German car manufacturers have contributed significantly to the global automotive industry. What sets Germans aside from the rest is the fact that they make cars for working people, cars for the elites, and everyone in between. However, all of those cars share a certain level of baseline quality that you can always count on. Out of all brands Germany has to offer, Mercedes Benz is arguably the brand most people think of when imagining a German car. Using a Motul oil in your Mercedes is an excellent way to maintain that reliability and performance Mercedes is known for.
The Luxurious History of Mercedes Benz
Rarely is there a brand that has left such a mark on drivers all over the world as Mercedes Benz has. The whole story starts with Karl Benz, and when we say the ‘whole story,’ we mean it. Karl Benz wasn’t just one of the founders of what is now Mercedes Benz, but this man is also responsible for the invention of the first internal combustion engine.
However, the name Mercedes comes from Emil Jellinek – an automotive visionary working with Benz and Daimler, who named their first car after his daughter Mercedes. The name stuck ever since, even though the company is formally a part of Daimler AG.
Since 1901 when the first 35hp Mercedes was released, this company has launched a number of highly influential models. There’s too many to name in this guide, but the 1928 SSK comes to mind as one of the earliest marvels of Mercedes Benz. Then there’s the legendary Gullwing 300SL from 1954, the 1983 190E 2.3 Cosworth, the W123 2.0D, the 1991 600SEL, and a whole array of other iconic models.
If you look closely, you might notice that we haven’t picked this handful of models randomly. Altogether, they represent a perfect cross-section of Mercedes and what is all about. We have the luxurious 600SEL and Gullwing, representing the elite side of Mercedes Benz, but then there’s the W123 2.0D that is arguably one of the most reliable, workhorse cars ever created.
The 190E Cosworth was a Rally project that was dropped but later gained a life of its own. Then there’s the whole array of AMG models with their mind-blowing performance. These together represent the racing gene of this brand. Mercedes has even gone so far as to create one of the best off-road SUVs – the G Class, that is still in use all over the world. Overall, Mercedes Benz does it all, and they do it well.
Finding the Right Motul Oil for Your Mercedes Benz
Owning a Mercedes Benz takes slightly more effort than owning most other brands. These cars demand consistent maintenance and the ability to stick to maintenance schedules. Long gone are the days of W123 and W124, where you could get away with not changing the oil or pushing the engine to its limits with zero consequences.
Modern Mercs are every bit as reliable, but the constantly evolving technologies have made them less robust. One of the absolute best ways to maintain a healthy engine is to use quality lubricants. Mercedes Benz has a brief but detailed list of brands and oils they recommend. Motul is one of the brands on that list.
This French giant is known for making some of the highest quality engine lubricants on the market. They’ve practically invented fully synthetic engine oils and furthered the whole industry along in other significant ways. Here are some of the oils Motul recommends for Mercedes Benz vehicles.
Motul 8100 Series of Engine Lubricants
The idea behind the 8100 series of engine oils is borderline genius. Every car manufacturer has a specific set of standards for every engine they design. With more complex engines becoming the norm, these standards got stricter and stricter.
What Motul 8100 series of lubricants do is address the needs of numerous car manufacturers with a single lineup of oils. As a result, you’ve got a fully synthetic blend that meets and often exceeds OEM specs, sometimes by a wide margin. There are several oils in this series that match Mercedes Benz lubrication specs.
Motul 8100 X-Clean EFE 5W-30 (MB-Approval 229.52)
The first of the 8100 series recommended by Mercedes is the 8100 X-Clean EFE. This is an economy-oriented, fully synthetic engine oil that was designed to be used in the latest generation of gasoline and diesel engines. The EFE, in its name, stands for Extra Fuel Economy as this blent offers tangible improvements in this regard. However, its strongest attribute is its ability to form a strong protective film over critical engine internals.
The 229.52 standard put together by Mercedes insists on improved cold flow properties that ensure a safe cold engine starts. Needless to say, X-Clean EFE meets and exceeds these requirements, offering good protection when temperatures dip below zero.
Motul 8100 X-Clean+ 5W-30 (MB-Approval 229-51)
Although it comes from the same family as the X-Clean EFE, the Motul 8100 X-Clean+ 5W-30 delivers a slightly different performance profile. Namely, this oil is used in engines that have to meet strict emission standards.
You’re still getting the protective film properties of the baseline X-Clean, but in a package that features reduced sulfated ash, Sulphur and phosphorus content. Lower SAPS content means less stress on the catalytic converter or the DPF filter and is one of the key requirements of the 229-51 standard along with improved shear resistance properties.
Motul 8100 X-Max 0W-40 (MB-Approval 229-5)
Next up is a high-performance blend of Motul’s fully synthetic 8100 series. The 8100 X-Max 0W-40 brings full SAPS technology, which makes it suitable for high powered engines as well as cars that feature larger displacement motors.
This oil comes with stronger detergents to help keep everything clean but also well lubricated. As a result, you’re looking at good cold start properties, improved fuel economy, and overall better engine protection compared to benchmark oils. Mercedes recommends the X-Max for its AMG series and high-performance models, except for the SLR.
Motul 8100 X-Cess 5W-40 (MB-Approval 229-5)
The 8100 X-Cess 5W-40 is somewhat similar to the X-Max series in terms of application and performance. However, this particular oil covers a slightly different range of engines. It’s worth mentioning that this is also a 229-5 compliant lubricant, making it an excellent choice for large displacement Mercedes Benz engines as well as their AMG series.
The oil brings the familiar improved film protection paired with around 1.7% better fuel economy when compared to a 15W-40 benchmark oil.
How to Find the Right Motul Oil for Your Benz?
Finding the right oil for your vehicle is fairly straightforward. All you have to do is head over to our online store and input your vehicle’s information. Once our system crunches the data, you’ll be presented with all of the Motul lubricants that match your vehicle. We also carry Motul’s transmission fluids, brake fluids, and other products, all of which will be within the results.
In case you have any questions regarding Motul oils, feel free to get in touch with us, and we will do our best to help you. Our customer service is standing by to assist! You can contact us using the contact form on our site, via email or by telephone.
