Just thought I'd post the conclusion of the story for "posterity"...
I took the car into a local tranny shop, and the bottom line was rebuild time. They agreed that MB parts were the only way to go, and mentioned that the last rebuild probably DIDN'T. Maybe why the tranny only lasted around 40,000 miles? He said that they usually only see around 50,000 miles out of rebuilds without MB parts. ANYWAY, they wanted over $2300 for the rebuild (1 year/12,000 mile warranty). After taking the car home to think about it, I found that they WAY over filled the tranny. So much for THEM!
I ended up taking the car to an independent MB shop in Camarillo. The rebuild was out of a specialty rebuild shop (MB only) in LA, dyno tested, with a 30 month, unlimited milage warranty. Installed, with a few other "odds & ends" (included a flush, & new VCV required for the warranty): around $2150.00.
Now you know the REST of the story... So much for the front seats getting recovered (at least THIS year)! Ouch...