Just got a message on the dash that I'll be due for A7 service on our '14 GLK250. That's 70K miles plus transmission flush, I think.

What should I consider a fair price? We just moved to South Carolina and I haven't yet decided whether to go to the local dealer (Greenville is 45 minutes away; Asheville is 70 minutes) or to an independent shop.

I posted this on the Diesel sub-forum and got no response. Trying here. Many thanks.

Thx.
______

 

$650-$800 at a dealer. 300-$400 at a regular mechanic.

 

You're a experienced Mercedes owner - yes - you have MB recommended A7 - brake fluid manufacturers recommend "flush" every 20k or 2yrs - based on miles that would be 80K.

I recommend you should make the calls - and gives you a good judge who might link up with as your preferred service shop in your new local !

Keep the beat !

 

Please do not let anyone "flush" your transmission. It needs a simple fluid and filter change.

 

Don't know if it will make a difference, but the Skyland dealer in Asheville was recently sold to another company (Fields Automotive). Some re-organization going on. We used to be able to buy parts from them on-line. We can no longer do that. And some of the people we dealt with are longer there.

 

You may want to call Sheriff Import in Easley. They do all my service work. Message me if you need further information. Ironically my daughter's GLK250 is at 65K. I'll be doing the same service soon. I'm planning to use Greenville Transmission Clinic for the transmission service. They are excellent to work with.

 

Haha, what a coincidence, srb1194! I had already reached out to Sheriff's and gotten a nice email over the weekend. They are going to quote me a price for the full A7 service on Monday.

But your message makes me wonder why you wouldn't trust them with the transmission fluid change?

 

It's really not a matter of trust. The gentleman who owned Greenville Transmission Clinic did some work on a C320 we had. He was an awesome man and his son has continued since he retired. I tend to be very loyal to shops I use. For what it's worth they quoted $425 for the transmission service. I hope this helps.

 

By the way are you still running the run flat tires? We're considering going away from these.

 

I paid $400 for the tranny flush and fill, but my Indy shop in Chicago (at the time) also F&F'd the transfer case and both differentials. I thought it was an excellent deal compared to the local MB dealer.

As for ditching the run-flats: just did that last month and haven't looked back since. I chose to go with the Michelin Premier LTX and the improvement in ride quality is unbelievable. The price was also very fair.

If you're on the fence about ditching the run-flats (not true run-flats btw), don't lose sleep over it.

 

No, we got rid of the run-flats and just bought a good inflation kit. Got great Michelins from TireRack. Very happy with them.

 

Thanks for the information!

 

Thanks!

 

Wow, much more than I thought.
I can deduct the AdBlue (I add that myself as needed) but it's still >$1100. Is this accurate, folks?

 

I'm anxious to see what others say. The 722.9 service seems comparable to what I got from Greenville Transmission Clinic. I can't speak on the rest of the quote but it's certainly a good reference and thanks for sharing.

 

After looking at both quotes, I noticed several differences.

Brady shows 8 liters of fluid which probably means they are doing the Torque Converter(which should be drained and flushed at transmission service). They don't show a new pan gasket and bolts. The bolts are stretch bolts which should be replaced every time service is done. Same with the pan gasket.

The other quote only shows 6 liters of fluid (might mean they don't do the TC). Their quote does show new pan gasket and bolts.

Make sure that you know exactly what is being serviced and that the correct parts are replaced.

 

I'll admit the quote is lacking details however the bolts I believe are not replaced probably on either quote. I feel relatively certain the pan gasket is included but not listed. They're pretty thorough there but I certainly appreciate the information regarding the bolts. I'll make a note of that for sure. Thanks again.

 

Well, it gets curioser and curioser. srb1194 reported about the same price estimate as I did for complete A7 service (A service plus transmission service). So I phoned the dealer (Carlton in Greenville SC) and was quoted $250 for the A service and $595 for the transmission service. Can't ever remember the dealer service being significantly CHEAPER than private shops. So I thought I would post to ask about this. What do y'all think?

 

I'm really shocked now.

 

$600 for this service is a pretty sweet deal, if you buy genuine parts yourself you're into it for around $300, plus your time, tools and other crap you need.

To me, we did it ourselves on two GLKs mainly because we wanted to see to it that was done correctly. I can see the dealer, or indy easily skipping TQ since it takes so long to drain, overlooking temperature values or proper levels. If you guys are high mileage i strongly suggest installing a new pan.

 

We're at 66K so I'm thinking a pan isn't necessary. I still can't believe the dealer is that low on the combined service. Go figure. Hey Maryland, are you going to Carlton?

 

 

I've asked Sheriff's to comment on the dealer's price. I've got a bit of time before I go (I'm at 68,900 miles right now) so haven't decided yet, but leaniing to Carlton.

 

I'd sure like to know how comprehensive the Carlton service is. I have a hard time believing it covers everything.

 

Just to confirm: does the GLK250 (diesel) torque converter have a drain plug? One mechanic told me that he thought not. Assuming that it does, how do we make sure the shop we choose drains both the pan and the torque converter?