Auto gearbox oil change?

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jimmy

MB Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 8, 2002
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Location
Northamptonshire
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Discovery 3 TDV6, Discovery 300TDi - Plaything!
My car is approaching the 60K mile mark. I am sure I heard somewhere that some people recommend that the auto gearbox oil is changed at around 60K miles.

Don't MB claim that the electronic 5 speed box is sealed for life and that a fluid change is not neccessary?

Has anybody any experience of this in their car? I was thinking of doing it myself if it was worthwhile.
 
I had read about this as well, and recently had the auto transmission and differential fluid changed. I can't believe any oil/fluid will last forever. I took my C240 to a local Mercedes specialist and it cost about £100 to get them both changed - a lot cheaper than a new tranmission! :)
 
Jimmy, I know MB say the newer tip gearboxes are sealed but not the standard 5 speed auto's we are used to in the C class.

George Fraser will insist you get it done considering the mileage. Mony well spent at this stage to stop problems later. He claims this for both the standard and tiptronic as I found out recently.
 
read and saw pics of george fraser's garage in alperton.

looks like a good place for servicing a benz,

does he use genuine merc parts,lubricants and fluids?:bannana:
 
Originally posted by SPS

does he use genuine merc parts,lubricants and fluids?:bannana:

yup, unless you tell him not too
 
Jimmy,

I got my auto box oil changed at 60k miles, George said it probably needed it as the oil was a bit brown.

Ditto to Fudger's comments... George has told me exactly the same thing and I trust his judgement as he strips and rebuilds these gearboxes day in and day out.

S.
 
So is a gearbox fluid change done as part of a scheduled MB service? If so at what age/mileage?

Would it be an easy DIY job? I think the gearbox dipstick has a tamper evident seal on it.:(
 
Jimmy,

As far as I know, MB wouldn't touch the new electronic gear boxes unless the owner reports a fault. As for easy DIY job, you have to be exact in terms of oil type and volume used as the new gearboxes don't tolerate minor deviations from specifications. If you do break the tamper proof seal and take the cap off then you'll find you don't have an auto-box dip-stick, although you can buy these items from your local stealer.

S.
 
Originally posted by Steve_Perry
I got my auto box oil changed at 60k miles, George said it probably needed it as the oil was a bit brown.

The oil is supposed to be brown, when it's brown it means it's working :)

Originally posted by Steve_Perry
...MB wouldn't touch the new electronic gear boxes unless the owner reports a fault.

I was talking to one of the stealership servicing guys and he said that the fluid in the electronic autos was "charged" with an electrical current, so it flowed properly. The older autos had a problem sometimes when the cables running around the box would "draw" the oil with the current in the cable, sometimes thinning the oil in places or causing it to flood/spill over to places that shouldn't have fluid on them. I don't know if this means that the fluid is different somehow, but the stealership guy said that it was "polarised" or something. Sounds scary! My auto has done 137k+ miles now and it still works exactly as expected *touch wood* , maybe the lifetime fill theory is correct? My concern is that once you've replaced it, it might need replacing every few thousand miles if it's not the right fluid or it's not been done to manufacturing specifications. I guess only time (and miles) will tell.
 
Originally posted by Shude
The oil is supposed to be brown, when it's brown it means it's working :)

George meant browner than it should have been :p

He only uses OEM MB equipment that includes auto-box oil.

I didn't know the fluid was polarised though. Learn summat new every day.

S.
 
the new auto boxes on mercs have for life oil in them,
according to merc if you change the oil in these boxes it will invalidate the warranty.
only time will tell if FOR LIFE really is for life.
If I owned a merc with this type of box in it ,I would be a bit worried once it was out of warranty,and around the 60,000 mile mark.
to be honest we have had no bother with them so far though.
but loads of probs with the shift matics,manual gearbox with no clutch pedal(BURNT OUT CLUTCHES ETC AFTER 3,000MILES)
could be due to the fact that if you rest your hand on the gearlever it can sometimes move it slightly and make the ecu think you are going to change gear,making it actuate the clutch slightly,thus causing it to slip.
 
Not 100% clear but I understand MB now recommend ATF change at 37k

ATF change ?????? - Mercedes-Benz Owners' Forums
Yes... the later 7G-Tronic boxes are recommended to have an oil change at 37.5k and then not touched ever again. Back in 2003 we were talking about the 5 speed electronic box which at the time were quoted as being 'sealed for life' by MB.

Coincidently, I've just had the auto box oil in my CLS changed as part of a service at 34k they thought better to change a little early than very late.

Blimey, it's weird seeing a thread being dug up 11 years later. I wonder if the OP still has the car? :dk:

S.
 
Nickpapa1 strikes again lol

Yes... the later 7G-Tronic boxes are recommended to have an oil change at 37.5k and then not touched ever again. Back in 2003 we were talking about the 5 speed electronic box which at the time were quoted as being 'sealed for life' by MB.

Coincidently, I've just had the auto box oil in my CLS changed as part of a service at 34k they thought better to change a little early than very late.

Blimey, it's weird seeing a thread being dug up 11 years later. I wonder if the OP still has the car? :dk:

S.
 
Eleven years later, it's still a very valid point. General experience seems to be that 'sealed for life' mostly results in a shorter life as far as gearboxes are concerned.

I was interested to read that MB used special 'polarised' fluid. Sounds like b*ll*cks to me, but does anybody know different?
 
I have heard that mb seem to be saying now that life isn't life any more, I didn't know as well about the charged fluid thanks for that one can you buy that fluid and is it just a gimmick. I thought the gearbox fluid was a bright charry and turned brownish when it was dead. I have also seen that only up to half the fluid will drain from the gearbox the rest will be left in the touque converter.
 
Sealed for life =@ 4-5 years, same as the ZF's gear boxes in Jag/BMW .

The gearbox sump is the filter housing OEM £200 for the filter + £100 for the oil.

Merc owners get away cheaply on the filter and oil change @ £150-£175
 

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