How to Solve Gearbox Fault in 2012 Mercedes S – Class
The Mercedes S Class vehicles are the pinnacle of luxury and comfort, rivalling some of the best in the business. But that is not all they are known for. In fact, you can count the Mercedes full-size saloon as the winner in many other categories.
We are talking about performance, handling, and reliability to name a few. The car is arguably the best and that is why it is preferred by CEOs, heads of state, presidents, and high-ranking officials.
The S Class saloon does not let you down and always delivers.
But ups and downs are a part of life and even the S Class is not immune from having a bad day at the office.
Sadly, for Mrs D, that day came sooner than she would have liked.
Our client heard some strange noises emanating from her 2012 S Class gearbox, which is quite unusual for a vehicle of this nature. Usually, it takes a car a few more miles/years to develop transmission-related faults, but our unlucky client was experiencing them, nonetheless.
Understandably Mrs D was worried about her vehicle and in a short while decided to visit Garden City Garage to look for a solution. She met with our Mercedes Specialist, Thomas, and shared her entire story with him.
Our Mercedes technician listened to her complaints and started to devise a plan to tackle the repair.
But before Thomas could move any further, he had to verify the faults in the S Class vehicle.
Faults Found
Our Mercedes expert learned that the gearbox was making clunking noises during downshifts and the car wasn’t accelerating or decelerating smoothly.
Usually, these faults are verified by going for a brief test drive and noting down the issues. In the case of Mrs D, Thomas did the same. He took the S Class out on a drive and tried to listen to the clunking noises.
Sure enough, there were noises in the transmission and our Mercedes specialist was feeling it difficult to accelerate or decelerate the car.
The client explained that she had been complacent with scheduled maintenance, which had led to a serious problem with the gearbox. She had previously taken the car to the dealership and they had recommended changing the entire transmission.
But the car was now in our hands and there is nothing that the Mercedes experts at Garden City Garage cannot solve. We strive to find a solution and always look for ways to help solve our client’s problems.
Keeping that same motivation in mind, Thomas started the repair and initiated the 15-step diagnostic procedure.
Diagnostic Procedure
The 15- step diagnostic process is the secret ingredient all our technicians use to get to the root cause of the problem. It allows them to be accurate and agile with the repairs, while also keeping the repair bill at the minimum.
Thomas used the same diagnostic process to his advantage while trying to make sense of the problem plaguing Mrs D’s vehicle. Our Mercedes specialist wanted to ensure he left no stone unturned to find the solution for the client’s car.
Our Mercedes technician used the official Mercedes Xentry platform to scan the S Class for fault codes. But, nothing turned up in the search.
The first attempt to reach the root cause was unsuccessful, so Thomas had to move on to more stringent measures.
He knew that the client had been complacent with maintenance, so the next shot was to check the car’s service history. If Thomas could find the details of the last service, he could perhaps make sense of the issue.
So, our Mercedes specialist checked the service schedule and found that the client’s vehicle had never gone in for a transmission service. It had clocked up over 100,000 miles on the odometer, and the gearbox had seen no love! It was no wonder there were so many noises coming from the transmission.
Thomas understood that a gearbox service would be necessary to help solve the car’s problems.
Solving The Problem
To begin with the service, our Mercedes specialist replaced the sump, transmission oil pan filter, and the seals in and around the gearbox. Once that was done and the oil had drained, Thomas moved on to the next step.
Our Mercedes expert knew that gravity alone wouldn’t do the trick, as not all the transmission oil is inside the sump at a given moment. A conventional oil drain only gathers around 5-6 litres of fluid, whereas the total capacity is around 12 litres. A lot of the gearbox oil is in between the torque converter and the valve chest, which can only be emptied using a state-of-the-art transmission service tool.
So, without wasting a moment, our Mercedes technician used the Megaflush and drained the all the oil inside the gearbox and its related components. If he had simply poured in new fluid, using the conventional method, the oil would have turned black within 5 minutes and the problem would persist.
Luckily, our Mercedes specialist had the knowledge and training to take the right step.
He used 15 litres of new transmission fluid and poured it into the system while the car was running. This allowed the old oil to drain out of the car and the new fluid to take its place. In doing so, our Mercedes specialist solved the biggest problem plaguing Mrs D’s car.
But before making the final announcement, Thomas had to do a couple more things, including resetting the adaptation valves, checking and performing a transmission software update and inspecting the oil levels.
Once all that was done, our Mercedes technician moved on to retest the car. He took it out for a test drive and found that the gearbox’s old problems had vanished. The gear changes were smooth and there was no clunking noise, as witnessed earlier by the client.
In other words, it was time to call Mrs D to give her the good news.
Summary
A worried Mrs D stopped by our Mercedes garage complaining about a clunking noise in her 2012 S Class Mercedes. The car was not smooth to drive and the client could not take it anymore.
Finally, she decided to visit Garden City Garage to show our expert technicians her vehicle. Mrs D met Thomas on her visit and she explained the car’s issues in great detail. Luckily, it wasn’t the first time our Mercedes specialist was hearing about such issues. He was quick to start the 15-step diagnostic procedure to get to the root of the problem.
It turned out that a simple transmission service could solve the gearbox issue. If the client had performed regular maintenance, this issue wouldn’t have surfaced. But it is better to be late than sorry. Mrs D came to us and we looked after her car’s issues with diligence.
Our Mercedes technician performed the detailed maintenance and solved the issue with the client’s S Class Mercedes.
If you are looking for a Mercedes garage that offers value for money, while also providing you with the same service as a dealer, look no further than the Garden City Garage. You can contact us on 01639 320042 to learn more about our services.
