When Does My Manual Transmission Need to Be Serviced?

Anyone who purchases a luxury or high performance car is well aware of the sizable investment. These automobiles have a high level of craftsmanship and design work. They also come with components such as lifelong spark plugs to increase the time spent between maintenance works of Mercedes. Nevertheless, maintenance is something that has to be done on these vehicles. It is the only way to assure maximum return on the initial investment. The manual transmission of a Mercedes is something that cannot be ignored.

Transmission allows the engine to drive the wheels of the Mercedes. It is not a simple piece of equipment, however. Underneath the hood of a Mercedes is a transmission system that will coordinate electrical, hydraulic and mechanical systems. These will together with various cables, gears, and other components that will keep the automobile moving. If there is no transmission there is no movement of the car; it is as simple as that. Servicing of this vital part of the car is therefore critical. Many car manufacturers are going from manual to automatic transmissions. Mercedes still makes cars with manual transmissions and the 2014 SLK 250 is an example. The manual transmission model that Mercedes uses is the CLA Six-speed Manual Transmission. This is a state-of-the-art manual transmission but there are problems common to all manual transmissions that a Mercedes owner should be able to recognize.

An immediate problem needs to be serviced is low fluid levels. The fluid lubrication transmission while cleaning the seals and acting as hydraulic fluid in the same time. It is ordinarily colored red, and if it becomes dark brownish that fluid has to be changed. Low fluid level suggests that there is a leak because the card does not consume the transmission fluid. Again, services necessary. Any car is going to tell its owner of problems that are beginning to surface. If there is a clanking sound whenever gears are shifted there is a difficulty with the transmission. A noisy transmission when the car is in neutral is also a warning signal coming from underneath the hood.



When a manual transmission is shifted into a particular gear is meant to stay that way until the driver deliberately shifts into another gear. If the transmission is slipping out of gear that is not only a sign that servicing is needed, but it is a safety issue as well. A dragging clutch makes it almost impossible to change gears, and will make a grinding noise when effort is made to shift. Needless to say an inability to shift into another gear is an alert to have the transmission serviced. The same is true when the engine light on the dashboard turns on. The owner is correct in assuming that, that is a warning of serious trouble developing the transmission. Transmission service is not something that can be put off for some other time later in the future. The owner of a Mercedes must always remember just how expensive repairs can be. An ordinary transmission replacement will cost several thousand dollars on a standard car. The Mercedes is a notch higher in quality and that means additional money is going to have to be spent. It simply makes no logical sense to delay service work on this part of the car. A do-it-yourself type of person who likes to the weekend auto mechanic can take advantage of the Mercedes repair manual. Mercedes has a specific transmission model for each model and year and the given repair manual should address the transmission model number of the individuals Mercedes.

Assuming that none of the above warning signals are flashing, a routine change of transmission fluid and filter should be done every 24,000 miles. That of course assumes that the Mercedes is being used as an ordinary passenger car. If the vehicle is used for towing a trailer or doing off-road driving, the fluid and filter change may need to be done every 12,000 miles. The important consideration is to not allow dirt or moisture buildup in the transmission fluid because that may cause internal damage.

People will buy a Mercedes with manual transmission because they enjoy the sporty nature of the shifting. That is all part of the pleasure of owning an amazing car. These are not cheap items on the road, however. An owner should pay attention to any warning signs that the transmission may be in trouble. Immediate servicing the transmission by a trained technician can prevent more expensive costs later on.