MercFiveHundred

Guys i'm stumped with my tranny and this post is my last try on fixing it. The symptons are the same as glycol leaking into the tranny fliud. Rumbling in the tranny, driveshaft, and rear end accompanied by a sound like going over a stripped concrete road ready to be surfaced by blacktop. It happens mostly when going 1000-2500 rpm. The rpms shoot up about 200-300 rpms when this happens - thinking like the torque converter is slipping. Two dealers confirmed torque converter is fine.

I have 120K miles, the valeo radiator, and the old tranny module that you have to order from Germany.

Here's what i did:
Performed Glycol test @ dealer - negative, no glycol
Changed tranny fluid - problem persists
Changed Valve body and wiring to TCM as recomended by dealer - problem persists
Changed Tranny Control Module (programmed in Germany) yesterday - problem persists
After i changed the Valve body, i bought to another dealer and some code came up as the speed coming in from the front does not match the speed sensor in the rear. Told me it was the "conductor plate on the valve body". I told him i just changed the valve body and he said i would then need a new tranny. I got one more opinion that it would be the TCM.

My problem is that i cant believe i need a new tranny at 120,000 highway miles- ON A MERCEDES!!!! That along with no glycol and no electrical problems. So if anyone here has an idea on what this could be, i would greatly appreciate it.

-Nik

gaazmon

I needed a new one at 47K miles due to the glycol. Luckily CPO covered it. My previous 94 S420 needed tranny rebuild at about 80K miles.

novae500

wow, i'm surprised the tranny is going at 120k miles if thats the case!

mcleantmw

I had the glycol contamination from the Valeo radiator in 2007 and the torque converter was replace at the 40k mileage point through my CPO warranty. In 2008 they also replaced the TCM which had to be ordered and programmed for my VIN in Germany. I now have 68k mileage and transmission still working fine but I plan to ensure I get tranmission fluid changes at the recommended periodic times to help protect it. Does seem unusual to have the entire transmission needs replacement at only the 120k mileage point. Maybe one of your transmission repairs was done incorrectly or a faulty part and they should be checked again. There have been several MB TSBs issued on these W211 vehicles that have been posted by "konigstiger" on the other transmission threads here and you might want to get copies of them to check out with your MB Dealer.

vettdvr

I am not suprised. You should be thankful you made 120,000 miles. My list of issues on our E500 is too long to list. Would not surprise me for a second if my transmission quit.

2003 E500 and reliability would be oxymoron.

MercFiveHundred

Well the main reason i bought this car is because i thought it would get to at least 200k with not much problems. BUT it had a really hard time getting to 100k with about 20+ repairs. Yea my list is prolly as long as yours. I have that rattling noise ?? compressor bracket??, a bad front suspension - changed the wheel bearing and ball joints(again), battery connection problems, leaking water in the trunk lid, driver airbag (SRS), heated steering wheel doesnt work - could be stalk switch is not right one when i replaced. ARGH!!! I think this is pretty much the worst car ANYONE could have! LOL

UsedMB

Hi,

I have the 04 E320. Is there any significent difference in the reliability between your 03 E500 and my car? What are some of your common components to the E320 that were bad that I should keep an eye on? Thanks!

Flash Gordon

I have my share of grief, not just the car itself but the imcompetent dealer service also. The first day the car was delivered, the check engine appeared in the dash after I started the motor! Turned to be the fuel sending unit was faulty and the unit had to be ordered by the dealer! The salesman was damn embarrassed to say the least. After that, the front strut leaked, motor mount replaced, stereo control replaced, car would not start in the garage and had to be towed to the dealer, 2 Rims got corroded in the first year and the dealer refused to replaced them, and many, many other issues in the first 4 years. I just know that the tranny will go out on me one of these days! You think I would buy another MB!

vettdvr

Same reason I paid the $$ and bought one reliability. Apparently I didn't get it in this car. 85000 miles and I too are about $20 in repairs with a long list. ball joints, air springs, sbc failures to name just a few off the top.

MercFiveHundred

I think the 03's were all crap. The late 04's+ (look at your production date on ur driver door sill) i think were better. I think when you get into the 06+ where the reliability is much better - or we might be waiting to see their threads soon, knock on wood... LOL. But dont be scared becuase there are people who've had great reliability from 04+. I dont think anyone has a reliable 03. The sign of things to come should be a sign of things to go! LOL

The suspension set-up is the same (except for the Air struts), so you will prolly need to do the lower ball joints and thrust arms before the 100k mile mark. Your front battery should also be due for a change. Stereo updates - make sure you have them all. My turning signal switch along with the rewiring of the headlight turning signals. Door lock "pogo stick". Window actuator. Heater change over valve (only cold air coming thru vents). Engine mounts. I've heard that changing the spark plugs at around 80K is not a bad idea. AND DON'T FORGET TO CHANGE YOUR TRANNY OIL!!! LOL

SBC is a problem - but not on my car -yet! Tires have to be Michelin, Continental, or another high quality equivalent.

MercFiveHundred

Sorry to hear that. I think we 03 E-classes should all get together and sue MB for selling us crap cars for so much money! Misrepresentation of product? I know, I know, forget it LOL. Change your tranny oil man. I learned the hard way. If you need help on something you can always PM me. I think i've had all the problems that can wrong on this damn car and worked on some of them myself. That's prolly one thing i've gained from having this car - mechanical skills!

SZMB

Modern BMW and MB transmission don't last long with an average life of 120k mi. A few lucky ones get upto 200k mi. Changing the tranny fluid every 50k mi should length its lifetime. My former 1990 Toyota 4runner's tranny lasted 175k mi and a 1992 Corolla lasted only 80k mi, both had no tranny fluid change. If we want trannys last upto 200k mi, we should buy the manual trannys.

UsedMB

Thanks for the heads-up. I check my car's Vehicle History Report, and it showed the dealer had these repairs done last year at 58K miles: Rear brake pads replaced, battery replaced, lower ball joints replaced, brake fluid flushed/changed, front brake rotors replaced.

Your right ... the ball joints must be a chronic problem for the E. I wonder if I have to replace them again at 120K miles. The dealer also checked the transmission a year ago. Maybe I should change the transmission oil now at 65K miles just in-case.

Thanks again!

MercFiveHundred

I don't believe that. I have a 1998 accord v6 with 200,000+ miles and changed the tranny fluid at about 150,000 when it started to act up. My dad is still driving it and will probably make it to 250,000. My bro had a 2000 accord I4 and replaced his tranny at 180,000 but he beat on it everyday and NEVER changed the fluid. All the miles i put on my E have been highway. I dunno, maybe it does make sense then when a 2004 Honda Accord LX I4 with 130,000 is worth $10,000 while my E is prolly worth the same

mcleantmw

Some foreign vehicles, like the MB W211 models and the Volvo S60/V70 models, seem to have sensitive transmissions that need the trans fluid changed with regularity. For example, my Volvo V70 with 115,000 miles has a tranmission made by Aisin Warner and I plan to change the fluid every 30,000 now to keep it working well. It's also important to get any software updates to these transmissions since a lot of the workings are electronic which affects the mechanical operating mechanisms. Does anyone know who actually makes the MB W211 transmission........MB or a third party vendor like Volvo does?The MB WIS Service Sheet AP00.20-U-12081B-8.11.04 for my vehicle indicates to change the trans fluid once at 39k miles (which was done at the 40k miles point when my MB Dealer replaced the torque converter and radiator from the glycol contamination) but I also plan to change the fluid again every 40k miles...........if it helps to keep my transmission healthy it's worth the cost!

gaazmon

I think it's a third party, but with Benz they are good at hiding their suppliers with most things.

SZMB

I'm a firm believer that fresh fluid always lubricates better than old & burnt oil. When i drained the tranny oil from a 4Runner w/ 175k mi, the oil was black & thick instead of the red Dexron III. On my 2003 BMW w/ 97k mi, the tranny oil has the color of dark olive oil instead of the fresh light green olive oil, and the gear shifting was so much smoother after the oil change. The longevity of the trannys also depend on driving style, whether it's all highway, stop & go, or lots of short trips. I've read reports that some trannys failed right after the fluid change, and those failures could be due to refilling the oil to incorrect level and/or not replacing the filter. Many factors couldn't contribute to tranny failures. But having fresh fluid should help reducing wear and tear. Just like in engine oil change, there's no way I would wait to change the engine oil at 12k-15k mi intervals even if it's all highway miles, changing the fluid frequently is a small price to pay to prevent premature failures.

MercFiveHundred

I agree with you SZMB that fresh is always much better. However, there is no need to change oil that doesn't need changing. Mobil 1 motor oil should last you a full 10,000 miles at least on regular driving - that's why it costs so much with all the additives. Yea i should have changed my tranny oil, but like i said, it still doesn't make sense that it would be destroyed in 120,000 so poorly. I should have just noticed harsh shifting, not rumbling and bumbling.

**Update** - when i remove the battery to "try" and reset bad codes it runs "better" the first run but returns to it's crappy self. Could this still be electrical? MAF? Spark Plugs? It seems kind of die/sputter when i come to a stop but idles ok. I removed one of the plugs but it looks like normal wear for 120,000. It's black, black...

vettdvr

I don't think you could ever sue someone for poor qualilty. But I we could play the game of who has the worst 2003. This car still drives like a new car I just have to keep stuffing $1000 bills into it to make it go. It will be very difficult for me to buy another MB brand ever. But I suppose if MB traded cars with me so I could evaluate a 2007 or newer I would do it. They will never trade, and that might be the end of our customer / supplier relationship over this 2003.

SZMB

You can try to clean the MAF sensor with a can of carburetor cleaner and see if that'll fix the problem. A bad MAF sensor could cause rough idling and poor acceleration. I just changed the MAF in a 1998 C280, which was idling very rough, and some hesitation during acceleration. Cleaning didn't work in this case. And there was no fault code.

MercFiveHundred

Update!! Today i took my car to a friend whos a MB mechanic. Car didnt drive as bad on the way down to him. When i left him the car, it doesn't sputter/rumble anymore!!!! WTF!!!! I told him to drive it again but more so uphill. He told me it works fine. He drove it twice more. Runs fine... So i go to pick it up and it shifts funny a bit. But no rumble?! It did it once on my drive back home but very little. I tried every possible senario uphill from 50 to 80 without downshifting and no rumble. I guess next stop is the exorcist?

gaazmon

Father Marrin stopped working on Benzes about a year ago... he just couldn't take the computers anymore, it was like they were possessed

Ya, these can be really temperamental, that's the problem with these things. I took my car twice to the dealer about the tranny. They said they could not duplicated. After it happened where the tranny just broke down, the management and the dealership tried blaming me as saying I contaminated the thing myself.

mystro

Does the CDI have a different trannie? I ask because I talked to a very conscientious owner and he even checked ALL-DATA and there's no scheduled Transmission fluid changes whatsoever..it this true? He changed his anyway at 50k using the OEM fluid.

konigstiger

05-06 CDI is equipped with a 722.6 (5-speed) transmission MB recommends ATF/filter replacement @ 39000 miles see 05-08 maintenance (page 3) https://mbworld.org/forums/3294991-post83.html

mystro

Much thanks..I will pass this along,