ldtCapitan

My car just hit 45K miles and dealer says (my headrest broke so I brought it in) that I need to change my transmission fluid at once because I should of done it at 38K..Now I realllllly dislike both the dealers in my area, example: they wanted to charge me $245 for labor to change the air filters when I did it myself in like 15 minutes...

So my question is, is my dealer full of crap? I remember cars going for years without having to change transmission fluid. They want to charge me $355. Is that too much?

Thanks,
Tony

Specs: 2008 C300 Luxury P01

Benzo 003

My ML manual says once ay 39000 miles. Personally, I say absolutely change the fluid if you plan on keeping the car longer than the warranty. It's just good preventive maintenance. Your dealer is looking to rob you without even a proper reach around....
The only benefit to overpriced dealer service, usually, is that if the trans fails later, it's documented with them and " on them ".

Carsy

If all else fails ,read the manual that came with your car. My manual says that your cars transmission oil should be changed "Once at 50,000 KM" This is about the 38,000 miles the dealer spoke about.

If you want longevity from your auto trans then change the oil.

I would never buy a car with poor service record.

amarasig87

Hello everyone. Newbie here. I have been reading around and haven't seen exactly the reason why DIYers is discouraged to flush/change the filter on the tranny of their W204. MB recommends that their tech do it themselves. Researched on the web, it appears that tranny is sealed so good that a specialized tool is required to pump the fluid inside. Is a true? I had asked friend who works at AAMCO and he says they have the specialized tool as well. Any comment on this?

Stone2486

I personally am a Mercedes-Benz tech, it is a good idea to perform the transmission service at or around 38-39k. In order to perform the transmission service you need to use special MA tools and an SDS. It's actually quite a long and annoying process. The transmission fluid level is set using the temperature and the expansion of the fluid, that’s why you need an SDS. The other thing is the transmission is filled using a special MB tool that adds fluid from the drain plug of the transmission pan. So with that being said I highly doubt there will be any "Do it yourself" on this topic. If any of you have a question feel free to ask, or just message me.

Pete7874

Right, but would an indy MB shop be capable of this job or are you saying that this is something that only an MB dealer can tackle?

I haven't looked into this, but I'm pretty sure an indy shop would charge less than $355 for this job.

Stone2486

I’m sure if they have the proper equipment and knowledge it would be possible to perform the service. I honestly have not been to one shop other then the dealer I work at that has the equipment needed to properly perform the service.

AkaSigFreak

My dealership just told me the service would cost $599 + tax/fees. I almost laughed in her face. Especially since I just paid $455 for my B Service. She also told me I should have a Brake flush for $199. Damn!

Glyn M Ruck

Most of the rest of the world change the 722.9 7G transmission fluid EVERY 60,000 Km. MBSA insist as do China & Vietnam etc. This box is not filled for life. That was an MBUSA botch that cost them many failures.

For a DIY fluid and filter change, including Torque Converter drain on the 722.9 see Johnand's thread on the W203 forum. He is producing a video at present. It's not that difficult a DIY as long as you stick to the method which he has posted & handle new stretch bolts & gaskets on the pan correctly. All Benz transmissions are temperature sensitive on level but having no dipstick on the 7G does not preclude DIY. We all DIY them in SA.

Glyn M Ruck

Here

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ce-thread.html

Please note that John's car had the old design pan & riser tube. Also note that the suggested chamois leather surfaces clean did not work well & microfibre cloth did a better job.

keith100

"That was an MBUSA botch that cost them many failures"

My understanding, Glyn, from a UK and a EU forum, is that this was an MB AG screw up. Probably world wide in fact.

Glyn M Ruck

Don't believe everything you read on forums although the speed sensor/electrohydraulic valve body problem with early 722.9's is pretty well documented now as is the pan & riser tube redesign - I was involved in the fluid development for the 7G and from day one fitment to the W203 (not it's first use) Stuttgart wanted changes every 60,000Km & even put the drain plug back onto the torque converter that had been deleted from the 722.6 transmission in 1999. While I had my International job at that time which included support to OEMs, endurance testing in SA & Namibia confirmed that prudent change interval even with the new longer life fluid was 60,000Km. Why Stuttgart allowed local operations like the US to claim "filled for life" is a mystery to me. It was never the intention & in traditional Benz markets, with very long life expectancy, Benz would never go with a filled for life regime.

See example 2006 pdf. from Juergen Broedel for Vietnam production. This was typical of plants around the world including SA for all passenger cars. It is well documented in the Global WIS.

https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...e-products.pdf

The US & a few other delinquent markets recommend a one-off change at 38,000 miles after failures with the FFL attitude. This is still not really what Stuttgart want.

I strongly recommend a fluid & filter change at every 60,000Km (38,000 miles) or equivalent closest service to maintain good shift quality & ensure long life. The 722.9 puts quite a lot of stress on it's fluid charge. We have a bucket full of oil sample analyses that prove this. I also recommend that you ensure that your transmission has the latest software flash.

Pete7874

The definition of "lifetime" may be somewhat different in the US. People just don't drive their fancy cars long enough to notice transmission issues, for the most part.

I'm guessing MBUSA recommend the 39K trans service because they want to make sure the car makes it through the 50K warranty period (or even the 80K-100K CPO warranty period), but after that, they don't really care. If a trans fails, they'll make more money by replacing it or by having a good reason to convince the owner to trade it in for a brand new Mercedes.

On the other hand, if you tell people that they'll need a $500 transmission service every 39k miles, they'll be frowning because sadly most of them think that expensive luxury cars somehow should drive themselves and should not require any maintenance.

Maybe I am over generalizing here, alas, I read enough stories on various forums and articles that it doesn't really surprise me.