so my car was beginning to make groaning sounds when in low gear and at low speeds. I'd be in a parking lot or leaving street parking and found it embarassing.

To my surprise, when I asked mechanic to perform transmission fluid replace along with annual oil change, it went away. I had to share :-)

 

Good to know. Thanks for sharing and glad all is well again.

 

..and which model/year/transmission do you have?

 

mercedes transmission, door label says made dec 2001

 

In that case ... mileage and particular transmission fluid used?

 

The previous owner of my 2004 XKR reported to me that he was getting a chirping on shifts - which were cured with a tranny fluid change. This was around 60k miles. Do not know what replacement fluid was used.

 

my car has 93000 miles, mechanic used OEM trans fluid

 

Glad mine is done then. No particular problem was being addressed. Just the normal after purchase fluid baseline work.

Valvoline Maxlife Dex/Merc at 80K.

 

I now have only 42,500 miles on my 2004 XK8 and 'occasionally' hear a single chirp on mid range trans shift. I am thinking of having a fluid change at my next scheduled service as a precautinary means. Some advise me that at this low mileage I only need to change the fluid ;others say I would have to also change the pan ,since the filter is an intrgral part of it.
I would appreciate any advice on this matter from any
of the good sources that participate in this excellent web site.

PS My Cat is only summer driven and stored in my heated aircraft hanger during our cold winters here in the N.E.

 

You have the infamous "ZF bark". Some call it the "ZF squawk". Very common for the ZF 6HP26 transmission. The friction modifiers in the factory fill of Lifeguard 6 ATF gradually wear out, and the clutch packs start to grab momentarily during upshifts. That is what you are hearing....

The best way to cure it is an ATF drain-and-fill. You cannot drain out all 10 litres of fluid, but you can drain out from 6 to 7 litres especially if you allow it to drain overnight. 6 litres of fresh ATF is enough to silence the bark. It worked for my wife's 2006 XK8 back in mid-July at about 67,000 miles....

 

It's doubtful that you need to change the filter. Whatever little there is in the filter will remain in the filter.

After seeing the original filter on my change, I will not be changing the filter in the future. You could not see any debris at all.