Sprinter Transmission

[Turtle]

I change the fluid every 35,000 to 50,000 miles, erring closer to the lower figure (per Silverstar recommendation).

Turtle, is the fluid change for your Sprinter a DIY project? Did the Silverstar come with a drain plug or do you drop the pan? What about filter changes?

I do not do it myself. I have it done at either my regular (Non-Sprinter) mechanic at home, my Sprinter mechanic at home, or at Wayne's World in Toledo. I have the pan dropped and the filter changed every time.

 

[Grizzly]

Silverstar $3K ... mercedes labor $1,400 flipping highway robbery! Figuratively & literally.

I called about half a dozen dealerships nationwide. Not a single one is as high as these SHYSTERS! Fort Mitchell, Long Beach, Brevard, Dallas, Atlanta ... etc .. etc ...

Well I bought the van used for $20K, so I guess with all the major repairs along the way I'm at the price of a new one. I just did it piecemeal. I'd like to get it to 1M mi if possible.

I gotta be outta my mind spending this $ on a van with this many miles.

Cost per mi .... cost per mi ..

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[Grizzly]

I'm sleeping in my van tonight on their lot. Hotels are $300 per night around here.

I hope the price of oil drops like a freakin rock!

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[RoadTime]

I would caution anyone from using the BG or any other additive really in any properly functioning transmission and for sure an MB unless it is on its deathbed or you know it has been rebuilt with compatible clutch materials.

I concur. I really don't think I'd recommend BG ATF Plus for a non-Silverstar transmission. It is a friction modifier and requires the compatible clutch materials (or, as noted, the trans is already slipping and is on its last leg, anyway). The only reason I use it is because Silverstar explicitly recommended it.

On a side note, Chrysler has a Mopar branded bottle of transmission treatment they use in older transmissions that are beginning to slip. The liquid in the bottle is BG ATF Plus.

I use what ever Wayne puts in it

 

[Grizzly]

I use what ever Wayne puts in it

There's a lesson in this ...
something about bliss ...
something to strive towards ..

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[Treadmill]

Turtle, did you continue to use Silverstars fluid or did you resume using the MB 236.10/12/14 fluids?

I would caution anyone from using the BG or any other additive really in any properly functioning transmission and for sure an MB unless it is on its deathbed or you know it has been rebuilt with compatible clutch materials.

I concur. I really don't think I'd recommend BG ATF Plus for a non-Silverstar transmission. It is a friction modifier and requires the compatible clutch materials (or, as noted, the trans is already slipping and is on its last leg, anyway). The only reason I use it is because Silverstar explicitly recommended it.

On a side note, Chrysler has a Mopar branded bottle of transmission treatment they use in older transmissions that are beginning to slip. The liquid in the bottle is BG ATF Plus.

I use what ever Wayne puts in it

He uses Amsoil.

 

[Grizzly]

Silverstar on its way.
They're gonna do an autopsy report on my original when they receive it.
So far, Silverstar has been very nice to deal with!

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[Turtle]

So you know who's going to install it?

Mine was installed by my regular, non-Sprinter mechanic at home.

They don't have a bay tall enough for thy Sprinter, so they jacked up the front wheels and crawled under it to do the swap. It also turned cold and rainy that day, so they skirted the van and had a large propane heater going under there too.

I'd tell you that it was 5 hours and $500 to do the swap, but I don't want to piss you off, so I'll keep mum on that part.

 

[BigStickJr]

Probably one of those hard working Kentuckians.

 

[Ragman]

Probably one of those hard working Kentuckians.

 

[Grizzly]

So you know who's going to install it?

Mine was installed by my regular, non-Sprinter mechanic at home.

They don't have a bay tall enough for thy Sprinter, so they jacked up the front wheels and crawled under it to do the swap. It also turned cold and rainy that day, so they skirted the van and had a large propane heater going under there too.

I'd tell you that it was 5 hours and $500 to do the swap, but I don't want to piss you off, so I'll keep mum on that part.

Heck you know me, I wake up in the morning fired up.

Like I said, I called my home shop in Brevard and they quoted me less than $600 for the swap.

I found one single shop, other than Mercedes, in Midland/Odessa that would do it and he quoted me $1,275 .... and get this, he's 2 weeks out. Nobody wants to touch it. They've probably screwed up a bunch of other work on Sprinters, so now they won't touch em.

To add insult to injury, my credit card company flagged the Silverstar transaction, for fraud, and declined the transaction. Silverstar is closed on Fridays, so it's gonna be shipped on Mon. This saga is gonna go on for a bit.

The only part of this whole thing that's a bright side, if you can call it that, is that I wasn't further along. I was heading west. Another couple of hours & I would have been out in the middle of the desert.

Too be continued ...

 

[scottm4211]

That stinks. I get an email right away if chase declines something so at least it can be corrected quickly.


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[hdxpedx]

Damn if I wouldn't be looking up a Uship heading back to Carolina. Start over at home. I just ran a sprinter, low $750 average $1000.

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[Turtle]

If you have the luxury, ask a few people locally, who is a good mechanic. Most of the stuff you do to a Sprinter you don't need a Sprinter tech to do. Brakes, water pumps, alternators, transmission swaps. It's been my experience that if you find a shop that's been in the same crappy, rat hole looking building for 30, 40, 50 years, that's where you want stuff done.

 

[Treadmill]

So you know who's going to install it?

Mine was installed by my regular, non-Sprinter mechanic at home.

They don't have a bay tall enough for thy Sprinter, so they jacked up the front wheels and crawled under it to do the swap. It also turned cold and rainy that day, so they skirted the van and had a large propane heater going under there too.

I'd tell you that it was 5 hours and $500 to do the swap, but I don't want to piss you off, so I'll keep mum on that part.

Heck you know me, I wake up in the morning fired up.

Like I said, I called my home shop in Brevard and they quoted me less than $600 for the swap.

I found one single shop, other than Mercedes, in Midland/Odessa that would do it and he quoted me $1,275 .... and get this, he's 2 weeks out. Nobody wants to touch it. They've probably screwed up a bunch of other work on Sprinters, so now they won't touch em.

To add insult to injury, my credit card company flagged the Silverstar transaction, for fraud, and declined the transaction. Silverstar is closed on Fridays, so it's gonna be shipped on Mon. This saga is gonna go on for a bit.

The only part of this whole thing that's a bright side, if you can call it that, is that I wasn't further along. I was heading west. Another couple of hours & I would have been out in the middle of the desert.

Too be continued ...

If you are going to drive to Midland/Odessa then why not just drive to Toledo and have Wayne do it?

 

[BigStickJr]

Why not rent it out as an RV someone could live in there.
Go to Sprinter by Florence and buy a new one. They’re practically giving them away.

And if Geo would work that EO Discount he could double his sales.