What is your opinion as to how long a Mercedes transmission will last. Assume proper maintainance and not using as a towing vehicle.

My impression is somewhere between 150K and 175K for normal city/highway driving and around 200K for mostly highway driving.

I have 222kmiles on a 240D...tranny still ok. I had 190kmiles on my 300sdl...tranny still ok.

I think you're a little low on your estimate...maybe more like 300 to 400k miles.

Now watch mine puke tomorrow.

Joe

The 300se has approx. 110,000 MILES on it, and so far, only done an overhaul which costed approx. RM2,000 (USD526).

The 260E has approx. 95,000 KM, and has also been through an overhaul when it had approx. 80,000 (and that costed about RM10,000 -> @ USD2,600!!).

Both has original tranny and engine (both of which was also overhauled last year).

Mr. Bill

Check out http://www.mbca.org under technical...when do parts wear out. They say most last 150kmile but some go 300 to 350kmiles.

Joe

My 1982 300SD has traveled 297000 miles with just normal fluid and filter changes. She still shifts perfect.

over 350K on trans! still kicking. SSSSSHH,,,, don't tell anyone.

I've got 200,00 on my tranny. It is 50/50 city highway and I thrash it daily getty on the highway.

I was recently thinking about posting about transmission life, and sure enough, someone did it first!
I have 83,000 miles on my C280, and still doing well. But I drive hard at times and hope that this will not too greatly reduce transmission life.
I hope I have your luck, JDUBS! I think a lot of it is just luck and the way it happens. I also do about 50/50 city/hwy.

I've got 291,000km (180k miles) on my W123 280E and apart from the occasional abrupt shift when cold, the tranny is fine.

I gave it a fluid and filter change which improved shifting no end about 2,000km ago: I'm pretty sure that the previous owner neglected it. It had the wrong filter fitted, for a start, and the fluid was dirty.

Next step is to get the linkage adjusted ... there's a little reluctance to shift which is probably down to the controls rather than the tranny itself.

Having said all that, this is probably an extremely dangerous thread. Everyone who posts here will probably suffer transmission failure in the next few days!

I'm pushing 200,000 miles in my 420SEL with no tranny problems whatsoever. That is a combination of city and highway driving.

I've got 225,000 on my 84 300cdt. Bought it w/150,000 on it and my driving is almost all highway at 80mph (200 m/day). It is simply remarkable what a filter/fluid change does. The fluid looks fine, the filter looks very clean and yet changing them (including draining the converter) results in a very marked difference in shifting and overall driveability. I do let off a bit at shift time on hard acceleration (on-ramps) to ease the strain and hopefully extend the life. Hope this doesn't jinx me...

I'm just under 285,000m with a combination city/highway driving and no problems. Just regular fluid and filter changes. It shifts very well when merging onto the interstate.

There's a simple cure for all these broken transmissions. Get MB to sell you a car with a manual transmission. I've never had one break. The record for me is 533,000 miles on the 240D and I've never so much as replaced a seal, only changed the lubricant.

If you want a big repair bill, the automatic is guaranteed to fail at some point.

My annally retentive $0.02,

blackmercedes,

I appreciate your comments, but I'm no young pup, and I won't drive anything but a manual. That's why I said "get MB to sell you a manual".

I think that there are many younger buyers that don't even know how to drive a manual.

Just my thoughts.

Have a great day,

The followings are some of my friends and mine experiences w.r.t. their Mercedes' auto tranmissions:
(Note: 90% TRAFFIC in HK is GO-AND-STOP city driving)
BAD...:(
Friend: 1987 W124 230E- slippage at 50,000 miles
Ex-boss: 1989 W126 300SE- slippage at 40,000 miles
Friend: 1986 W124 260E- unacceptable harsh shift and get used to it...Trans rebuilt 3 times in mileage of 190,000 miles
My secretary: 1994 C220- Bought at 11,000 miles and harsh shift since then.
My business partner: 1994 E220- harsh shifts since 20,000 miles...and now getting worse at 40,000 miles
Friend: 1992 W140 500SEL- slight harsh & slip and still decide what to do...
Friend: 1994 W140 600SEL- shift noticable since new (too much torques???)
Mine: 1990 W126 300SEL- rebuilt at 45,000 miles

GOOD...:)
Ex-boss: 1991 W126 560SEL- 22,500 miles shifts silky smooth
Friend: 1998 CLK230 Compressor- new electronic trans,shifts smoothly, precisely and quickly.
Mine: 1995 W140 S320L- shifts perfectly at 25,000 miles and hopes keeping on...
Friend: 1993 W124 E280- 30,000 miles, trans runs perfectly smooth...


They perform not very well generally and Mercedes should learn something from Toyota's bullet proof ECT-i transmissions.;)

[Edited by Davis Lo on 03-02-2001 at 12:48 PM]

When you get that campaign petition for more manual MB trannies all setup Larry make sure I get to sign it :D

I'll be in Europe this month, needless to say I have my drool bib ready!!:)

The mileage numbers on all these trannies make me feel extremely confident people!!Thanks to the thread starter!

I agree with Larry.
 

My sense of the fact that there are manual trannies in some of the new C-Class and one of the Roadsters is that MB is attempting to complete directly with BMW in that class (3 Series v. C-Class, etc.) An attempt to secure market share and entice new folks into the showroom. BMW may brand itself as "The Ultimate Driving Machine" but Benz may very well be able to cop to "The Ultimate Driving Experience."

Mine (87 190e 16V) has about 180k. I am kind of guessing as I don't know how many prior owners there were. Based on a Carfax and the observed prior repairs to the speedo, 180k would be my best guess. Kind of a shame, a 16V with an auto, but my girlfriend drives it and I only beat on it on the weekends. It has a leak from the front seal/pump, about an eighth of a quart in a week. I wait till it really starts to puke before I pull it. Shifts fine although I wish it would kick down without really having to mash the accelerator. Probably a simple adjustment?

Tinker

once again what this seems to say is that the older models where the better machines.

1980 300SD automatic turbo diesel has 525000 miles, still shifting strong....regular and complete fluid changes (not synthetic) every two years, never had a problem. I would prefer a manual BUT...

I agree with Larry, and I would like to add my personal 2 cents worth that God never intended for diesel powered vehicles to have automatic transmissions! Give me a manual transmission any day.

Happy motoring to all !

Hmmm,
Have 206,000 on original 5-speed tranny. FWIW, bought
car from an elderly gentleman. I would guess his age at
59-61. His wife was 43. Young at heart:)

Gary

yal,

One of the neatest things about Europe is that it's extremely easy to get a rent car of any kind with a manual transmission. A little piece of heaven!

Gute Reise,

I have a 84 300SD with 290,000 miles on the original tranny and still running strong.

Nolan

my 300sd has 305k with no problems and my 560sl has 200k with no problems...can I say knock knock knock on wood. my dad's 300sel has problems..please see post and pass on any advice.

greetings from charlotte, nc

I heard the manual trans on MBs are very problematic. That is why most don't come with one even, in Europe.

For the driver or the car? :D

My '83 300 D has 338,000 miles on the original engine and transmission. Neither has been opened for any internal repairs. My 190 SL with about the same mileage has had the engine rebuilt twice. '50s metals were not as good as today's.

Robby

While smooth shifts FEEL good, I don't see how they can be doing the transmission any favors. Smooth shifts=more wear on the transmission, right?

My 1987 300D Turbo can shift somewhat harshly if you mash the accelerator and suddenly lift off the accelerator. I wouldn't expect a super smooth shift in this case, because the modulator has to go from no vacuum to full vacuum very quickly to make that shift smooth. When I am using a nice steady foot, the transmission quickly and firmly "bumps" from one gear to the next, but doesn't bang like it was before I had a new modulator installed, nor does it sliiiiiide like other newish cars I have driven. This is about the closest this diesel can be to feeling sporty!

Seems that the desire for imperceptible shifts between set gear ratios is what's causing most of the wear on an autobox. Any transmission gurus care to comment on this?

Justin Dobbs
Oakland, CA
1987 300D Turbo 201k

I just got rid of my '85 190e 2.3 that had approx 500,000 km on it. The tranny shifted beautifully when hot but had a slightly harsh kickdown-forced downshift. I just downshifted manually. My c280 has a very nice shift, but is still very young. I am a firm believer in regular fluid changes on all systems and am thinking of switching to synthetic tranny fluid. Does anyone have any words of wisdom on this subject?

The most notorious Mercedes for eating up transmissions are the M-100s (600, 6.3 and 6.9). My 6.9 is on it's second tranny and it has begun to slip in first gear and reverse, so it looks like #3 will be in order shortly. I don't drive it hard at all nor did the previous owner, these boxes just handle so much torque that they are very likely to fail, and most do. However, my first 6.9 had 203,000 miles on it on the original tranny, so some must just last longer than others. My '83 300D has 292,000 miles on it and shifts nicely, although it does shift hard on the 1-2 upshift. That will be cured by an adjustment to the vacuum modulator.

165,000 miles on my 190E 2.3 auto, it does shift pretty hard from 2 to 3 and wont stay in the lower gears very long.
Repalced seals at 125,000.


I believe it is a four speed but starts out in 2, unless you stomp real hard on the go pedal.

My '85, 300SD now has about 162K miles and the trans. exhibits occasional flairing when shifting to high gear, but only under slow acceleration conditions around town. My '88 TE with 124K miles is perfect. I had about 185K miles on my manual trans. in my old 240D and it was perfect. Say what you will about GM cars, but I sincerely wish that a Chevrolet transmission would fit a MBZ. Reliable and dirt cheap to fix or replace.

trannys life
 

1994 S500 192000 miles no problems

1995 C280, 85K miles and no problems.
1999 S420, 40K miles and no problems.
I've been reading this post since it started, and thought I'd finally post mine, even though they're just getting broken in!

1979 240D 295,000...shifts fine, just regular fluid/filter changes.
1990 300E 115,000...occasional hard shift

Tranny Life Survey
 

84 300D 375,000. Strong shifts, but the F&R seals leak a little, especially after a fresh fluid change.