Probably been asked a thousand times. but bear with it again. I have a 1998 E300 Turbodiesel.........was told by dealer that factory fill of transmission fluid and the filter was good for the life of the car. And as you know the dipstick is sealed.
So, what is the real story by the master techs here? Leave it alone forever, or change the fluid and filter at what mileage. I now have 60 K trouble free miles.
Thank you.

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RSL007
1999 ML430
2001 C320 Sport
2000 SAAB 9-5
1998 E300DT
1998 C280sport
1991 300D
1991 350SDL
1982 300DT
1972 Porsche 911 Targa

I tell people to change the fluid at 30k and then allow me to monitor it. If you have waited this long, it is a toss-up. If you do have it done, the adaptations will change and it could improve or hurt the shifting of the tranny.

Let us know how it turns out.

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Benzmac:
Donnie Drummonds
ASE CERTIFIED MASTER AUTO TECHNICIAN
MERCEDES SPECIALIST 11 YRS

Leave it alone to 100K, then do the fluid and filter.
A service writer has a 97 with the 722.6, original fluid @ 250K, he got it with about 230K, he's thinking about doing it, not sure if it's a good idea at this point. Car was owned by a travelling salesman who racks up those kind of miles. The guy just takes all recommendations from MB very seriously as far as maintenance. He's currently running an ML, I believe a 99 or 2000. We hardly ever see him, he runs that FSS right down to within a few hundred miles, then gets in in for service, he's probably in every 15K miles or so because he's on the highway so much the FSS is really extending out his service.
Gilly

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Both of our 1998 MB's have the 722.6 tranny. The dealer INSISTED on the lifetime fill.

At a service clinic, the Zone Rep was out, and I cornered him on it. He mentioned that if it were HIS car, he'd change it every 90-100,000 kilometers. (55-62,000 miles)

I had it changed at 90,000 kilometers on the C230, and the fluid and filter looked brand new. BRAND NEW! I'm used to doing tranny services every 50,000 kilometers, and have never seen fluid come out looking brand new.

I'm going to keep doing it every 90,000 kilometers, just for peace of mind. I'm probably wasting some money, but $275 every three years or so doesn't seem too outrageous.

One thing to ensure is that it is done properly. The dealer followed a very precise process that had the fluid at 80C when they measured the level. I didn't notice any changes to shifting whatsoever after the change.

When the turbodiesel hits 90K, I'll have it done. And I'll betcha it looks like new...

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John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

I had mine done at 70k miles for under $200. I think it is worth the peace of mind.

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record