My transmission oil pan was leaking....I guess the gasket was worn.
Strange that it is worn since the car is a '01 with only 39.5K miles!!

Anyway, I had it fixed.
Breakdown of the cost is as follows:

4 qts transmission fluid 4x18 72.00
1 transmission filter 27.00
1 transmission dipstick 45.00
1 trans oil pan gasket 18.00
2 hrs labor 130.00
--------
Total 292.00 + tax + shop charges

I have an extended warranty and the guy there only wanted to pay $170.00

2 qts transmission fluid 36.00
1 transmission filter 27.00
1 trans oil pan gasket 18.00
1.5 hrs labor 98.00
-----
Total 170.00

I have a $100 deductible, so only $70 went to the bill, so I still end up paying about $200.00.

I could not believe the guy only reimbursed 2 qts of
oil...he says that the max that would have leaked out
is 2 qts since I drove to the the shop, so he would
only pay for those 2 qts.

What the *uck kind of logic is that.
He also did not want to pay for the dipstick. He claims the shop
should have that tool.
I'm ok with that since I'm not at a MB shop.
The shop showed 2 hrs and he only would pay for 1.5.

This is the first time I am using it and it is not a
good sign for future claims!!!

To make things worst, I saw something strange...my
serpentine belt looked weird while the engine was
running. I stopped the engine and saw that the
belt's width is uneven. It seems like it was
rubbing on something that wore it down!!
Anyway, my mechanic suggested to get it replaced,
so that's what I'm going to do!!

My mechanic, who I've know for 20+ years, always
change his tranny oil when he changes his engine
oil, every 3k miles. His car has over 220,000 miles and has never
been overhauled and runs perfectly.

He says that if you plan to keep the car for a long
time, to change it frequently. This bull about a
sealed transmission and not changing the oil is to
ensure that the transmission will need to be
overhauled or replaced.

I'm inclined to believe that!!

Anyone care to share their 2 cents?!

 

Yep! I changed my tranny fluid 3x's since I've owned it since feb of 2004 and i'll still do so often.tranny runs flawlessly. I will changce it again soon since you are only able to dump what's in the tranny minus what's left in the TQ converter.When I chg it again the old fluid that was left in the TQ converter will have been chnged.

 

Did you at least keep the dipstick?

 

Hey Carl, how many quarts do you change out each time? Do you change the filter also each time. and where is the dipstick? How are all your projects going lately, 550 hp on the AWD yet?
Mario

 

You should change your tranny fluid more often. Since its most likely to have a tranny failure then anything else! i usually change tranny fluids and filter every 10k! good luck with your car.

 

The dipstick thing is weird Mario.It's on the passenger side of the car towards the back of the motor.It looks like a cap.There's a lock or clip on it you have to break off. You are only able to chng what comes out of the pan(4qts) because there is still fluid in the tq converter so this is why I chg mine every about 5-7k, I think I posted.
I have it done at my friends jiffy lube that he owns so it wrks out very very cheap for me.I chg the tranny filter every other chng.I also have a few friends that wrk for MB so I get the krazee hook up there as well!It helps when u know folks The 550whp motor is ready and on it's way from Oklahoma!Hope to have the car done by the end of Feb or sometime in March.I will post pics!

 

What company is the extended warranty with?

 

And...What kind of transmission fluid do you use? Any particular brand?

Synthetic, of course...

 

vinamg: yes, I kept the dipstick

egutie6970: yes, from now on, I'll be changing it every other time I change
my engine oil (5k miles)..& I don't drive in a dusty environment
nor do I put on a lot of miles, so that should be fine, I hope.

chappy: the company is western general...I bought it just before the
factory warranty ran out from the stealership for 48 mths or 75K
miles and paid $2,589.00.

bullett: you know....I just let them ordered the one that was recommended
since I'm gonna start replacing it every 10K miles, I figured it
should be ok. I will price out the synthetic and compare it to
what I paid (18.00/qt) to see if I should go that route or not.

Thanks to all for the input and I hope what I have shared can be helpful
to others.

Happy motoring ya'all

 

Thanks for the feedback. In your situation, I agree that Western General should have covered 4 quarts and the full 2 hours of labor. Seems pointless to spend all that cash on an extended warranty only to have to fight for every friggin nickel when you need them the most.