The dreaded transmission whine
I've noticed a quiet "whining" noise for a couple of months in my Wife's 2010 GLK 350 4Matic and thought nothing of it. Well, I drove it on the highway today for the first time in a while and the whining noise has gotten quite loud.
The noise doesn't start until about 40km/h, gets louder the faster you go, and it is dependent on the speed (not engine.) Shifting into neutral does not stop or change the noise and it sounds almost like an alternator whine.
Searching through some of the threads here, it sounds like the transfer case is toast, and this requires a brand new transmission. I am surprised at the number of people reporting this issue.
My warranty expired earlier this year, and it only has 75,000kms. I am not the original owner -- I bought it last year and it had about 70,000km on it (don't drive it that much), no extended warranty or anything.
So, just a couple of questions:
- Has anyone had any luck getting this covered just out of warranty (I'm in Canada)
- What happens if I don't fix it? Since the transmission needs to be replaced anyway, what is the downside of living with the noise? Any sort of catastrophic failure?
- Should I dish out for the diagnostic fee at the MB dealer and see what they say?
What do you think I should do? Am I completely screwed here? Any advice is appreciated...
Thanks
Last edited by pmt; Nov 13, 2013 at 05:00 PM. Reason: Clarity
Haven't been too impressed with this dealer but we'll see what happens.




