Is there such a thing as remanufactured in Germany by MB?
 

Hi,

Is there such a thing as a remanufactured transmission or engine from Mercedes Benz Germany?

I'm going to be up for a new transmission in the not too distant future.

My parents have had two transmissions rebuilt by different companies but neither box lasted longer than 90k before playing up: not like the original which achieved 300k: all on the same kind of driving cycle/roads and same drivers.

I know my local MB dealership can do it but I don't think they would have seen a W124 for at least a decade and the mechanics would have only been trained for modern stuff as the oldest mechanic looks about 25.

My guess: you can get the part from Stuttgart from the dealer but you'll pay a fortune for it....maybe 4-5,000 USD or so? Even then, what assurances would you have that it's as good as the original. You can always have your experienced indie install it if you're concerned about the age of the MB techs.

Find a truly good transmission shop. Ask the local indie mechanics who they like and then go talk to them before having a transmission done.

A common occurence when a shop rebuilds a transmission is that they only replace what they obviously see as worn parts. There are many bearings, and bearing surfaces that are either difficult or impossible to adequately inspect. These frequently should be, but are not replaced. If you work with a competent shop and let them know you are more interested in a high quality rebuild rather than a low cost one, see the work in progress and get YOUR worn parts back (not a box of whatever) then you should have much better longevity.

You can get rebuilt or new transmissions or engines from Mercedes. It is expensive. The engine or transmission gets a plate with "Tauschaggregat"

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x.../300Turbo1.jpg

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x...ud/tausch1.jpg

And if it is an engine, there is a special service booklet:

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x...egatboekje.jpg

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x...Untitled-2.jpg

The change is documented in the MB database. But again, this is the most expensive option.

Do you have any specifics as to the cars involved / trans type and the original - 2nd failure?

A trans rebuild is not a new transmission, in most rebuilds 90% of the parts are reused, that is why it is called a rebuild. Failed and common to fail parts are replaced but parts that are still good are not. No one is going to x ray every part to see if it is soon to crack, no one can predict exactly when a part will fail in the future.

Another issue is that as the trans wears, internal leaks occur changing the operation of the trans. For example, as the valve body wears operation changes. For specific failures there are repair kits but it takes time for these fixes to come to market.

Also trans rebuilds are price sensitive, a customer just isn't going to spend 50% of the value of the car. As others have said, a Mercedes reman is going to be very expensive and I bet you wont buy one for a car with 300,000 miles + .

To give you some sense of numbers, I recently bought a 99 Blazer with a bad trans. The owner was quoted $ 1,800 for a basic rebuild , more if it had lots of failed hard parts ( shafts, gears and such ) The vehicle was in excellent condition with a street value ,if running, of $ 4,000 , they bailed on the fix.

I did a rebuild a couple of levels higher than basic retail. In addition to replacing the usual failed frictions,bushings and torque converter that the $ 1,800 rebuild would get, I replaced all bushings, all frictions and steel plates, pump vanes, all solenoids, internal wiring harness, case plug, both speed sensors, pressure sensor and rebushed a valve in the valve body.

Given I do consulting work for a trans shop, the parts were sold to me at cost, this pile of parts was $ 700 If the shop would have done this level of repair it would have easily hit $ 2,800, remember, this is a $ 4,000 car.

Telling the trans shop you are willing to pay for a premium repair _AND NOT CRY ABOUT THE PRICE WHEN FINISHED_ is a good idea if you are truly looking to keep the car long term.

In any event, please update this thread with what you have decided to do and include prices.

Yes, 2nd rebuild/failures have been on a 1991 420SE W126 but I'm not sure of the trans box no. but it is the original box for that car.

My car has the 722.435 which has 155,000 miles on it. I've done what I can (K1 spring, pressure adjustments and regular filter/fluid change of box and TC every 25k miles) but it is my reverse gear that will most probably let me down: when engaged it is clicking almost a grinding noise and only when moving backwards in reverse gear. It sounds like something internal is rubbing.

Will update on what I do.

MB Classic Center
 

Try contacting the MB Classic Center in California. They might be able to explain the options and feasibility of obtaining a reman from Stuttgart. If you choose that route, you'd likely order it through them.

Genuine Mercedes Remanufactured Parts Catalog
 

Try this link. Select "Reman Parts" under "MB Workshop Resource"

http://www.startekinfo.com/StarTek/doclist.jsp

Sounds like the 420 transmission was rebuilt by your equivalent of AAMCO. There must be a ZF specialist house in Sydney run by a crusty old Austrian or Czech. We have the likes of Peter Schmid (MZF-Bayer Transmissions) in this area. Who would you rather have rebuild your IP; an MB dealer or a Bosch shop?

Have you heard of ATA (http://www.autotransaustralia.com.au/index.php)? They claim to specialize... oops, specialise :) in ZF boxes. Or are you already a victim?

Sixto
87 300D

There really isn't a reverse gear in most planetary automatic transmissions. The selection of there power is input, what is held and where the power is output determines direction and ratio. Some Honda and Saturn cars do use a actual reverse gear.

As for the noise in reverse, try pulling back on the shifter a bit and see if the noise goes away. ( When the shifter is in reverse pull it slightly towards neutral. ) If the noise does, the parking pawl is rubbing against the parking gear.

I not familiar with this transmission specifically, are the detents for the shift linkage in the trans or just the shifter? In other words, if the linkage was disconnected from the trans the lever on the trans moved, does it click firmly into each position? If not, adjusting the shift linkage should take care of the problem. However, before adjusting, make sure the motor / trans mounts and shifter bushings are in good condition as they will affect adjustment.

I used to get these 30 years ago. They would come with all accessories installed ready to just drop in. I dont know how they come today.

Sixto, good find. I searched and searched but google didn't bring these guys up.

The last company we used had a good name, well at least the owner did, but from going to their shop and checking on progress, I soon realised that it was kids still young enough to have pimples on their face!

As you mentioned above, I would really like to find a crusty old Austrian or one of the older Germans that begins their day with 20 push-ups on the shop floor and wears a white coat with the metal ruler in the top pocket. They were the good old days.

I know what you mean and tried that only yesterday but I'm almost certain that the detents are in the trans itself, so there isn't much to adjust with the linkage. Good thought though. New trans mount, engine mount and linkage bushing only last month as I thought it might have been driveshaft allignment problem causing the noise.

I will check the parking pawl - have you any idea how to check this? I don't fancy being under the car running and in gear:eek:

Thanks for this. I telephoned a dealer out of curiosity and just for fun and they quoted $20,000 for a remanufactured engine plus labor to fit. They have to fit it so as I get the warranty. I think that kind of price is best left for museum's restoring to showcase.