When I wanted to replace the transmission fluid , the dealer and a Mercedes shop both told me they will replace the fluid but will not be held responsible for any issues.
Reason is "the transmission was supposed to be sealed for life" and when you change the fluid, sludge will block internal pathways.
They even wanted to charge me two more hours to reset the adaptation values with SDS.
I requested only the fluid be replaced along with the updated plug connector.
Everything is fine now

 

Ya, I thought the clog only happens when you do a power flush. That loosens up the debris. I thought a simple fluid swap filter swap would no harm. Ive done it twice already since I've owned the car. Also never had issues. But, they were done at indy shop.

Im gonna leave it alone till I need to rebuild the trans. Ive taken good care of it so far and been getting really good usage. Im not going to mess with a good thing right now.

But, I am definitely going to check the plug connector if its leaking.

 

mercedes, like audi, has backtracked on that 'sealed for life' suggestion. I would strongly recommend you change your fluid to the newest spec if you haven't already. Typically people come in with transmissions on their last leg and request a fluid change. They then complain about how the fluid change ruined their transmission, when in reality the only thing the fluid change could have done was extend the life of the transmission. A power flush is dumb b/c you can get contaminates from someone else's car left in the machine's lines and get that crap in yours. Simply taking the tranny line off the cooler and letting the transmission pump out as much fluid as possible would be a preferred method. A pan drop/filter change will only get out a fraction of what the systems capacity is. Often you won't know if the plug connector is leaking and the fluid will wick up the wires and into your tranny computer and ruin it. Reinstalling your tranny computer upside down lessens the chance of this occurring as does spending a few dollars on a new connector each time you change fluid.

 

Makes total sense. Not sure if I mentioned here or not, But I have changed my trans fluid twice already and filter. I was advised never to power flush or any type of flush.

Some say when its time its time to rebuild trans.. Others say to keep the fluid clean. Right now I'm at a cross roads. I'm at around 40k since last fluid change. Came back 2 weeks later and he drained out the remaining and added new fluid. (cant get all fluid out in torque converter) He's an old mb tech so I took his advise. No issues ever.

So I dunno, car runs shifts fine. Its the new spec oil. Last thingI want is to drop the pan again and push my luck. Will it dislodge something and mess up a good thing. Or will it be the same again.

I'm planning to rebuild the trans at some point in the future but, I dunno if I should just wait. Its not like im on original oil from the factory hahaha.

 

As long as codes don't keep popping up you are fine. As far as the fluid, some are opting for the new oil 236.14 spec because it's backward compatible while some opt to stick with the 236.10 spec. It's all preference at this point. I would love to hear opinions from people who have kept up with the 236.10 spec as opposed to those who went with the 236.14 spec

 

Not sure what fluid I have. It was done about 3 years ago. Not sure I remember one time I bought the fluid from the dealer and the other I don't remember. I have to search my service records to know for sure.

I'm gonna take a long drive next week and when I come back I will go back to dealer to check if codes returned.

Gotta remember to put the car up on the lift this weekend and check if the electrical plug is leaking. Hopefully its not! Im sure it was changed the last time around. The indy shop by my old house was really good. I trust him.

 

Do not get overly excited about getting all the fluid out on a service. If you do the service regularly and change the filter these transmissions can make it hundreds of thousands of miles. Not everyone but a lot of them.
The most important thing is to change the filter. A flush is a waste of money and especially if the filter is not replaced. The fluid is synthetic and unless you are overheating the transmission it is fine.
Other than not doing a service and running a plugged filter. What takes these out is a bad seal. I rebuild these a lot for performance builds and have been working on them from a standard service perspective throughout the entire production. 99% of the time that they have a problem it is because the filter got clogged and starved a clutch or it was just plain mechanical failure of a bearing or bushing and it grenaded.
But there are those flukes.

 

Thanks for sharing your expertise! I feel better about it now.

 

Member Glyn M Ruck helped develop the current tranny fluid spec standard. Read this thread & his comments in regards to using other fluids like synthetic valvoline maxlife, which claim 'suitable for' on their label but are in fact NOT suitable since they come nowhere close to meeting the current spec.

722.6 ATF

ONLY USE A FLUID THAT IS ON THIS LIST!!!! THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT MEET THE MERCEDES CURRENT SPEC FOR TRANSMISSION FLUID!!!!

https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevol...236.14_en.html

Hulk, read the thread from Glyn M Ruck & you'll find out why you should use the .14 spec over the .10 spec.

GM did a similar spec upgrade when they started using DEXRON VI over the old DEXRON III and transmission clutch life is doubled with the new spec. Seems worth putting in new fluid for that lol.

MaxH, dropping the pain and changing the fluid and filter will not dislodge anything as there is nothing to dislodge or that can be dislodged by doing this.

 

I have read that a long time ago, fact is that many are still using the 236.10 spec because it is good and their transmissions are lasting a long time with racing. The 236.14 spec was made to be used with both the 722.6 and 722.9 so to allow one oil. In fact in know one Indy that likes to use 236.10 exclusively on the 722.6 not because the 236.14 spec is bad but because in his opinion makes the transmission last longer which I have seen as well. On a sude note many here use valvoline maxlife and valvoline import without any adverse effects on the 722.6 so the shell ATF or Fuchs is not the only one to use.

 

I think I remember the guy at the parts counter from the MB dealer mention something about old and new spec trans fluid. Not sure what I got, that time around but. Gotta check my service records to be sure which one. I do remember it didn't come in normal bottles. They sold it to me by the liter in some other container.

 

Either spec is fine but seems that some go crazy that it's only 236.14 that's good

 

I had 236.10 from factory. Currently with 236.14.
I remember seeing many talks in the w210 section about the new spec affecting the transmission behavior. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary

 

Ya I remember the discussion of the huge difference lol. Some claimed firmer shifts etc with the 236.10 spec. 236.10 is still perfectly fine to use