Sg45

OK, so I posted a while back about my Michelin PS2's having a lot of rear end waggle under hard acceleration (2007 SL550). So I thought I was making progress. Called Michelin and they were very nice about it. They called and talked to the dealer and told me to take it by, take him for a ride and if the problem was the tires in his opinion, they would replace them (possibly with the new PS3's coming out April 1).

So I was in the middle of the demo ride and he got it ("oh sh*t!" is what he said when he saw how bad the waggle was). We accelerated pretty hard but nothing compared to track stuff (I have never tracked the car - drive it pretty gently most of the time).

Anyway, so we are pulling back into the tire dealership and as I put my foot on the accelerator, VROOOM! Engine races but car isn't going anywhere! Coast into a parking spot, put it in reverse and VROOOOM! Just like the transmission was in neutral. No gears. Nothing. And not a single warning light anywhere (this car seems to have a warning light if someone farts in the passenger seat!)

They push it in the garage, put it on the rack and it looks perfect. The car was at MB last week for a B service and brake job ($1,500).

So the guy at the tire dealership calls a buddy who is Master MB mechanic at a dealership and is told there is a common problem with the "valve bodies" in the transmission on this car. I said "ok, but not at 25,212 miles!" (I don't even know what a valve body is...)

Whoever heard of the transmission failing on a car with 25,000 miles on it (except maybe a KIA or YUGO!) I am 6 months out of factory warranty but I am going to fight like hell at the MB dealership once they diagnose the problem. If they refuse to cover it, I am going to show them the real power of SOCIAL NETWORKING!

Stay tuned. I think a fight is coming! (oh, and by the way, the car still waggles...)

03'55AMG

How does it waggle if it can't move?

Sg45

Well. I assume it still does...

Actually it's like a dog. When it looks at me, it waggles it's tail...

03'55AMG

Lol it's teasing you... When its up and running again, I trust that you'll give it a HARD ride.. Lol

alx

if you shut off the car and then restart it- does the tranny work as expected?

if yes- this is is a common problem... some people elect not to fix it especially if out of warranty

Apifane

good luck and keep us posted on the outcome

Sg45

ALX - we tried letting it sit for 4-5 hours but no joy.

Mercedes now offers free towing to their service center! So there you go boys! See how good they are to us!

I'll let you guys know what goes down tomorrow. Dealer mentioned something about a speed sensor???

MBH motorsports

Not sure if your swaying in the rear is like mine. When I jump on it the car drifts side to side like a row boat in water on a mildly breezy day. Are you lowered? If you are lowered you will have less rear tire contact int he rear and front (camber). If thats not the case and you have large wheels (wider and taller like 20's") thats could very much be the issue. I don't think there is anything major with your trans. Maybe try unplugging the battery then reconnecting it. It could just be a mild electrical Gremlin that needs to be hard reset. Only reason I say that about the trans is it happened in My C55. As soon as I cut the power and then reconnected it. Problem was solved. If that doesn't help you you will need a tech for sure. On the other hand: If its warrantied, just let them fix it.

MBH motorsports

IIRC, The speed sensor is located in your front wheel. That should toss a CEL. Then again I could be wrong.

GermanCars

"So the guy at the tire dealership calls a buddy who is Master MB mechanic at a dealership and is told there is a common problem with the "valve bodies" in the transmission on this car. I said "ok, but not at 25,212 miles!" (I don't even know what a valve body is...)"

The valve body in the 722.9 (Your type of transmission) is called the electro-hydraulic control unit in Mercedes speak. It's basically a transmission electronic control unit, speed sensors, electrical shift solenoids and hydraulic valves all built into a casting. Failures of the speed sensors and shift solenoids are very common on the early versions of this transmission. We have seen a few at our shop.

http://www.europeantransmissions.com...es/722.9p1.jpg

The only repair is an updated or repaired control unit.
Because Mercedes has included the electro-hydraulic control unit in their Theft Related Parts (TRP) protocol, the only official way to buy the part is if a Mercedes dealer installs it. Aftermarket transmission companies online are now advertising the ability to repair your control unit, which by-passes the TRP issue. Google "Mercedes 722.9 transmission".

Plan on spend close to 2K at the dealer. And don't blame your local "stealer" for the TRP nonsense, it comes straight from Doucheland.

Good Luck, I feel for ya

deliman

The Michelin Wiggles. I get them too. Its sidewall flex in the PS2. Especially in the earlier version of the tire. And even worse in the 19" and the wider 295`s. The newer PS2`s are better. Get the heavy duty version rated for Audi or Porsche if your 295`s. Otherwise there is a Mercedes version of the 285. The wiggle gets worse as the tire wears too.

I have the newer version of the PS2 in 295/19. I have the Porsche version. I still get a tiny bit of flex when jamming my SL55 on certain surfaces. But its tolerable. Lets seehow the new PS3`s work after this set is gone in another 15K miles.

Bummer about your tranny. That 7 speed has its issues.

NCE500

I had the valve body/solenoid replaced in my E63 tranny about a month ago, with 21K on the clock, under warranty. After sitting a lot due to weather this Winter, mine started shifting slowly/early, felt almost like it was low on fluid. All is well again, it shifts better than ever with the new "updated" part. No idea what it cost as MB paid the bill.

Regarding PS2's, my SL drives much better under all circumstances with new PS2's put on this past Winter vs. the Pirelli Rossos it had previously. My tires are "MO1" spec for newer SL63/65, and were produced in France in 2010. Adding these and a Quaife LSD cured my rear wiggle, but the Quaife also had a lot to do with the improvement.

Sg45

OK. Friday night update. Car was towed to MB dealership yesterday around noon. Service advisor finally calls today at 5 p.m. to say "well, the transmission is definitely slipping". I was like "what? you put it in gear and it doesn't move! You call that slipping!" He said they need to take the transmission pan apart to see if there is metal in it (sounds like a clutch that blew up to me). Said he would call me Monday.

I said "come on, this car only has 25,000 miles on it". He said, "yeah, I know, I am going to try to make this as painless as possible even though I know you are out of warranty".

More to come. Have a great weekend everyone! It's just money. It never bought happiness anyway...

Havoc

Yeah, it's sad how these high tech cars can fail so early with very little mileage. Even though the drivetrain is built strong and very reliable; the sophisticated electronics that control them are not. The valvebody in my 2006 SLK55 failed at 35K miles and basically told the tranny to eat itself.

03'55AMG

isnt a standard MB warranty 5 years 50,000 miles? what year is it?

m_berman

Learned Lesson #1--

Don't own these cars without a warranty

Sg45

MB WARRANTY IS 4 YEARS.

Rick SL55

Hope is valve body plate!
NEW transmission is over $10k w/o installation.
Better rebuilt your. If your SL have a 722.6 transmission (most likely) send it to:
www.paramountperformanceproducts.com
www.southernhotrod.com

The 722.6 transmission is currently being used on many Chrysler car, Charger, jeep SRT8, Crossfire...

Just search 722.6

Good Luck.

Sg45

OK boys. Game on! Dealer service rep just called and said I need a new transmission for $6,000. I said, you know I am going to fight this right? He said, yes, I know, I will write up an OCR (Owner Contact Report) and present it to my manager today.

So, when that comes back as a "no". Please advise on how I go up the Mercedes food chain to fight! He said he has never seen a 2007 SL550 with 25,000 miles need a complete transmission before. He said it's extremely rare.

I am fighting this one hard!!!

Sg45

Thanks Benz-O. I'll do it.

I always like a good fight!

EXECMALIBU

A 722 AMG Transmission last time I checked was around $2,400 for a factory rebuild... A New trans was around $3,100 they both have a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty... These prices were for an AMG trans so your non AMG SL55 trans might be less!

I think the book shows 6 hours for R+R so even at $125 per hour labor I have no idea where the $6,000 estimate is coming from?

Also very a well known issue is that the valve body in the 722 trans often sticks! One day I started my SL65 in the morning the car would not move forward or back!!!

The car only had 9,500 miles!!!

The MB dealer replaced my valve body under warranty! But they used a rebuilt (used) valve body! I screamed about used/rebuilt parts in a car with only 9,500 miles and they finally replaced my entire trans...

A new valve body might cure your problems...

EXECMALIBU

A 722.6 SL65 AMG Transmission (240-270-05-00) today costs $2,470 at he MB dealer for a factory rebuild... A New trans was around $7,650! They both have a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty... These prices were for an SL65 AMG trans so your non AMG SL550 trans might be less!

I think the book shows 6 hours for R+R so even at $125 per hour labor I have no idea where the $6,000 estimate is coming from?

Also a very well known issue (check for DTB/TSBs) is that the valve body in the 722 trans often sticks! One day I started my SL65 in the morning the car would not move forward or back in any gear!!!

The car only had 9,900 miles and was towed to the MB dealer!!!

The MB dealer replaced my valve body under warranty! But they used a rebuilt (used) valve body! I screamed about used/rebuilt parts in a car with only 9,900 miles and MBUSA finally replaced my entire trans...

A new valve body might cure your problems...

Rick SL55

My 2005 SL55 transmission need to be replaced, can you provide me part number, contact information for a factory rebuild transmission for my 2005 SL55. My local dealer just offer me factory NEW. Lowest factory new transmission price for my car is $7,056.00 w/o shipping.

Any info & help is appreciated.

EXECMALIBU

Here is the part number for a 722.6 for my SL65.... Part # 5240-270-05-00... Your SL550 trans might be he same? The dealer MB of Encino Ca (818) 788-0234 quoted me yesterday $2,480

03'55AMG

2500 for a 65 AMG and 6000 for a non AMG 550?? wtf is that...