netddos

2002 c230 compressor with 5 speed AT.

Scenario: I leave my car overnight and start up the car first time for that day. When I allow the car to idle ~2 to 3 minutes, the transmission has no problem shifting from 1->2. Sometimes, actually most of the time, I'm in a rush so I start driving in less than a minute. When I do, it usually gets stuck in 1st gear for about another minute of driving until it HARD shifts into the 2nd gear. For the rest of the day, this rarely occurs again. It happens more often when it is cold.

And I leave my car overnight again. The same thing repeats over and over.

I'm worried this expensive part of the vehicle is failing. I had the transmission flushed with genuine fluid + AT filter at 100k (I know I know I should've done earlier) (worried about faulty valet rad leaking into ATF too)

netddos

It seems I may have gotten lucky.

This is Behr radiator, right?

VVF

I think Glyn explained somewhere that it keeps in the 1st gear for a minute to heat up the catalytic converters to operating temp faster.
Mine does this too, if it makes you feel better

Khan28

Mine does this too. We've been getting some unusually cold temperatures here and when my car sits outside at work all day it tends to rev up a little high in 1st and then somewhat hard shifts into second. It only does it for a few minutes and I don't get that problem in the morning since the car is parked in the garage all night. If you want to avoid this put the transmission in comfort mode where it uses gears 2, 3, 4 and 5 only until the car warms up somewhat.

netddos

No comfort mode on a 5 speed transmission. Would putting it on W work?

VVF

Yep, same thing.

Khan28

I have a C/S button and it's a 5 speed auto. I guess when they did the refresh in 2005 they changed the lettering but it probably does the same thing. Give it a shot and see how it works. Only the RWD models in 2006 had the earlier versions of the 7 speed auto which I was told to avoid.

Glyn M Ruck

+1^. The car goes into high idle & holds gears from cold start to heat the cats quickly for emissions. Excess air pump also runs.

Khan28

Considering how big the air filters are on these cars I'm surprised MB also had to use a secondary air pump for more air. I find it odd because my previous car, a 2000 Nissan Maxima, passed our rather strict emissions test with flying colours and it was a high mileage motor and had none of the fancy things an MB has. I guess it's the stringent European emission requirements.

Glyn M Ruck

Benz wanted all these units to qualify as LEV vehicles in Europe at the time.