Gearbox oil change at 73,000

[AJA1066]

Good Evening - I trust you are all well. Re:: W212 gearbox oil change - I have looked on the threads & can not find anything entirely up to date.
My inde-mechanic - who is great by the way - is doing an A Service & suggested that I should change the Auto box oil + filter;
he said that he has to use Merc oil or he can not give a warranty and that is expensive - as the labour is only £50.
He has quoted £250 for the job.
I can not find out how much pucker Merc oil is actually - but it all sounds horribly expensive to me.
But is this about right??
Thanks in advance if you have a minute or 2.

 

[AMGeed]

That is about the correct price for a 7g ATF change. ATF is pretty expensive compared to engine oil.
Your man is correct in saying it needs changing now as well. 75k miles is the recommended span.

 

[markjay]

Good Evening - I trust you are all well. Re:: W212 gearbox oil change - I have looked on the threads & can not find anything entirely up to date.
My inde-mechanic - who is great by the way - is doing an A Service & suggested that I should change the Auto box oil + filter;
he said that he has to use Merc oil or he can not give a warranty and that is expensive - as the labour is only £50.
He has quoted £250 for the job.
I can not find out how much pucker Merc oil is actually - but it all sounds horribly expensive to me.
But is this about right??
Thanks in advance if you have a minute or 2.

Your Indie is giving you good advice

 

[jasonh]

Some places will do it for £200, MB charge a lot more. The places that can do it for £200 must do an awful lot of gearbox oil changes and must get the oil at a price you could only dream of.

You want it done properly by someone who knows what they're doing and £250 is a fair price.

 

[AJA1066]

Thanks for your replies.
Very reassuring.
He is a good mechanic and I do trust him.
So all good. Apart from yet more expense...but the car is a real gem and worth every penny.
C'est la vie.
Safe Driving!

 

[Gazwould]

You will not go wrong with this Fuchs atf .
And save a packet .





Because.. Fuchs helped develop it and may well be the actual OEM supplier !

 

[markjay]

Fuchs is indeed a very reputable oil (and hydraulic fluid) manufacturer.

However, if your indie will only warrant his work if original MB ATF is used.... then I don't really see what choice you have.

 

[350cls]

With the W212 there are two types of the mb atf.

Red fluid and blue fluid. If your indie gives MB the serial number on the pan, mb will advise which atf your vehicle requires.

Regarding price. I had mine done not so long ago. I ha e found it varies in price from mb main dealer to dealer. 380 being most expensive 280 the least. The price you have been quoted seems very reasonable.

 

[AJA1066]

You will not go wrong with this Fuchs atf .
And save a packet .


View attachment 99097


Because.. Fuchs helped develop it and may well be the actual OEM supplier !


View attachment 99099View attachment 99099

With the W212 there are two types of the mb atf.

Red fluid and blue fluid. If your indie gives MB the serial number on the pan, mb will advise which atf your vehicle requires.

Regarding price. I had mine done not so long ago. I ha e found it varies in price from mb main dealer to dealer. 380 being most expensive 280 the least. The price you have been quoted seems very reasonable.

**Thanks. Very interesting about the Fuchs atf. I will ask him what he will put in. I wonder why the MB stuff is so expensive? The profit
margin must be extortinate. However, I am no mechanical engineer. My last W211 Merc EClass Estate had a problem with the selector
after a few years - thus a £550. bill (cheap apparently...) & stuck in Aylesbury somewhere. Mercedes dealer, although very helpful there, wanted double that ++. Something I would like to avoid again...

 

[AJA1066]

You will not go wrong with this Fuchs atf .
And save a packet .


View attachment 99097


Because.. Fuchs helped develop it and may well be the actual OEM supplier !


View attachment 99099View attachment 99099

GREAT! Thank you for the information.

 

[Tech2Zero]

FWIW, I've just had the 7 speed auto gearbox oil service on my W219 at the dealer and they charged £330. £250 seems a good deal to me.

 

[Petrol Pete]

At £250 book it in, especially if it is a guy you trust. A 'full' transmission service is about 8.5L of fluid, filter, sump gasket and sump bolts. If he can do that for just £50 labour I would go for it.

 

[W1ghty]

FWIW, I've just had the 7 speed auto gearbox oil service on my W219 at the dealer and they charged £330. £250 seems a good deal to me.

The thing to remember when comparing Main dealer to Independent is that the Indy will normally change the Torque converter oil (same Quantity as the gearbox sump ) the main dealer probably won’t , but will charge more than the Indy because of higher overheads .
you have some good MB independents down your way for extra stuff like gearbox services

 

[Tech2Zero]

The thing to remember when comparing Main dealer to Independent is that the Indy will normally change the Torque converter oil (same Quantity as the gearbox sump ) the main dealer probably won’t , but will charge more than the Indy because of higher overheads .
you have some good MB independents down your way for extra stuff like gearbox services

Yes, and I'll be making use of one of the local indy's in the coming months for a 'defective engine mount' and broken exhaust hangers.
The reason I took to the dealers this one time was to get it STAR connected and updated whilst servicing because I dont think the vehicle had seen a MB dealer since 2011!

 

[markjay]

The thing to remember when comparing Main dealer to Independent is that the Indy will normally change the Torque converter oil (same Quantity as the gearbox sump ) the main dealer probably won’t , but will charge more than the Indy because of higher overheads .
you have some good MB independents down your way for extra stuff like gearbox services

The ATF on my car was changed by MB Brooklands under Service Care Plan. I specifically asked about the torque converter, and was told that yes they changed the ATF in the torque converter as well, and that on my car (M274 engine with 7G+) there's actually a drain plug on the TC.

I do believe them. But what I obviously do not know, is if they change the ATF in the TC also on cars where the TC does not have a drain plug? I would like to think that the answer top that is Yes....

 

[W1ghty]

The ATF on my car was changed by MB Brooklands under Service Care Plan. I specifically asked about the torque converter, and was told that yes they changed the ATF in the torque converter as well, and that on my car (M274 engine with 7G+) there's actually a drain plug on the TC.

I do believe them. But what I obviously do not know, is if they change the ATF in the TC also on cars where the TC does not have a drain plug? I would like to think that the answer top that is Yes....

Very true , there are good main dealers as well . Not all cars have the TC drain plug , I was trying to tell Tech2zero that it’s worth asking .
Comparing prices for an ATF change means nothing unless the same level of work is being done .
The Indys will disconnect an oil cooler pipe if there is no TC drain , the main dealer won’t because it’s not in the manual

 

[Merc220cls]

Go with the “Indie” that’s a good price and remember it’s not just an oil change but the filter will be replaced as well.

 

[AJA1066]

Go with the “Indie” that’s a good price and remember it’s not just an oil change but the filter will be replaced as well.

cheers for your reply - sorry just seen it...all is well now