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My 98 Benz SLK 230 had no way to drain the fluid and no dipstick to even check the level. No recommended servicing in 100k miles. I am sure it had a pan you could drop, but most tranny filters are screens, unless they have changed them recently.
That being said, I think everyone's advice on this thread is good. Dropping the pan to see if there are any indications of future problems is good preventive maintenance. Flushing as a maintenance procedure every 30 k is also a good PM.
My point is, automatic transmissions (as represented by the Benz example) are pretty dog gone reliable and require very little maintenance under normal conditions. Driving for high mileage reduces the stresses on your auto tranny.
I had an 87 BMW that would not go out of 1st gear. It turned out to be the speed sensor, which was external and did not require any transmission removal or trear down.
Bottom line is be very careful of who you let mess with your automatic transmission, there are a lot of symptoms that can easily be misdiagnosed.
regards
Mech
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