napoli

Have a 98 CLK 320 Starmarked for another 6 mos...purchased 1 1/2 years ago. Mileage at sale was 26,ooo miles.

Question:
Can anyone tell me or direct me to a source (other than MB dealer service) that will give me a breakdown for how often the transmission filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, and belts, etc should be changed? I am getting an independent mechanic w factory experience to tune up my MB and want to know what a 50K tune up should entail and what should be checked.

Thanks

MB Fanatic

I would bleed the brake system, coolant flush, check pads and rotors, transmission service w/ new filter and fluid (should also be drained from torque converter) and filled with OEM MBZ fluid. Also change the fuel filter, check pulleys and belts and hoses. check headlight alignment, lubricate chasis, check suspension for any damage or anything. And pour 2 bottles of Chevron Fuel System Cleaner (bottle that says 20 gallon) on it, this will clean the entire fuel system and restore power to the engine.

After this your car will last another 50K miles.

ebennz

'bout time you take care of that ride...

Bagher

i thought the tranny was sealed, is it possible to have the system flushed (not at dealer)??

bbearden

Stealerships will tell you that the transmission is a sealed unit and does not require service for 100K miles. Many MB service tech will tell you this is BS. Why wouldn't MB want to sell you a new transmission at 100K miles? Mine had 57K miles and the synthetic fluid inside was burned and came out black as hell. Any third party mechanic can change out the fluid to my knowledge, just make sure you use the synthetic transmission fluid that MB uses and pick up a trans filter and gasket from the stealership.

vraa

Better last more then just 100k!

Bagher

well i bought the fluid, filter, and gaskets. has anyone posted a walkthrough of the 'sealed' tranny service? i dont' want to wait until i notice problems to do something about it.

bbearden

Take it to a reputable shop in your area as a transmission service is something that unfortunately, you can't do yourself. The reason is because you can't drain the old fluid out of the torque convertor, it must be flushed out with a pump. I would think that around $150 would be a reasonable price since you already have all of your materials but you might be able to find someone cheaper. Some dealerships can charge a markup on the filter and gasket but you've already bought all the materials so all they can charge you for is the labor.
Basically what the shop will do is remove the transmission pan and drain and flush all the old fluid out of the transmission. They will remove the old filter and then reinstall the new one and put the pan back on with the new gasket and then install the trans fluid. Pretty standard for a trans service. I think our transmissions hold somewhere in the neighborhood of 9-10 quarts of synthetic fluid so make sure it gets filled to the correct level.

Blake