itsLoonie

I have not been on this forum for ages. I work as a parts adviser at a Mercedes dealership here in California. Transmission fluid for 1995-2010 should use the red. 2011 you will have to check with your VIN as already stated if it has the code A89 because some still uses the red. Any 2012 and newer should use the blue fluid.

@xsever I checked your vin, You do have the code A89. I do not know if the vindecoderz is accurate. I cropped a pic from the EPC that I use here at work.

KingsMaker

I contacted the dealer where the car was bought and they said I needed the red fluid 236.14. I'm just wondering now if flushing the fluid would be more beneficiary or bad for my transmission since its been sitting there for 9 years with only 53k km.

xsever

Thank you so much for confirming my conclusions. Much appreciated. I guess the online VIN decoders are not as accurate as having access to the MB systems.
Thanks again.

Nicholas Lopez

what was supposed to be a conductor plate repair on my vehicle turned into a rebuilt transmission repair after I went to AAMCO in LAKE FOREST CA they told me I needed to rebuilt my transmission when my OBD2 scanner was telling me to change the TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE (which was the conductor plate) they ripped my transmission apart to let me know since they did so I needed to get new seals and new fluid. Long story short I have the NEW BLUE FLUID IN MY TRANSMISSION. And it has been running fine since the repair($3700) “rebuilt my transmission” I took it to a place called BEACH BENZ IN Huntington Beach. They did a great job and I’m really happy with the work. But I do notice some later shifting then before the repair. I used to see my car shift exactly at number 2 and now it has to go between the 2 and the 3 which causes the vehicle to perform later shifts and slower acceleration. Do you think it’s because of the blue fluid? Or is it because I have a 11 year old car?

Gazwould

Some adaption probably , give it some time .

kkarb

Jumped into this old thread

Here is what dealer told me january 2021: If you have 722.9 PLUS (NAG2FE+), you can still use the RED 236.14 fluid. It will not make any damage or break your 722.9+ transmission. However, if you have an older 722.9, from erlier than mid 2010 (no eco start / stop), you must NOT use the new blue 236.15 fluid at this one. It MUST have the red one.

xsever

That's just a bunch of baloney by the dealership. I wouldn't trust their advice at all. Please read the attached document by Mercedes-Benz which should be the only trustworthy source of information.

kkarb

Yes, i agree with you But, anyway.. There is a lot of "red oil" marked as both 236.14 and 236.15 compatible.. Here is an example: Girolje EUROL ATF 7400 1L - Eurodel.no

And thats a bit strange..

xsever

Only go by the official MB website which shows which fluids meet the 236.15. The rest is more baloney. No Eurol product meets 236.15 spec and if any oil says it meets both, then, you guessed it, BALONEY!

https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevol...236.15_en.html

kkarb

And thats the reason i dont understand this.. Its i bit risky for a big company, to sell a oil they say met 236.15, and in fact...it doesnt. They inform in the spec at the web site that it is 236.15 OK. The link was just an example, Its a lot of them.

kkarb

Take 15 min to watch this video, its just exactly what we are talking about Test between Febi / Bilstein 236.15 and a cheep oil meets all the 236 spec, like 236.12, 236.14 and 236.15.. Just watch the video... So, thats why im confused.

Gazwould

The only explanation for the multi spec Amsoil is that the older gearboxes requiring the thicker 236.14 and 236.12 will work perfectly with the thinner 236.15 which was for a time the thinnest ATF in the world .

But the other way around 236.14 and .12 will be too thick for a box requiring 236.15 resulting in poor quality gear changes .

kkarb

Im still confused.. Im a ovner of å w166, with 722.9 NAG2. Correct oil for my car with 722.9 NAG2, is the blue one, 236.15 spec. But my oil is red, its a multi spec oil just like the oil from Amsoil. Its not Amsoil, but exactly the same spec as Amsoil. My multi spec oil is from comma. I have driven 50.000 km with this oil in my transmission. No problems, the transmission is exactly as it should be.

Next senario, my friend own a w164, from 2009. Its 722.9, NAG1. Correct oil for this car is red, 236.14. However, two years ago, local indy filled blu 236.15 oil at my friends car. That went bad. The shifting went terrible. After some time they understod they filled wrong oil. They drained the blue 236.15 and filled red 236.14. The shifting went back to normal.

gagan takker

My mechanic guy mixed approx a 10% of 236.15(blue) into 7 litre of 236.14
Hope its okay ? Or should I change it

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

Your mechanic should no longer be your mechanic because he/she has no idea what they are doing. I would not drive this car another foot until you get the car towed to someone who knows what they are doing and get the transmission flushed. That may still not work, so you also want to keep all receipts so that the mechanic that did this will replace your transmission free. I would take it to the nearest Mercedes dealer to have the work done. They will tell you what can be done.

Vpatriota

You gotta love the confidence you find in this group. My dealership is insisting the fluid for my 2012 C63 BS with 7G-Tronic without start/stop should be the 236.15, and something tells me the 236.14 is the one I should be using.
I've read through out the topic and it seems it really is the later option, or did I get it wrong?

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

I don't personally know if the red to blue tranny fluid changed with the addition of the start/stop function or not. I know that my 2014 C350 has start/stop AND the additional transmission fluid pump attached to the transmission to support that function. It also uses the blue stuff.

So, if your dealership is willing to replace your tranny free for using the wrong fluid, get that in writing and let them use the blue stuff.

Vpatriota

Even though I feel very tempted to do so, I would DEFINITELY not risk my car's gearbox just for the sake of an arguement. It would take all my mental health away, my emotional stability, probably my marriage, and so forth It's not like I'm THAT attached to my car, you know.

But anyways, after weeks of research (both online and asking for second/third/fourth oppinions), my conclusions are similar to stated above:
1) if you have the 722.9 7G auto transmission, you should go for the 236.14 (red) fluid
2) if you have the 722.9 7G+ (Start/stop option), you should go for the 236.15 (blue) fluid
3) if you DON'T have the start/stop function (that would suggest that you don't have the 7G+ - but I'm not 100% sure as I'm not a technician), you should check your VIN and you should find the A89 code (Reduced friction), related to the transmission, meaning that you'll need the newer 236.15 transmission fluid.

Thanks to everyone envolved in solving this mystery and taking time to explain it to us pleasants.

CZ 75

I have 8 quarts of this stuff left over from when I had my Lexus. Really want to use in my 7G Plus tranny. So has anyone used it?

AgilityControl

Only use Mercedes approved transmission oil IMHO. You'll always worry if you don't, trust me on this one.

kkarb

yes. I have driven 80.000km with that multispec oil in my w166 ML350 bluetech, with 722.901 NAG2 gearbox. Zero issues, all fine👍

CZ 75

I forgot to mention that mine is the MCT(e63 is what I have).