I forgot to update this thread earlier - so here goes:
I was disappointed to discover that the Amsoil ATF also has strong odor, same as the new M-1 MVF. Aaaaargh! Oh well, I was due for a fluid change in my '93, so I put the Amsoil in anyway. It's working fine, but the strong odor (compared to the previous M1 formula) still bugs me.
So, I picked up a quart each of Red Line ATF, and Red Line D4 ATF. The D4 stuff has the same strong odor as M1-MVF and Amsoil. But, the "original" Red Line ATF has no strong odor... kind of like the old Mobil-1 formula! I think I may have found a winner, finally. You can view the Red Line ATF spec sheet PDF file at
this link. I found it interesting that their site specifically mentioned
Mercedes vehicles:
"Red Line Synthetic ATF is an approved GM Dexron II, Ford Mercon, and Mercedes Benz Automatic Transmission Fluid and is suitable for GM, late model Ford, or any vehicle which recommends Dexron IID or Dexron IIE or Mercon for refill."
I dug out my 1993 owner's manual, and found that the MB approved lubricant spec sheet had all Dexron-II fluids listed. Apparently, Amazon.com is a distributor of Red Line oils, and they actually have a
pretty decent price, with reasonable shipping. I'm probably going to pick some up and use that in the future. It's also nice that there's no need to buy a membership of any kind to get a price break, like you need to do with Amsoil (stupid pyramid marketing!).
For a comparison of all three Red Line ATF specs, along with M-1 MVF and Amsoil, see the attached image below.
