Just had the transmission fluid changed in my 2004 Mercedes. I changed the transmission connector as well. On the 722.6 transmission you can get a leak if the o rings dry out on the connector. May result in Transmission fluid leaking up the wire harness and bye bye transmission control unit or conductor plate on top of valve body.

 

Ive got a 2003 E500 with 113k miles..love it, but not trouble free.. 1800 frontend ball joint'ish work at 48k or less miles. also I'll soon be spending around 4 grand on the transmission.. been having issues with it since 90k miles though. It's my favorite car to date.. but annoying to hear people say "those Mercedes.. built like tanks .. will last forever" and on both E series I've owned and from a majority of the comments on this thread show expensive transmission issues within the first 100k miles... as well as the ball joint issues. That being said I rent new cars when traveling a few times a year and other than them only having better technology packages the E500 at 10+ years old blows them all out of the water in comfort/ride and power.

 

They are built like tanks and will last forever if you put in all of the necessary maintenance and treat the car well, at least for the facelift W211 and the Mercedes-Benz vehicles that didn't come from the notoriously bad early 2000s - not a good time for any car manufacturer honestly. A good metaphor is that they are the perfect hot blonde wife - beautiful, head turner, excellent performer , intelligent if you're lucky... but they have a terrible spending problem and unless you have an open wallet policy with them you will become unhappy very quickly

 

$1800 for ball joints?! Sorry to say this, but you got ripped off. I am guessing the same happened with a $4k transmission repair. I am at 157k+ miles and have yet to run into the "expensive transmission issues". Ball joints are wear items - get used to it. This goes for all cars, not just MB.

Plus, you've been running the car with "transmission issues" for 20k+ miles? That's plain negligence and usually does result in high costs.

I won't be the one to say these cars are "built like tanks", they are definitely not. This is not a 1990 Volvo 740 with a 5-speed manual, which IS built like a tank. However, I find that the problems that do occur are normal wear and tear items. Granted, these items cost more to replace, but that's not the point here.

 

$1800.00 for lower control arms sounds like a quote from the Mercedes Dealer. Same thing for the Transmission. The 722.6 was supposed to be a "Lifetime Sealed" transmission. I have heard of other MB owners having to replace their 722.6 5 speed transmission due to Mercedes telling the owners that their transmission didn't need service. That was the case with my 2004 C230K I purchased from a Mercedes Dealer used. I asked the salesman if the transmission fluid/filter was changed as part of the recon. I was told that the transmission didn't require service as it was "Sealed for Life". I just had the transmission serviced and thank god, no metal, burn or copper colored fluid in the drain pan. The 722.6 is a good transmission but very sensitive to transmission fuild levels. Also you have to love having no transmission dip stick. Have to buy one from the dealer along with the red plastic tabs you have to break off to remove the cap. My 2003 BMW 330i 5 Speed Auto wasn't required to be changed before 100K.

 

"Lifetime Sealed" does not specify that "life". My guess is that it was supposed to be 100k miles, which is reasonable. Anyone that thought and believed that you never have to change the transmission fluid was clearly mistaken. The 722.6 5-speed transmission is extremely simple in design as I have seen one being taken apart. Complete failure is unlikely. The 722.6 transmissions were also put in the Sprinters. The one that was taken apart I mentioned earlier had about 530k miles on it, and that's on a Sprinter hauling heavy cargo.

The $1800 quote seems astronomically high to me. First off, there is no reason to replace the whole damn thing. The bushings and ball joints can be swapped with just a little more work than replacing the arm completely. Bushings are about $30/each (there are two) and the ball joint is about $70/each. $150 per side, $300 for the whole front, and $1500 for labor? No way it takes 15 hours to replace them especially at MB dealers who have specialized tools to do these jobs quickly.

 

I did pay $1800.. it must have been for the control arms/bushings/ball joints and it was at ~45k miles and the mechanic(not dealer) told me it wasn't that unusual do have them done around 50k. I bought the car with 45k miles and not sure why I didn't notice it in the testdrive. As far as the transmission I was told by the dealership and 2 other transmission shops a minimum of 3k.. one shop told me they only charge $600 for the labor and the rest would be mb parts and he said it would likely run over 3k. Dealsership was definitely over 4k. What should the cost be? Anyone recommend anyone for transmission work in Seattle?

 

At 45K it seems that those parts should not be that worn, but then again, it all comes down to road conditions and driving style.

Make sure you ask the shops what exactly they are going to be doing to your car. Chances are the transmission plug was leaking and the fluid traveled up the wires into the electrical plate or TCM. Now, electrical plate can cause all sorts of problems that would lead you to believe that your transmission is toast. If TCM has fluid in it, try taking out and drying it out really well. Best advice I can give you is have them pull codes and post them here. You'd be surprised that most of the time, these problems are not that expensive to fix.

 

I agree with this. The 722.6 transmission usually only has two problem areas, one the electronic conductor plate on top of the value body (have watch DIY VLOGS with people replacing these, messy but not that hard) or transmission fluid leaking up and messing with the TCM. What issues Trixon are you having with the transmission. I am assuming you have had the transmission fluid/filter changed before reaching 90K.

 

I found this really good Mercedes expert Kent Bergsma who owns MercedesSource. He did a six part VLOG on You Tube on replaceing the electric conductor plate on a 722.6 transmisson on a used 2000 E320 Wagon 722.6 he bought. The people he bought the car from sold it because they were told it would cost them $7k to replace their 722.6 transmission and didn't want to spend the money. He removed the valve body and replaced the Electric Conductor Place and the Connector Plug. He then had a transmission shop reset some fault codes and transmission runs like new. His shop is located in Washington state. You can contact them at Mercedessource.com. Not sure Kent does repairs (he restores older Mercedes and sells DIY parts and tools), but I sure they could recomend a good independant Mercedes Repair shop in Seattle, WA. Check out his VLOGS on You Tube they are great.
P.s. I moved from Richland WA to CA when I was kid. Love the tri-cites (Richland, Pasco, Kennwick) area.

 

I had a 2003 C320 that I bought new. Just traded it in recently with 230K. Engine ran fine and transmission shifted perfectly. The car was serviced according to FSS at the recommended intervals -- normally 13000 miles. never had a transmission service -- car had the original fluid. Engine oil consumption was approximately 2 quarts per maint cycle. Engine oil from day one was Mobil One 0W40.

 

230K with no transmission service. You are one lucky owner. Glad to hear your 230K used 2 guarts of oil between A and B services. My 2004 uses the same amount during services.

 

I have a 2006 E350 4Matic I got with 80K on the clock. Body is in great shape. Mechanicals are a continuous issue (e.g. there's never a time when nothing is wrong or feels wrong). Besides normal oil/filter/air filter/tire changes which every car needs I've done a few things I don't think are "normal" including:

Replaced front struts & springs after 1 spring broke while parked
Replaced both batteries
Replaced front brake sensors
Replaced rear drive shaft (u-joint grenaded on the highway)
Replaced front control wiring harness
Replaced steering rack
Replaced power steering pump hoses (the above due to exploding u-joint damage)
Front rotors (with brake pads) - warped or pads not bedded properly, shimmy/shaking when braking
Rear shocks
Thermostat
GPS Antenna
Rear tail light (backed into a bush! sheesh)

Altogether about 6K in non-scheduled maintenance/repairs in past 3 years.

 

2006 4M Wagon with 101,000 miles. All routine stuff and one broken wheel from a pothole. Just did the serpentine belt, pulleys, and tensioner. Front brakes (pads and rotors) last year along with fluid flush of transmission and transfer case. Great car on long trips cross country. It really never misses a beat for comfort and being reliable.

 

2005 E- Tree Twenty
119K

Runs like a champ

Also have a friend with a 2003 E320 with 190k. Replaced airmatic struts all the way around, and other than that just regular maintenance.

 

My 2009 E350 only has 80K miles, so I guess I can't come out and play with the rest of you for another 20k miles

 

Then why are you out posting? Get out there and DRIVE

 

2003 E320 w/ 131900. PERFECT!

 

I get bored at work. Would go out and drive if I could.

 

I know the feeling with school and work both... luckily I live 20 minutes from one of the best driving roads in this area of Colorado so it's often an after-class treat to go up there and rip through the foothills.

 

Soon!

 

'03 E320

147000 miles

Just before it hit 100.000 miles I went on a fixing spree replacing anything I thought would fail soon, so some things I did just because I didn't want the car to ever fail on me:

aux battery/ main battery

inner/outer tie rod ends

Upper/lower ball joints

Forward front lower control arm/bushing

Aft front lower control arm along with all bushings

Sway bar links

Rear springs ( I live in NY where roads are salted severely so one spring cracked and I put in new beefier springs myself)

Spark plugs

Tensioner pulley

Idler pully

Both rear drive axles ( the reluctor rings are pressed on them and they rusted out on mine and the dealer wanted 1800 a piece so I bought two used from a junked e500 from ebay)

Both rear bearings ( just because I had the rear suspension apart)

Both front bearings ( just because)

New valve cover seals

Cleaned then resealed valve cover breather elements

Engine mounts

Tranny mount

Camshaft position sensor

SBC pump (dealer did it under warranty )



Fluids:

Coolant flush
Power steering flush
Tranny fluid flush, filter change
Diff fluid flush
SBC brake fluid flush


I went alittle overboard but when you have all the tools at your disposal and don't have to pay labor it is worth it. I paid about 3k for all these repairs doing them myself.
This thing runs like a dam tank. Every time I start it I cant tell if the engine is on or not. Tranny shifts nice. Suspension is tight. And have a piece of mind of all the fluids being up to date. Prolly no hassle for about three more years.

 

2003 E500, Airmatic, SBS

139,600 as of today:

- 115K & 118K- replaced the fuel tank seals with black type and leak continued, replaced with Green type seals and leak slowed, RTV'd the Green seals and allowed to dry to tack on the tank side and completely dry on sender side...Leak is no more. But I no longer temp fate by filling beyond 7/8 full.

- 115K Front Airmatic replaced with Arnott's - after DR side failure
- 120K Brake lines replaced with Goodrich braided SS
- 120K Air suspension dampers in the rear
- 120K Rears replaced with Bilstein Air bags - after DR side failure
- 120K Rear Bilsteins replaced with Arnotts following bag failure
- 120K Rotors replaced with Cross drilled and slotted
- 120K Pads replaced with Akebono Ceramics
- 120K Front wheel bearings
- 120K Front Upper control arms - due to squeaking
- 122K SBS accumulator - due to warning light
- 125K Alternator - following failure
- 125k Serpentine belt, tensioner and idler pulley
- 125K Front AGC battery
- 130K Lower control arm ball joints - due to squeaking
- 130K All lower components in front suspension - due to squeaking
- 130K Front sway bar links and bushings - due to squeaking
- 132K 2 O2 sensors in front of the CATS - due to check engine light
- 132K Air compressor - due to failure

- Oil and filter changes every 5K 0w-40 Mobil 1 Euro spec / Hastings fleece filters
- Power steering fluid flush 120K CHF 11s spec fluid
- Rear differential flush and fill 132K Mobil 1 85w-90
- Brake system flush and fill with Super Blue Racing DOT4 fluid at 120K and 125K
- Transmission flush / fill and conductor plate replacement at 120K
- Interior A/C filter change at 120K
- Exterior A/C filter change at 120K
- Exterior engine airfilter change every 10K ( I was using a K&N as of 110K, but went back to Hastings at 135K)

I am now:

- Cleaning MAF
- Replacing the heater changeover/control valve
- chasing down a check engine amber light for a small evaporator leak / throttle position sensor out of limits

If I can't correct it, I'll have the Indy take a look and tell me what to change or fix, and I'll order parts and do the work myself.

I expected things to be a bit more expensive with an M/B (I bought used with no warranty), so I bit the bullet and got a STAR diag computer with Xentry, and made real good friends with the local Indy (no M/B service within 3500 miles), I do most of the work myself, and rely on this forum as well as Benzworld.

Some things were done in response to failures and resulted in towing, because M/B's do not limp home with suspension, brake or electrical issues.

Some things were done following oil changes and inspections and I felt they "should" be changed out to not worry about a failure in 20-30K miles.


Thanks to all of you,

 

E550 with 142000. Purchased only 6 months ago with 136000 miles.
Replaced front control arm. DIY
Now seems to studder under acceleration while moving.
More work to come.

 

1999 e320 wagon with 221,000 with just regular maintenance but thinking of replacing with 2006 E500 wagon.