How to drain oil from 2003 Mercedes E320 (W211)? I don't see an oil
drain plug underneath the engine. I'm wondering if it's covered by the
protection plate that covers the undercarriage. Or, do I have to suck
the oil out as is the case with some other MN models.

---

Clarification of Question by pescj-ga on 04 Apr 2004 06:45 PDT

The last sentence should read:
Or, do I have to suck the oil out as is the case with some other Mercedes models.

Hi again pescj,

I contacted a Mercedes dealer and he told me you should really take
your car to a MB dealer for the Schedule A and B maintenance while it
is still under warranty - it's free.

That said, you have the options to either drain the oil via the drain
plug under the car or siphon it from above. To drain from below, you
will need to remove the plastic cover to get to the plug (you'll need
a metric socket set to remove the plug), and don't forget to get a new
copper washer for the plug as well as a new filter.

Siphoning is done through the dipstick, and the jury is out whether
this is the best method, but your dealer will most likely use this
method if you take your car in.

Additional Links:

"Yes, you need to remove the cover.  The bolt is on the driver's side,
13 mm I think. The filter is up top, rear, driver's side.  It's a
cartridge contained in a black plastic cap.  You need a wrench for it
(cost me $12 at the dealer) so that you can re-torque the cap to 25NM.
The filter comes with a replacement o-ring. Pick up a new copper
washer for the drain plug, too. The 3.2 holds about 8 quarts."

>>>>>

"I've always changed oil/filter on my cars for the past 30 years and 9
cars.Do yourself a favor. Buy a LiquiVac, a plastic container with a
pump mechanism for siphoning the oil through the dipstick tube instead
of draining from the bottom of the oil pan.

I can imagine you're saying  "....but it won't get out all the
oil....." Not true. You will actually drain MORE oil with the siphon
technique, because the oil pan has a slight "lip" where the drain plug
inserts into the pan, thus leaving a small amount remaining. The
LiquiVac tube goes to the bottom of the pan, and it will save you
significant hassle. Most dealerships also use the siphon technique
(albeit with different equipment). Do a search on the 'Net. It runs
about $45-50 and is worth every penny."
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&threadm=9003d6.0112101432.78007a98%40posting.google.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fselm%3D9003d6.0112101432.78007a98%2540posting.google.com

I was sorry to see that your question hadn't been answered yet, so I
decided to have another look. Again, please let me know if you have
any questions before closing/rating my answer.

Thank you,
hummer

Google and Google Groups Search Terms Used

Mercedes E320 siphon oil
Mercedes E320 drain oil
Mercedes E320 change oil
Mercedes E320 "oil drain plug"
Mercedes E320 oil draining

I contacted a Mercedes dealer for confirmation