Valvebody Supply Issues...

[mobeyone]

Came across this on the web:

Mercedes-benz will not sell valve body for mercedes 722.9 transmission « Jason's space

Is this still the case? and is their a turnaround time or an agreement in place to have the car back on the road asap? and not be at the mercy of a battle between Siemens and MB?

Bl))dy hope not.... plus side is that at least this is recognised and it should lead to some form of goodwill as the fault develops.

 

[jaymanek]

Yes its still a big issue. No confirmed date of delivery I was told recently.

 

[st4]

I have an early 722.9. Great...

 

[mobeyone]

So what happens in the even of failure? they cannot justify keeping a customers car until they resolve their dispute?

Have you ever had to deal with this Jay? I use my car for business you see and this would jepordise my ability to operate and earn a living as a result of the failure.

 

[mobeyone]

I have an early 722.9. Great...

I see a positive in this, the failure is down to the electronics and Mercedes it would seem are battling for compensation due to the faulty part.

This alone warrants some kind of goodwill from them beit 50/100%.

My problem is this would cripple me when my time is up as I could not accept for my car to be of the road due to a dispute.

 

[jaymanek]

99% of these problems are caused by dirt getting onto the sensors... Its best to replace the sensors but due to the lack of availability, recently we have been taking them to a well known transmission specialist who refurbishes the sensors and flushes the fluid out. Not had an issue yet.

 

[mobeyone]

How much does it cost to refurbish? And what's the usual the turnaround time?

 

[jaymanek]

Well it depends what they find...the last one we did turned into a full overhaul at £1800. Usually £600-800.

 

[mobeyone]

I am going to write to MB UK over this.

Has anyone else contacted them? Anyone who has a 7G box looks like they are at risk as failures (according to the internet) can range from new right back to first generation boxes.

There is no way MB UK can block the part without an acceptable "lawful" reason which is why I am pre-empting failure on mine and writing to them to make them aware that this problem is widespread and becoming common and a dispute between the supplier and MB is not a reason to withold supply of the product, moreso to those who totally depend on thier car to earn a living.

I wish I never bought the damned thing now.

 

[steve333]

Came across this on the web:

Mercedes-benz will not sell valve body for mercedes 722.9 transmission « Jason's space

Is this still the case? and is their a turnaround time or an agreement in place to have the car back on the road asap? and not be at the mercy of a battle between Siemens and MB?

Bl))dy hope not.... plus side is that at least this is recognised and it should lead to some form of goodwill as the fault develops.

Between what years does the problem affect?(what about the new 7g+ boxes?)

 

[mobeyone]

All early models but I have read of members who have 09 models and even new cars where the plate has failed.

Mine has this annoying jerk and in stop start traffic is worse.....

 

[steve333]

All early models but I have read of members who have 09 models and even new cars where the plate has failed.

Mine has this annoying jerk and in stop start traffic is worse.....

Thats shocking,first the failing injectors(mainly on 09ish diesels)now 7g autobox problems,surely it will be a free fix if the problem is as widespread as it appears?

 

[mobeyone]

Thats shocking,first the failing injectors(mainly on 09ish diesels)now 7g autobox problems,surely it will be a free fix if the problem is as widespread as it appears?

Well, MB recognise the problem and their subsequent actions indicate a very big problem moreso that the part is now blocked and subject to a case reference by MBUK which is to be used as evidence for a what I hope is a complete fix paid for in full/part by Siemens.

It's a shame as I love the car but it's three major downfalls represent a repair bill which will probably exceed 60% of the value of the car when you factor in the age of the car makes it unacceptable IMO.

 

[Dieselman]

There is no way MB UK can block the part without an acceptable "lawful" reason

I think lack of supply would be deemed an acceptable lawful reason.

They could always take the order and just leave it on back order until Seimens decide to supply.

 

[mobeyone]

I think lack of supply would be deemed an acceptable lawful reason.

They could always take the order and just leave it on back order until Seimens decide to supply.

Lack or control of supply? If it was found that the part is actually readily available and the reason for the block was part of an ongoing dispute with Siemens then I would guess that could change the legality of their actions?

No one has made a fuss over this as yet but I am guessing it's only a matter of time as cars start to hit the 80k mark and if asked to disclose how many have been replaced and if this figure was unacceptably high could lead to more trouble for MB IMO. It's all and well saying the part is on back order but when the part renders the car useless and it's apparent MB know about it makes me think twice about buying another MB used or new.

Yes every manufacturer has issues with the development of a car but MB are taking the proverbial.

 

[markjay]

I am assuming that an MB dealer would provide a replacement vehicle for the duration of the repair, as they did with the diesel injectors. Under these circumstances the customer can not really complain about any material losses as he/she gets a substitute car (the emotional bond with one's own car is not quantifiable for damages...).

This pretty much makes this repair 'dealer only', but so are many other repairs with many other manufacturers...

 

[mobeyone]

I am assuming that an MB dealer would provide a replacement vehicle for the duration of the repair, as they did with the diesel injectors. Under these circumstances the customer can not really complain about any material losses as he/she gets a substitute car (the emotional bond with one's own car is not quantifiable for damages...).

This pretty much makes this repair 'dealer only', but so are many other repairs with many other manufacturers...

My understanding is that a car is only available to those with a warranty... Which I would imagine will be prioritised over those that are outside of MB warranty.

Personally, no emotion here... What I am emotive about is a car that has several flaws which IMO is unacceptable, your buying what should the best in automotive engineering, not an accountants attempt at cost cutting/procurement of parts to increase profit sacrificing quality and longevity of its products at the expense of it's consumer.

Yeah it's a machine and they will break but there are cars out there which are twice the age and still turn over and drive that require minimal maintenance. Yes the car is technically complicated and there's a lot going on behind the scenes... But my guess is that these problems are down to cost cutting exercises by MB.

Rant over

 

[steve333]

Is the problem related only to 7g/7g+ boxes?(i drove a c200cdi b/e today which had a 5 speed autobox,strangely out of all the diesels this model was the only one which wasn't affected by the injector problems around 2009 afaik).

 

[st4]

Is the problem related only to 7g/7g+ boxes?(i drove a c200cdi b/e today which had a 5 speed autobox,strangely out of all the diesels this model was the only one which wasn't affected by the injector problems around 2009 afaik).

Yep the car you had on loan has the 722.6 box. It does effect your CLS.

The 200cdi is a carry over from the previous generation of engine and does without the Delphi injectors that plagued the earliest 220cdi and 250cdi blue efficiency engines

 

[steve333]

Yep the car you had on loan has the 722.6 box. It does effect your CLS.

The 200cdi is a carry over from the previous generation of engine and does without the Delphi injectors that plagued the earliest 220cdi and 250cdi blue efficiency engines

I knew my cls could be affected by the valve body issue after reading on here(even though mine is ok at the mo i can't help thinking what if),i will probably change cars in a couple of years or so & will have no more than about 55k on the clock so fingers cross mine might hold out.As an after thought there must be tens of thousands of 7g boxes that could potentially go wrong(just in the uk),i wonder what sort of percentage of those have already had the problem?