yxc145

The Jerking continues..... whenever I slow down to about 5 mph in a sitting traffic. And I don't want to risk the chance of the dealer messing w/ the ECU, flashing the program that I installed in it. They did that one time. They didn't flashing out the software, but they change something else that totally slow the car down, BUT!!! the problem came back after a couple of days!! Does anyone know exactly why it's doing this? and if MB has a solution for it already?

fazooley

Make sure your car is in S "Standard" mode and Not C mode. I was given the car on C mode and drove it for 2 weeks. After complaining of the jerking and hard shifts I bring the car to the dealer and the guy pretty much chuckled. Seems if the car is in C it will actually skip 1st gear all together which gives the jerky feeling. I could be totally off since you have software modded, but maybe Im not. Good luck

fazooley

Barry45RPM

...and here I thought it was:
S= Sport Mode
C= Comfort Mode

yxc145

wait... where are you guys??
My car says. S and W
S=Standard
W=Winter or Wet
Yes, I have it on S mode... and it does the same thing.... I feel like I am trying a manual transmission car w/ bad clutch!!!

lig

Looks like we have the same problem (and both of us have '03 E320s)

I seem to recall that a fair number of other owners had the same thing and one or two of them had the torque converter replaced and it fixed the problem.

Barry45RPM

My dad's '02 E3 has "S & W", my '04 E5 has "C & S"

matt5555

'03 E320 here. Same jerking.

Have not contacted dealership when I go in for next service (soon) I'll have them check it out.

stevenW211

RJC

There is the same complaint in the W209 section. The cure for one was the t/converter and for another it did no good, the car eventually had the transmission contol unit repalced which was apparently redesigned. Hope this helps.

mbfan67

hey guys, i have an 04' and i have the same problem when i'm traffic going about 5 to 10 mph. should i bring it in to the dealer? the car is only 3 weeks old.

topspin4hand

I sometimes feel this jerking when I'm coasting around 5 mph but I never considered it a problem. I have an '04.

yxc145

Ok. I am taking my car to the dealer to fix the Jerking AGAIN!! I asked the service advisor if he has encounter customer w/ the same problem. He said no. I told him it's a pretty common problem among the 03 E320.. He said he heard nothing about it and had never had customer come in for that problem.. Well, I think he lied.. But, anyways.. I want to know if anyone had the same problem and was fixed. Can you tell me what exactly is causing the jerking at low speed and how to fix it. What solution did MB actually come up to fix it? So, I can tell the dealer service advisor and shopforman, since they couldn''t fix it the 1st time.

JimPurdy

I have encountered a little bit of jerking at slow speed too. It seems to occur just after starting the car and driving slowly out of the driveway. I haven't noticed it reoccuring after the car is warmed up though. I haven't taken the car in for this problem since it is so intermittent. I too will be interested in any fixes.

Jim

Barry45RPM

My opinion is that in the 7 speed, 1st gear is so low and the car tends to stay in 1st a little too long when you drive slowly & the car is "cold". I believe there will be a programming change made to the transmission in due time, as MB gets feedback from owners.

amdeutsch

E320s don't have the 7 speed tranny you are talking about.

DWP

When you get the "jerking", have you tried "manually" shifting the transmission down to the lowest gear it will allow? You shouldn't have to do that to avoid "jerking", but it would have diagnostic value. Analogies to manual transmissions may not be valid, but the kind of "jerking" you describe would, in a stick, usually mean that the gear in use is too high (numerically, not ratio) for the road speed. If manually downshifting fixes the jerking, the question for the dealer then becomes one of why the car isn't downshifting automatically like it should

JimPurdy

My slight jerking happens at about 2 mph. The car seems to start in 1st gear and hasn't shifted at this speed.

Jim

drboxster

I just had the transmission control module replaced and upated software flash. Jerking is gone. Now if they could only get my phone to work. Do not feel bad my dealer tell me I am the only one with such problems. We know better. Good Luck

RJC

The condition you describe is normal with all late model MB's as its to help the cats get hotter quicker and that's why it only occurs when cold.

mahwahdave

Has anyone made progress on the jerking problem? I was unsuccessful in reproducing the problem for the shopforeman.

RJC

Talk with the shop foreman and enlighten him that MB should be aware of this problem, copy one of the previous posts that discusses the software flash and module replacement and show it to him. Also, ask drboxster for the name of his dealer and service writter so the writter and your shop foreman can communicate if the shop foreman still questions the fix.

lig

Mine is exactly the same. Hot or cold - it doesn't matter. When I asked the tech about it - his reply was that if everything else was working fine then he didn't want to mess with it for fear of making it possibly worse.

i just deal with it. So ghetto on a 50K car

konigstiger

Model 211, Model Year 2003
P-B-07.00/28f FEB04 – Lack of Power/Hesitation
Engine Control Unit Software Update

My guess is that this will probably work for early build 04s also.

Frank Wiesmann

Hello,

the jerking could also be the torque convertor. A member of a German forum had to have the engine of his E500 replaced at 40,000 miles because it was exhibiting strong vibrations and jerking when moving off from a standstill. When he took it in to the shop, they discovered a faulty torque convertor and damage the the engine valves as well as a lack of pressure in the seventh cylinder. They decided to replace the engine as a symbol of good faith (no 4 year warranty in Germany!).

SDChargers

yxc145,

I have the same issue with my '03 E320. I get that "jerking" acceleration especially when I head into a turn from a standstill (e.g. making a left or right turn at an intersection) and then try to accelerate out of it. I also get it sometimes during stop-and-go traffic. It's almost as though the car doesn't know whether you want to accelerate hard or slow from a standstill.

This is the one thing where my old 528i beats the E320 hands down. My 528i was very smooth during accelerations.

I keep meaning to bring this up to my service advisor but keep forgetting. Based upon the advice of the other members, I'll ask them to take a look at it the next time I'm in.