I just booked my car in for it's E service as I'm getting a warning each time I start that service is required in about 900km or so. It's going in mid December as that was the earliest appointment to get a loaner!
I was going through a list of issues that need resolving:
- tailgate needs to be aligned (panel gap out after an adjustment to fix a squeak)
- windshield leaking at top passenger corner in heavy rain soaking A-pillar
- possible rust (certainly flaking paint) on driver's door (I have updated caulking)
- creaking steering column at low speed (very occasional - I'm sure they won't be able to reproduce) - as long as there is no pending mechanical doom this noise doesn't bother me but I'm having them investigate while the car is in
Anyway, the issue of a transmission service at 60k came up. After our discussion, I'm quite sure I'll be having it done early, and I certainly think I'll be going for the extended warranty. Apparently, the CVT costs $8,000 to $9,000 to replace. This was a rough figure and I have no idea if it included labour/installation or not. We've been dealing with this gentleman for years and trust him so I don't think he's pulling crazy numbers out of his head for amusement.
At the same time, he didn't specifically imply that the transmission was causing issues (he admitted that he's seen a few Bs with door rust...), but that is a LOT of money for a transmission in an entry-level luxury car. The transmission on a Porsche 996 doesn't cost that much!
Certainly not trying to scare anyone (maybe myself). But I'm curious if anyone has heard of transmission issues at high mileages? I think it's the same transmission as the A-class (certainly current generation), but I wonder if it's the same as the original version. If so, I might start watching that forum to see if there are a lot of posts on this topic as these cars would be getting to an age and mileage when failures would possibly occur.
As I plan to keep the car in service for quite a number of years, this potential cost is a bit worrying as it would be hard to justify repairing once the value of the car hits approximately the same dollar number (based on the classifieds it may not be that many years away...)
Jeff
I'm sure you will get lots of advise from manual tranny drivers But really the chances of everything needing replacement in either a manual or automatic transmission are rare and like everything else they can be rebuilt.
I would go for the extra warranty if you are having some other problem, just for the piece of mind. My steering rack was changed out due to noise and it would have cost the proverbial arm and a leg to repair.
Trannys are scary to me. I'm worried about the one in my 400E giving out anytime, and the CVT is not exactly something that Mister Transmission wants to touch. My CVT was serviced (oil change?) as part of the F service before they put the lease return up for sale. BTW, how much does an F service usually run? I'm guessing around $1,000....
Not too many of us here have gotten to the F Service yet, and the other service charges differ greatly from location to location. Your Service Rep should be able to tell you exactly what he is going to bill you.
Good Luck!! ...and let us know....$$$
Not too many of us here have gotten to the F Service yet, and the other service charges differ greatly from location to location. Your Service Rep should be able to tell you exactly what he is going to bill you.
Good Luck!! ...and let us know....$$$
Derek
No, Mercedes already did the F service before they put the car on the lot, which I subsequently purchased, so I was never billed for it : )
Not enough B-Classes in TrueDelta's survey to include them yet, but we have many other models with CVTs. As with all transmissions, total failures before 160k km (100k miles) are rare. They do happen. Question is how much it's worth to not have to worry about getting one of the few bad ones.
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But really the chances of everything needing replacement in either a manual or automatic transmission are rare and like everything else they can be rebuilt.
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