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I'd get an estimate from one or two other transmission shops regarding the efficacy of a fluid change only. If you're convinced a torque converter is necessary, also ask whether they can get a used torque converter or a rebuild rather than a new one, just to compare price differences.
I brought my car to this indy who looked over the vehicle and said overall, everything looks to be in pretty good shape. He said brakes and brake lines are looking good, etc.
Then he brought it to a nearby shop that specializes in transmissions and internals and that indy told me the car needs a whole new torque converter. He said no fluid change will fix the chattering issue with it.
He quoted me about $1200-1400 for this.
He also told me that the car may run fine once we fix this but that it is also possible that there may be issues with the transmission as well.
He said there is no way to know for sure until the torque converter is fixed and I put a good 1,000 to 2,000 miles on it after it's fixed. Only then, he said, would we know what kind of shape the transmission is in.
Thank goodness I got it out of that dealership. They were ready to do a transmission flush to fix this issue... or is this indy off base?
Any suggestions or ideas are always more than appreciated. Thank you!
I missed the mention of transmission chattering in your previous posts.
I'd get an estimate from one or two other transmission shops regarding the efficacy of a fluid change only. If you're convinced a torque converter is necessary, also ask whether they can get a used torque converter or a rebuild rather than a new one, just to compare price differences.
Thank you. It's a little difficult because this was the closest place that I could find near me and it was still an hour away.
If the quote he gave me doesn't seem far off from what people here think is reasonable, I would just as soon risk paying an extra $100 or $200 if it saves me the hassle of having to borrow a car, driving an hour down to this place with my GF to pick up the car, driving over to a new place that wont be close by, etc.
I'm just wondering, do you think I can find any transmission shop for this type of thing or would it have to be someone that specializes in transmissions and Mercedes? There might be a transmission shop closer to me if any transmission shop will do.
I will ask about the different options with used, rebuild or new. Thank you again.
Originally Posted by MBNUT1
I missed the mention of transmission chattering in your previous posts.
Probably because I don't think I mentioned it.
The Mercedes dealership that I took this vehicle to said that my vehicle was making a chattering noise and they told me that they ran diagnostics for it and found the cause of the noise being the transmission and torque converter needing to be flushed.
Up until now, I don't think I had any reason to think that the dealership had incorrectly diagnosed the cause of the chatter, which is why I was not focused on the chatter but rather on their recommended fix for it, which was the transmission and torque converter flush/ fluid change. Hope that makes sense.
I brought my car to this indy who looked over the vehicle and said overall, everything looks to be in pretty good shape. He said brakes and brake lines are looking good, etc.
Then he brought it to a nearby shop that specializes in transmissions and internals and that indy told me the car needs a whole new torque converter. He said no fluid change will fix the chattering issue with it.
He quoted me about $1200-1400 for this.
He also told me that the car may run fine once we fix this but that it is also possible that there may be issues with the transmission as well.
He said there is no way to know for sure until the torque converter is fixed and I put a good 1,000 to 2,000 miles on it after it's fixed. Only then, he said, would we know what kind of shape the transmission is in.
Thank goodness I got it out of that dealership. They were ready to do a transmission flush to fix this issue... or is this indy off base?
Any suggestions or ideas are always more than appreciated. Thank you!
The dealer had to replace the torque converter in my E350 cabriolet because of chattering. It was under the MB extended warranty so it was no charge to me but they back charged MBUSA $2950!
Torque converter going isn't that common. I'd try a transmission reset first. I'd also just change the fluid first. Try a different shop and ask them how they intend to check the transmission fluid temperature so you know if they know what they're doing or not.
Torque converter going isn't that common. I'd try a transmission reset first. I'd also just change the fluid first. Try a different shop and ask them how they intend to check the transmission fluid temperature so you know if they know what they're doing or not.
You don't need to take it to a transmission shop, most indy shops should be able to do it, it's just a little bit more complicated than an oil change. Seems that when you take it to a transmission shop, they're going to find transmission problems that don't exist. That shop might be ok, maybe just ask for the cost of a fluid change. When was the last time the fluid was changed?
You don't need to take it to a transmission shop, most indy shops should be able to do it, it's just a little bit more complicated than an oil change. Seems that when you take it to a transmission shop, they're going to find transmission problems that don't exist. That shop might be ok, maybe just ask for the cost of a fluid change. When was the last time the fluid was changed?
I'm not sure when the last time the fluid was changed.
So you are suggesting I take it to a local indy and just ask them to change the transmission fluid and see if that fixes the issue? And, if that doesn't fix the issue, then at the point I would take it to a transmission specialist? Or can any indy also replace torque converters too? I'm just trying to get an idea of the game plan I should follow for this.
Also, if the dealership recommended a trans/torque flush to fix this chattering issue, why would this indy that I already saw tell me a fluid change wont do anything for this chattering torque converter? It's confusing to me how this indy can be saying so confidently that a fluid change wont fix this issue while a Mercedes dealership said they diagnosed the chatter and that the fluid change or flush was the answer.
Don't want to make too many accusations as they may be right. The dealer may think the transmission is low on fluid and changing the fluid might fix it. Or they were planning on hitting you with a bigger bill after that didn't fix it. Or the transmission shop just wanted to install a new torque converter because they know they can just change the fluid and it will be fine. They just pad things by doing unnecessary work. Or the transmission reset will fix your problem. That's why I just say get a second opinion and do the cheap stuff first without going crazy on the expensive stuff. Normally fluid changes don't fix existing problems but sometimes it makes shifting better. As mentioned earlier torque converter going isn't that common which is why I hesitate to jump into that without some additional confirmation.
Don't want to make too many accusations as they may be right. The dealer may think the transmission is low on fluid and changing the fluid might fix it. Or they were planning on hitting you with a bigger bill after that didn't fix it. Or the transmission shop just wanted to install a new torque converter because they know they can just change the fluid and it will be fine. They just pad things by doing unnecessary work. Or the transmission reset will fix your problem. That's why I just say get a second opinion and do the cheap stuff first without going crazy on the expensive stuff. Normally fluid changes don't fix existing problems but sometimes it makes shifting better. As mentioned earlier torque converter going isn't that common which is why I hesitate to jump into that without some additional confirmation.
Got it, thank you so much. I will definitely go pick up my car and look for a second opinion then. I'll call around tomorrow morning and see if I can find another indy that is hopefully closer to me.
I just wanted to confirm, most of this stuff any indy shop can do? I know you mentioned asking them how they intend to check transmission fluid temperature to see if they are competent. What answer should I be looking for when I ask them that? They could easily bull**** me and I wouldn't know.
Got it, thank you so much. I will definitely go pick up my car and look for a second opinion then. I'll call around tomorrow morning and see if I can find another indy that is hopefully closer to me.
I just wanted to confirm, most of this stuff any indy shop can do? I know you mentioned asking them how they intend to check transmission fluid temperature to see if they are competent. What answer should I be looking for when I ask them that? They could easily bull**** me and I wouldn't know.
Changing the transmission fluid is a pretty standard thing for an indy shop, changing the torque converter not so much although some shops could probably do it. To check the temperature, either they have some code scanner that will tell them the temperature or they just measure it.
A transmission shop may be willing to do rebuilds that an ordinary mechanic may not. Rebuilds (or used parts) are generally less expensive than new parts.
To check the reasonableness of the parts price(s), get the part number(s) that the transmission shop wants to replace and see what you can buy them for yourself at Rock Auto, Amazon, EBay or any other online vendor that sells new or used transmission/torque converter parts. It's not hard. Mechanics don't want to spend their time doing internet price research for you; they will just buy things from their usual sources and mark them up.
I, too, would probably just do a fluid replacement first just to see how that works. Don't have it done at a place like Jiffy Lube. They cracked my transmission housing on a Mustang because they didn't know how to tighten the bolts properly. I had to go through a bunch of legal threats to have them pay for a used transmission replacement.
Oh yeah, you could just buy the parts directly from FCPeuro or sites like rockauto. You can just pick up the fluid from the local shell distributor going to be cheaper than FCPeuro although in theory it's a lifetime warranty from FCP so if you ever change the fluid again, you can just get the kit again for free after returning the old parts. I think you're supposed to change the bolts too.
I called the indy that told me I needed a new torque converter (my car is still at his shop).
I told him my GF wants the car to drive this week since he said he wouldn't be able to start working on my car until next week. I'm trying to keep things amicable in case I need to take it back to him.
He told me that I can do whatever I want but he would strongly advise against continuing to drive the car with the chatter because every time it does that it's causing potential damage to the transmission and creating metal.
I just want to point out that I first took the car to Mainly Benz which has outstanding reviews and the owner of that shop uses this guy for all his transmission work. All the reviews look legit to me and make this shop seem super competent, reputable and honest.
I also called a local shop closer to me that specializes in transmissions and they are willing to look at my car next week (this place also has tons of really great reviews). I asked them what they would charge for a transmission fluid change just to get an idea of their pricing and they quoted me $200-something, which is about $400 less than the Mercedes dealership.
Sorry for all of the backstory.
TLDR; should I really be worried about going to pick my car up from this shop and damaging the transmission more by driving it for an hour to take it to another shop for a second opinion?
Last edited by inth3moment; Mar 4, 2021 at 12:24 PM.
Reason: moved tldr
If in fact the TC lockup clutch is slipping... then yes, its generating material that's contaminating the transmission. How much is hard to say. MB documentation states later model W212s, with the deeper transmission pan and "better" Media Triple oil filter can get possibly get away with part replacement (TC in this case), flushing system and new filter. Early models = recommendation to replace TC & transmission together.
If in fact the TC lockup clutch is slipping... then yes, its generating material that's contaminating the transmission. How much is hard to say. MB documentation states later model W212s, with the deeper transmission pan and "better" Media Triple oil filter can get possibly get away with part replacement (TC in this case), flushing system and new filter. Early models = recommendation to replace TC & transmission together.
Thank you, this sounds in line with what this indy told me.
He told me that he can replace the torque converter and that the transmission may or may not need to be replaced but he said the only way to know for sure would be to replace torque converter and for me to put another 1,000 to 2,000 miles on the vehicle.
In your note is says transmissions as of 07/10, I'm assuming that means anything after July 2010?
Thank you, this sounds in line with what this indy told me.
He told me that he can replace the torque converter and that the transmission may or may not need to be replaced but he said the only way to know for sure would be to replace torque converter and for me to put another 1,000 to 2,000 miles on the vehicle.
In your note is says transmissions as of 07/10, I'm assuming that means anything after July 2010?
After 7/10 production should have deeper pan and different filter. Pan can be identified:
If this indy has MB Star Diag, Xentry, he should be able to lock-up the TC and if that makes the chatter or judder go away... then its pretty clear the lock-up clutch is at fault. That could be the clutch itself for the solenoid/valving which actuates it. Besides dropping the pan and looking for debris, which could be from other brake/clutch components in the transmission.
Last edited by bmwpowere36m3; Mar 4, 2021 at 01:22 PM.
Maybe I am being naive but it sounds like he is trying to give you his best advice.
I feel the same way. It's reassuring to hear some others far more knowledgeable than me on here agreeing about this.
Originally Posted by bmwpowere36m3
After 7/10 production should have deeper pan and different filter. Pan can be identified:
Thank you for this.
Originally Posted by bmwpowere36m3
I agree.
Glad to hear this too.
Originally Posted by bmwpowere36m3
If this indy has MB Star Diag, Xentry, he should be able to lock-up the TC and if that makes the chatter or judder go away... then its pretty clear the lock-up clutch is at fault. That could be the clutch itself for the solenoid/valving which actuates it. Besides dropping the pan and looking for debris, which could be from other brake/clutch components in the transmission.
Thank you for this info. I will see if I can run this by him when I speak to him again without coming across like I'm trying to tell him how to do his job.
So far he told me that he will need to take out some part, not sure if it was the actual transmission, in order for him to be able to see the number on the torque converter and then he has to check to see if he has the matching part or if he needs to order or rebuild. I think he also mentioned something about a computer possibly needing to be reset or properly calibrated but he said that's not a definite issue. Of course I'm trying to remember what he told me the other day so I could be misrepresenting what he said.
It looks like I will be leaving my vehicle with this indy since I don't want to chance messing up the transmission and he seems to know what he's doing. I'm just glad I got it out of that dealership.
Originally Posted by cetialpha5
According to the vin you supplied earlier, production date on your car was 3/10/2011 so you are past 7/2010.
If this indy has MB Star Diag, Xentry, he should be able to lock-up the TC and if that makes the chatter or judder go away... then its pretty clear the lock-up clutch is at fault. That could be the clutch itself for the solenoid/valving which actuates it. Besides dropping the pan and looking for debris, which could be from other brake/clutch components in the transmission.
Great post!
I had a Toyota Cressida which had the same problem which I diagnosed and "fixed" by disconnecting the TC controller. Just to be clear I fully disclosed to the subsequent buyer that I had done that. Afterward I changed the transmission fluid which was nearly black. Also played a prank on my girlfriend at the time by walking in the house with my hand covered in red transmission fluid. I can still see the look of horror on her face. I know I am a bad person.
Update: I ended up having the torque converter replaced by an indy about a month ago - cost me $1500.
Now, over the last day or two, I am noticing that when I drive at slower speeds, my car seems to have some type of delayed shift in gears.
Basically, I will accelerate and the car almost has a delayed reaction where nothing happens and then slightly lurches forward into the next gear.
The indy told me that, only at about 1k or 2k miles AFTER his repair job would I know if the transmission will hold up or not. Do the above symptoms that I just described mean that it's likely going to fail?
As always, thank you for anyone that takes the time to read this and for any help or suggestions anyone can provide.
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