W169 CVT advice please

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Carabind

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Hi there. Am considering taking on my mothers a class. It is a 2011 A160 CVT (pet), bought new from MB
It has only covered circa 12k miles to date. It was serviced by MB within warranty , then maintence pretty much limited to annual oil changes. It runs very well.
as I said, I am taking it on as she does not want to drive any more , and as you Can see by the mileage, it’s hardly used. I am aware on the Possible CVT issues, and Wondered.....

1. How easy to change the tranny oil and filter ( is it a DIY job)
2. How easy is it to remove the Transmission ECU If there are future issues. I understand there are possible issues with wiring.
3. Is there anything else I need to keep an eye on?

Btw, I have had A quick search but couldn’t see any similar posts.( So apologies if I’m wrong)
 
Firstly, welcome

Don't know all the answers to your questions but my mechanic told me the other day that most transmission tasks involve dismantling the front of the car! Do another search on this forum for CVT - I posted a question about a W245 B Class in the last fortnight which has helpful information
 
I had a B Class with CVT and covered circa 115k miles with no problems, change the transmission fluid every 40k miles helps. You only hear bad issues with cvt boxes because the ones that don't fail has no need to be written about. I do know the transmission control unit is inside the gearbox so you would need to remove the box to change it. Sounds as though it could be obtained for a reasonable price, I would go for it, but if it's out of warranty, seek out a good indi, they will be much cheaper than a main dealer for servicing.
 
Many thanks for your replies. As you say, you only hear about the bad ones, and as I am fairly gentle with my cars, I will move forward with taking it on. Just need to sell my Mx5 first to make room on the drive.. first job will be the tranny filter and change.
 
We have owned 4 W169 and 1 W168. Two W169 and one W168 suffered the CTV gearbox problem but easily fixed by ECUTesting. There is no need to drop the engine. Extracting the ECU is the same procedure as changing the CTV transmission oil and filter and then removing another (Circa) 18 screws to drop the ECU tray. Easy for a competent diyer who can change the transmission oil, but extremely messy - be prepared to get transmission oil all over yourself and everywhere on your drive!
 
Many thanks for this. The fact it is only one stage on from replacing the oil and filter reassures me.
 
Many thanks for this. The fact it is only one stage on from replacing the oil and filter reassures me.
If you go to ECUtesting.com, there are written instructions on how to get the TCU out of the CVT gearbox.. I normally get my indie (Stevenson) to do this (somewhat messy job - Steve does a great job at cleaning everything he strips down so that is an added benefit too. Plus remember to re-fill with fresh gearbox oil, filter and a new sump gasket. Doing this will save you having to worry about servicing the gearbox for another 4 years (unless you are doing super mileage each year).
 
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This job looks so much easier with the car up on a full height lift! For most of us, we will be doing this with the car up on axle stands (warning do not attempt to do this using a couple of jacks - you will be laying under the car!) on the drive while crawling under the car (or more likely laying on a mechanics creeper) with the sump pan directly above your chest or face!

As you can imagine, one is likely to get a face/chest full of the residual oil as one removes the sump pan from the gearbox! Having done a couple of these on two different MB models to satisfy my curiosity, I am more than happy to pay my indie £250 to £300 to do this for me! The savings are not great, so if you are attempting to do this yourself, you are most likely doing it to satisfy your curiosity or because you enjoy doing oily jobs. If not, I would highly recommend leaving this one to the professionals.
 
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Fluid and filter changed last week, £180 all in from a well known Warrington MB indie. He suggested a 4-5 year change regime given the low mileage
Having also had plugs changed by my local garage, a couple Of Avon tyres up front, new discs and pads all round and fresh oil, and filters, car now runs like a sewing machine, very happy bunny here.
 
The A class is a great little car,ok if buying a used one most would go for the manual version,but your car is your mums,and with very small mileage,you have just done everything needed to run that car fault free for a few years.:)
 
Thanks Mr Zipdip. 👏🏻I am glad I have missed nothing obvious, My other half has started to borrow it for her daily commute as she likes it too! So I needed it to be 100%.
It is a great little town car, far better in town than my Volvo S90 (but it’s not so great on motorways. But that’s what the Volvo is for)
 

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