I guess my best advise, to group as well as myself, is Do Not OverThink this stuff. The more I have learned about German cars the more I think it couldn't be this or that, wrong! The simplest of things, such as low fluid levels, can and do occur in MB and BMW and Audi and whatever. My 1990 300TE was not shifting properly and I mistakingly thought "it must be the shift lever", couldn't be the transmission fluid level was low, it's a Mercedes Benz...wrong....It was low on transmission fluid and after I reviewed the owners manual I paraphrase, "Check the transmission fluid frequently and especially prior to long trips", what I am saying via experience is that these cars are simply cars and that's it. They are not without common maladies....dig....why would Mercedes instruct you to frequently check the transmission fluid level if they, themselves, didn't think the transmission might leak? How could that be? Think about that one....

liquids...brakes and similiar stuff...its known that the owner have to check it out frequently. Now how benz knew that the transmission might leak, well because it leakes since the begining of the automatic era and the way it is made, with joints and its not a one fixed metallic part...with age it sure will leak

Absolutely true. Always check the simplist thing first, clean electrical connections, that are tight, fluid levels, loose bolts, these things.

Experience tells you these things. Even with decades of experience its easy to overlook the obvious though.

But I'm so lazy that I never want to tear into anything anymore unless absolutely necessary.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual. It still needs upholstery redone...I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.