MrsR

Hi Everyone! I'm the new kid on the block! Within the past 6 months I financed an 07 CLK(I'm still paying an arm and a leg monthly). Right now it has 62,000 miles.Recently I started noticing the car would not accelerate properly and the check engine light came on. The local mecanic said there was a leak in the transimssion and it needed to be rebuilt for $3800. So I took it to the benz dealer for a second opinon and was told I need a rebuilt transmission for $5300, plus a leak with the power steering and some other things. Long story short, is it normal to have to replace a transimission with only 62,000 miles? Is there no way to repair the leaks without buying a rebuilt trans? Is it possible the loser dealer I bought it from knew this and didn't tell me? I have no warranty on it by the way... What should I do?

Yidney

No, it is not normal. That doesn't mean yours is not actually bad, but it would be abnormal. When the check engine light comes on, that means your computers are storing one or more fault codes - usually with a format that looks like P0430 for example. If one or the other of the places you took it read the codes, post them here.

Also, did your mechanic say what was leaking? If two places told you your tranny is gone, then it doesn't look good. As for whether the seller knew, who knows. It's possible, but if it drove fine until now then maybe not.

RPB

Sorry to hear this my friend, so how many miles have you put on the car since you purchased it? It does sound odd for a transmission to be failing at this mileage but then again I do question the build quality of MB's from this era as they are not built like the older generation Benz that are very robust all around. It does sound like it might need replacing if two places stated the trans is faulty. This is typically when you perform the first flush on a trans not replace it! I feel for you, are you sure there is not type of warranty on it???

mis3

Depends on the leaks, if it leaks a lot or it has been leaking for a long time, this would mean that the transmission has been damaged because of lack of ATF.

When I replaced my ATF a few months ago, I suspected that there was some ATF leaked through the pilot bushing (13-pin connector). I did not see the leak but the surrounding area in the bottom engine cover was "moist".

Unfortunately, it's not easy to measure the ATF level.

MrsR

Maybe I've driven 5000 miles on it. So following the dashboard for the next service, I've never had been in for service. since it was not due for service, I never was aware of any leaks. As far as I know, there is no warranty. I was told the manufacturers warranty was good for 50,000 miles and I didn't purchase an extended warranty because foolishly I thought a benz would give the least amount of problems. Just sucks all the way!

Pufftrees

Hi MrsR, welcome to the forums. Sorry that you have to introduce yourself in such conditions I can't offer much advice on the matter but I wish you the best and try to stay positive in this holiday season. Good luck

Rudeney

Find yourself a good independent shop that specializes in MBZ vehicles. They will have lower labor rates than the dealers, plus they tend to be less inclined to "stack" on extra charges for additional work that might or might not be needed. if your MIL (check engine light) is illuminated, there should be stored codes. I'd like to know what those are. If nothing else, go to Auto Zone and they will scan the codes for free. That might give us some insight into the true nature of the problem. Also, the MIL usually does not illuminate with transmission problems - only engine problems. If there are problems with the transmission, that requires special equipment to scan those codes, so you may have more than one problem. Again, this is why I recommend finding a good indy. Where are you located? We have members from all over the US and we may be able to recommend a good shop. If not, cartalk.com is a good resource for locating an honest, competent mechanic.

dkim

had a tranny problem after 100k miles. An independent shop 5 min from my house (Bell's Mercedes...F-in con artists) told me that based on the codes, my conductor plate and TCU would have to be replaced. If that didn't work, they would have to replace the whole tranny. Sounded crazy so I went to my trusted indy (Bergen Imports)for a 2nd opinion. Didn't go to him to begin with just because it's so out of the way for me. Long story short, our clks have problems with the speed sensor (conductor plate). It costs about $1500 to replace. My TCU was fine without wicked trans. fluid so they were just trying to get me to replace that too for extra dough.

10k miles later, car drives like new. Ask what codes came up and start with the conductor plate first before replacing the TCU too and ultimately the whole tranny.

Kompressive

I'm having my conductor plates replaced right now. It will be ready tomorrow. My indie shop is a very good shop very honest, and they are charging me $700 for the entire job that includes replacing the conductor plate, and all of the syncing and resetting. Sounds like you should steer clear from your not so honest sounding dealer and check around for an indie shop that people really like.

JALE

I've only had 2 issues with my car since I bought it in 03'. Those 2 issues just happened to be with the transmission. 1st was with glycol contamination and the 2nd sounds like what you are experiencing. I had the conductor replaced and all was good! I paid about 650 to have it done.

Glycol contamination happened around 32K and conductor plate issues were around 70K. I'm at 83K now and the transmission still running smooth