W210 (300) Lost Trans Dip
 

99 E300TD, w210
My Transmission dipstick is gone. Changing the cars oil the other day and I notice the empty hole.
Now this is way to big to leave lying around without being noticed.
CAr runs and shifts perfectly.

Any ideals on why this would happen? I have temporarily done a platic baggie and zip tie on it which is staying in place.
Curious minds want to know.

Your car never had a dipstick. Believe it or not the factory, in its infinite wisdom, deemed the tranny "sealed for life" and didn't include a dipstick. The tube was covered with a cap that had a red plastic lock that had to be broken when the cap was removed. There are aftermarket dipsticks available from fastlane or ebay, but they aren't made to stay in the car, only for checking the level. I would find or order a cap soon as your present cap may not work too well.

Current wisdom says the tranny is NOT sealed for life. It needs regular servicing like any other transmission.

Hope this helps.

The cap is somewhere around $10 IIRC. Without the lock pin installed, it WILL vibrate off.

The 722.6 trans also requires a special fluid avail from MB. Don't use Dex 2 or 3.