grace4310

My dealer says this is very important and part of 39K service. Agree??

schooner

My mechanic informed me yesterday that MB used to recommend tranny flushes at 100K intervals, but it seems the MB "everlast" tranny fluid is not as durable as MB initially thought, so now they recommend tranny flushes at 40K intervals.

Ser05E500

I make it a point to do all the maintnance every 60,000 miles or 3 years. That means tranny, brake fluid, fuel filter,spark plugs
. If i was you. I would change it right now and then wait until 100,000 to do it again.

Flash Gordon

You don't need to service your tranny at 39K! Unless you drive like a taxi or tow something frequently, you don't replace the tranny fluid that often. As for replacing brake flluid, MB recommends at 3-years interval. From my experience, 4-5 years interval is more than enough. All car dealers and shops like to service you cars more often, especially MB dealers because they think MB cars generate a cloud of mystery. Owner's manual and forums are a better place to gather info than from dealers.

007_e350

I'm at 48k and just got tranny services (oil & filter change), I can tell you the gear changes are much more smoother now ... I had started to feel sternness between shifts which is now more like cushiony (i.e transition between gears) .... I would strongly recomment it, it was $300 bucks at the MB dealership so negotiate if they ask you more

SZMB

The new MB schedule is every 39k mi. The old schedule was at 100k mi. I don't know why MB changed their mind on this. My 2004 E500 manual recommends 100k mi. I personally would do it at 50k mi, which I had it done at 50k mi. $300 is cheap for this service, just do it. How did MB come up with 39K? Why not round it up to 40k? Or 50k, or 69??? Maybe the MB chief engineer got drunk one day and 39 came to mind . He said 39, and so there it was, 39 was born. No one dared to question him because he was supposed to be MB's genius in transmission technology -- that's my guess .

konigstiger

Actually every 40,000
https://mbworld.org/forums/3294991-post83.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/3598711-post3.html

MercFiveHundred

There is a difference between tranny "flush" and "change". A flush will remove all the 7/8 qts of old fluid and replace with new. A change is just dropping the pan (only 4 quarts) and replacing filter, gasket, and 4 qts to refill. A change will not get the rest of the oil left in the torque converter. The flush is more expensive so be careful in what you ask for.

I've been having problems with my tranny and i just did a flush and it seemed to remove about 95% of the shuttering i had.

MBNUT1

The trouble with the flush is that the filter is not removed. The 39K maintenance requires the filter to be changed.

MercFiveHundred

Agreed, the OP needs just to have a transmission "service" and not a "flush". I called up a couple of dealers asking $500 for a "flush" and $350 for "service" - so make sure you are clear.

007_e350

jeez.. I asked for trans service assuming they'd flush & replace oil & filter ... How imp is it to flush ?

Is the torque converter the same as Transfer case ? If I get transfer case oil changed (4matic) would that be suffice ?

MercFiveHundred

I don't think you actually need a flush. A change should be good enough. If you keep changing it as per recommended intervals, you should be fine. If you want, you can do a flush at later mileage (close to 100k) if you notice the tranny not shifting as smoothly. I think the quality of the oil affects more the electrical components rather than the mechanical components of the tranny. Had a problem with my tranny and found this website which another guy had the same problem as me. I did not have glycol contamination but a flush definitely helped. http://www.justanswer.com/questions/...ion-accelerate

The torque converter is not the same as the transfer case. I think the transfer case is part of the 4-matic system that distributes power to the 4 wheels (in w/e % front vs rear). I never had a AWD car so i dont know much about it but is it should be after the transmission, where the torque converter is mated between the engine and the transmission to distribute power from the engine to the tranny.

I've heard the transfer case is more sensitive to the quality of the oil than the transmission so you should do both - according to the recommended interval.

RedG

Oil whether dirty or clean affects mechanical parts more, always, than electrical components. Problematic oil, or oil that has used up its additive package can cause the valve bodies inside the transmission to stick and eventually cause internal failure. Dirty, contaminated or otherwise poor fluid won't cool the transmission as intended either, leading to heat failures of both mechanical and electrical components.

You are better off never just 'changing' the transmission fluid, do a full flush, and change the transmission oil filter. Anything less isn't servicing your Mercedes Benz (or any automobile) properly.

MercFiveHundred

As far as i know there is 3 liters in the torque converter, 1 liter in the valve body, and 4 liters when you drop the pan. So just by dropping the pan, you are getting out half of the tranny oil. By changing the filter you are doing another step in the process. By saying "never just 'changing' the transmission" fluid is a stretch and i disagree with you. Doing nothing is a lot worse and i've heard bad things about people finally deciding to do any maintenance with the tranny at high mileage - because of a problem. I agree with you if you are thinking, that for $150, why not do a flush. But if you are the home mechanic and you can 'change' the oil yourself - if your car is applicable, then you should be fine.

The valve body is an electrical component, no? Isnt it connected to the TCM?