“...Dark and Glittery...”

[AtlBenz]

So I took my 1994 E420 in to the shop to have weird transmission behavior looked at. The car would hang onto 1st gear all the way up to 3000 rpm, then shift into 2nd and then almost immediately into 3rd. The guys dropped the pan and noticed that the oil was “dark and glittery.” No large or obvious metal shards or particles were found. They tried to sell me a new tranny, but then said that changing the valve body would be a good start to see if that could fix it.

I am thinking that maybe a simple flush and oil change would the better first step. Why not give it a go right? Maybe it’ll do something. Well the shop pretty much refused. They said it was pointless and here is why…..they said that the microscopic “grit” or “glitter” was actually HELPING the transmission function as it was aiding in grabbing the clutches. So if I change the fluid, I’m running a high risk of loosing all functionality because in all likelihood, the clutches are too worn down and have now become dependent on this “abrasive fluid.”

Sounds like quackery no? What say you? Change the oil or not?