Don't know about the v6, but I heard the old i5 (2.7L) has available as a tool an oil filter cap that can be used to check oil pressure. (I was amazed that MB didn't put an oil pressure sensor on the i5.) Some have hypothesized that this tool could be used to supply oil to a bypass filter and that the return line from the turbo could be shared. BUT, that's for the i5 AND that all seems too risky for me, so I would just forget bypass filtration. I have 126k on my '02 now and have always changed at ~15k miles (ASSYST) and Blackstone analysis of the last change (Mobil 1 0w40) showed all OK. Plus, since mine stopped consuming oil in the middle of the last change (rings finally bedded-in?), it seems MB has a pretty good handle on engine wear.
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