gfmohn

I had a W203. (See my Signature.) I don't remember how the W203 shifted. I do remember I had no complaints. However, it was the first automatic I had owned, so I had no standard of comparison. I had rented many automatics, but they were all American slush-o-matics.

Perhaps skhan007 has a clue. When we drive aggressively, the transmission may think we LIKE hard shifts! For this to happen, we may not have to be very aggressive, just more aggressive than the retired teachers and other civil servants who make up the second half of the stereotype of Mercedes owners in Germany. (The first half is the fat, arrogant businessman whose big, black Mercedes is growing rapidly larger in your rear view mirror on the Autobahn.) Some commenters in these forums have written about how they do a reset and then drive as aggressively as possible. Their purpose is to rid their transmission of flabby habits learned from daily commuting. Well, it may be that we can't have it both ways. This may be another example that proves that an ultimate driving experience is not really what Mercedes cars are about.

bladevanrusso

I had a 2008 c300 4Matic (w204) and I do not recall having any shift issues after having had the whole tranny replaced due to a whine. I also currently have a 2012 e350 4Matic (w212) which shifts smoothly throughout all gear ranges.

Both cars are naturally-aspirated V6s. The w205 is my first turbo 4-cylinder.

jlr82

In my W204 when the shifts start feeling improper I do the following:

With the car off:
Turn the key to position 2.
Push the gas pedal all the way down to the floor until you can feel it hit the kickdown switch and hold it there for 5-10 seconds.
Turn key to position 0 (basically the off position but leave the key in)
Slowly let off the gas pedal
Restart the car.

This resets the throttle control unit which seems to somehow tie into the way the car shifts because every time I reset this it's much better, for a month or two. Many people will post the same instructions but they will tell you have to wait in the car and don't touch anything for two minutes after you let off the pedal and turn the key off, but that is not necessary on W204/W205s.

blizzard12

I don't have the 1-2-3 rough shift issue (2017 C300).

jlr82

A personal observation I've noticed is that the C-classes that I've driven shift the smoothest under a steady throttle position. I came to Mercedes after driving 4-speed american transmissions where it was much easier to control shifting by the position of the throttle/gas pedal. I was used to starting from a stop and giving the car 1/3 - 1/2 throttle and slowly easing up until I reached my cruising speed. I notice with any of the Mercedes I've driven that if I'm moving the throttle at all, whether up/down at the time the car is shifting the shift will never be smooth. If I start out at a stop and sort of ease into the throttle and then hold a specific position the shifts until I reach my cruising speed are much more "buttery" smooth.

bladevanrusso

Blizzard, do you have the 7 speed transmission or the 9?

blizzard12

I have the 7 speed transmission.
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ManiacGT

for me I find partial 1/3 throttle causes bad shifts. If I press harder on the throttle increasing the revs to a higher shift point then let off the throttle a little it shifts perfectly. If driven normally though, snatchy jerky city.

ive said it before and MB don't care, it's unacceptable.

nick_wass

I have 2016 C300. Very rough shift from 1st to 2nd and 2nd is way too short - up-shift to 3rd much quicker.

Matts2015c300

my solution was to reset the transmission and when I want reserved driving with smooth shifts I stay in comfort. When I want to drive hard and want to feel the shifts I go up to sport and sport plus. The drive modes will adapt independently in response to your driving style (according to one of the shop formans I spoke to).

sean1.8t

My trans shifts buttery smooth. Especially when at 50% or greater throttle.

Every now and then I get a [slight] hard shift from 4>5. It's only when coasting or on VERY light throttle. This is in S+ BTW.

Oddly, when I first picked the car up (7 miles on the odo), it was worse. but it's gotten better with miles.

ManiacGT

what engine and gearbox?

my 4cyl petrol and 7g+ is garbage and shifts like a learner driver esp when cold.

Nrkjr

I had to register here just because of this issue. It is driving me mad.
C200d = 1.6 diesel, 7 speed automatic, build Sep15. We bought it 2 months ago.

When the engine is cold the shift from 2nd to 3rd it very rough. Especially when being light on the throttle and in comfort mode. 1>2 is a bit rough. From 3rd and up everything is fine.

Moving to sport mode or pushing the pedal makes the shift more smooth. And when the engine is warm it is also acceptable .

I had MB load new software which just made things worse.

The car is also very jerky / jumping when switching from Drive to reverse and to Drive.

I think I will try the reset mentioned above. How long a "adaption time" does it have afterward?

Regards
Peter

removedCFGaccount

In the U.S., about 500 miles.

ManiacGT

Sadly mines back from having the software updated and it's just as bad.. going to have to push harder or give up and hand it back.

Stawk

definitely a presence of gears sticking/jumping when driving auto in lower gears in my 2016 c300 4matic. gotten used to just using the paddle shifters when the gears stick at high rpms, but the transmission is definitely funky

ManiacGT

definitely junk imho how can they get it wrong, slushboxes have been around for an age.

Nrkjr

So is this just a matter of comfort of can the rough shifts damage the gearbox/clutch at some point?

imj0257

I've had my C450 for a month now and have noticed something similar in Sport+ mode. Sometimes while shifting from 1-2-3 gears it stutters hard... almost feels like 'gas/brake/gas/brake' etc for a few seconds before it starts smoothing out. It has only happened about 5 times in the past month and seems to be at random times. It is VERY noticeable and aggravating/worrisome. Again, this has only happened in Sport+ for me, not in Sport or Comfort (I never use Eco). And it has happened in both auto and manual shifting.

I found this thread regarding this issue - https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...plus-mode.html



Another thing I've noticed which someone touched on is that it will stay in a lower gear/higher rpm when cruising on a road rather than shifting up to the next gear... don't know why.

sean1.8t

Which drive mode are you experiencing this in? This would be 'business as usual' for "S" & "S+" modes but that would be odd for comfort or Eco modes.

imj0257

I want to say either Sport or Comfort but I'd have to double check.

sean1.8t

LOL. Well, determining which it is out of those two is a rather pertinent detail, now isn't it?

Igotsoul4u

I am still figuring out the transmission for my C400. Definitely not a big sweet spot. I end up using the paddle shifters for quick shifts. Sometimes I feel like it gets caught sleeping. The dealer said the "reprogramed" something or other and to me the shifting improved enough that it doesn't **** me off.

MASSC450

My rough 2nd to 3rd up shift occurs in "Comfort" mode, and only happens when the vehicle is fully warmed up, and I'm crawling in heavy traffic.

As long as I can accelerate from a stop or crawl at a more normal pace (e.g. no one in front of me), I don't feel the rough up shift from 2nd to 3rd.

I dropped my car off yesterday to have my AMG side sill panels installed & a burnt out door handle LED replaced...and I told the service adviser I was still having rough tranny up shifts, and asked them to check for reflashes.

removedCFGaccount

On c450s this can be fixed. Don't bother with TIPS. Tell the service manager, not the adviser, AMG Germany has the patch, and it requires re adapting the tranny, which requires a tech to drive the car, with a computer attached. It takes all day.