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Oil Change Intervals In A Low-Mileage Mercedes


Question:



Mobil 1 0W-40 was installed in my 2000 Mercedes-Benz E320 two years
ago, and since I've only driven 4,000 miles in that time, the oil has never
been changed. The dealer said that the car's computer will dictate when the
next service is due. This may be some time in the future. My question is,
how long does oil maintain its effective viscosity?
-- G. Hutch, Carlisle, Pennsylvania


Answer:

Your Mercedes-Benz is equipped with a Flexible Service System which
includes a very sophisticated oil quality monitor. The system looks at
driving speeds, cold starts, short-distance trips and other factors
that
can negatively affect oil life. It also monitors the quality of the
oil -
particles in suspension and other factors - and it can judge when the
oil
has deteriorated to the extent that it needs to be replaced. Without
this
kind of comprehensive analysis - in other words, if you had no way of
determining the state of the oil in the crankcase - we would suggest
the
general rule of changing the oil every year in very low-mileage
vehicles.