Enze6997

Ne1 else run into a situation where after driving in heavy trafic involving alot of stop and go ... after a while my clutch really gets stiff almost like its draggin on something.

Is this normal? Its not too hard to push in or anything but its def noticable.

Thanks
Ensey...

Fuzzo

i notice that after a long drive such as on the interstate.. it's a bit stiffer the first time i change...

Buellwinkle

Yes, mine does that to. It's good to know it's not just me. Almost like it's sticking but it still works OK.

speedfrk

Mine does it too, but only started when the weather warmed up. Never noticed it during the winter. The hotter it is, the more you notice it. After you push it in once, it goes back to normal. I mentioned it to the shop foreman at the dealer, and he said he hadn't heard of anything like that yet on this car.

Enze6997

yeah I drive in DC on the capital beltway ... (worst traffic on the east coast) and I really notice it... even after the first time. Sometimes it even feels like my gear box is not lubed up enough either... like the shifting is more notchy than usual

shtatc

Like Fuzzo, I too feel it after driving for long distances...not stop and go traffic. Seems like the clutch is almost "dead"...but it works fine. Just a wierd feeling under foot.

speedfrk

I noticed that everyone who has experienced this lives somewhere that is hot in the summer. Did anyone notice this during the winter?

Buellwinkle

Although I live in SoCal I've noticed this even on coastal routes where the temps are about 70-75 at most, even in the summer and we don't consider June Gloom summer. I didn't notice it before, even on hot days until about a month ago. I have over 10K miles if that makes a difference and they did the service about a month ago.

mverboom

I have the same problem. Warmer weather seems to make it happen more often. It usually happens after al long(ish) drive.

I've been to the dealer for this problem some time ago. They couldn't find anything. Mercedes germany hadn't heard of the problem either, but they sould like to see the clutch. So they replaced it with a new one and sent the old one to Germany. After about 10000km the problem started again.

I'm not taking it back in, gear select of first and second has been much better after they replaced the clutch, and that's more important to me...

Mark

speedfrk

Mark, That is interesting-My 1st to 2nd shift has always been terrible. Maybe if they change the clutch, it will cure my problem like yours did. I have noticed that my car shifts much better when it is hot. Not just warmed up, but after a lot of driving. But that is usually when the heavy clutch usually happens too. I think I will print out this thread and take it with me to the dealer when I go.

mverboom

What I think happend was they had to remove the gearbox to replace the clutch. They probably had to realign stuff when the gearbox was put back. It could have been not perfectly alligned (I guess they won't take as much time in the factory as an engineer would).

Mine too shifts a lot better after it is warm. Usually after about 15-20km of driving.

Hope they can help you.

Mark

C230 Sport Coup

Are you guys sure it isn't just your leg getting tired?
I've been in traffic so bad at times when I had
manual trannies, that my leg was shaking, couldn't even push the clutch down anymore, had to use my arms to push my leg to get it to go down.

Somedays I'm envious of you guys with your manuals' but I bought my first auto with this car, and am pretty happy with it. I mean a 5 speed auto, with click shifter, well thats pretty cool.
I use the clicker all the time. 3rd gear is best for mountain roads, and downshifting works pretty good too when that tight corner approaches, just no cltuch!

The thing I don't like is that even if you select a gear, it will change it, if you rev hi enough, which can be really bad when you're pushing hard through curvy mountain roads.

mverboom

Hehe, I don't think so. The clutch is VERY light. That's why I notice the difference so easy.

Friend of mine has the same car as I have, but he has the autobox. I'm really glad I didn't take it, it doesn't suit my driving style (or the other way around, whatever .
Guess I'm a manual-fan

Mark