MB 228.3 spec-sheet.:D:. For a 9-10 quart Sprinter oil-change that's still only around $20 :clapping:.
A Mobil 1 or Delvac 1 Synthetic that meets MB 229.51 costs $25-$40/Gallon. I've heard a number of folks on the Forum say the Mobil 1 formula sold by Daimler-Chrysler Dealers runs from $30-$40/Gallon. That's $60-$90 for a DYS oil change...plus a filter! :eek:
IS a Synthetic BETTER???:thinking:

A resounding "NO" according to the many response I got when I posed the Question on "Bob is the Oil Guy" Forum. The Forum address is http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php My specific question about Sprinter oil is at http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1193981&nt=4&fpart=1

Of course, my question was premised on my service; no temperature extremes, primarily highway miles on a Sprinter RV and 10,000 mile change intervals to meet warrantee requirements (my 2006 Sprinter does not have ASYYST).
The advice (which I believe to be sound) is that Synthetic is worth the price ONLY if you anticipate EXTREME service such as either 1) primarily short-trip driving, 2) Sub-zero start-up conditions or 3) extended change intervals. Check it out yourself, but I concur that Syn-oil is a waste of money for the driving conditions I described. The exception might be IF the ASYYST program would give you 20,000 miles between changes:hmmm:. A good question for the Forum might be whether anyone has been able to nurse 20,000 miles from their ASYYST equipped Sprinter with the use of an MB 229.51 Syn-oil.

I'm also a fan of DYS. Not only will you save hundreds (thousands over the life of the Sprinter), you can be sure it is done right!
Absolutely nothing complicated about an oil change; yet there are jillions of stories of Dealer Shops screwing it up anyway.
 

contractor

New member
Hey KL2BE:

How do you keep your records? I have always created a spreadsheet on Excel and filled in the date of change, type of oil, and mileage.
I have a friend who says they will not honor this if there is a warrantee issue unless you have store receipts for the purchase of the supplies? What do you do?

Ken
 

rlent

New member
I dunno if I would trust regular old dino oil on a turbo diesel truck motor with 10K oil change intervals ..... less than half that maybe ..... despite whatever opinions might exist on BITOG.

Mercedes, the maker of the engine, recommends a synthetic - I would assume that they do so for a reason. I also understood that Mobil 1 0w40 came as the factory fill for the Sprinter (T1N's)

My wife has a 2000 VW Passat - not a diesel - but it is a 4 cylinder turbo (.... think high temps cooking your oil ....) VW came out with an advisory strongly recommending the use of synthetic oil ..... after they had to replace a number of motors that had blown due to gunking up (you can find discussion of this on the internet - and it isn't only limited to VW)

So to me running cheap oil seems to be a bit of false economy - YMMV.

I regularly get 12K+ to 13K+ per oil change using the ASSYST maintenance indicator - and I have a friend who regularly gets over 15K and sometimes over 18K using ASSYST. Not really sure why he consistently does better than I do ..... other than he has an '05 and I have an '06. Both of us tend to idle alot (which doesn't do anything as far as extending the life of oil) We have both made it a practice to change out the filter only at around 5K to 7K into the oil change - although I didn't do it this last time.

Generally, with the filters I had been using (STP from Autozone - mostly because that was what they had) if I ran a single filter for the entire oil change, the filter would come out somewhat collapsed in the center, showing evidence of high suction with restricted flow. Interestingly this last oil change I switched filters - I had picked up half a dozen Mann's (I think that's what they were) from EuroParts ...... this time the Mann filter showed no evidence of restriction ...... leading me to think that the STP filter (which looks way cheap compared to the Mann) actually may have filter better. :thinking:

I believe the ASSYST is actually set up to be conservative - and probably recommends service well before it's actually needed, based on the condition of the oil.

I do plan on installing a bypass filter system and trying to extend my oil change interval even further. Attached is a copy of my first oil analysis, done at 117,579 miles - with 14,183 miles since the last change. At that point i was actually somewhere around 300 to 500 miles beyond 0 miles remaining on the ASSYST - so I was overdue.

I will probably get a TAN done along with another TBN at next oil change - which I plan to do (prior to installing the bypass system) at 17.5 K miles into the current oil change.
 

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220629

Well-known member
I dunno if I would trust regular old dino oil on a turbo diesel truck motor with 10K oil change intervals ..... less than half that maybe ..... despite whatever opinions might exist on BITOG.
//snip//
VW came out with an advisory strongly recommending the use of synthetic oil ..... after they had to replace a number of motors that had blown due to gunking up (you can find discussion of this on the internet - and it isn't only limited to VW)

//snip//

Generally, with the filters I had been using (STP from Autozone - mostly because that was what they had) if I ran a single filter for the entire oil change, the filter would come out somewhat collapsed in the center, showing evidence of high suction with restricted flow. Interestingly this last oil change I switched filters - I had picked up half a dozen Mann's (I think that's what they were) from EuroParts ...... this time the Mann filter showed no evidence of restriction ...... leading me to think that the STP filter (which looks way cheap compared to the Mann) actually may have filter better. :thinking:

I believe the ASSYST is actually set up to be conservative - and probably recommends service well before it's actually needed, based on the condition of the oil.

I do plan on installing a bypass filter system and trying to extend my oil change interval even further. Attached is a copy of my first oil analysis, done at 117,579 miles - with 14,183 miles since the last change. At that point i was actually somewhere around 300 to 500 miles beyond 0 miles remaining on the ASSYST - so I was overdue.

I will probably get a TAN done along with another TBN at next oil change - which I plan to do (prior to installing the bypass system) at 17.5 K miles into the current oil change.
I've wondered if using synthetic oil isn't also more important when you're driving for hyper mileage. I'm basing this on my experience with gasoline engines because the ones that don't get run full out seem to have more gunking problems. May not apply to diesels. Just a thought.

Rather than the STP filters filtering better, could the Mann filters have more surface area and better designed media support than the STP filters? That would help prevent collapsing.

Dumb questions:
What's TAN?
What's TBN?
Will your "by-pass" filter just be in parallel with the factory unit?

Thanks in advance.
 

scottym

Member
Thanks everyone for the comments and great information, I am learning a lot.

One last thing, should I wait until the AASYST oil change light comes on before changing the oil, or do it at 10K? (I assume that the wrench/oil change indicator comes on when it is time to change the oil-is this correct?)

I was actually thinking of doing it sooner than 10K, maybe around 8500miles. Since it will be a year old at 8500+/- miles, and it had been sitting on a lot for many months before we got it.

Also, how many miles can I go AFTER the oil change light comes on. We are thinking of waiting until after our fall road trip to change it, which could put us around 11K

thank you as always
scott
 

KL2BE

Member
Hey KL2BE:

How do you keep your records? I have always created a spreadsheet on Excel and filled in the date of change, type of oil, and mileage.
I have a friend who says they will not honor this if there is a warrantee issue unless you have store receipts for the purchase of the supplies? What do you do?

Ken
I use a ZIP-LOCK bag and include 1) my store receipt for the oil & filter, 2) the top off the oil-filter box with the part-number andscan-code and 3) a trimmed-off piece of the oil container that has the scan-code and the MB 228.3 approval. Also, of course, a record of date and mileage.

Your spreadsheet is excellent and is definitely legally adequate; but it would be wise in the future to save product receipts as a matter of practicality.
Dealers can only require reasonable records to show maintenance requirements have been met. They might like receipts, but cannot insist on them; your word and records are legally sufficient! That does not mean they won't hassle you, however, so it is prudent to keep good records including receipts. It all boils down to a matter of proof and in court "proof" is any admissible evidence (like your testimony) believed by the trier-of-fact.
Most folks want to avoid suing the Dealer, naturally. Time and money go to waist. It is a rare-bird (like myself) who would really enjoy taking a Dealer to court. But as a retired attorney I have the time and experience and would love to be able to vent my long-held prejudice against Auto-Dealerships (I view Dealerships with the same scorn and distrust that most people reserve for Attorneys). Of course, that will never happen; they only take unreasonable positions with folks they think they can bully and blow-off. The best way to put yourself in the category of folks they will not push around is to have your maintenance records as well documented as possible, complete with product receipts.
 

rlent

New member
Aqua,

I've wondered if using synthetic oil isn't also more important when you're driving for hyper mileage.
Meaning for long periods at a time ?

I'm basing this on my experience with gasoline engines because the ones that don't get run full out seem to have more gunking problems. May not apply to diesels. Just a thought.
That was one of the indications (for synthetic) in the VW memo as I recall - lots of stop and go driving.

Rather than the STP filters filtering better, could the Mann filters have more surface area and better designed media support than the STP filters? That would help prevent collapsing.
That's entirely possible - and without having them both here at the moment to compare, my recollection is that what you are saying is true - the Mann appeared to be much better made - and bigger - and quite possibly had more surface area.

There are no dumb questions - only dumb answers :smilewink:

TAN = Total Acid Number - basically a measure of the overall acidity of the oil.

TBN = Total Base Number - essentially a measure of the amount of active additive package remaining in the oil - useful if you are trying to extend your drain intervals.

The TBN of virgin (unused) Mobil 1 Synthetic 0w40 should be 11.3 - so from the report it would appear that I have about 50% of the add pack left after 14K+ miles.

Blackstone on TBN:
Do I need a TBN ?

Will your "by-pass" filter just be in parallel with the factory unit?
Yes.

Thanks in advance.
You're quite welcome, of course. :thumbup:
 

rlent

New member
One last thing, should I wait until the AASYST oil change light comes on before changing the oil, or do it at 10K?
Generally no harm in waiting until ASSYST tells you to do it - that's why it's there - however, read your manual closely - it may say to go ahead and change it out earlier if it meets some type of severe service (ie. sitting and not being run) Without having the manual to hand right at the moment, I'm fairly sure that it says to change it at least once per year.

(I assume that the wrench/oil change indicator comes on when it is time to change the oil-is this correct?)
Yeah - it will begin appearing at vehicle startup (before you are actually out of time/miles) with mileage/time reamaining, when it's getting close - of course you can check it at any time.

I was actually thinking of doing it sooner than 10K, maybe around 8500miles. Since it will be a year old at 8500+/- miles, and it had been sitting on a lot for many months before we got it.
A year-old since the date of manufacture ? ..... or since you got it ?

Probably would be a good idea to go ahead and change it early at this point, given that it's sat alot.

Also, how many miles can I go AFTER the oil change light comes on.
If you are under warranty I'd try and keep as close as possible - for the 1st 100K miles (the engine warranty) I don't think I was ever over by more than a couple hundred miles - even though for me that meant I had to change it out on the road, in the parking lot of a Husky in Mississaugua, ON in January ...... :censored:

If you end up having a problem with the motor under warranty, it's best not to give the mfg. any bullets to try and weasel with ...... :smirk:

We are thinking of waiting until after our fall road trip to change it, which could put us around 11K
If the vehicle is still under warranty I would go ahead and change it, rather than waiting.
 

220629

Well-known member
Aqua,


Meaning for long periods at a time ?
//snip//

You're quite welcome, of course. :thumbup:
No. I should have said hyper mpg. People who use very little throttle, specific driving techniques, and who's objective is to get maximum fuel economy. An admirable goal I must say. It just seems to me that in doing that you have more chance of not letting the engine "breathe" once in a while and subsequently are more likely to build sludge. In that case full synthetic oils may be a necessary choice. Just an opinion from gasoline engine experience, not based on any studies.

I wasn't thinking of oil tests when reading your acronyms......in a post about oil changes Doh!.... We used oil testing for equipment so I do believe in it's worth. That said, I have the ASSYST option on my van so that is what I'll be using until I have reason to do otherwise. It is the path of least resistance for my purpose.

Thanks for all the answers. vic
 

BaywoodBill

pre-Yuppiedom
I dunno if I would trust regular old dino oil on a turbo diesel truck motor with 10K oil change intervals ..... less than half that maybe ..... despite whatever opinions might exist on BITOG.

Mercedes, the maker of the engine, recommends a synthetic - I would assume that they do so for a reason. I also understood that Mobil 1 0w40 came as the factory fill for the Sprinter (T1N's)
Mercedes also recomnends oils that are not synthetic. The list of recommended oils includes both kinds and no preference is shown.
 

BaywoodBill

pre-Yuppiedom
Thanks everyone for the comments and great information, I am learning a lot.

One last thing, should I wait until the AASYST oil change light comes on before changing the oil, or do it at 10K? (I assume that the wrench/oil change indicator comes on when it is time to change the oil-is this correct?)

I was actually thinking of doing it sooner than 10K, maybe around 8500miles. Since it will be a year old at 8500+/- miles, and it had been sitting on a lot for many months before we got it.

Also, how many miles can I go AFTER the oil change light comes on. We are thinking of waiting until after our fall road trip to change it, which could put us around 11K

thank you as always
scott

It's likely the ASSYST light won't come on at 10,000 miles. In my experience.... well, I've never seen it come on. After I change my oil I look at the ASSYST and it tells me something like 3,000 more miles to go before the light comes on.

As for records, I always write them on the pages in the owner's maintenance handbook that is designated for that function.

I always use the recommended oil and fuel filters and keep the receipts.

I think you need to change the fuel filter when you change the oil filter, though some have gone many, many miles without changing the fuel filter. And it's more difficult to change. Once again, there's an excellent HK write up for the fuel filter as well as other discussions.

If it was only changing the oil and the oil filter you would feel as if you hadn't done enough; you need to change the fuel filter as well just so you can say you accomplished something.
 

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