Just had my transmission flushed
 

An Indy shop I usually use told me to buy the transmission fluid from the dealership and he will do the flush for me really cheap. He warned though that the fluid would cost between $150-$200. On this forum, there was a thread where you can buy the fluid a lot cheaper off ebay.

Before I did that, I decided to give the stealership a shot. I went to the dealership and the transmission flush service seems to be pretty modestly priced. They drained and refilled the transmission fluid, replaced the the filter and pan gasket and charged me $200. How is that possible? I also confirmed that it was the right transmission fluid used. They must really be gouging us on the fluid if we were to just buy it from the parts department, rather than having them do the service. Has anyone here paid that for just the fluid? How much fluid did the dealership actually use?

My car has never shifted so smoothly...that was one of the best $200 I've spent lately.

how many miles does she have?

That is a good price - per quart price is $11 and change. You did not get the 'that's a sealed transmission which does not require changing' routine from the stealership?

147k mi on a '99 430. I've gotten the "its a sealed no maintenance transmission" shpeel before. That's why I've postponed it for so long. As rough as its been shifting lately, the indy shop told me the fluid must be burnt especially since its likely never been changed. I think this flush probably saved me a lot of money in the long run. The dealership that I just went to told me a good interval would be 5 years 60k mi. I've also heard 5 years 100k mi.

sealed tranny?
 

Hey I was told the trany was sealed line too. Why do they tell us that/then again why would the dealership do the work for you if it was sealed and didnt need flushing etc...

Just confused:nix: I have 105K on my 99 clk 430 and feel I should get my flushed too.

did they drain the coverter?

Where can I get ATF for $11/qt?
i drained my TC and AT and spent around $14/qt for 8 qts, $50 for the dipstick tool, and about $15 for the filter and gasket.

i like changing my own fluid to get the right amount of fluid.
most shops i go to overfill...not sure about MB dealers.

If I were a luxury car stealership, I would want $7000 to replace a transmission vs. a couple bucks on flushes and fluid.

this topic has been discussed to death.

he goes again...

2000 and above clks have the electronic trans...sealed, no need of flush.

1999 and below need fluid changes.

i have a 2000 clk 430 with orig fluid and shifts as smooth as silk.
189,000 miles on the car.

The indy that i deal with charged 150 including fluid and filter. Best 150 I ever spent.

i changed all the fluids in my car, including transmission when i bought it, at 72k-73k miles, to be on the safe side... i change engine oil every 4000 miles and transmission fluid every year.

"Discussed to death" yes, but everyone seems to have come to a different conclusion then you have. All CLK's regardless of year need to have the transmission flushed. Originally they called 2000 and newer "lifetime" fluid. Not anymore. Both of my local MB dealer recommended I flush my fluid. There is no such thing as lifetime fluid..... every mechanic will attest to that.

Also, for the original post. There is a big price difference between draining and refilling the transmission and flushing the transmission. Flushing the transmission takes a lot more fluid (this is what the Indy wanted to do), because it is a full flush of the entire system, and is there for significantly more expensive. A drain and fill (what the dealer did) only replaces a fraction of the transmission fluid (lower cost), though probably enough to solve and rough shifting problems you may have had.

Charliev,

If sealed transmission units don't need to be flushed, explain why the MB mechanic drained dark fluid out of my 2003 model w/75k miles and many others on this forum. I'm gonna guess MB overlooked one thing when they claimed a lifetime sealed unit.....That internal tranny parts contaminate the fluid causing it to degrade over time and lose its lubrication property.

I've also heard that flushing can cause damage due to pressure from the procedure. I'm satisfied with the 8.5 qt drain on my 99. Now, I plan on draining the fluid from the pan using the drain plug(~4qts) every oil change around 6000 miles.

Only reverse flushes have an opportunity to damage anything. Only a moron would reverse flush anything.