Thanks for the info. Yes the clunk sound happened before the curb incident, and I'll see what I can find out about tranny shops. (I don't know if there are any good MB transmission shops in NW Indiana though) I am planning on driving over to the shop today to see things in the daylight.

Just got back from the shop- the 300 was pulled into the enclosed parking at the shop- so there wasn't much room to see anything- and (no surprise here) I couldn't see any obvious signs of damage. It should be up on a lift tomorrow or the next morning- so hopefully I'll have more info soon.

Keep us posted, these kind of things can send your blood pressure north, so try and think the best, it usually isn't as bad as we initially think it is. I've noticed a lack of transmission shops that work on Mercedes Benz. But, if you find one that works on european cars they might also work on Mercedes.

Hey all,
So, the shop called with an update. They got the 300 on a lift and pulled the lower panels to get a good view. Like Can't Know and Husky Man suggested- the radiator support was bent enough to lightly damage the radiator (causing the drip) and pushed it just enough so that the fan blades could rub (causing the noise). As for the tranny- he said the lines might have gotten slightly bent but it drove into the work bay without any problem at all.

He commented that without removing all of the panels, you couldn't see where the radiator support had been damaged. So- I'm now thinking the PO must have smacked something to damage the support- and my light bump against the curb finished it off...

I had a similar scraping experience, with my 97 E420, while pulling into a parking spot at PEP Boys. I didn't get a coolant leak, just the fan scraping noise (and a bad A/C condenser, I think).

Looking back on it, I wish I would have realized that the car had never scraped the curb in that lot before. The reason it did was that the spring perches were failing, and the front end of the car was lower than it should be.

While your car is still up on the lift, have them look at the perches. Unless they are MB guys, they wouldn't have noticed. You may need a welder to fix the rad support, and he may be able to fix the perches as well, if you have that problem.

Plenty of material on these forums about the perches.

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1996 C280 289K Traded
1997 E420 167K Traded
2001 S430 240K Traded
2010 E550 4matic 80K
2000 GMC Jimmy 198K Gone to Boneyard
2003 Camry LE 196K
2011 Mazda3 i Sport 31K

The transmission acting up was probably a blessing in disguise, since it made you park the car rather than being able to drive it (though even a short distance, who knows?).

Your description of the incident is like too many I've heard before and it's doubtful the PO did anything previously. As I said initially, the radiator support is just way too exposed and vulnerable, and as you can see, it doesn't take much to do it in. It's one reason I've always been very careful when pulling into a parking space, particularly those that have the offset parking blocks. Just a moment's inattention (or fooled by a patch of ice) and you're stranded and out of pocket for a good bit of change.

I don't know what your bill is, but check with your insurance carrier (assuming your deductible is not too high), this is still a road accident.

Good luck with it all.

I read a service bulleton,which talked about w140 trans coolers rotting causing coolant to mix with ATF.As soon as I get the money I will disconect from it and run a external cooler.Transmision lifespan wil be longer. I've done this to several auto matics over the years.
Thanks for the warning of radiator support,I will weld a shield in place.

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran, deutschland deutschland uber alles uber alles in der welt

Hey all- well, she's back from the shop. Radiator was replaced, and the support was repaired. The support was pushed in on one side, and pushed back- so since I (lightly) bumped the curb straight on- the theory remains that there was probably previous damage from the PO hitting something that I worsened.

The tranny checked out OK after all- and after a thorough test drive, it was theorized that when I hit the accelerator pedal to leave the parking lot, the slight rise in rpms and the rubbing of the fan on the shroud freaked me out and I thought tranny, flare, metal noises, etc EEK!. It's driving as before now- and there's no clunk. The only thing I can think of that might have caused the clunk was that I had some crap in the trunk that might have rolled around back there- because I took everything out- and now it appears to be clunkless. (Yes, I am willing to admit that trunkstuff might have created a possible symptom...) So, I wanted to post to close out the thread, because that's what you're 'sposed to do. Thanks to all who posted!