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Bad bad bad problem today...

6K views 21 replies 15 participants last post by  Adullessence 
#1 ·
BAD problem today.

C32 would not shift into gear. I pressed on the gas...and the engine just revved. "Check engine" LED is lit.

I'm thinking transmission.

I had it towed to a local service shop. I did buy the extended warranty...so I'm crossing my fingers that the problem will be covered.
 
#6 ·
So far..

FrankW said:
just a guess, but maybe it's just the transmission control unit.
Well...the saga continues. The company that supplies the extended warranty wants the car taken to a shop that specializes in transmissions. My preferred shop... Lee's Foreign in Chicago ... is a full service shop. And I'm CERTAINLY not taking my Mercedes to an AAMCO.

I got a recommendation from a friend who is a mechanic .... and this shop towed the vehicle for free to their location. They will be pulling the codes and I will have a final word in the morning.

Thanks for the well wishes...I will let you folks know what happens. I HATE being in limbo on this thing....but I'd hate being out $5,000 even more.


Quaz
 
#8 ·
Transmission...

Clear signs of water getting inside .... corrosion, significant damage.

As I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I sent a mechanic friend to confirm what I was told via phone....and he did. I have also heard that there have been problems with coolant getting into the transmission from a faulty radiator on C class mercedes'.

Be that as it may .... $5,700 for the transmission and new radiator. Geez.

Warranty company denied the claim saying that I must have done something to " get water into the trans " ( ie I must have driven the vehicle through 5 feet of water or travelled back in time and drove it through hurricane Katrina ) . Bear in mind that I purchased the car ( a 2003 ) in December. And no, I don't live in Louisiana.

I may have to pursue legal action.

WARN EVERYONE YOU CAN NOT TO USE GREAT LAKES WARRANTY Corp. I have been doing some investigation, and other people have had problems with them as well.
 
#9 ·
...

quaznizi4 said:
Clear signs of water getting inside .... corrosion, significant damage.

As I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I sent a mechanic friend to confirm what I was told via phone....and he did. I have also heard that there have been problems with coolant getting into the transmission from a faulty radiator on C class mercedes'.

Be that as it may .... $5,700 for the transmission and new radiator. Geez.

Warranty company denied the claim saying that I must have done something to " get water into the trans " ( ie I must have driven the vehicle through 5 feet of water or travelled back in time and drove it through hurricane Katrina ) . Bear in mind that I purchased the car ( a 2003 ) in December. And no, I don't live in Louisiana.

I may have to pursue legal action.

WARN EVERYONE YOU CAN NOT TO USE GREAT LAKES WARRANTY Corp. I have been doing some investigation, and other people have had problems with them as well.
....similar thing happened to me but with different symptoms. Apparently, the Radiator was leaking antifreeze into the gearbox. This knackered the gearbox and torque converter.

Obviously, the gearbox and torque convertoe had to be replaced along with a new radiator.

My third party Warranty covered this.

I have got rid of the C32 now as it was by far the most unreliable car I have ever owned.

You might want to think about that.
 
#10 ·
Latest chapter in the story...

Received a call from the mechanic saying that " the warranty company called and are now saying that they will cover the charges " .

I'm still holding my finger on the legal trigger to make sure that they follow through...but this is a significant breakthrough.

We'll see what happens...
 
#11 ·
What kind of luck did you have with the warranty coverage?

I just had to have my 2003 E500 radiator replaced this week because of radiator fluid leakage into my transmission (33K to boot). The extended warranty company agreed (more like had no choice) to cover the repair, but only coughed up 2/3 of the $3200 repair bill, because they reimbursed according to their "standard rate" schedule, not what the shop wanted to charge. It's not stated as such in the contract, but it would cost more to litigate than I would get back.
Seriously unhappy w/ MB over the known defect (but which apparently didn't rise to the level of a recall), and thoroughly pissed at the extended warranty companies. Not sure I'd take one again, unless it offered true bumper to bumper coverage and I could see review their contract and repair schedule in depth before signing.

Fortunately, radiator replacement and trans flush seems to have done the trick. If more comes down the pike, I'll be packed and loaded for bear if the warranty comp tries to give any bull.
 
#12 ·
I'm really digging the new styling of the E-class from '03 onward.

Unfortunately, '03 E-class models are fraught with problems being the first generation of that car. I was looking into getting one b/c of the deals out there and my MBZ indy mechanic told me to stay away from the '03 and try to get an '04 or newer if possible.

At least they are not plagued by engine cooling problems the way the E39 5 series models are.
 
#14 ·
Can someone tell me what a C32 is? I have a W203 (2005) C230 Kompressor Sedan.

Anyway...I just got rid of my Acura 3.2 CL Type S because it was known to have transmission problems. I went through a tranny at 60K, and everyone on the boards said it will go up again every 30K, Acura bandaids the issue instead of fixing it totally. They extended the factory warranty on the tranny to 120K, but that doesn't make me feel any better. I got rid of the car at 105K still no tranny issues execept for hard shifting which it always seem to do.

Don't tell me I'm going to have tranny issues with the C230 also! Please!
 
#15 ·
derrickonline said:
Can someone tell me what a C32 is? I have a W203 (2005) C230 Kompressor Sedan.

Anyway...I just got rid of my Acura 3.2 CL Type S because it was known to have transmission problems. I went through a tranny at 60K, and everyone on the boards said it will go up again every 30K, Acura bandaids the issue instead of fixing it totally. They extended the factory warranty on the tranny to 120K, but that doesn't make me feel any better. I got rid of the car at 105K still no tranny issues execept for hard shifting which it always seem to do.

Don't tell me I'm going to have tranny issues with the C230 also! Please!
A C32 is the AMG version (HotRod) of the C320! It's been performance enhanced in most areas that matter when it comes to speed and handling when compared to the standard C Class.
 
#16 ·
Transmission Failure

I just had a problem with my 2002 C32 last night, and I think it might be the same problem.

The car was running like a dog, with some jerking while shiting, then it felt just like my clutch went out. The car is disabled now. The engine will rev, but it doesn't make contact with the transmission. The engine light is on.

Funny thing is that I had the car at the stealer for a B service two days before...

Since the car is out of warranty, I am thinking about sending it to AAMCO or a local German auto shop.

If I can get it done for half the cost, and get a transmission warranty for the next year to boot, I would just assume avoid the stealer.

Anyone know what a new transmission for a C32 costs?
 
#20 ·
I almost forgot ....

Even if you took it to a dealer...they probably would subcontract the rebuild....there just isn't enough transmission rebuilding business at a typical dealership to keep that skillset on board full time. The place I went to does rebuilds for many shops in the Chicago area.

Best of luck to you .... when my trans went out ... I was on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago at 10pm on a Sunday night.....

Not sure where you are , but if you are in the Chicagoland area, I recommend Lee's Foreign Auto on Jefferson Street downtown.
 
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