Mercedes 7 speed Auto - fluid change schedule

[joropug]

Hi all,

I have a 2013 c220 CDI with the 7 speed automatic, currently on 71k. I noticed it was changed at around 50k at mercedes which is good, is this typical ?

Gearbox is smooth, with only a slightly harsher shift from 2nd to 3rd when cold , but I want to keep it in good shape. Service due in December so can tie it in then .

Thanks

[Disco_Biscuit]

Yes usually every 3 years for gearbox service.

[joropug]

Perfect, car is 6 this year so guess I've got an extra bill but I'd rather be on top of it as it's a keeper.

[stevemcs]

Not sure if the first is due at 2 years old then every 3. You can check what services are required on the Mercedes website.

[The Mad Monk]

I thought it was one change at 38,000 miles, then it stays in for life? It is something which gives me cause for thought from time to time.

[Agammemnon]

The Mad Monk said:

it stays in for life

Or gets changed for longer life.

[Sheepshanks]

MB keep changing the schedule even for the same gearbox and the interval also varies depending on the version of the box and the engine it's used with.

It's been sealed for life a couple of time, 3yrs/31K miles, 3yrs/37.5K and 5yrs/75K.

Where a change is called for, MB only ever listed it as a one-off change.

[The Mad Monk]

Agammemnon said:

The Mad Monk said:

it stays in for life

Or gets changed for longer life.

Your editing and selective quoting is misleading. What I actually wrote was:-

"I thought it was one change at 38,000 miles, then it stays in for life? It is something which gives me cause for thought from time to time."

[lowdrag]

Strange this, because in the past Mercedes said their boxes were sealed for life, then I was told 60,000 was the oil change point. Anyway, I was well past this at nearly 90,000 and the oil was changed today (kit cost about £120 including oil etc). Just as well too, because the old oil was very black and very thick. The car is a 2012 C200 by the way and has been retired as the shopping car and replaced with - another C200 2014 with but 17,000 on the clock. Since it is five years old but low mileage I'll leave this one until next year I guess. A bit of googling came across this:-

https://www.pscautocentre.co.uk/products/mercedes-...

But there again, the advice on the net is very confusing.

[joropug]

I changed the fluid on my sealed for life BMW 530d and it drove miles better afterwards. That was at 100k.

This has been done at 50 but I'll probably get it done anyway. The cost is a lot lower than BMW which cost almost £400 at a specialist as the filter is built into the sump so you have to replace the whole lot.

[The Mad Monk]

lowdrag said:

https://www.pscautocentre.co.uk/products/mercedes-...

Page not found

[Watchman]

For the cost of an oil and filter change, it seems sensible to change the 7G-Tronic oil every 35k-40k to me. My family and I always have, and we've had quite a few cars with these boxes in now, some approaching 150k miles.

[joropug]

Watchman said:

For the cost of an oil and filter change, it seems sensible to change the 7G-Tronic oil every 35k-40k to me. My family and I always have, and we've had quite a few cars with these boxes in now, some approaching 150k miles.

Yeah at the price point it's worth it for peace of mind. If it was £400ish like bmw it's harder to swallow.

Does anyone know whether it's best to use mercedes parts or another fluid ?

Also, should I ask any particular questions when getting quotes ? I'll be looking at specialist mercedes only.

Also do they need things like adaptations reset like the ZF box, to accustom it to the new oil?

[Watchman]

joropug said:

Watchman said:

For the cost of an oil and filter change, it seems sensible to change the 7G-Tronic oil every 35k-40k to me. My family and I always have, and we've had quite a few cars with these boxes in now, some approaching 150k miles.

Yeah at the price point it's worth it for peace of mind. If it was £400ish like bmw it's harder to swallow.

Does anyone know whether it's best to use mercedes parts or another fluid ?

Also, should I ask any particular questions when getting quotes ? I'll be looking at specialist mercedes only.

Also do they need things like adaptations reset like the ZF box, to accustom it to the new oil?

It's always been claimed that you're supposed to use the "official" fluid however that doesn't mean only Mercedes can perform this service. Amazon sells the filter, which is basically the entire pan at the bottom of the casing.

I'll be asking my local Halfords if they're happy to do it next time my GL needs a service but if not, I'll drop it around to Merc again. It's not horribly expensive for the peace of mind.

[lowdrag]

It isn't too difficult to do at all. You can buy the kit here:-

https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/parts-kit-auto...

You can buy the ATF at Halfords, and if you have access to a ramp it'll take two hours of your time. or take it to Halfords and ask to see the boxes and empty fluid bottles when you pick it up. I can't see it costing more than £150 really.

[The Mad Monk]

lowdrag said:

It isn't too difficult to do at all. You can buy the kit here:-

https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/parts-kit-auto...

You can buy the ATF at Halfords, and if you have access to a ramp it'll take two hours of your time. or take it to Halfords and ask to see the boxes and empty fluid bottles when you pick it up. I can't see it costing more than £150 really.

Aha!

https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/parts-kit-auto...

Unfortunately I have neither the energy, or the facilities to do it myself. Do I trust Kwikfit or Halfords? Probably not.

I expect, come the New Year when the service and MOT are due, I will book it into my usual indie.

[lowdrag]

The Mad Monk said:

lowdrag said:

https://www.pscautocentre.co.uk/products/mercedes-...

Page not found

Virtually the same reference, but try this one.:-

https://www.pscautocentre.co.uk/collections/c-clas...

If no joy, go to their main page and navigate your way through.

[The Mad Monk]

lowdrag said:

Virtually the same reference, but try this one.:-

https://www.pscautocentre.co.uk/collections/c-clas...

If no joy, go to their main page and navigate your way through.

That works. thanks.

£160 odd, not bad, do I want to drive to Cheltenham though?

[lowdrag]

Lovely city, but the point is that there must be an indie near wherever you are who will do it for about the same price.

[Sheepshanks]

The Mad Monk said:

lowdrag said:

Virtually the same reference, but try this one.:-

https://www.pscautocentre.co.uk/collections/c-clas...

If no joy, go to their main page and navigate your way through.

That works. thanks.

£160 odd, not bad, do I want to drive to Cheltenham though?

That price is for the 5 speed - it's over £200 for the 7 speed. That's a pretty good price - the ATF cost is a very big chunk of that. A dealer is likely to be double that. There's nothing hard (he says from an armchair) about the job but it takes a certain amount of care to clean everything and not strip the little sump threads. Also the level checking in the 7 speed is a bit of a faff.

Not sure if the Halfords comment earlier was tonque-in-cheek, but no way would I trust them to do it.