Tranny oil hose came off after garage visit. Warranty?
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Joined: Feb 2017
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2003 CLK 320
Tranny oil hose came off after garage visit. Warranty?
Hi there,
Brought my 03' clk in yesterday to get the engine and tranny mounts replaced, drove it back to home from the garage no problems. This morning however after a 5 minute drive the car suddenly lost power to the wheels and left a huge trail of fluid. Turns out the transmission coolant hose detached itself from the radiator. Now the garage says this is unrelated because the radiator mounts are old and it was moving around causing the problem. They want me to pay for parts and labor to fix the problem.
I don't know too much about cars, but I have trouble believing this is not directly related to the work that was done to the car 12 hours before this. Am I being f'd or do they have a legit point? Attached is a picture of the detached hose if that's of any help!
Brought my 03' clk in yesterday to get the engine and tranny mounts replaced, drove it back to home from the garage no problems. This morning however after a 5 minute drive the car suddenly lost power to the wheels and left a huge trail of fluid. Turns out the transmission coolant hose detached itself from the radiator. Now the garage says this is unrelated because the radiator mounts are old and it was moving around causing the problem. They want me to pay for parts and labor to fix the problem.
I don't know too much about cars, but I have trouble believing this is not directly related to the work that was done to the car 12 hours before this. Am I being f'd or do they have a legit point? Attached is a picture of the detached hose if that's of any help!
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 217
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From: Chicago, IL
2003 CLK500, 2003 CLK55, 2008 CLK550
Wow, thats a tough one!
The transmission and engine mounts are nowhere near those lines, so the mechanics should never have touched them. However, "should never" and "didn't" are very different terms.
The most difficult part will be proving there is a connection. Because that particular job shouldn't affect that line, the benefit of doubt would probably be on their side.
Is this a mechanic you have used in the past? Is the mechanic a Mercedes specialist?
From a legal standpoint, without further evidence or information, I would say they have the upper hand here. Sorry
That being said, hopefully the loss of pressure didnt cause any damage, and its possible you just need new fluid and it will be fine. If thats the case, I might still try to get them to pay for the transmission "flush".
The transmission and engine mounts are nowhere near those lines, so the mechanics should never have touched them. However, "should never" and "didn't" are very different terms.
The most difficult part will be proving there is a connection. Because that particular job shouldn't affect that line, the benefit of doubt would probably be on their side.
Is this a mechanic you have used in the past? Is the mechanic a Mercedes specialist?
From a legal standpoint, without further evidence or information, I would say they have the upper hand here. Sorry
That being said, hopefully the loss of pressure didnt cause any damage, and its possible you just need new fluid and it will be fine. If thats the case, I might still try to get them to pay for the transmission "flush".
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 5
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2003 CLK 320
Wow, thats a tough one!
The transmission and engine mounts are nowhere near those lines, so the mechanics should never have touched them. However, "should never" and "didn't" are very different terms.
The most difficult part will be proving there is a connection. Because that particular job shouldn't affect that line, the benefit of doubt would probably be on their side.
Is this a mechanic you have used in the past? Is the mechanic a Mercedes specialist?
From a legal standpoint, without further evidence or information, I would say they have the upper hand here. Sorry
That being said, hopefully the loss of pressure didnt cause any damage, and its possible you just need new fluid and it will be fine. If thats the case, I might still try to get them to pay for the transmission "flush".
The transmission and engine mounts are nowhere near those lines, so the mechanics should never have touched them. However, "should never" and "didn't" are very different terms.
The most difficult part will be proving there is a connection. Because that particular job shouldn't affect that line, the benefit of doubt would probably be on their side.
Is this a mechanic you have used in the past? Is the mechanic a Mercedes specialist?
From a legal standpoint, without further evidence or information, I would say they have the upper hand here. Sorry
That being said, hopefully the loss of pressure didnt cause any damage, and its possible you just need new fluid and it will be fine. If thats the case, I might still try to get them to pay for the transmission "flush".
I think the transmission will be ok, as I was driving slowly when it happened and immediately stopped. Never dealt with anything like this, so I appreciate the feedback and opinions on what my options are in this case.
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Joined: Dec 2009
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I call BS on that - those transmission cooling lines are very securely attached. Unless the fitting and clip gets physically damaged, the transmission cooling lines would not just pop-out on their own. I suspect the technician pulled the line off to make room to access the mounts, although that is not needed for the job.
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Joined: Apr 2015
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270 cdi w209
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 5
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2003 CLK 320
Just got back from the garage. Paid up 150 for tow, fluid and some grease cleaner. They didn't charge labor but it still sucks pretty hard. Even more because it's impossible to know for sure what actually happened. I'm gonna look for another garage to get my suspension done though (see my other topic hah).
Anyways, I drove it back and the transmission seems to make a pretty soft but noticeable whine when going past 10/15 miles, the pitch increases with RPMs. Is this reason for concern? Below are two pics to give you an indication of the extend of the fluid loss. Thanks so for for the input, it's much appreciated!
UPDATE: Drive it around a bit, and the whine might be coming from the engine itself. It also occurs when the transmission is in neutral and I rev up a bit. Opened the hood and it sounds like the distribution belt is making the noise. I'm suspecting this might be because the transmission fluid jizzed onto it? Here's a short video of the belts:
Anyways, I drove it back and the transmission seems to make a pretty soft but noticeable whine when going past 10/15 miles, the pitch increases with RPMs. Is this reason for concern? Below are two pics to give you an indication of the extend of the fluid loss. Thanks so for for the input, it's much appreciated!
UPDATE: Drive it around a bit, and the whine might be coming from the engine itself. It also occurs when the transmission is in neutral and I rev up a bit. Opened the hood and it sounds like the distribution belt is making the noise. I'm suspecting this might be because the transmission fluid jizzed onto it? Here's a short video of the belts:
Last edited by dutcher; Feb 9, 2017 at 10:19 PM.
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MBworld Guru
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 10,782
Likes: 1,011
NO LONGER ACTIVE
Even with the transmission in neutral and the car stopped, the torque converter and main fluid pump are running. If those were deprived of fluid, there could be damage. You'd have to lift the car and listen to the bell housing to see if that's the source.
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