In a continuing attempt to diagnose the drive train noises that plague my C320 ( https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ay-speeds.html ), I went to a different mechanic - one who specializes in Mercedes. In addition to other things, I asked him to check the transmission fluid. [ A million curses on the worthless soul of the bureaucrat who decided that it should be built without a dipstick!! ]

He got the tool, stuck it in the filler tube near the firewall, pulled it out and looked closely. He shook his his head, wiped it off, and tried again. He pulled it out the second time, looked at it again, and said that it was engine oil in there, not transmission fluid. And, he said, that it must therefore be a tube for measuring engine oil.

So, as usual, I have questions:
1) Can he possibly be mistaken about the fluid? Can they look the same? ( 85K miles on this tranny. )
2) The location of the transmission filler tube ( standing in front of the car, looking at a 3.2 V6 attached to a 722.6 automatic tranny ) is up against the fire wall, about 7 inches to the left of the center of the engine. Right?

 

Yes they can look the same.

 

The transmission tube is a bit lower than the engine oil dipstick. The transmission tube cover has a cap that must be broken to remove it. There is no loop for your finger like the oil tube. It is just flat across the top. There is a specific way to break the seal. Look for pictures on the forum. If you simply pull on it, you might pull the tube out of the transmission. (Don't ask how I know this)

 

As best I know, my car does not have an engine oil dipstick. Oil level is checked by computer.

 

it has one

 

It is true your car has a sensor that measures the oil level. It also did not come with a dip stick.

There is a cover on the dipstick tube. The reason it is there is so a PTFE pipe can be pushed into the sump to vacuum the oil out of the engine. You don't need to crawl about on the ground to take off covers and a plug to drain the oil. You can do an oil change in 15 minutes on your driveway wearing a tuxedo. No muss, no fuss.

 

Lol sorry i thought you said didn't have oil tube had a really long night last night lol
as for the OP i hope the guy checking the level is not really a mercedes specialist if he can't find the trans oil tube also it has to be checked with the engine running.

 

Wise to change its transmission fluid regularly - preferably at MBUSA’s former “free maintenance" intervals.

80,000+ mile ATF can indeed look like motor oil when it’s oxidized or when its useful service life has been exceeded. Have if renewed posthaste. Not likely it’ll solve your drivetrain noise issue, but doing so will likely extend the life of its costly transmission – barring any pre-existing damage.

Proper transmission servicing is duck soup for seasoned DIY hacks like Moviela and several others here.
All due respect, your mechanic “who specializes in Mercedes” seems as if he may not up to the task.