Hi,
I bought a 1997 C280 few months ago. When i took it to a shop for oil change, he said the trasmission oils is really bad and is already burnt. He said either get the transmission rebuilt or get rid of the car. When i asked if changing the transmission oil would do, he said may be it gives the car another year or so and then i will have to re do the transmission. What got me was as soon as i entered the shop, he asked about the mileage and when i said 171000, he said he is already worried about transmission at that high mileage. So, is it common for a C280 to have transmission problems at that mileage and every C280 needs a trans built again every now and then? Any help is highly appreciated as i am not familiar with Benz cars.

Thanks and Regards,
rxk2303

 

You can't tell if you need a new transmission by looking at dirty oil. ( used up MB tranny oil will always look black) Is you transmission misbehaving? I know that by 1998 the C-class transmission was a sealed transmission which, according to MB, never needed to have the tranny fluid replaced. I say, "according to MB" because I've never met a mechanic that agreed with that. Most people on this forum and elsewhere, change out the tranny fluid every 30-60K mi. (I recall one person on this forum changeing fluid annually) That said, you may need a transmissioin rebuild. My mechanic told me that w/o a fluild change every 60k mi., he sees C280 trannys lasting to about 130k mi.
So, if your transmission is working, definintely change oil and filter. Use MB tranny fluid.

 

Hey RocKSolid,
Thanks a lot for the tip and info. I will get the Transmission Oil changed ASAP. One moe thing is that the Transmission is not misbehaving yet and it is not slipping at all. So, can i safely say that changing the oil might give more life to transmission currently, but i should look forward to getting it rebuilt sometime in future, right? Also, are there any other precautions or maintenance issues that i should take care of for a 1997 C280 with 171k mi? Have a great Day !!

Thanks and Regards,
Ravikant Kolli

 

at 171k, things can start to happen depending on how well the car was taken car of. If bad maintence, it will show if it hasn't already started to show. If good maintenence, then it will show. A lot of them don't even see 150,000 miles without some type of intensive work needed becasue they don'y pay attention to the transmission oil because it's suppose to last forever. But then again, a mechanic rule of thumb is that no oil lasts forever in a car whether the manufacturer says it can or not. Plus I'm not even sure if Mercedes and company meant keep the same oil for 171,000 miles. Maybe, but I wouldn't recommend it at all. Then on the bright side, fresh oil can't hurt, it removes any dirt particles and stuff that managed to get inside, and newer oil have a better lubricating and cooling effect to extend the life of the tranny(220,000 miles on the same tranny that shifts as good as new with regular oil/filter changes.) Trust me on this. You'll know when something is wrong with a Mercedes transmission. When it breaks, it breaks.

 

Both RockSolid and BlackWolf are extremely correct.

It is true MB says the tranny fluid is good for the life of the sealed transmission.

But no form of MB warantee ever cover the tranny beyond 100K.

From technical and practical stand point, if the tranny fluid stays fresh all the time and the tranny has not been abused, I believe, MB tranny will go 300,000 miles. That means...you have to keep the tranny oil fresh.

But...if one interprets tranny fluid life "good for life" as "forever", one will surely face a tranny malfunction.

YES, NO MAN-MADE OIL LASTS FOREVER TO ITS SPECS.

Another thing, if transmission goes bad on ordinary cars, Honda and Toyota dealer will give you rebuilt transmission, never a new one. But from what I heard, MB and BMW will only sell you a new transmission. That means $5,000 to $10,000.

( Sleep...if you are reading this, please let me know your opinion on this: many 202 owners including me experience wetness under the transmission, but never a drop on the ground. Also, bushing around the shifter wears out and buzzes the console at high revs. Are they really well-known common problems? )

 

That may be true while they have them in stock, but that won't be forever. At some point (a few years), they'd have to rebuild with available parts. It's not any cheaper to do the latter from what I've been told--in my area, anyway.

 

In reagrds to this issue, I am having tranny problems at 151K miles. I put it in reverse last eveing, and nothing happened. When Iput it in Neutral, hitting the gas caused acceleration. So assuming that my A & B services have not been replensihing my AT fluid, is it too late to do so? Is my tranny gone and in need of a rebuild, or would chanmging teh fluid now solve the problem? Thanks for the help in advance.

 

If you have a mechanic change your transmission fluid it will cost between $125-$200. (incl. the fluid itself which costs upwards of $80.) However, the cost of a rebuilt tranny with install may be $4,000. I think I'd try a fluid change first. (my cost figures are real ball park-it's been a whille since I check the prices)

 

2-17-08 Update:

My mechanic said a tranny fluid flush wouldn't do it. You may read a lot about the fluid lasting a lifetime, but that is not entirely accurate. In my case, it had gotten so bad a new tranny would have to go in along with the computer system to check it. My mechanic (not a Benz shop) said even with a remanufactured tranny, I was looking at $5K+ for it and labor. My 99 C280 with 160K miles was worth about 6K in pristine condition (which it wasn't), so I couldn't bite that bullet. I dumped the car on a used car lot and bought something else.

 

I completely agree with everybody here. The service writers at the MB dealership DENY the "lifetime" tranny fluid stance that MB seems to take.
CHANGE THE FLUID and FILTER!!!!!!!!

"He who hesitates is lost".

End of that story. Up to you when you think you should change it.
I posted what the fluid looks like at 100K miles in my gallery if you want to look.

You might consider flushing your brake fluid when you replace your pads and rotors if not already part of that job.
You also might consider flushing your cooling system as well.
These all are typical maintenance procedures regardless of what MB might have you believe.