Considering a 2014 E550 – Should I be concerned about the 7G transmission?
 

I’m new to Mercedes and this forum. This is my first post.

I’m considering buying a 2014 E550 coupe with about 38K miles. I haven’t driven this car yet but plan to this coming weekend (2/18). If I like it I’ll get a pre-purchase inspection done by a local independent. It still has 5 months on its original warranty. If all checks good I will buy a MB extended warranty but not sure on the length of coverage though.

After extensive searching in this and other forums the one problem area that has me concerned is the 7G transmission. According to its CarFax this car has gone through quite a few “Engine/powertrain firmware updates” early on in its life. There’s nothing in the CarFax about any other transmission related work being done. It’s had all its required scheduled maintenance.

My questions are:
- Are the 7G’s in the 2014’s still susceptible to the Conductor Plate, Valve Body and TCU issues? (And yes I did read PeterUbers lengthy threads on his experience/ordeal.)

- Is there any way (part number, date of manufacture, firmware version, etc) to distinguish a bad 7G from a good 7G?

- Is the 7G even still a concern?

Thanks in advance.

No issues with them...

There are faults that can happen in all the electronics in all of these cars, the transmission is no different. The transmissions have been largely sorted out, well the new ones aren't but you aren't looking at a 9 speed car.

The updates are of no concern, the first step for ANY complaint is always an update, whether it fixes anything or not. Very rarely does having newer software have any negative effect.

The car has 38k miles? If it's being purchased through a dealership- have them do the 39K Transmission Service. It is one of the more pricey services and should definitely be done. I had the 7-G on my 2008 C300, 2013 C250 Coupe and now the 2014 E350 without any issues. Like Joe said- no matter which make/model of car you look at- I guarantee you will find at least one nightmare story. Things happen and some parts are defective. That's what warranties are for.

Post-2013 the service is no longer required every 40k. Not a bad idea to have it done, but the newer transmissions are much easier on fluid than the old 5 speeds it seems. Especially in a lighter car like a E coupe.

Now, if you plan on driving the car the way I would drive the car, a filter, gasket, and a couple quarts of fluid is cheap insurance against early transmission problems.

Google "peterubers harsh shifting mbworld"
google "peterubers mbworld lovely"

walk away from this car if it shifts roughly and read my story

Since this E550 is used, one can not buy MB's ELW because it can be bought only by the original buyer who bought the car new. Nor one can buy MB's CPO warranty since CPO certification can be obtained only by an MB dealer and highlighted above tells me the car is not being bought from an MB dealer.

Wow. Thanks all for the very good information so quickly!

I had read PeterUbers threads which is one of the reasons I posted my questions. I wasn't sure if anything had changed since or if this problem only affected a certain lot of transmissions.

I thought I had checked into the MB ELW but did not know if only applied to the original owner. I'm buying an off-lease car. Damn. I'm not a real fan of 3rd party warranties but apparently I'll need to warm up to them. I see more searching in my future.

Thanks again and keep the info coming if there's more to tell.

I'm not sure if that's true. There are people in the extended warranty forum that bought extended warranties and they bought the car used. Sometimes the car doesn't qualify for various reasons, the top one being that it was a previous CPO car that the MB dealer auctioned off. Once it has a CPO, it no longer qualifies for the extended warranty. I would get the VIN and ask the vendors mentioned in that forum if it qualifies or not.

Sadly it is true. My MB dealer has a 2015 CLS63S with 13K miles for sale. It was sold new by them and serviced by them from day one. However, I walked away from the car even though there are still 2 years left on the original 4Y/50Km warranty because: a. they said I could not buy 7/75 MB ELW because car is used and does not already have MB ELW (which they said could be bought only by the original new car owner any time prior to original 4/50 warranty expiration) and b. they would not CPO certify the car because "it would be too expensive and would have to pass it to the new owner" and said that once I buy it from them without a CPO certificate, no other MB dealer can certify it. The finance guy who sells MB ELW/CPO warranties there said that I can still buy the car but make sure I would sell it before original warranty expires. Once you buy a used MB car from a non-MB dealer, you can not buy ELW nor CPO it. Period.

While I believe that's what you were told, something is not right. MB ELW can be purchased if the car is still within 4/50, was not a prior CPO, and I "think" not purchased from a MB dealer. My buddy picked up a 14 C63 private party and was quoted prices on ELW from the vendors in the warranty forum here. I strongly suggest pinging them for clarity.

I am sure "they" can sell "warranty" on-line. The question is - will your local MB dealer, where you plan to service the car should it require warranty work after 4/50 runs out, honor it? My local MB dealer, where I purchased 5 new cars in the last 7 years, "lost" sale of this CLS63 to me (its still available) because I insisted to purchase ELW or CPO the car and purchase Extended CPO. Why would they not sell me an ELW if it was possible?

^This

That's exactly why I pulled back from getting another Benz from the dealer that I got my E from. They are a mom and pop that sells strictly European cars. They have a 14 E550 41k miles, a 12 & 14 S550 (61k and 20k miles respectively). After having my car since the beginning without a warranty, I cannot take that chance to upgrade and still have little to no warranty. I would want one for several years if possible and not just the remaining original warranty since I drive like 25k miles a year.

That is a very good question and one I'd really like to know the answer to. The ELW that MB Dealer reps are selling on this forum are Mercedes-Benz factory warranties, and as such any MB dealer would honor it, unless there is something odd I am not aware of.

The key part is that you can buy an ELW from the vendors mentioned here if the car was sold by a 3rd party dealer or if it was a private sale. If you buy it from an MB dealer, it has to be CPO or if it doesn't have CPO, you can't buy the ELW. The other scenario where it doesn't qualify is if the MB dealer sells it either at auction or without the CPO. They can make any car CPO, but it has to meet certain standards like not be in a major accident and fix any issues the car has. If it has too many issues, then it's not worth making it a CPO because it would cost more than they'd make.

That's why it's best to send the VIN over to the vendors mentioned in the extended warranty forum to make sure the car qualifies. They will know if they can't sell it to you.

This.


I prefer Jeff Jackson for this type of stuff. Quickest responses and knows his stuff. He will set you straight (as I am sure the others will).

I'll hit up the vendors mentioned in this forum on an ELW. It would be ideal to get an official MB ELW instead of one from a third party. The car I'm considering is not from a dealer and I'll be the second owner if all goes well.

Thanks again for everyone's VERY helpful advice. I've had tightly sprung sports cars all my entire life (current car is a mod'd STi) and its time for a change. Not that the E550 isn't sporty (gotta love that TTV8) but I don't think I'll feel every expansion strip or pebble in the road either.

I stand corrected, you're right. Dealer explained to me again that the reason they can't sell me ELW is because its a used car which I would buy from them (MB dealer). Had I bought the car from the original owner, I could still buy ELW (its "only" $6,700 plus 15% for AMG). There must be something "wrong" with this car since they refuse to CPO it even if I pay for it. The reason given? "The new 6.3 AMG engine is $85K and they can not take a chance on it". Translation? There must be something wrong with this specific car. The bottom line is that ELW/CPO process is how cetialpha5 explained.

My 2008 C300 and 2013 C250 had the 7G- not the 5-Speed Automatic.

The 5 speed went out in 2006 in anything that wasn't a V12. The early 7g called for fluid and filter every 40k, but the last few years even that wasn't necessary. Some are 70k, some longer, depends on the exact application.

How are these 2011+ 7g transmissions handling mods on bi-turbo v8 cars? For example 2012 e550 or cl550 with ecu tune that makes a lot more torque.