erlomd

well, its the 2nd time Im taking the car in to the dealership due to a very loud "thud" or "Kick" when suddenly accelerating the car from a cruising speed...
seems to happen more when the car is hot and its driving under 1000RPM's and then suddenly "jerks" or "kicks" hard when you suddenly accelerate.
its been happening on ocasion but seems to be more and more the last couple of months...

Took it to the dealer once about a month ago and they claimed it was due to a new transmission software that needed to be uploaded to the cars computer...
I wonder why my car never came with a USB cable or iTunes? lol

all jokes aside, they uploaded the "new software" and everything seemed to be running fine for a couple of days...now its back at it and its back at the dealer again...lets see what they say...

so far the car has been the best thing since slice bread for me...its a 2010 GLK 350 4matic and has about 60,000 miles all service done at the dealer and everything is up to date...my "extended warranty" is up until august 2016 so if it has to come down to replacing the transmission, at least its covered...but damn! hopefully someone here can brush me up with some knowledge about what is going on?

I thought it could be transmission or engine mounts (its that bad)...but that would be happening every time i suddenly accelerate it...and thats not the case.

bop11

When do you ever cruise under 1000 rpm? Unless you are driving an 18 wheeler with a 18 speed transmission something is either wrong with the tach sender screwing up the shifting points or your transmission is forcing your engine down into a running range where it is not suppose to be. Could be as simple as a bad connection to the computer, an intermittent sensor or difficult as a bad RAM chip in the computer.

erlomd

Thank you sir! that sounds like a possibility...the car is at the dealer and I'm getting the regular: "my mechanics can't seem to find the problem" speech...I let them know what you suggested because it does sound like more of a problem with sensors and computer info...geez...when does version 2.0 come out...lol

erlomd

latest dealer update: apparently they found the jerking problem on the transmission, and then compared it to another GLK on the lot which apparently also has the same issue...long story short...they're trying to say its "normal on these vehicles"...can you believe that!!! i mean, common!!!

Wankafella

I drive a 2010 GLK350 4matic too, but I don't have any "jerking" issues. You should tell them you know someone who has the same model but does not have any jerking issues and ask if that "someone's" GLK is abnormal then lol

Also, when cruising on the highway, I'm always close to 2000rpm. 1000rpm is ridiculously low.

erlomd

thats a good one! ill try that!
when I said Im cruising at 1000 rpm...I meant that its usually slowing down in traffic or driving through a speed zone or something along those lines.

erlomd

Well...after a week at the dealership they...
1) found the problem

2) attributed it to being a "normal" issue when comparing it along side two other GLKs that apparently had the same issue

3) linked the "kick" or "thud" due to "aggressive driving"

Can you believe this ****? (Pardon my language) but seriously..."normal"? And "agressive driving" ??? I barely touch the gas and its kick back at me...
I'm affraid that I'm just going to have to go dealer hopping until someone figures out what the hell is going on...
My only fear is that eventually the kickingis going to be very severe...and will finally irreversibly affect the transmission when the extended warranty expires in August 2016!!!

Wankafella

That really sucks. So they're basically saying you accelerate too fast? I would be pissed off too if I were in your shoes. After reading it again, when they "found the problem", what exactly did they say?

I'm going to look back at the service records and see if the transmission problem I had was anything similar.

erlomd

They said that the problem is related to all GLKs...if you can believe that one!
It's Mercedes of miami...

There was one time where I took it there because I was hearing a loud door creeping noise coming from the door panel...again, they compared it to another GLK and said it was normal...
Then I took it in to the Mercedes in Van Nuys california (after a cross country trip) and they without hesitation ordered me a brand new door panel and it has been noise free ever since!
I told the service manager and assistant manager of this problem but neither of them really seemed to care...

I've been driving the car for 2 days since I got it back from the dealership and it still has that annoying problem...seems as if it's happening around 2nd or 3rd gear...same scenario: slowing down with my foot off the gas to a corner or let's say a red light, I turn the corner at about 1000rpms or so and press the gas...then "BAM" like a kick in the ***!!!...if the red light I'm approaching then turns green...same scenario!!! Some times the "kick" is badly noticeable but sometimes it's jolting...but in every circumstance it occurs...
And the dealer realized this, blew it over as "normal" with these vehicles...

Bottom line is that it never used to happen, and it started happening at around 57,000 miles +/- ...
I think I don't know what I hate more, the kicking of the transmission or the look and expression my wife makes when it happens...😕

NYCGLK

erlomd,

Do you drive in sport or comfort? I have 2010 and never had this issue, but always drive in "S" (and 2010 model doesn't reset it back to C every time you restart the car).

When slowing down it downshifts without any jerks whatsoever.

erlomd

I drive in "C"...so i guess i can try that and see what happens...
thanks

formerjeepguy

Have you ever had the transmission fluid and filter changed? Does anyone know the recommended interval for the fluid/filter change on these transmissions?

erlomd

Yes I did...I think it was at 50k miles come to think of it...the transmission fluid change may have something to do with it since I really never noticed it until about at least 5,000 miles after the 50,000 mile service

erlomd

so after a weekend of driving it in the "S" position...I noticed its a bit less noticeable...but nonetheless, still jerking a little...I noticed it when making a left at a light this morning...and slowing down to make a right once more...but yes, the "S" position did seem to help...thanks!

NYCGLK

weird...I have 53k miles and when downshifting and flooring the shifts are silky smooth (imo).

Try googling how to reset your tranny. Since it "adapts" to your driving, resetting it might get rid of the jerkiness.

NYCGLK

Every 40k miles.

RicanDoc

I have been experiencing something similar but mine only has 25K miles. I do drive on "S" once in a while. I will try for longer periods and see if this helps, otherwise is to see the "woeful wizards of Benz"...

Mr. JLT

Did they look at the transmission mounts? All of ours, plus a motor mount was replaced and all the jerking is gone. Also have them check the rear diff mounts. GLK has about 71000 miles now and no issues.

creynolds247

If not the transmission mounts as mentioned before, your felt drive joint may have gone hard - providing the GLK has these, I am sure they do.

The joints, when 'flexible' absorb a lot of the transmission shunt, a surprising amount. It could be these....

bzrks

My 2011 GLK 350 w/ 43K miles has similar issue w/ "kick" occurring between 35 and 40 MPH (worse going uphill). "S" mode seems to help. Also have engine engagement lag when shifting from reverse to drive and a slight roll when parking. Problems appeared since transmission service @ 42K miles.


Dealer says their GLK courtesy vehicle performs the same and that lag when changing gears is because I do not let speedometer go to 0.


I've read that these problems could indicate low fluid level and that the "S" mode helps because it causes the fluid level to rise. Since there is no dipstick, does anyone know how I can determine if the fluid level is low?

brad_GLK

While I am not an expert; I do know from changing my own fluid, that when you remove the drain plug some fluid will drain. The drain plug is connected to a stand pipe that sits just below the normal fluid level.

Checking the transmission fluid is not a simple task. Of course the best answer is to have the dealer check it. But if you're a stubborn dummy (like me) here is how I would do it:

loosen the drain plug (being careful not to drop the plug in case fluid starts pouring) if no fluid drips out, I would suspect the level to be too low. Of course if it starts pouring out and you don't immediately re-insert the plug, now you have a mess, and will have to pump some back in

Good Luck!

ereynolds1978

Did anyone in this thread finally discover what caused this issue? I replaced my tranny fluid / filter, along with draining / filling the torque converter and I noticed this happening during cruise on the highway after I step on the gas to accelerate. My symptoms are the same as described above. I am going to change the fluid and filter again and possibly install a new tranny mount to see if that helps out.

Any input as to what may solve this will be very helpful,

Thanks!

ereynolds1978

bzrks

ereynolds1978,

I'm not certain what actually fixed my problem, but it was suggested that I use the "S" transmission setting and give the computer a chance to learn my driving style, which I did. I also had to replace the battery after making this post. The problem reoccurs now and then, so I am curious which of your repairs do you think actually fixed the problem, i.e. changing transmission mounts/fluid, resetting the ECM, or replacing the spark plugs? BTW, what plugs and gap did you use?

Thanks for sharing!!!
bzrks

ereynolds1978

So far, I'm going with disconnecting the battery and replacing the spark plugs. I believe disconnecting the battery reset the ECM and TCM. I had the battery disconnected for about 5 hours. Prior, the ECO mode start/stop function had been inoperative for a few months. After resetting the ECM and changing the plugs, it works properly now.

Two of the six spark plugs looked oil-fouled. Replacing them made a big difference. This was a continuation of my troubleshooting on top of replacing the ATF and adding both Lubegard's Longlife A/T synthetic protectant and Dr. Tranny instant shudder stop. I don't usually put in additives in my car, so I can't confirm precisely that this fixed the shudder. It seemed to help.

Now I need to figure out why oil is entering my resonance Intake Plenum. I think it is the crankcase breather. I want to stop oil from entering my intake.