My trusty Merc gearbox (722.9 7G) is in need of attention. I toured the local Lausanne-area garages ‘specialized’ in automatic gearboxes and got a few offers that seemed high - rebuild of the gearbox, torque converter and hydraulic module for CHF 7,500. Given the age of the car (now 14yrs), I find this to be high and tongue-in-cheek went to Mercedes Andrey Chevalley to ask them how much, just to see if the price of their intervention will be higher than the residual value of the car. Behold my surprise when the official Merc dealer known for high prices said CHF7,500 for a brand new gearbox!? Huh?
I must have either been part of a collective prank or miraculously hit all the jokers in town.
Do you know any decent gearbox places that might rebuild the gearbox+torque converter and hydraulic module for a decent price that does not involve the purchase of a new gearbox?
I once bought a rebuilt auto gearbox in the US at a good price but with all this tariff shit is not so good an idea now
This German firm will do a rebuild for around 4,000 eur including shipment (probably too far to drive) but you still have to find someone to remove it and later install
There is a Swiss specialist but you would have to ask the price.
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Depending on what is actually wrong in the gearbox, have you considered swapping it out with one from a write-off vehicle rather than getting it repaired?
That’s what I did last time I trashed a (manual) gearbox but that was quite a few years ago.
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Bless your heart for the helpful information! The German website you listed shows a price of EUR 3,500 which at today’s rates is less than half of what I was asked before! I will be calling Monday morning and inquiring both shops and weighing in the options. Thank you!
The ‘majority’ opinion (3 out of 5) was that it was neglected and not maintained when it had to be, and that now it requires a rebuild so all faulty or worn out parts are swapped with decent ones. Whether a mechanic charged for oil and filter change they never did, or it was done poorly and oil levels were insufficient - my ears are full of speculation, and I am not qualified to judge or point fingers at anyone. It seemed the car was running smooth, until all of a sudden it wasn’t, so I am trying to sort it out before the long summer trips around Europe.
The German store @marton listed has an option to swap mine with a fully rebuilt one - I am considering it! Thank you for sharing your experience, it gives me hope I can sort this one out 
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Time flies and I am back to report my experience!
TL;DR - totally worth it. I chose to work with Klaus (https://www.klaus-automatikgetriebe-shop.de/) and with 7,000km on the new gearbox I report satisfaction.
The local garages were taking me for a spin, quoting anything between 7,500 and 12,000 (Andre Chevalley). I approached Klaus on the phone, then confirmed via email and booked the appointment. In the weeks leading to the swap, his wife suggested an apart to stay, restaurants to visit and many other little gestures of attention. The day of, I dropped the car off and was driven to town by one of the servicemen. I worked from the AirBnB on the main square of the village and had great food in the piazza restaurants. The next day, I was picked up 11h30 to the dot, driven to the shop and got my car. Paperwork was ready, envelopes, instructions what stamp comes from where
Crossing the border was two stamps long - one on Swiss side, one on German side and that was it! The next day I mailed in the post the stamped documents to Klaus, and day after I got my VAT back.
If you are driving an old Merc and need the gearbox /torque converter or tho whole thing replaced - don’t hesitate to drive to Germany. Thank you to all who chimed in and supported me along the way!
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