VIP ONE

Im just wondering how much does transmission service for w210 would cost me? coz i put a lot of miles already in my car but i havent done any transmission service yet...so yea just wanna get an idea how much.

thanks!

RobertG

around $180.00

osdesierto

should only cost you $90

RobertG

If you do it yourself.

osdesierto

Nah..... pretty good mb mechanic shop should be able to less than an hour job. $75/hour plus $15 parts.

Huachipato

I'm thinking I probably need to have my transmission serviced soon as well. What all is involved in this service? Is it just a flush or does it require a little more than that?

RobertG

Trans fluid is $10.00 a quart plus the filter is about 20 bucks, it almost makes it not worth it to do it yourself.

rhettnashmb

Do they usually do this on the 100,000 mile service??
I have 92,000 and was thinking the same as VIP ONE.

MARK CUMMINS

The transmission should be serviced at 60K.
Also from Late 1999 Production the torque converter no longer has a drain plug..
Its also a good Idea to Reset adaptation via the star It WILL Improve shifting
with the fresh fluid

Air Marshall Eldritch

There is also an electrical connector plate that apparently warps over time and loses contact, resulting in rough shifting. I don't recall the exact name, so this is largely useless info, but if anyone can chime in...

Never wait until 100k to at least replace the fluid in a W210. Oh no siree! MB's claim of lifelong fluid is just dandy until your warranty runs out.

Musikmann

Wow RBrenton,

I didn't realize Daimler makes that claim (lifelong fluid). I can almost swallow the 100,000 spark plugs, but it seems to me that all of the fluids and filters should be replaced, and systems flushed, during every "B" service.

I'm close to 60,000 on my beast, and after reading this thread I think I'll ask them to do a transmission service when I'm in for the rest.

e420benz

If you have did this service how much fluid was required for this job on a 1997e420 sport that drains form the transmission pan and the torque converter also. I know this will vary just trying to figure out how many quarts to buy.

Air Marshall Eldritch

They have made the claim and it has been found to be baloney. This from 2 master mechanics with a combined 50 years of MB service. Is it wrong? I cannot tell you for sure, but... take your chances.

As far as B service, look at what is done. Essentially an oil change with numerous 'checking' of this and that. get the tranny fluid replaced, and ask the tech if there were any shavings in the old fluid... as they say "was there any junk in the trunk?" and that does not mean J-Lo's ***.

zam2000

wooo, where do you get that $15 part, do we just change the ...lug here ?

Huachipato

Essentially, what I'm hearing here, is take it to the dealer and let them flush the transmission, change the fluids, replace the filters, and reset it via Star and it will be good as new.

I wasn't really thinking of doing it myself - not projects this messy, but reset via star as Mark suggested is needed is something only MB dealers can do, right?

MarcusF

I had this done at the dealer two weeks ago. The service writer recommended it. The transmission in my car is a 722.607, which I believe is the same as a w210 E.

Out the door, the price was $338. I do almost all my own work, but transmission fluid baths are off limits. At $206 in labor, they can gladly do it. It saves me the trouble of cleaning spills and trying to convince my local oil recycler that transmission oil and motor oil are close cousins.

Transmission oil filter, part number 140-277-00-95 - $15.95
Gasket, part number 140-271-00-80 - $ 16.50
Lock pin, part number 140-991-00-55 - $1.65
9 quarts of fluid, part number 001-989-21-03-10 - $88.15
Labor - $206

According to the WIS, the fluid level has to be checked when at 25 degrees C, and again at 80 degrees C. This was another reason why I opted to let the guys with a Star diagnostic box do the work - The Star diagnostic box is what they use to determine fluid temperature.

Tommy_s4

I just got it done on my car today, it comes with the 60K service.

ProV1

i dont quite understand why ATF drain would be so messy. drain most of it out w/ the drain plug out, then drop the pan. easy stuff. it's not like draining coolant from the engine block.

btw, did you watch the tech do the work? did he drain atf from the torque converter? there's no way he filled 8 qt of atf unless he opened the torque converter, which doesnt even have a plug in post-99 cars

Musikmann

I'm not about to take my chances that my transmission fluid will last me for as long as I will probably own this car. The 2 master techs you mentioned are good enough sources for the purposes of this discussion.

Thanks for the advice about asking regarding the shavings in the old fluid, this certainly makes sense. I sppose I can feel completely justified with the additional expense if there are to be shavings found, but how should I interpret their answer in case it is "no there were not"?

Ha! - I'll answer that myself as "I am probably a lucky person".

Regards,
M

Musikmann

Sorry to sound so ignorant, but I certainly am on this subject.

In other words, when we have our ATF changed, there is dirty fluid remaining in the system that mixes with the fresh stuff?

Also, did Daimler eliminate the drain plug when they pronounced that the fluid was good for the lifetime of the vehicle?

Thanks,
M

MarcusF

In theory, with my CLK, I should be able to remove the drain plug from the pan, let it run until it stops and then drop the pan. The last time I did fluid change on an auto (a non Benz-o-matic), I spilled fluid everywhere. No more ATF baths for me.

As for how they drained the torque converter, that's another mystery. I didn't watch. According to the WIS, the 2002's don't have a drain plug in the converter. Since it's (allegedly) permanent fluid, the WIS doesn't even list how many quarts an ATF change requires. I can only guess the dealer techs have a way because they definitely charged for 9 quarts of ATF.

Penn

I was quoted 2 hours labour + $300 (Australian Dollars for the fluid approx USD225) This was by a MB specialist not a dealership.

The workshop was using factory MB transmission fluid which they admitted was expensive but they said they do not have any alternative non genuine fluid that they use.

ProV1

that's right M, if you simply drain the pan, you'll only drain out about 3-4 qt's. there's another 3-4 in the torque converter. MB got rid of the torque converter plug in 00 or so, so you cannot drain that anymore. in my 97 that's not an issue.

so your choices are:

1. believe MB's "lifetime fluid" philosophy and don't touch it at all
2. change ATF 3-4 times, replacing 3-4 qt (exactly the amount you drained from the pan, as incorrect fluid level will damage the tranny) each time so you end up with more fresh fluid each time
3. have a tranny "flush" to force everything out (personally i wouldn't do this)

ccmbduong

My car is '96 E320... changed trans fluid every 60K by a local MB indy, about $100 each time... a peace of mine

JeffreyP

Last time changing ATF by just pulling the pan, we were able to get about 6.5 quarts out. I believe we got that much out because the car was quite hot (after driving for about 15 minutes, most/majority of the fluid in the torque converter are already out)

My mechanic says that it should be OK changing ATF (partially 6.5 quarts) at about 40-50K as the old fluid is only about 20% of the total volume. I had about 30Kmile on since and the transmission is shifting nicely, the fluid is still look very new.

If you just want to do it this way then it's quite simple and cost a quite a bit less:
- remove drain plug, drain to a bucket
- drop the pan, let it drain some more
- change filter, $15.98, no need for new gasket or lock pin, but if you'd like to it's not that much
- measure the ATF that came out
- refill with new ATF - same amount that came out less that 7 quarts ~ $70

Again, this is just what I did.
Regards,
Jeffrey