Quote:
Originally Posted by firstbenz
I am concerned with tranmission failures (auto) on 300d and 240D that I have seen advertised, common problem with the older benzs? What should I look for in terms of maintenance on the transmission?
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Two observations: First, lots of people put old cars up for sale when they can't or won't pay for a major repair. And transmission issues are major repairs for most of us. That doesn't automatically mean the issue is chronic with the car.
Second, I am not sure how much more common transmission failures are on Mercedes, than any other car that is now 25-30 years old. These cars are extremely durable but their components can be damaged through neglect, abuse, etc., just like any other machine. And in my opinion, transmissions are the weakest mechanical component on most or all european cars.
Concerning maintenance: It is preferable that the transmission fluid and screen/filter have been changed during the car's life, just like any other car. Best case, that happens every 2 years, otherwise 4 years at the outside.
However, in the real world, you may find yourself looking at cars that are quite decent but have few or no service records, or spotty records. I have never purchased a car that had a record of a transmission fluid change (and you will see from my sig that I've had a few)... and the only failure I have had was in my TD -- and that was traced to a fault in reassembly during a rebuild paid for by the previous owner.
Ideally you will want the car to shift without slippage and minimal or zero "flare" (slight over-reving when shifting up, in 2-3 or 3-4).
If the fluid on the transmission dipstick is opaque, it's far too old. It should never smell of burn.
If the car hesitates when shifting into drive or reverse from park/neutral (feels like it takes a sec to engage), that is also an indicator of worn transmission components, but cars can go on for years in that state -- it isn't a reliable indicator of an impending failure.