Every few months NAPA has Valvoline SynPower 5W-40 MST for around $6 per quart. I stock up 6-10 six-bottle cases at a time. I agree with the idea of letting the dealership do the changes until after warranty.
eb
eb
New Sprinter 1st Oil Change Advice?
- Thread starter dolphin
- Start date
Mister Hotshine in El Paso. I paid $90 for oil change, 7.5 qts plus filter. I must admit that was the most expensive ever. Plus I usually put Pennzoil, not Mobil.
Not sure its even possible to buy the right oil and filter at that price. What year is yours? Exactly what oil are they using?
Sent from my Fisher Price - ABC 123
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Sounds like one of the older models
cannedmeat27
Expert Expediter
The people who get these Sprinter oil changes for really cheap are the same people who get 450,000 on a set of tires, and get new tires when half the tread is still there. They also know that oil is oil is oil and "The List" is just a racket to get you to buy expensive oil.
I just went by the thread title.
as opposed to the 06's and earlier that hold 10 qts.
I am partial to Castrol oil, here is a spec sheet that shows it meets the Merceded spec:
http://www.castrol.com/liveassets/b...ts/downloads/p,q/Edge_BLACK_PDS_Sept_2011.pdf
My sprinter is a 2005 also, forgot to mention that.
I didnt know that the 3.0 took more oil, so it would be another 7.50 for each additional quart.
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I think the dealer service managers are the ones that think that all oils are the same....I bought a 2010 PT cruiser, they said that the first oil change was free, so I took it in there and they had an offer to pre-pay for 5 oil changes for 49.95. I thought that was a good deal so I asked the service manager what brand of oil they use, he didnt know, and said it changes according to what they can get a better deal on. Needless to say I passed on that deal and only put Castrol oil in my vehicle.
I know that most dealers have a dedicated oil-change pit where they do all the routine oil changes. Next to the pit they have anywhere from three to six 55-gallon drums of oil in different viscosities. It's whatever is cheapest, usually. They are usually high quality, brand name oil, but three to six sizes doesn't necessarily fit all.
I have a rather special relationship with my dealer at home. They let me wander around wherever I want, stand there and talk to the technician while he's working on my van, I even help out with many things they are doing. Frankly, they learn as much from me as I learn from them, particularly about some of the quirks of owning and driving a Sprinter, instead of just what they see on their end. I'm also privy to conversations about vehicles and customers that most people would never hear. But that kind of a relationship has allowed me to see up close and personal how things really work at a dealer.
Fortunately, at most dealers, when you bring in a Sprinter, it'll be the Sprinter tech who does the work, including oil changes, so the correct oil is likely to be used. But, you never know unless you watch them do the work.
It might not be the best idea to rely on literature from the manufacturer as to whether their oil is approved by MB. Castrol is one that can probably be trusted, but I still well remember when Amsoil got busted for claiming MB approval when MB didn't know anything about it. I haven't trusted Amsoil since.
In any case, to be sure what kind of oil you can use, the Owner's Manual has a list and is accurate, but it only includes oils that were approved at the time the manual was printed. This Web site: Mercedes-Benz Specifications for Operating Fluids: Engine Oil, Gear Oil, ATF, Coolant, Brakefluid, is continually updated with The List of approved fluids for any given MB Spec. Just click on the Spec number.
For oil, an older Sprinter would use 229.5 and for later models it would be 229.51 or 229.52. For the 229.5 oils, you will see that Castrol Edge with SPT SAE 0W-30 (the SPT stands for SYNTEC Power Technology) is indeed on The List.
I have a rather special relationship with my dealer at home. They let me wander around wherever I want, stand there and talk to the technician while he's working on my van, I even help out with many things they are doing. Frankly, they learn as much from me as I learn from them, particularly about some of the quirks of owning and driving a Sprinter, instead of just what they see on their end. I'm also privy to conversations about vehicles and customers that most people would never hear. But that kind of a relationship has allowed me to see up close and personal how things really work at a dealer.
Fortunately, at most dealers, when you bring in a Sprinter, it'll be the Sprinter tech who does the work, including oil changes, so the correct oil is likely to be used. But, you never know unless you watch them do the work.
It might not be the best idea to rely on literature from the manufacturer as to whether their oil is approved by MB. Castrol is one that can probably be trusted, but I still well remember when Amsoil got busted for claiming MB approval when MB didn't know anything about it. I haven't trusted Amsoil since.
In any case, to be sure what kind of oil you can use, the Owner's Manual has a list and is accurate, but it only includes oils that were approved at the time the manual was printed. This Web site: Mercedes-Benz Specifications for Operating Fluids: Engine Oil, Gear Oil, ATF, Coolant, Brakefluid, is continually updated with The List of approved fluids for any given MB Spec. Just click on the Spec number.
For oil, an older Sprinter would use 229.5 and for later models it would be 229.51 or 229.52. For the 229.5 oils, you will see that Castrol Edge with SPT SAE 0W-30 (the SPT stands for SYNTEC Power Technology) is indeed on The List.