2003 MERCEDES BENZ E500 Power Trainautomatic Transmission Problems

IN JUNE OF 2010 I PURCHASED A 2003 MERCEDES BENZ E500. THE CAR AT TIMES WOULD SHIFT HEAVY AND AT TIMES WOULD SHIFT DOWN SUDDENLY OR ACCELERATE SUDDENLY AND DRAMATICALLY WHEN THE ACCELERATOR WAS PRESS LIGHTLY FROM A STOP. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED TO THE PRESENT TIME AND HAS GOTTEN WORSE NOW IN THE WINTER MONTHS. I KNOW THE CAR IS A POTENTIAL DANGER BUT HAVE NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE BUT TO DRIVE IT. PLEASE HELP! *TR

THE ORIGINAL RADIATOR FOR THE 2003 MERCEDES BENZ E500 LEAKS COOLANT INTO THE TRANSMISSION AND TORQUE CONVERTER, CAUSING THE CAR TO JERK AND JUMP. THE COOLANT IN THE TRANSMISSION ACTS AS AN CONTAINMENT AND RUINS THE TRANSMISSION AND TORQUE CONVERTER, WHICH LATER WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED, ALONG WITH THE RADIATOR. THESE THREE MAJOR PART INCLUDING GASKETS, HOSES, AND LABOR ARE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP IS STATING THAT THE ONLY THING THAT CAN BE DONE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM IS TO REPLACE ALL THREE COMPONENTS AT OWNER'S EXPENSE. *TR

I HAVE A MERCEDES-BENZ 2003 E500 THAT HAS A DEFECTIVE VALEO RADIATOR THAT CAUSED GLYCOL CONTAMINATION LEAKAGE INTO THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID. MY UN-DRIVABLE CAR NOW HAS TRANSMISSION FAILURE BECAUSE OF POWER LOSS WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEEDS. INABILITY TO ACCELERATE OR KEEP UP THE MINIMUM SPEED OF THE POSTED HIGHWAY SIGNS IS COMMON. I ASKED MBUSA ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND INITIALLY THEY REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM EXISTED. AFTER FINDING TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN P-B-27.55/50F DATED MARCH 24, 2006 THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THE DEFECT BUT DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE TO ME, LEAVING IT UP TO A LOCAL DEALER TO HANDLE THE MATTER. THE LOCAL DEALER WOULD NOT ASSIST ME EXCEPT PERFORMING THE $200 GLYCOL BULLETIN TEST AND DESCRIBED THE COST FOR REPAIRS. MY CAR GLYCOL CONTAMINATION TEST RESULT COMPARED TO THE CHART WAS DEEP PURPLE AS A RESULT OF THE GLYCOL AND TRANSMISSION FLUID CONTAMINATION LEVEL BEING ABOVE 400 MG/LITER WHICH IS...

I PURCHASED A 2003 MERCEDES BENZ E500 WHICH WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR MY TRANSMISSION STARTED LOSING POWER ON THE EXPRESSWAY AND MAKING A LOUD ROAR FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR. THE CAR THEN STARTED STUTTERING WHILE AT 60MPH WHICH POSED A DANGER TO MYSELF , MY FAMILY, AND CARS AROUND ME. THIS PROBLEM ALMOST CAUSED CARS BEHIND ME TO HIT ME BECAUSE OF THE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK MY CAR TO THE SHOP AND IT TURNED OUT THAT GLYCOL LEAKED INTO MY TRANSMISSION DUE TO A FAULTY VALEO RADIATOR IN MY 2003 MERCEDES E500. I WAS TOLD THE TRANS WAS COMPLETELY SHOT AND HAD TO PAY OVER 10K FOR THE TRANS, TORQUE CONVERTER, AND THE RADIATOR. THE MECHANIC ALSO SHOWED ME A TECH BULLETIN P-B-27.55/50F AND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD. WHEN I BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE MERCEDES...

WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS A VERY LOUD NOISE CAME M THE ENGINE. WHEN TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR SERVICE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE NOISE WAS DUE TO DEFECTIVE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. *AK