My message to the German engineers
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2017 Mercedes-Benz C300, 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC300
My message to the German engineers
Dear highly praised German engineers,
Your 7G transmission is GARBAGE!
Beside all the shifting issues now this:
Your 7G transmission is GARBAGE!
Beside all the shifting issues now this:
Member
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 158
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From: Spring, TX
2015 C300 Sport
^ I'll 2nd that. I'd expect it to shift under the extremely light acceleration demonstrated in the video above.
In the month I've had my C300, the only thing with the trans I've noticed is some slightly jerky shifting at low speeds in Comfort between 1st-3rd, seems like it's trying to get into higher gears a little too soon. Not as pronounced in Eco, S or S+.
I have I set to full manual, so no problem there either.
In the month I've had my C300, the only thing with the trans I've noticed is some slightly jerky shifting at low speeds in Comfort between 1st-3rd, seems like it's trying to get into higher gears a little too soon. Not as pronounced in Eco, S or S+.
I have I set to full manual, so no problem there either.
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2017 Mercedes-Benz C300, 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC300
One would expect the transmission to shift at higher rpm in sport mode, let alone in sport plus. Yet this tranamission shifts up at the same low rpm in sport+ as in comfort mode.
As you can see in the video the transmission is in S+ and it shifts up at <2.000 rpm. Well, that's not exaclty what "sport" means...
As you can see in the video the transmission is in S+ and it shifts up at <2.000 rpm. Well, that's not exaclty what "sport" means...
Member
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 158
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From: Spring, TX
2015 C300 Sport
It also looks like you're barely on the throttle, so I'd expect it to upshift as exhibited. It took 19 seconds to go from 25-50 kmh, so that's pretty lethargic acceleration.
With a bit more throttle input, it definitely holds gears longer & doesn't race it's way into 7th like it does in E & C.
With a bit more throttle input, it definitely holds gears longer & doesn't race it's way into 7th like it does in E & C.
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2017 Mercedes-Benz C300, 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC300
It also looks like you're barely on the throttle, so I'd expect it to upshift as exhibited. It took 19 seconds to go from 25-50 kmh, so that's pretty lethargic acceleration.
With a bit more throttle input, it definitely holds gears longer & doesn't race it's way into 7th like it does in E & C.
With a bit more throttle input, it definitely holds gears longer & doesn't race it's way into 7th like it does in E & C.
...and here's more inconsistencies with this transmission, and this is what I hate the most about it:
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Thread Starter
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2017 Mercedes-Benz C300, 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC300
One super annoying thing is 2nd gear: it revs up to 3.000+ rpm in 1st and it shifts into second. The harder I accelerate in 2nd the shorter it makes the 2nd gear before it shifts into 3rd.
I can literally make the 2nd only a fraction of a second by accelerating hard enough right after it shifted from 1st to 2nd. How stupid is that? Actually that is just as stupid as it was programmed.
Hey you German engineers! Your transmission is GARBAGE!
I can literally make the 2nd only a fraction of a second by accelerating hard enough right after it shifted from 1st to 2nd. How stupid is that? Actually that is just as stupid as it was programmed.
Hey you German engineers! Your transmission is GARBAGE!
Last edited by blizzard12; Aug 22, 2018 at 08:50 PM.
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A gaggle of MB's
Frankly - the 7G is a reliable work horse - of course the 9G match in the W205 is next level forward.
I might suggest that you take some time to build experience with your Paddles - using both "single click" technique - and 2.5 sec "pull and hold" technique - if you want to enjoy your driving more - that's one direction you can take to build more experience with your MB....
If you want to give MB Engineers more input - get a large white paper sheet - newspaper size - take a magic marker and draw a outline of your right foot - send it to FFMOC (Fat Foot Mercedes Owners Club) Stuttgart Germany ... and the club will make sure the "Mercedes Engineers" get it..
I might suggest that you take some time to build experience with your Paddles - using both "single click" technique - and 2.5 sec "pull and hold" technique - if you want to enjoy your driving more - that's one direction you can take to build more experience with your MB....
If you want to give MB Engineers more input - get a large white paper sheet - newspaper size - take a magic marker and draw a outline of your right foot - send it to FFMOC (Fat Foot Mercedes Owners Club) Stuttgart Germany ... and the club will make sure the "Mercedes Engineers" get it..
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2017 Mercedes-Benz C300, 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC300
It might be reliable, I never questioned its durability, but there is definately a major issue with its software. As for "reliability" I know for sure I can't rely on it to shift in time from 1st to 2nd
unless I do some magic with my foot on the pedal.I might suggest that you take some time to build experience with your Paddles - using both "single click" technique - and 2.5 sec "pull and hold" technique - if you want to enjoy your driving more - that's one direction you can take to build more experience with your MB....
Also, it has happened that the transmission automatically downshifted at the same time as me doing it manually resulting in bad a jerk (as it downshifted 2 gears in one shot). I know this happened because the engine was getting close to the lowest rpm for that gear, but it wasn't a nice feeling.
BTW, never did the 2.5 second "pull and hold". What does it do?
If you want to give MB Engineers more input - get a large white paper sheet - newspaper size - take a magic marker and draw a outline of your right foot - send it to FFMOC (Fat Foot Mercedes Owners Club) Stuttgart Germany ... and the club will make sure the "Mercedes Engineers" get it..
Thanks
Member
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 158
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From: Spring, TX
2015 C300 Sport
Also, if it continues to be an issue, you could talk to the dealer & maybe have them reflash the trans, maybe a software update or refresh could help?
I did notice that mine does tend to short shift 2nd into 3rd with light throttle application.
I did notice that mine does tend to short shift 2nd into 3rd with light throttle application.
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2017 Mercedes-Benz C300, 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC300
It has been an issue since the car was new, almost 2 years ago.
The car has been back to the dealership for software update and transmission adaptation so manny times that the dealership told me if I kept going back with the same issue they would start charging me. They said that the last adaptation is the best they could do. Period. And I say: it's still crap!
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Joined: Feb 2017
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C300 Sport W205
I have the exact same issues - rough shift 1-2-3 and 2nd extremely rough and short. Also, if i use paddles in
manual mode, the car will shift one down, the same moment i downshift from 3rd to 2nd, resulting in 3rd to 1st with a hard jolt. I complained to the dealer but they just updated the software and nothing changed.
I’ve never had a car with anauto that bad.
manual mode, the car will shift one down, the same moment i downshift from 3rd to 2nd, resulting in 3rd to 1st with a hard jolt. I complained to the dealer but they just updated the software and nothing changed.
I’ve never had a car with anauto that bad.
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Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 109
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From: Chicago, IL
2015 C300 sport
In S+, my C300 holds D2 up to 3100 RPM, which is usually around 25 MPH or so. It will hold at that indefinitely unless I briefly speed up to 27 MPH or so or upshift manually. I have a somewhat early build date (4/2015) and I have read in other threads in this forum that certain changes were made to the C300's performance mid-2015 to make it a bit less sporty, possibly to encourage sales of the pricier but less-popular C400. One of those was removal of a burble or "cough" when shifting between gears (in S+ only), a sound more typically heard in sports cars. I wonder if another change at this time, and for the same reason, might have been taming the transmission a bit. Or that change could genuinely have been an attempt to improve S+ fuel economy, because my average is barely 18 MPG now that I drive in S+ exclusively. (I find the engine sluggish and the transmission hesitant in any other mode.) I would not get another model with the 7G, and I'd want to test drive the 9G very thoroughly before buying.
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2017 Mercedes-Benz C300, 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC300
I have the exact same issues - rough shift 1-2-3 and 2nd extremely rough and short. Also, if i use paddles in
manual mode, the car will shift one down, the same moment i downshift from 3rd to 2nd, resulting in 3rd to 1st with a hard jolt. I complained to the dealer but they just updated the software and nothing changed.
I’ve never had a car with anauto that bad.
manual mode, the car will shift one down, the same moment i downshift from 3rd to 2nd, resulting in 3rd to 1st with a hard jolt. I complained to the dealer but they just updated the software and nothing changed.
I’ve never had a car with anauto that bad.
Just how much does it bother you? I for one, am going nuts that I always have to cheer for a proper 1-2-3 shifting and of course it almost never happens.
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2017 Mercedes-Benz C300, 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC300
Also, driving in S or S+ is not really the fix I am looking for for the shifting issues. Besides, if I'm gentle on the acceleration even S or S+ will "adapt" and eventually act just like confort mode as seen in the video above.
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W205
In S+, my C300 holds D2 up to 3100 RPM, which is usually around 25 MPH or so. It will hold at that indefinitely unless I briefly speed up to 27 MPH or so or upshift manually. I have a somewhat early build date (4/2015) and I have read in other threads in this forum that certain changes were made to the C300's performance mid-2015 to make it a bit less sporty, possibly to encourage sales of the pricier but less-popular C400. One of those was removal of a burble or "cough" when shifting between gears (in S+ only), a sound more typically heard in sports cars. I wonder if another change at this time, and for the same reason, might have been taming the transmission a bit. Or that change could genuinely have been an attempt to improve S+ fuel economy, because my average is barely 18 MPG now that I drive in S+ exclusively. (I find the engine sluggish and the transmission hesitant in any other mode.) I would not get another model with the 7G, and I'd want to test drive the 9G very thoroughly before buying.
Member
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 109
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From: Chicago, IL
2015 C300 sport
Member
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 146
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W205
I mean it’s better than whatever was going on with the Cla/gla loaners I’ve driven. I refuse to accept them as a loaner they were awful. I’d say the 9G is about the same with holding gears like the 7G but I think on the freeway it might be a tad bit better
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From: Eastern Massachusetts
2021 E450, 2020 C43, 2015 C300, 2007 C280
a spectre is haunting Mercedes owners
A spectre is haunting Mercedes non-AMG C-class owners - the spectre of "family sedan." In the US, German cars are exotic imports, loved by owners who love driving. I am writing this from Germany, where a majority of the MBs, BMWs, and Audis are estates (station wagons). On the autobahns, these "sport sedans" are pulling trailers just as often as lesser cars. Very few are driving over 120kps (75mph), even where speed is unlimited. I have been driving in Germany several weeks a year for 19 years. In previous years, I pretty much drove as at home in the US (in the Northeast).
This year, I have driven from Leipzig in the East to not far from the Danish border in the North. Everywhere, I have found that German drivers are driving much slower. Within all town and city borders, the speed limit is 50kps (31mph). This includes long stretches of wide-open parkways, straight, wide roads leading out of town, etc. In the past, German drivers would have been driving these roads at 40-45mph. Now, the combination of increasing numbers of speed cameras and a real belief in saving the environment has German drivers religiously observing the speed limits.
This is the market for which Mercedes engineers are designing their cars. The first priority MB transmissions is saving fuel. I would say that the second is smooth operation under light acceleration, except for the jerkiness of the upshifts and downshifts between 2nd and 3rd. So just say "family sedan" to yourselves three times and start saving for an AMG.
This year, I have driven from Leipzig in the East to not far from the Danish border in the North. Everywhere, I have found that German drivers are driving much slower. Within all town and city borders, the speed limit is 50kps (31mph). This includes long stretches of wide-open parkways, straight, wide roads leading out of town, etc. In the past, German drivers would have been driving these roads at 40-45mph. Now, the combination of increasing numbers of speed cameras and a real belief in saving the environment has German drivers religiously observing the speed limits.
This is the market for which Mercedes engineers are designing their cars. The first priority MB transmissions is saving fuel. I would say that the second is smooth operation under light acceleration, except for the jerkiness of the upshifts and downshifts between 2nd and 3rd. So just say "family sedan" to yourselves three times and start saving for an AMG.
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2017 Mercedes-Benz C300, 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC300
I would really like to see some scientific evidence as to HOW a transmisaion saves fuel by letting the engine roar at 3.500 RPM in 1st gear under normal/light acceleration!
If revving the engine high is so fuel efficient then why does the 9G transmission not do the same? Why none of the other brands do the same? BMW, Audi, Volvo, anyone?
As stated in the video: I don't buy the "fuel saving" B.S.
I personally believe the "fuel efficiency" explanation is just a lie concocted by the manufacturer for not wanting or being unable to fix the issues with their 7G transmission.
Unfortunately most people don't know much about internal combustion engines, torque converters and transmissions and they fall for any "explanation" they are given. Actually most of them don't even care about RPM and shifting as long as they can get from A to B in a high end car.
If revving the engine high is so fuel efficient then why does the 9G transmission not do the same? Why none of the other brands do the same? BMW, Audi, Volvo, anyone?
As stated in the video: I don't buy the "fuel saving" B.S.
I personally believe the "fuel efficiency" explanation is just a lie concocted by the manufacturer for not wanting or being unable to fix the issues with their 7G transmission.
Unfortunately most people don't know much about internal combustion engines, torque converters and transmissions and they fall for any "explanation" they are given. Actually most of them don't even care about RPM and shifting as long as they can get from A to B in a high end car.
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Mercedes-Benz E63s AMG
I think you're like me and want to be in full control of the transmission -- you don't want the transmission deciding for you when to switch gears. Which is why I love manuals... To Too this car didn't come with stick otherwise I would have gotten that option.
In the meantime, you just have to accept that no automatic transmission is going to read your mind and shift exactly when you want it to all of the time. I have to say the c63 transmission software is very good. In Sport+, it doesn't shift until very high revs no matter how light you are on the throttle. That said, sometimes that's not even what I want so I just go to manual mode so that I can be in full control -- usually when I want the responsiveness of Sport+ but don't want to be cruising at 6500rpm haha.
In the meantime, you just have to accept that no automatic transmission is going to read your mind and shift exactly when you want it to all of the time. I have to say the c63 transmission software is very good. In Sport+, it doesn't shift until very high revs no matter how light you are on the throttle. That said, sometimes that's not even what I want so I just go to manual mode so that I can be in full control -- usually when I want the responsiveness of Sport+ but don't want to be cruising at 6500rpm haha.
