I want to do an interim change on my Merc c220 cdi. The recommended oil is Castrol 0-30 or Mobil 1. But with it needing 5.5 litres the cost is between £60-£80 because I will need 2*4 litre cans.
Am I being too picky and would a similar grade semi-synthetic oil be OK? Or is there somewhere that sells oil cheaper than Halfords?
(Already have the filter)
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Just keep the rest of the bottle for the next change (This would be cheaper than buying a 4L bottle and 2x1L bottles). If you are a member of Costco, they do the Mobil 1 for £27.00 incl vat which is about £10.00 less than Halfords.
You also cannot use semi synthetic oils as they do not comply with either MB229.3 or MB229.5 specs. Halfords own brand synthetic oil is MB229.3 which they were selling half price after last Christmas. Hope this helps.
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I used Motul MB229.5 specific from www.opieoils.co.uk.
Although some of their prices seem no cheaper than anywhere else, if you register then you can 10L (Motul is in 5L 'cans') delivered for under £60. Seems odd to get oil like this, but it worked just fine. This was the cheapest way I could see of getting good quality 229.5 oil. My MB dealer happily used it.
The guys that run the company post on here as oilman. I have no connection with them, other than as a satisfied customer.
I have a C270 which holds 6.5L, but I did think the C220 was the same capacity? Might be wrong, though.
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Sorry, that link shouldn't have the . at the end:
www.opieoils.co.uk
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Kwik-Fit will give you a Mobil 1 fill for about £40 including the filter, no matter what the quantity.
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And just minutes ago I've had a semi-annual oil change in my MB W124 Coupé at Kwik-Fit for £39.95 (including filter) - 7 litres.
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I used to pay $2 a litre for Mobil 1 in the American PX shops in Germany; I am going back there in 10 days time and I'll check the price again. All this stuff comes out of one refinery in Europe, I should think, and it is priced at what the market will bear in the various countries in which it is sold ie we pay top whack in UK.
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just for fun look up oil and lubricant suppliers in yellow pages then phone them up and ask the price of 25 litre can of mobil 1 ,you might be surprised how much you are paying for the pleasure of buying it from your local motoring store
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VW dealers sell quantum fully synthetic for about £23 for 4.5L.
When I had my V220CDI the dealer reccomended BP visco3000 which is a semi-synthetic 10W-40. Considering the CDi engines take nearly 8L of oil I think it is a good compromise.
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I remember buying a 25 litre drum of BP Visco 3000 back in 1995.
The cost was £40 for the 25 litres, So thats £1.60 a litre.
Buy your oil in bulk & save money in the long run.
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Yes, you can buy in bulk or buy Halfords fully-synth on their 2-for-1 offer at about £30 for 2 gallons. This offer usually runs around back holiday times - so expect the next time to be Easter.
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Thanks Roger - I have the filter so they have quoted £35, good tip, thanks.
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Halfords are doing Mobil 1 for £30 at present, but £60 to change the oil seems to make me gasp even if I have a bit left over!
I was interested in your comments about the spec codes 229.3 & 5. The Merc garage said they use semi synthetic Castrol STS Softec (or similar words)and Mobil 1 is an upgrade. I rang Castrol and they said Edge 0-30 (£80) and also mentioned the codes you did but also said semi-synthetic was OK.
What do the codes mean?
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www.whnet.com/4x4/oil.html
Try that link. I have a E320CDi and I get to choose between standard grade (229.3 or 229.31) for a 10,000 miles oil change or special grade (229.5) for a 13,000 miles oil change. These of course vary depending on how you drive. Halfords own brand fully synth oil is 229.3.
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Really interesting weblink, especially the bit about 'fleece' filters, thanks.
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Got my 5 litres of Halfords synthetic for £15 at Xmas. Last week it was back to the usual £30. I think the spec has improved recently. Seems better than in the past, and at £15 its superb.
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cdbr, Kwik-Fit are often reluctant to do the job with a filter supplied by the customer, because of understandable corporate-liability risks. They can be persuaded and they find comfort in putting "customer's own filter" on the invoice. Maybe your local people are already relaxed about this.
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phoned local oil and lubricant supplier supplier ,picked from yellow pages so not one I deal with and the quote for mobil 1 was £47 +vat or £55.22 for a 20 litre drum,the elf fully synthetic was £2 cheaper .works out at £2.76 per litre,if it is too much oil for you to store in your garage you could always share with a neighbour and both save money
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Yes - found this out this morning when I rang to book in. One branch will do it for £35 but are too busy, the other won't do it at all!
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Defender is spot on, never buy oil from Halfords or any similar outlet. Buy it from a lube supplier in bulk (25 litres etc) and save a fortune. They can also give you specialist advice about oil, which you are unlikely to get in Halfords! Halfords...pllease.
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Since the cost of oil is a minor part of my total motoring costs I stick to the recommended oil regardless of the price. I spend as much on petrol in a week as I do on oil in a year, and yet I don't give the amount I spend on petrol a second thought. Don't spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar.
--
L\'escargot.
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you are quite correct about using the recommended oil however mobil 1 is mobil 1 rgardless of where you buy it ,many people posting on here are on a tight budget and helping them save cash and keep their car serviced is surely the right way to go as they might then spend it on other safety requirments.If you feel you need to buy your oil at twice or three times the available price then its your money so feel free but dont think for a minute that an oil supplier is selling an inferior product as that is where the garage buys it and charges you xxxx for it
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Mobil 1 comes in different viscosities and specifications and some do not claim MB 229.3 approval. So it seems the criteria (if you want warranty) is to use an oil to the appropriate MB standard, whatever the mfr name.
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ok. mobil 1 with mb229.3 approval is mobil 1 with mb229.3 approval regardless of where you buy it.as long as the spec is correct the cheapest place to buy oil is from an oil and lubricant distributer
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I was in Germany on Tuesday this week and the American military on base stores had Mobil 1 at $4.75 a litre which is about £2.80 a litre or £14 for 5 litres.
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