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That is correct - the conductor plate and valve body versions must match, and MBZ only sells them together. I think all they sell now is VGS3. The revised plates are a permanent fix to the speed sensor failure problem. I think having the job done at a dealer is about $1500 total.
Man, I got excited about $1,500 for replacement of the conductor plate and valve body at a dealer for $1500. So I called around. Unfortunately, a dealer by me wants $2,300 for the conductor plate only and another $900 for the valve body. $3,200 total. So it's back to figuring out a way to get these replaced more cheaply...
Man, I got excited about $1,500 for replacement of the conductor plate and valve body at a dealer for $1500. So I called around. Unfortunately, a dealer by me wants $2,300 for the conductor plate only and another $900 for the valve body. $3,200 total. So it's back to figuring out a way to get these replaced more cheaply...
There are companies who can refurbish your conductor plate when you ship it to them (I guess in a roundabouts of $400 give or take) , therefore there is no need to recode it later, or also they offer transfer the data from your old conductor plate into the replacement conductor plate.. I'm looking into getting into that business too in the near future.
There are companies who can refurbish your conductor plate when you ship it to them (I guess in a roundabouts of $400 give or take) , therefore there is no need to recode it later, or also they offer transfer the data from your old conductor plate into the replacement conductor plate.. I'm looking into getting into that business too in the near future.
Thanks. Yeah, there are a few places near me in So Cal that do that. I just thought $1500 was a great deal to get everything done at once. I think the solenoids in my valve body need replacement currently (at least the TC solenoid), and I figured I may as well get the conductor plate done as well, since the speed sensor will inevitably go out on that. I'll just replace the solenoids now and worry about the speed sensor thing when it starts acting up. That will be much cheaper than $3200!
Just a note about having the conductor plate repaired - it;s not always the speed sensor itself that fails. Sometimes the conductor plat warps and causes the sensor to move out of place.
Ah, good advice, thanks. Good to know to look for this, since I wouldn't want to just have the sensor replaced and have the problem reoccur due to warping.
That is correct - the conductor plate and valve body versions must match, and MBZ only sells them together. I think all they sell now is VGS3. The revised plates are a permanent fix to the speed sensor failure problem. I think having the job done at a dealer is about $1500 total.
Do you know when the VGS3 became standard? Also, is there any way to tell what I have other than actually inspecting the unit?
Man, I got excited about $1,500 for replacement of the conductor plate and valve body at a dealer for $1500. So I called around. Unfortunately, a dealer by me wants $2,300 for the conductor plate only and another $900 for the valve body. $3,200 total. So it's back to figuring out a way to get these replaced more cheaply...
I thought the Conductor plate on my W221 was going out and took it to the dealership. The previous couple of days before the trip to the dealer the car would slam into gears when up-shifting, like a Smart Car was rear ending me.
Dealer service mechanic and I went for a ride. He immediately said he knew what the problem was. Retaining rings in the clutch pack had broken.
The trans had metallic particulate matter all throughout it. They said they could rebuild it or replace it with the latest Valve Body and VGS3 Conductor plate plus a new torque converter for the same cost.
That was a no-brainer for me, but it was also $7500.
Car had 84k miles and is otherwise in phenomenal shape. Pano roof with AMG Sport package and no other problems.
Cost is relative to what you are driving vs replacement. $96k when new vs $16k plus the repair was an easy decision for me.
I thought the Conductor plate on my W221 was going out and took it to the dealership. The previous couple of days before the trip to the dealer the car would slam into gears when up-shifting, like a Smart Car was rear ending me.
Dealer service mechanic and I went for a ride. He immediately said he knew what the problem was. Retaining rings in the clutch pack had broken.
The trans had metallic particulate matter all throughout it. They said they could rebuild it or replace it with the latest Valve Body and VGS3 Conductor plate plus a new torque converter for the same cost.
That was a no-brainer for me, but it was also $7500.
Car had 84k miles and is otherwise in phenomenal shape. Pano roof with AMG Sport package and no other problems.
Cost is relative to what you are driving vs replacement. $96k when new vs $16k plus the repair was an easy decision for me.
You paid half the cost of the car (the price you paid) for a repaired transmission? Not sure if I could stomach that! Glad they were able to figure it out though, and like you stated, it's a really nice car.
I have a question for you: did your issue happen more when the engine was cold, or all the time regardless of the engine temperature?
Has anyone came across an issue where the ignition switch has to be replaced? Not sure how the conductor plate and valve body relate to the ignition switch. I was told it might have to be changed out.
Has anyone came across an issue where the ignition switch has to be replaced? Not sure how the conductor plate and valve body relate to the ignition switch. I was told it might have to be changed out.
They are unrelated, unless someone is trying to sell a bunch of used parts form a single car that all match so no coding is needed.
You paid half the cost of the car (the price you paid) for a repaired transmission? Not sure if I could stomach that! Glad they were able to figure it out though, and like you stated, it's a really nice car.
I have a question for you: did your issue happen more when the engine was cold, or all the time regardless of the engine temperature?
It was more prevalent when the engine was cold.
The mechanic that drove the car with me said "This car is in phenomenal shape, if it was me I wouldn't hesitate to replace the trans."
So I still have less $ in the car than if I bought 2 year old Hyundai. Nobody ever says "Hey, check out that Hyundai."
Finally brought my 05 CLK500 110K miles into local indy shop. Turns out the conductor plate has gone bad and needs replacement. The new conductor plate was installed but be couldn't programed. After doing some research, he told me when replacing the VGS1 or VGS2 versions to VGS3, the body vale needs replacement too. To my suprize I was told the new valve body must be purchased with a conductor plate and is not sold seperate. Is this true? Luckily the conductor plate he ordered is still "virgin" and could be used for another car. Im already $1100 into this repair and worried what the final bill is. Is the new VGS3 conductor plate superior to older versions and should one expect this repair last for a while? Has anyone done this repair and know what it roughly costs with the new valve body?
I have a new valve body for VGS2/3 laying around if you need one.
Finally got the car back today! After spending almost $2000, I had speed sensor issue finally fixed. Found out the new valve body comes with all new solenoids, so shouldn't need to worry about that later on. One thing I found interesting, I was told for the programming to accpet the new shift plate , they had to swap out the EIS. Supposably a newer or VGS3 EIS was installed to complete the coding. Once that was completed my old EIS was installed back into the car. Only drove it about 40 miles today but much better, almost want to say it quicker now. I attached an invoice for people to view.
From what I understand VGS3 was implemented mid-2009 and are less prone to failure and are backwards compatible with VGS2 units, but VGS2 plates are not forward compatible. I've done a few of these and you have to do things in this sequence:
Buy a used plate
Have it virginized
Install it in your car
Change the EHS# in the plate to match the valvebody its attached to in Star
Check for software updates or changes using offline coding (The software available is dependent on the EHS number. This is important when you're going from a diesel car to gas and vice-versa)
Perform personalization and activation
Teach in the selector
Change the 4 digit variant coding either using xentry online or offline coding with support from the large collection of compatible coding on *******'s website. The coding is depending on platform (W209,X164,etc...) software version, and EHS number
***This is a critical step and sometimes difficult to accomplish without xentry online. There are about 300 different 4 digit code combinations to represent all different variations of powerplants. MHH has a thread where hundreds of people post their coding and options for reference.***
Am I the only person in the world who did manage to brake off the connector housing while removing the conductor plate from the transmission body? Insane It was such a nice conductor plate. I guess manufactured in 2012 ///
Here we go again, just when you think somethings fixed. I had the valve body and conductor plate replaced a couple weeks ago but it doesn’t feel right. When accelerating, most noticeably around 1000-2000 rpms, the cars feels like it’s shaking. Can’t tell if the transmission is slipping or whether it’s something else. It does get slightly better after driving a while and almost unnoticeable at higher speeds. Have a feeling its something when switching between gears. Has anyone else experienced this?
Here we go again, just when you think somethings fixed. I had the valve body and conductor plate replaced a couple weeks ago but it doesn’t feel right. When accelerating, most noticeably around 1000-2000 rpms, the cars feels like it’s shaking. Can’t tell if the transmission is slipping or whether it’s something else. It does get slightly better after driving a while and almost unnoticeable at higher speeds. Have a feeling its something when switching between gears. Has anyone else experienced this?
First thing to try is readapting the torque converter.
Am I the only person in the world who did manage to brake off the connector housing while removing the conductor plate from the transmission body? Insane It was such a nice conductor plate. I guess manufactured in 2012 ///
Nah, I've done that, too. Just clean it up, solder the connections and epoxy the plastic back together.
I did some research and looks like the pilot bushing might need replacement. I couldn't find where to locate this part, does someone know of good thread that shows how to replace?
01-19-2020, 08:53 PM
Insane 
