Gu5ak

Hey guys, I'm a new Mercedes Benz c230k coupe owner. I'm also new to manual transmission driving haha. So, I'm learning how to drive manual with this car. I've stalled the car quite a few times now and noticed different errors come up on the dash. First one being an "Undervoltage" notification which went away after I got better and stalled fewer times. Today, while practicing I stalled one time and noticed a "check engine" light come up. The car drives just fine and I haven't noticed any difference after that light came on. My question is should I just try to reset the error and continue driving and practicing or should I actually have somebody look at the car? Thankyou for your time and hopefully I posted this topic in the right section

Gu5ak

Help me please haha , I don't know whether it's safe to continue driving the car....

tommy

Clear the error and see if it comes back. These cars are a bit tempermental.

You picked the wrong car to have be your first manny, by the way. They're not butter-smooth.

VividRacing

Stalling the car won't do any damage other than prematurely wearing the clutch. Go rent a crappy car for a day and learn manual on that. Just rent the car and hit up an empty parking lot for an hour or so. Lots of stop and starts. Once you've got that down, hit the road!

Once you do that, transitioning to another manual car is just a matter of learning that particular cars clutch engagement point

Gu5ak

Well I'll try to clear the error, I really think it's because of me stalling all the time. When my father drives the car, no error/light occurs. I'll just have to bear with it; really do love the car though . Hopefully mastering the manual on this car will make me a better driver all together.

Gu5ak

also, what would be the best way to clear the CEL?

tommy

Searching the forum would be a good start. It's a fairly common question.

CoupeCrazy03

You can clear the code with an OBD scanner. You can either go to autozone and have them check/clear the code. Good to see another coupe owner on here and with a manual tranny These cars are hands down one of the easiest cars to drive stick on in my honest opinion. To actually master it, just get the feel of when the clutch actually engages. At a stand still with the car on, slowly engage the clutch until you start rolling forward without giving it gas. This should be the point in which you should start giving it gas. Just do this a couple times to get the hang of when the transmission grabs then go from there. Also get used to shifting into the CORRECT gears! Miss shifting can be very expensive, for example downshifting from 5th to 2nd when slowing down. Good luck and just have fun with it! Once you get it, automatic will put you to sleep

Gu5ak

Wow thanks for that great motivation and tips, I will try my best; really lovin this car so far. Is that your car in the sig? She's a beauty.

alpinweiss

Driving a manual transmission is a skill that is becoming increasingly rare in the US. But once you learn it, you will never want to return to an automatic. A manual transmission (MT) will give you more performance, better mileage, more control, and more fun.

In terms of renting an MT car to learn, that is a great idea, if you can find one. Even most of the driving schools no longer teach how to drive an MT. It is truly becoming a lost art.

Congratulations on your new MB!

ncmudbug

My suggestion for learning to use a manual - go to an empty parking lot and try starts. They are the hardest things to learn. Start off slowly engaging the clutch while giving it a little gas. You get a feel for it after a while. Then practice, practice, practice. It's not that hard to do but for some cars, it is a bit difficult to do really well (where you can't feel the shifts) consistently, but it's a goal to aspire to. As Coupe said, after you're comfortable with it, automatic trannys will put you to sleep. The MB auto is better in this regard, but what I don't like about most autos I've driven is that I sometimes wish I were in a different gear. I like to be in the gear I choose.

Good luck!

hogdad

MAS Control Module. Intermittent til it fails. I would not fix it just get another one but thought you'd like to see what is going on inside it. I have a 90 300SL Auto for 10 years now same color as you and I baby it and when my garage was full i paid to store it. I love the car and don't care what its worth. i have 83000 orig miles on mine and zero rust. I will never just lay it up as a collectible, i drive it in good weather. Even in winter if the roads are dry and salt free I'll run it around my neighborhood for a half hour and cycle the top a few times. Gotta run, Good luck, TTYL

hogdad

1990 300Sl.. Love this car

1990 300Sl

1990 300Sl -