The changing of the engine oil and filter is something that everyone will have to deal with on a 3 month or 3,000 mile bassis if you plan to keep your Mercedes in top order.
Having done many oil changes using many diffrent kinds of oils and filters I have some information that may help others when the time comes for an oil change.
I will start off with the Oil Filter, as I have tried MANY diffrent brands. For starters the Mercedes-Benz oil filter is much diffrent than most other filters. The Mercedes-Benz uses a canister style insert rather than the conventional screw on style.
Many diffrent brands out there on the market for Oil Filters and contraty to popular belif they are NOT all the same. Most of them are your standard paper filter (Douche, Fram and Mann), however the Wix oil filter is constructed of a steal canister with paper filter element inside. The Wix filter is also made here in the USA while many of the other brands are made in India.
The oil filter produced by Mann (Made in India) part #H929X is a popular low cost paper element filter. I have used many of these filters with good results however I have found that they lack the little handle to remove them when used on our application, an important warning about this little handle is addressed later in my write up. The Mann filter includes a new o-ring for the filter housing cap, and a new copper washer for the bolt that secures it. The Mann filter uses a perforated paper surrounding to keep the element contained. Cost of these filters range from $5.00 - $9.00 from most parts stores
Fram and Deuche filters are also very simmilar and includes everything listed above, however they appear to have a plastic perforated surrounding to keep the element contained. These filters are also produced in India and Brazil. Cost of these filter brands also ranger from $7.00 - $12.00
The Wix filter, made here in the USA does NOT include a brass washer to seal the cap bolt, so be sure to save your old one when selecting this brand. It does however include a new cap o-ring so there are no worries there. One interesting thing about the Wix filter that is diffrent from many others is the way it is made. Instead of a paper or plastic perforated surround, the Wix filter uses a steel canister to enclose the paper filter element. I dont know if this design is better or worse than the others, however it does appear to be less holes for oil flow than the others. While the Wix filter has little "Handles" for removal on top and bottom, I have found they they like to fall off very easy, and this is a very bad thing should that thin peice of wire work its way into the mechanicals. Best to remove at least the handle that faces the bottom of the canister to ensure it does not fall off. I had one of these wire handles just fall off simpily from the amount of pressure that was applied to it during installation! That could have been a major problem wating to happen, however I caught it prior to it becoming a problem.
The problems with the little wire removal handles can happen with any of the filters listed above, however it has only been an issue with the Wix brand to date. Anymore I just remove them just to ensure there are no chances taken.
- I will finish this write up a little later after I have some photos ready, just thought I would share this information right away.
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What is to give light must endure burning -- Viktor Frankl
Well we have some photos of various brands of oil filters for the V8 Mercedes..
Recently we ordered an oil filter from Mercedes-Benz only to find it was made in South Africa. I dont have anything against the South Africans however I have not seen or owned many things made in that region so this was somewhat off-putting.
Unlike other filters, Mercedes-Benz puts a micron rating on their filters. The OE filter from Mercedes Benz shown above is almost identical to the design of a Fram filter except Fram uses a red perforated band rather than blue.
The Mann Filter is without doubt the cheapest of filters out there. The Mann filter does not have a perforated band to keep the filter element contained, thus could come apart sending filter element thru the engine in a worse case scenario. People pushing the limits on their oil changes past 3000 miles with a Mann filter could be in for a shock.
I am still working on a photo of the WIX filter, which is made in the USA and is made of steel. I find that the WIX filter does not provide as good oil pressure on initial start up due to the all steel design. Perhaps because unlike the paper filters the steel design acts as a barrier, where as the paper filters likely draw thru the paper a little easier. I have not had any problems with the MANN filter, but I have noticed that upon initial start up it seems to take a few ticks longer to build pressure. Ill edit this post when I have a photo.
-- Edited by SELLC on Monday 8th of August 2011 11:45:36 AM
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What is to give light must endure burning -- Viktor Frankl
I recommend the use of Hengst oil filters if you can get them. They are still made in Germany and are the best quality. I will use Mann filters but there are places where you can get the Hengst filters for as cheap as $9 apiece.
I would never put Fram, Bosch, Wix, Douche, Purolator or other bunk/no-name filters on my car.
The oil filters from South Africa are made by a company called GUD and they are of excellent quality -- as good as Hengst. MB uses GUD and Hengst quite often as their OEMs for the oil filters. GUD filters are difficult to find but they can be purchased under that brand name. For broader availability and excellent quality, Hengst is really the way to go.
-- Edited by gerryvz on Saturday 27th of August 2011 12:54:53 AM
-- Edited by gerryvz on Saturday 27th of August 2011 12:55:14 AM
Actually Gerry the Fram filter is almost identical to the factory MB filter with the only difference being that Fram has a red 100% perforated screen and the MB unit has a blue one with about a 1 inch section without perforation in the center.
Of course the Fram is made in India, and the MB filter is made in South Africa.
I myself have been using Wix filters (even though I bitch about possible flow restrictions) for over 3 years now without problems. I do so pretty much ONLY because they are made in the USA.
The Hengst filter is not that great outside of being a few dollars less than a MB and Fram unit. I say this because the perforated band does not enclose 100% of the filter element and thus is trash in my book, no better than the Mann filter that is show above that lacks a perforated band all together.
Above is a photo of a Hengst filter
Above is a photo of a Fram filter, by far the closest in design to the Mercedes Benz filter.
Above is a photo of the Wix filter (Made in USA) and it could be questioned that the flow characteristics of this metal encased filter would be less than that of a paper style such as Mann, Fram or MB; I have been using them for almost 3 years without problem @180K miles.
While I don't like the fact that Mann does not use a perforated screen one could argue this would give better flow characteristics but I myself like the filter element to at least have some kind of encasement. I should also mention that Mann actual made the R107's filter housing and many times Mercedes filters are in-fact Mann filters right out of an OE Genuine Mercedes-Benz box.
I guess filter selection is a matter of taste and opinion. What is MOST important is that the filter gets changed at least every 3000 miles.
-- Edited by SELLC on Saturday 27th of August 2011 02:17:54 AM
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What is to give light must endure burning -- Viktor Frankl
Many diffrent brands out there on the market for Oil Filters and contraty to popular belif they are NOT all the same. Most of them are your standard paper filter (Douche, Fram and Mann), however the Wix oil filter is constructed of a steal canister with paper filter element inside. The Wix filter is also made here in the USA while many of the other brands are made in India.
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