Where to go for transmission fluid change?
 

I'm in the metro Atlanta area. My car just turned 150k, so I guess it gets a badge at this point, and also it's time to do another transmission fluid change.

Short of going to the dealer or to a specialty Mercedes mechanic, both who will have fairly high prices, where's a good place to go for transmission fluid changes?

Bottom line, my transmission shifts fine now, I just want to keep it that way. I'm sure if I go to an AAMCO, they'll find some problems I didn't have before I went in, so I want to avoid them.

Thanks.

1991 300d, 152k

do it yourself. get a set of drive up ramps, and wheel chocks, a 6mm allen socket, and a 10mm socket and extension. simple easy.
go to walmart and buy 6 quarts of fluid, and order the gasket and filter from our site here.

the key to not getting screwed is knowing what youre dealing with, what you need, what you might expect.

Also to know your fluid. Is it Dex III spec or something else?

If it is not absolutely tied to an MB specialty fluid (and I doubt it is), I would run valvoline maxlife dex, which meets some decent MB fluid specs and is a great fluid. Buy the filter, etc from Phil, and get a trusted local garage to do it.

The first milage badge is for 155k miles(250k kilometers), so you're almost there.

I think your car is too early to have "environmentally friendly" insulation in the wiring harnesses but you might wish to make sure. The neutral safety switch and reverse light cables both can be 'disturbed' during a fluid/filter change if you aren't aware of the risk (and many generic auto shops won't be). If you handle the cables gently there should be no problems. I had to rebuild the cables in my '96 after an otherwise excellent shop worked on the transmission and the insulation fell apart.

Also remember that your car's torque converter probably has a drain plug. Rotate the engine by hand until the plug can be seen through the hole in the protection cover. You will get two or three quarts out of the transmission/filter and about the same amount more from the torque converter. Probably a good idea to replace the seal on the transmission pan while you're at it. FastLane has both the seal and the filter at reasonable prices and they support this forum.

Pretty much any good Dexron-III type fluid will be OK - everyone has their favorite. Be careful with full synthetic fluids such as Mobil-1. Because of the age and miles (248,000) on my '96 transmission, my change to Mobil-1 caused a significant front pump seal leak. I was unable to stop the leak and ended up having to get the transmission rebuilt. All of the hard parts were good, fortunately, but at California rates, R&R plus labor and materials to replace all of the wear parts cost almost $3000. :eek: [OTOH, I put Mobil-1 in the engine and it doesn't leak at all. Go figure.]

Jeremy

Check out Blue Ridge Mercedes if you are not going to do it your self...Jonathan knows his stuff! You will not regret it.

Who works on your other vehicles? Anyone you trust can change the fluid provided they are conscientious. Drain the pan, pull the pan, drain the TC, replace TC plug, install filter, replace pan & drain. Pour in measured amount of fluid to be slightly under filled. Drive & recheck fluid level, top off, be sure not to over fill, done.

Stand there & watch them. Lifts are a beautiful thing. FSM has capacities AND warns against wiping dripping fluid which may contaminate fluid & mess up tranny.