Eric Hyden on Facebook (a guy I trust when it comes to the auto-box), agreed with Zip439 - Conductor plate.

He suggests this kit:
Mercedes 722.6 Conductor Plate Transmission Service Kit - OE Supplier 7226CSK

 

No dealerships? The Crossfire is at a franchise shop called : Made In Japan / USA / Europe. I asked the shop owner why a transmission fluid change cost is $485. , he said he can charge within a flexible range and $485. is what a dealership would charge. A phone call to different franchise shop Quality Tune will charge $250. When I mentioned that a bad conductor plate seems to be responsible for these problems, he said the labor cost involved would be equal to just buying another transmission. I received a message from them that there is a current $163.50 diagnostic charge. If I understand him correctly he doesn't what to clear the codes until after the fluid change. They closed for the weekend . On Monday I will go there and if they do not clear the codes, I will pay the bill and take the car down the road, and then I will deal with the credit card bank with a charge dispute, post a review about them on the internet and maybe contact the California State Board of Automotive Repair. I have forwarded all my correspondence from this website to their email address. This car has always been garaged. I washed the car a day before it went into limp mode.

 

Take it to another shop. Look at the link Pizza guy provided. It is the same part I recommended in my previous. There you will see the parts required for a changing the conductor plate. That service manager is full of himself; You do not need to drain and put new fluid in the transmission just to clear the codes. I really doubt they would use the correct fluid which really could cause you to replace the transmission. The 722.6 Mercedes transmission is very particular about the fluid. GET your car out of there!!
If you get the codes cleared you may just be okay. GET those codes cleared before any other work. If you can drive the car after that you will be fine. IF the codes reset then you must replace the conductor plate. It is at that time you will be flushing and replacing transmission fluid. BE CERTAIN THEY USE THE CORRECT FLUID! Read my previous post carefully. The only other acceptable fluid is Shell ATF 134.
I was asking where the care was kept because leafs often fall and clog those drains under the windshield cowl. Non the less, It is a highly recommended to pull that cowl off and be certain the drains all are clear and working well. Does your siren sound when you push the red PANIC button on your FOB? You need to hold the panic button down for about three seconds to get the siren to sound. IF the siren doesn't sound you can either replace it while you have the cowl off, or disconnect the siren electric connector. It is best to have it out of the cars electric system if it is not working, It is easier to get the windshield wipers off if you use a small gear puller. I cant get them off simple by hand.

 

I have found rat droppings around the engine. About a 9x8 inch section of fabric lining on the firewall has been bitten off by a rat for nesting material. It could be possible that there are accumulated droppings clogging the drain. If comes to any repair being done the mechanic might see the evidence of a rat that has been in there. This car failed the smog test this year. Two oxygen sensors were replaced by the shop Quality Tune for $850, so enough money has been spent on this car already this year. If the shop Made In Japan doesn't clear out the codes for the $163.50 diagnostic cost they have on the car, I'm taking it back to Quality Tune. I think Made in Japan is used to getting away with highway robbery with people here, the place known World Wide as "Silicon Valley." One thing people must always realize is that first time customers will read Reviews about a business on the INTERNET before they take their business there. I told the owner yesterday on the phone that if things do not go well such as paying $163.50 just to get a code read out I will do a number on their shop that will be posted on the internet.

 

If you purchase the kit as we suggested it includes everything that is needed to complete the repair. You may need an extra quart of fluid, but that is it; figure about three hours, at the most four to complete the conductor plate replacement. It is best that they are experienced with this particular transmission Mercedes 722.6 also referred to as a NAG 1. It can be a little tricky getting the pilot bushing seated correctly (electrical connector) and if not done properly they will ruin your brand new conductor plate.
Best to get some rat/mice traps in the garage. Those pest will cause a variety of difficult problems to rectify. Good Luck!

 

A dealer would generally be a worse place to go than the shop you went to.

That is total baloney. A conductor plate job might very well cost $500 or even more - but replacing the transmission would be in the thousands.

 

ebay has the plate, filter, gasket and connector body as low as $65.83, add in a $60 fluid change for a DIY total of $125.83
On a DIY scale of 1-10 ( 1 being so easy a cave man can do it ), I'd rate the job as a 5
( if you have access to a lift, make that DIY level a 3 )

 

The case is solved. I have been informed by telephone the transmission problem was from a bad battery. I tested that battery about a month ago when the car was in limp mode with a good quality digital multi-meter. With the engine running at idle, the readout was 14.2 volts. What should the voltage be if that was to low? This is just some preliminary statements from the mechanic.

 

A reading of 14.2 is just fine with the engine running.

 

The way I have done it for years without fancy equipment:
The 14.2 i(or so) is alternator output with the car running. If it is lower (or possibly higher), test alternator..
Car not running will give you your battery capacity (at least 12.6) but a load test is the best diagnosis for the battery.
Without a load tester, just check the battery with a voltmeter and test it again after sitting to see if voltage drops much, it should drop slightly.
If it drops much, likely battery not holding charge. Load test or replace.
Battery life is much shorter with newer car electronics, Crossfire is a good example, 4 years or so, not like the good old days.
I learned this about 50 years ago from an old mechanic that lived next door and has come to use many times.
Happy driving all, stay safe and best wishes for the holidays.
Steve

 

Often when a battery goes bad the Crossfire will exhibit a raised wing and the ESP/ABS light will be on; strange yours went into limp mode. I really hope that the battery replacement will fix the problem, but I am skeptical.
When you use a volt meter on the battery with the engine running you are basically testing the alternator output. After the car has rested a couple days, without running the engine, check voltage. If it is below 12 volts I would be suspicious of a battery about to fail. There are items on the car that use power when the car is turned off, so some voltage fall off is normal, but after just a couple days it should not be much at all. A "load" test is a much better way to test a battery, but that does not always 100% of the time prove correct either. Just about any auto parts store can load test your battery and it's for free.
Please let us know when you get the car out of the shop and have driven it a few days, if indeed the new battery corrected all problems. Thanks and good luck.

 

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BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN DOING A LOAD TEST WITH BOTH POS & NEG CABLES CONNECTED. I know ppl use auto parts store and mechanics load testers while the battery is hooked up BUT I don't like drawing the car voltage down to a 'not-so-friendly' voltage to all those 'sleeping' or 'awake' computers/modules. I bought a simple inexpensive resistive battery load tester (harbor freight:https://www.harborfreight.com/search...0load%20tester currently with a coupon code listed, 30% off), and remove the NEG cable before testing the battery. With all the issues ppl have with their XF electrical systems, I choose the safe way to test the battery if 'load testing' it.


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The battery was replaced, a transmission filter was replaced and some transmission fluid was added. Total cost : $522.00. With the engine running the battery was putting out 14.2 volts when I checked it. I do not know the amperage status of the prior battery. I know a battery charger can indicate a full charge even though an internal connection is bad/broken or cell is bad or dead. When I asked the mechanic about the battery he just said he tested it. When I asked specifically what was wrong with it, he just mumbled and so instead of me asking what? what? what?, I just said okay, thank you. The car runs like new and the transmission doesn't clunk and jerk when I put it into reverse or drive. He told me many people don't know about the battery situation with these cars. The owner at Made In Japan is a scammer.

 

The Crossfire owners manual states the transmission can shifted into neutral when the car is at a stop in drive for a long period of time. With my 2000 Toyota Avalon I always shift the transmission into neutral at a stoplight or if there is a red light down the street I will shift into neutral and let the car roll until I need to stop and it tolerates it without causing any transmission trouble. Some cars don't this constant shifting. Do you think the Crossfire can be operated in that manner like my Avalon?

 

What I think doesn't matter. If you operate it against the owners manual (coasting in neutral) and it breaks down (which may or may not be because of this 'extra' differential operation), then you'll have to fix it or sell it. To put it another way, its your car, whatever floats your boat.


.

 

I often do this in my company truck, if, say, a train is going thru, etc.

I don't see why not.

 

Battery: $150, fluid maybe $50, filter maybe $50. $272 labor? Not too bad, at $100 per hour, that's close to three hours labor. At first I thought it was high but it probably isnt.