C230 Transmission

In December, my check engine light came on. I took it to the dealership, they cleared the codes, and I got my 90k mile service.
Last week, my tranny was slipping between 3rd and 4th gear, so I called to take it back in on the weekend. Since my service advisor was going to be off, she would inform somone that I would be in. I was at the delarship for less than 5 minutes because she didn't tell anyone, and the other advisors told me to come back Monday morning because she was working. The next day, while driving, my tranny was slipping between 2nd - overdrive, then eventually, would not shift past first, and I had to drive 2 miles home, which was pretty dangerous. Also, the check engine light came on again. The car was towed, first thing Monday morning, and has yet to be evaluated.

Not only am I upset with my car, but my service advisor has some brushing up to do with her customer service. She didn't apologize, but did have my car towed, and provided loan car (a Saturn). This isn't some mom and pop garage either, it is the 'oldest dealership' in North Texas.

Enough venting... Again, I have 91k miles on my c230 and I haven't noticed any leaks.
Is there no maintenance or check-up on tranny with service?
Also, my advisor said it may be a good thing my check engine light came on. Meaning what?

Any other advise?

After reading many posts here, concerning transmissions, I hope the I don't get screwed.

Thanks,
Les (new member as of 01/28/03)

[blackmercedes]

Talk to the service manager. Ask for the name and phone number of your Zone Service Rep. Call 1-800-MBUSA, and begin correspondence with them concerning this problem.

It is very rare that the 722.6 fails at this high mileage. Usually, if it gets past, say 30-40K miles, the thing is bullet-proof. Pretty unlucky for you.

What year is your C230? Is it a 1997? That's the first year for the 722.6 model range wide, and there are a few updates to early build units. If they were not done, you may have a case that the dealer didn't do the required work.

Keep us posted.

[mbdoc]

On of the biggest problems with the 1997 & later cars is the AUTO transmission that MB says no service needed!
The failure rate on the 1996(V-8's & v12's) thru 1999 is at 5% or higher. There were internal mods to the planetary & clutch drums that fixed most of the problems in1999, except on the low torque transmissions.

YOU can search this database & see that this can be a costly problem. The fluid needs to be changed at OR before 50K miles & a (special) magnet should be added to the trans oil pan & keep metal from floating around in the fluid.

[JCE]

My trans was done twice by the dealer to solve the problem (still occasional light flaring). However, the records from the dealership don't list a magnet having been installed. Is it worth going in again to install the magnet, or can a different powerful magnet be attached to the outside of the trans pan? Coming up on 45k miles, the last fluid changes/trans work was at 25k miles. Thanks for any advice.

Here is the follow up.for my 1997 c230 with 91k miles:
(Bought the car in 2000 with 48K miles on it (not from dealer))

The dealer said that I need a new trans control unit and a new body valve w/labor $1850. WTF? I've read many posts here and
MBworld.org, with the same transmission problem I've encountered. Luckily, no one was hamed or injured when there tranny went out.

What should I do?
Call regional MB rep?

What's funny, is that $1850 includes my towing expense.

What can I expect with after the work is completed?
Will my car run like brand new?
Or is it time to cut my losses?

[blackmercedes]

Originally posted by yellowles

Call regional MB rep?

Yes. I understand that the 1997 cars should have an updated valve body and trans control unit, and MB should replace these for you at low/no cost. Fight them on this.

[PPatterson]

What are the symptoms of a failing valve body? I have an early ’97 C230. It occasionally clunks/jerks into the next gear.

The symptoms I had were slippage between 3rd and 4th gear.
If you think you're low on tranny fluid, you can't check it unless, you have the MB tool. If you've had regular maintenance performed, they (stealership) don't check the tranny, unless requested. If your Benz just started doing this, I would have it checked out soon. My tranny went out after 5 days of slippage.
Also, checkout other post on the similar subject matter by performing a search. You would notice that a lot of other owners
with the 722.6 transmission have had similar problems (1997 was the first year with this tranny).