Today I had this ribbed hose that's located in front of engine and near the radiator replaced. I was told it carries tranny fluid and was leaking. Is this a common leak and is it serious?

Also, yesterday, I noticed that the rear part of the tranny pan was seeping fluid. After driving a considerable amount of distance, I saw some light smoke coming from the under carriage when I stopped the car. I got out and looked under and noticed oily stains on the exhaust and rear part of the car, near the driver side rear tire. Funny thing was that I've never noticed that before (no puddles and no oily stains under car when I check there occasionally). I had it checked today and they suspect that the pan was not tighten hard enough.

What I find weird is that shouldn't the car show signs of seepage if the pan was not tighten enough in the beginning? The noticeable ATF on the under carriage seemed very sudden. Maybe there was a tiny leak on the pan gasket that I did not detect and it suddenly opened up. Anyhow, Is this something to worry about? There are no signs or drips on the floor, and today I had the pan tightened. Everything seems fine now. As much as I hate to hear any more brutal and discouraging truths, I'd like to hear some professional opinions. Thanks.

These lines are leaky and should be replaced when seeping.

Your tranny was overfilled, this is why the fluid came out. There is an overfill on the top near the rear. Check your fluid level when warm...It shoul between the marks and not to the top.

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Benzmac:
Donnie Drummonds
1992 500E (very soon I hope :)
1981 280GE SWB
ASE CERTIFIED MASTER AUTO TECHNICIAN
SERVICE MANAGER FOR 14 BAY FACILITY
MERCEDES SPECIALIST 8 YRS
PARTNER IN MERCEDESSHOP.COM

Once the tranny pan leaks, does that mean I have to get a new gasket? Oh, by the way, my last transmission fluid change was about 3 months ago. Shouldn't signs of over fill have shown up a long time ago?