Hi all.

I'm brand new to the forums, and need some help. I just purchased a used 1999 E300 TD with 155K miles on it. I plunked down $120 at MBI Motors in Portland, OR, to have them check it before I bought it, so I knew it would need about $2000 worth of work, but they didn't notice any transmission problems at the time. I got a good deal on the car so the $2000 of work was justifiable. Anyway, my mechanic (an independent MB diesel specialist, who I trust) performed the $2K worth of work over the last week and I just got the car back from him two days ago. That work included changing the automatic transmission fluid and adding a conditioner to the transmission. At the time, my mechanic said that the ATF was very dark, but he did not notice a burnt smell. He used MB fluid and swears that the fluid is at the right level.

So yesterday I woke up (it was really cold overnight) and I went out to finally drive my new baby. I get in, wait for the glow plugs to go off, and start it up. I wait about 5 minutes for it to warm up. I shift into reverse and the car shifts very slowly. I was revving before it shifted and the car took about 1 or 2 seconds to shift into reverse. Then I switch from reverse to drive, and again it takes a second or two and then slams into gear pretty harshly. Then, for the first 5 minutes of driving, it won't shift out of first gear. Eventually it started to shift into 2nd gear, but it still wouldn't shift into 3rd. After about 10 minutes it was finally shifting into 3rd. After that it shifted pretty well with only slight occasional hesitations when up-shifting.

I drive it for another half hour and everything is working relatively well. I got home and called my mechanic and he told me that because the ATF was very old and used before he changed it, it probably had a "sticky wicket" in there and the new fluid and conditioner should start to make the problem go away over the next few days. He said I should definitely use my block heater from now on when it's cold for about an hour before I start driving and this would help.

So this morning I woke up and plugged my block heater in (it works, I could hear it clicking after I plugged it in) and let it warm up for an hour. I get in and start driving. Same problem. I came online and started feverishly reading the forums here and over at benzworld. I followed directions from a forum here to reset my shifting computer (gas pedal down for 30 seconds with the key on but car off, wait 2 minutes and take key out). That didn't resolve the problem.

My questions now are these:

1) Does the block heater actually warm up the transmission fluid? If not, is there such a thing as a transmission pan heater?

2) Do you think my transmission is failing?

3) What other experiments can I try to resolve the problem? Would another flush and change of the fluid help after another few days?

4) With the conditioner in there, should I take my E300 out and drive it for a while to try and loosen up some of the "sticky wickets"?

I'm starting to freak out that I might need to get my transmission rebuilt.

Any help would be great!

 

The guy is a crappy MB mechanic if he flushed your transmission and added any type of conditioner.
You don't flush a 722.6 trans,and you most assuredly do not put any conditioner into the trans fluid MB spec.
Did you ever drive the car before you purchased it?How did it shift before the idiot that you trust changed the fluid?
It is not cold enough in the n.w. to require a block heater this time of year.A block heater will not warm trans fluid.Trans fluid thrives on coolness not being heated.It will come to the temp of the engine coolant as the engine comes to temp.
Get the car to a real Mercedes mechanic and have it checked over.Don't know how much you paid,but a 7 grand car that needs 2grand of work was probably not the wisest choice.

 

The car KBB's at 13K. I got it for 10K. I had it inspected at MBI Motors in Portland before I bought it. I consulted with them for long time without the owner present and they agreed that it was probably worth the money. I don't live in Portland, but that shop is one of the most respected Mercedes-only shops in the NW. It sounds like you may think I'm an idiot, but I made this decision methodically and with lots of input from others.

The mechanic I chose to do the work is based out of my town. I got his name from a friend who's had work done with him and he's rated well on a couple of different websites including the Car Talk website. So, he may be an idiot, but again I had a methodical and decidedly un-idiotic reason to trust him.

To answer your questions:

- I drove the car for 2 hours before I purchased it, that was about 3 weeks ago. The mechanics at MBI also drove it as part of the pre-purchase inspection.

- The car shifted fine before I gave it to the guy who you think is an idiot, but it was much warmer at that point. We've had temps dropping below freezing since I got the car back.

I may have misspoken when I described the work he did, he completely changed the transmission fluid and replaced it with MB fluid and added a conditioner. Sorry if I said he flushed it and that mean something completely different. If this guy who did my work really is an idiot, what kinds of damage could conditioner do to the transmission?

Any recommendations for Mercedes mechanics in the Corvallis/Albany/Salem, Oregon areas?

Thanks much.

 

KBB is for dealers to price a car,not for buyers to use it as a guide for value.10k was over priced.
The mechanic is an idiot.Not you.These 722.6 transmissions thrive on mb spec fluid and any conditioner is neither needed nor warranted and can damage a perfectly good transmission.The transmission is the same 722.6 included in models years 97 up in several platforms,so I don't get his crap about sticky wickets.We have members in far more northern and far colder environments and warm operating conditions are not a requirement for proper operation.We took our wagon to Eastern Washington last winter -12f and it shifted fine as soon as the fast idle from the secondary air pump heated the cats to operating temp.
Get it to a real mechanic.Until you do so,avoid driving the car.A complete draining of the torque converter and pan may be the solution before more damage is done.
My opinion of the price and the decision to purchase a mb that needs two grand of work at well over market price,still stands.Asking a dealer the value of a mercedes,is trusting the wrong messenger.
I hope the 2 grand does not turn into 5 grand with the added cost of the above mentioned 722.6 r/r.
An overpriced Mercedes that needs lots of work,does not mean you are an idiot.It just means you were misguided in the information gathering processes leading to the purchase.You were not the first and most assuredly will not be the last.

 

I took the car to a Mercedes dealer yesterday morning. In lieu of having a recommendation for a good independent mechanic in my area, they were the only place I could trust to take it at this point. I know they will be more expensive. I put less than 60 miles on the car before getting it to the dealer's shop, so I hope that I didn't do much harm.

They were able to look at the car yesterday, and found that the transmission was overfilled. They also reiterated that using conditioner is not good and they drained and changed the fluid. They weren't able to tell if any damage had been done to the tranny, but they kept it overnight and will test it this morning.

So, you're right, this mechanic is an idiot. Because I like to see threads wrapped up, I'll post the results when I know. Not sure if it's kosher, but I'd also like to post the idiot mechanic's name so that others can avoid him in the future, especially considering that he's recommended on other sites. Let me know if that's a kosher practice for this forum.

I only wish I had found this forum before I bought the car. I might have had some of this advice before purchasing, and maybe would have not done it. It's embarrassing.

 

Hello Niccha,

You are not the only one with E300 TD having shifting problem when cold. I also have a E300 TD and believe me it is no fun to start driving this vehicle because I never know when it will decide to switch in to 2nd gear. Some times it switches in few seconds and some time it could take up to 5 minutes. It is extremely frustrating. Every time I take it to the shop, they can't figure out what is wrong with it.

However, I did some research and came accross this link, where this guy was actually able to fix this problem. I have not yet try to get it fixed, hopefully, when Ihave some time available I will definitely take it the dealership and show them the response from this gentleman who got it fixed.

Here is the link :

http://mbca.cartama.net/showthread.php?t=23751

Good luck.