Long story short... 2008 E350 w/ 27k miles.

Transmission started slipping intermittently last week, then it eventually wouldn't shift out of 1st gear and then the check engine light came on.

Sent the car to The Foreign Service in Raleigh NC by flat bed (highly recommended to me). They confirmed the transmission needs overhauled, they don't do that work and don't know anyone in the area that does (maybe the dealership).

I've done some research and was hoping it was valve body or the electrical conductor plate - gave this info to the service tech prior to the diagnostic.

I'm getting a quote from the service center once they speak with MB. He thought it would be in the $5,900 to $7k and I told them that was more than what I have seen.

I bought the Benz from my father in Dec of 2014 and put less than 3k miles on the car. His extended 100k mile warranty expired due to date.

Any input or advice is appreciated.

Anything the MB manufacturer would take care of due to low mileage?
What is the going price for a 722.9 transmission with labor from the dealer?
Any avenues to take with installing a used 722.9 transmission?

I'm pretty defeated. CD changer and transmission are toast in less than 3k miles. No issues with the car at all when my father owned it.

 

A picture for your viewing pleasure...

:-(

 

WTF I can't believe it needs a total rebuild with such low miles unless the fluid all leaked out or something bad like that happened.
You need someone that knows the 722.9 very well and has a star system to diagnose it. Sadly most dealers are parts swappers so they might not be your best bet I would reach out to tons of different shops in your area that work on MB and see if you can find one that seems decent.

 

I plan to get a quote and then shop around. My issue is that the place that has my car is supposed to be the place to go for MB.

The tech admittedly said they don't overhaul the 722.9

For those that have needed a new transmission, what was the price with labor?

 

First, ask the service center if they have a Mercedes STAR diagnostics system. If they say yes, I'd ask to see it. If they say no, take the car elsewhere. If they do have one and you can verify that, get the codes and post here. The 'where else' will be tricky as Trey says above, most dealer are parts swappers and you need someone to fix your tranny. The good news is that the tranny is darn near bulletproof. It likely went into limp protection mode and has, hopefully, saved itself and is just waiting on some service.

 

Don't be defeated. This will work out. It's a great car and we will help you get it back together. The place you took it is a place that, by their own admission, doesn't do this kind of work. Get on Angie's List and read reviews. Look on the internet and see what they say. Find a great local mechanic that will work on ALL cars, like the one I go to. Find the local AAA station and ask them about Mercedes. At the one near me, they have a Mercedes tech that the guy brings in on Saturday to work on the more thorny MB problems they face, and he brings his computer (I think it's a knockoff he owns himself).

There are actually a lot of good places that you can get the car fixed without the kind of silliness that that shop said to you. Sometimes, Mercedes "specialists" are rip-offs, too.

This guy: Kent Bergsma, is exactly the kind of guy you want help from. Look at a couple of his videos on transmission issues and see if any of those sound familiar. You also shouldn't be afraid to send him an email and ask if anything that he sells might be helpful to you, and whether he can recommend someone in your area to help you by doing the work. He has an amazing reputation as a straight-shooter who loves old Mercedes and knows their foibles, and who tries to help people get things done affordably if not even by themselves.

In fact, from everything you have said so far, it isn't even clear that it's actually a transmission problem. If you have a check-engine light on, then you most certainly have a code stored that can be diagnosed via XENTRY, the MB computer. So you definitely want that to be done. It will state a symptom or symptoms, not necessarily a definitive course of action, but a good tech will be able to walk through what the possibilities are and sometimes solve the problem very inexpensively. Dealers and crappy shops just start replacement parts. A real mechanic is what you need.

 

Thanks for the input everyone! I truly appreciate the support. I typically work on my own cars but transmissions are outside my exoertise.

The shop did have the stored codes and they said I would get a print out. I will ask about if they have the star diagnostic system today.

I was too upset to think straight last night and didn't think to ask more questions. Specifically why they thought the transmission was toast and not the valve body.

I have some transmission shops to call today.

Wish me luck!

 

I'm waiting on a print out, but the code is 0894, gear implausible, clutch pack max limit.

 

Associated bulletin (may be K1 clutch, or valve body).

 

I had a transmission failure in the same way, engine light came on and had it towed to the dealer...Transmission and valve body were toast.

After a month, the extended warranty replaced the transmission (LKQ used) and left me to pay for the valve body.

Dealer said they could not use the valve body that came in the used unit since it won't code to my car.

Never heard of one needing a replacement at such a low mileage! Mine had 102k at the time of failure. Good luck to you!

 

Thanks for the input Kushp14, I assume due to the extended warranty... the dealer just decided to replace the transmission, instead of overhauling the current one. (MB pays for this, not the dealer from my understanding).

I have my car at another transmission specialist - Transmedic in Raleigh. I was given a referral to this shop and after speaking with the Service Rep, I felt they would be able to help me out.

Fingers crossed!

 

HuskerParts.com (an MB dealer selling OE parts at discount) and PartsGeek.com (one of the largest aftermarket parts suppliers) are both affordable sources of quality parts for your vehicle. I would look at their prices so you can have an intelligent discussion of parts prices for your vehicle. PartsGeek, for example, has several flavors of OE and other manufacturer's valve body (they call it something else) at various prices. Remember that you don't need OE parts on a 10-year-old car: the aftermarket (and OE parts in OEM boxes, like Bilstein shocks instead of dealer shocks) can save you a fortune and do just as good a job, provided you're buying stuff from the likes of PartsGeek instead of from some fake brand from Asia on Ebay, which we do not generally recommend.

And look at those videos I recommended. They are designed for the advanced DIY person, and there's nobody with a better reputation than that guy in dealing with MB. He's an FAA licensed Aircraft and Powerplant mechanic who loves Mercedes and has a very philosophical approach and does his stuff as a labor of love.

 

I appreciate the input!

If I had the time, I would try to dig into the transmission myself, but with family obligations - it's just not realistic.

The prices I see on their website is higher than what the last place quoted me for a new transmission / torque converter installed - $7,265. Looks like I'd be over $9k for parts alone?


Husker prices:

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION / AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION / AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION / DRIVE PLATE
2730300312 - DRIVE PLATE
E350

MSRP Core ? Online Price
$392.00 $0.00 $274.95


AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION / AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION / AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION / TORQUE CONVERTER
2212501802 - TORQUE CONVERTER
E350; w/o 4-Matic

MSRP Core ? Online Price
$1,540.00 $0.00 $1,076.40


AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION / AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION / AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION / TRANSMISSION
1712707100 - TRANSMISSION
E350; w/o 4-Matic

MSRP Core ? Online Price
$8,650.00 $0.00 $8,096.40

 

Can always drop the transmission yourself and send it out to be rebuilt and install it back in yourself. Most certainly will save you money on labor. An option at least.

-Luccia

 

Hello all,

I just received a call from the Service Advisor and they are saying it's the K1 clutch, they would need to get into the transmission, replace the clutch packs and refresh all seals, etc.

Parts / labor out the door, looking at under $5k.

That seems really expensive to me when you can get a new transmission and tq converter installed for just over $7k.

Thanks for any advice / input.

 

Also includes a 3 year, 36k miles warranty if that matters.

 

A used one last time I looked runs around 1500 and then I believe you would have to swap the valve body from the old one wonder how much that would be in labor when all said and done?

 

Typically if the transmission has to come out the pricing for labor on dropping that doesn't really make a difference. Could also have them price everything out separately and see if you can source parts elsewhere that would be cheaper than what they are charging and that way you only pay them for labor.
-Luccia

 

Thanks Luccia,

If you are familiar with doing an overhaul with the K1 clutch packs and seals, would you mind providing a quote for parts? (I will reach out to the shop tomorrow and see if they can give me a break down.)

Feel free to PM me.

I appreciate the help!

-Marko

 

I just spoke to MB USA and they were friendly and helpful. The extended warranty on the car expired in 2012 unfortunately.

I asked if there was anything that MB USA would be willing to help out with since the c ar only has 27k miles. They advised that I would need to have a MB dealer do a diagnostic. I plan on calling the nearest dealer and speak with the service manager.

Does anyone know if MB dealers are overhauling the 722.9 transmission OR do they just swap parts? I know if the car is under warranty they will just swap parts, but what are dealers doing with cars out of warranty?

I plan on calling the transmission shop that has the car now to see what other options I have. I asked about putting in a used transmission initially and forgot to ask about that when they called.

I'm ready to spend the $5k and just say goodbye to MB forever. I've wanted a Benz for a long time and my brother and I encouraged my father to buy this car since it was a dream for my father growing up.

I'm really disappointed with my experience and with all the cars I've owned....have never had anything like this. Even my modified / supercharged sports cars were more reliable than this car and cost less to fix/maintain.

 

Hi Next Phase!
Can you tell us (me) more about your car? Is it maybe E280 4MATIC?
I'f you can send VIN (PM if it is more safe for you) I can check, what options it does have.....

 

As the title states, it is a 2008 E350. Rear wheel drive.

I can dig up the VIN for you, but why will that help?

 

Hi,
Sorry my mistake! I misread the title. Somehow I had impression that it was E280 and many E280 for that year where 4MATIC, this having a 722.6xx Transmission (5 speed) instead of 722.9xx (7 speed).
That’s why I asked…..
Sorry for misunderstanding.

On another hand: Transmissions from MB don’t get broken mechanically on 27K miles if there are no other factors involved…
My suggestion to you: find somebody knowledgeable,who can evaluate actual data in DAS actual values, otherwise rebuilding a Tranny at this stage is a rip-off!

Because it can be very simple thing: like dirty solenoid or low level of oil….

 

K1 Clutch is involwed only on 3rd, 4th and 5th gears....

 

Next Phase:

Please check your PM....