Nice

I just wanted to post some info regarding this issue because I have read here that it has happened to another member. Short of long, my transmission is shot (2500 mi). It went out while I was driving through the middle of the desert after some high speed runs. The symptoms were typical loss of power at high revs, all the way to loosing all gears. Luckily after a short stop, the tranny grabbed enough for me to hobble into town.

The upside- this happened yesterday. This morning I dropped her off for service. By Friday I will have a new transmission and converter installed. I was pleasantly surprised at the dealer's straightforwardness and speed. They quickly informed me once they found fault codes and metal shavings. Hopefully I am not blowing my own horn too early. I have to hope that this will resolve all of my problems.

amgbg

Sorry to hear about that. I only have 350 miles on mine. I am noticing rough downshifts as I slow down towards a red light. I know the car is downshifting but I don't think I should really be feeling it if I am slowing down and a grandma speed. I already call my service advisor and he'll take a look at mine during the complimentary service.

Good luck in getting yours back!

amgbg

CLS63JD

I just picked up my CLS63 today and put about 100 miles on her driving on freeways and through the city. I noticed that when I accelarated a bit harder the shifts were smoooth, but when the car downshifts automatically and when in manual mode the shifts are very rough. I test drove a CLS63 with 2000 miles before I purchased mine and the shifting was smoother. If any memebrs can please shed some light on this please do so!!!!

Hal H

what does the owner's manual recommend for initial break-in for the 7-G tranny?

I know the former 722.6 (5 speed) tranny had mentions in the owner manual of no manual downshifts for the first 1,000 miles and to avoid hard take-offs from stops to properly bed-in the graphite faced friction materials in the tranny.

Another mention was for engine break-in was to avoid full throttle acceleration / downshifts during this period as well to aid in the proper wear-in for piston rings and bearings as well.

I'd recommend reading up what the factory recommends to insure you get a proper break in for longevity - if you're noticing odd or inconsistent behavior, then a trip to the dealer might be in order if there's a defect.

Nice

I'm unsure about the manual. I would tend to believe that you are correct. I have also seen other posts on this site which claim that driivng the car harder during break-in will actually increase HP output as well as help the tranny "learn" your dirinvg paterrns. I have had plenty of full throttle take-offs and burn outs and I'm sure it didnt help but for $100k+ one would hope that the car would be ready for anythin I could through it. I will say that his happened within 1 hour of taking the car up to 165mph.

Blue_Monster

I was driving monday and my car died on me @ 40 MPH.. I was able to start it back up only to make it another block or so. I called Roadside assistance, they came and towed my car to my dealer, and Just got the diagnosis today. I need a brand new transmission. Not to repair mine, but I need a brand new one @ 7000 miles. Thats BS. Another one bites the dust.

As far as the rough downshifts, I also experienced that in the beginning, especially in traffic. That kind of goes away after a while, but then look forward to getting your tranny replaced.

m_berman

Discussing the problems is what this board is all about. But let's not jump to conclusions. I hear about 3 tranny problems out of how many 63 sold to date?

Let's hear the successes and kill stories of the 63s with 7 G tranny then we can do the math to determine if there are lemons out there.

Zod

hmmmm is 7g a tranny that needs to be broken in properly?
Traz i believe is another member who claims he broke in his car hard...
The question is:
define hard brake in and how hard it was broken in

Nice

I'm not rushing to judge the 7-g but it is a bit scarry escpecially given that this was a worry regarding this tranny prior to its release.

Zod- I didnt try to break it. By hard break-in I would say that I never held back to give it full throttle from day 1. I dont do much driving but when I do I always accelerate hard and use S mode or M. I've also been know for switching the traction control off and spinning the *** out on my drive way. Thats really it. IMO thes things should be able to take this abuse regardless.

Schiznick

Perhaps this is why they put a sticker on the windshield that says to break your car in properly.

The comments have always been that it is not the engine that needs the break in as much as the diff and trans and other components.

Keep us posted on what you find out!

Dogshine

i heard the same as schiznick.

Dogshine

in addition, the tranny 'learns' the whole time. it won't learn at break-in that you drive hard and then when you get stuck in traffic for a week going to work, not learn that style of driving and just remember when you beat the hell out of it when it was new. thats what the so called 'sneaky ecu reset' is for anyway.

juicee63

We talked about this alot , it weems to seal the rings the car needs to be pushed not babied. Also the transmission is rated to 560 lbs or torque for 30 minutes. No way will the 63 engine ever fry the 7g. It seems the adaptivity of the trans is what is causing most of the probs, also looks like we need more oil than discussed in the manual. My car has been fine since the software updte in FE 2007. Those of you even with brand new cars may need the update. Seems like a high percentage of transmisson failure here? Trez car is a rocket in terms of off the line and rolling blasts. His wheels spin he puts down 440 to the wheel and seemingly has no trouble at all with thecar. He is the only guy I know that hammered it from day one. I was scared and waited till 1000 miles. My car still shifts differently upon every entry into the vehicle. Seems the adaptive tranny needs to adapt to stop adapting .

jir591

My CLS 63 is in the shop for this exact issue. There is a software upgrade that takes care of the rough shifting problem.

Blue_Monster

I just got a call from my SA. He said both the trans and the radiator have to be replaced. He said the Radiator is what caused the Tranny to eat ****. So they ordered a tranny and radiator from Germany for me... The wait begins.. Meanwhile, ill try my best to brake the tranny on their c230 loaner car... LOL

juicee63

be careful man, the 230 is much lighter and you may lose control ..Have fun, good luck.

Whoopsy

Few months ago I had a discussion with someone here on the 7-speed transmission is the weak link in the new MB lineup, this kinda confirms it. The 7-speed still is a step or 2 down from the 5-speed it replaces, hopefully MB is gonna strengthen it soon. It's a gem of a transmission and I do like it a lot than the 5-speed but strength is still not up there with the 5-speed.

SAMSSONZ

Man so sorry to hear that... Make sure the dealer is tracking the shipment everyday..., When ever a part is coming from germany, It always gets delayed because of shipment... Good Luck

amgbg

I am like Juice here. Kinda afraid of flooring it too much during break in. I did it on the first day just to get it out of my system. 3 runs of 0-70 hard. Car took off like a rocket. Not like the other CLS63 I demoed. Since then, I have only taking the car up to 4-6K rpm a few times. I now only have 400 miles, so its now time to take it up a notch a bit.

The downshifting is actually getting a little bit smoother. Not sure if I am getting use to it or what.

Also, my wife drives a new GL450. The 7 speed in that thing is so so so smooth.

I just read the other thread. Do you actually get flashed by girls driving in Newport? If so, I need to get down there more often then staying in North OC.

amgbg

juicee63

I just read the other thread. Do you actually get flashed by girls driving in Newport? If so, I need to get down there more often then staying in North OC.

amgbg[/QUOTE]



LOL, uh maybe heheheheheheheh.. nipple prints are terrible on a waxed car.., oh the horror

Nice

My powerhouse c320 is a beautiful red color I've been flashed in it twice...lol

I guess I got lucky with the dealer locating a trnny in CA and a converter in TX. If it takes too long, I would seek compensation.

ItalianStallion

I don't think its just the CLS63's 7gtronic but all 7gtronics. Both my CLK500 and S550 downshift very harshly and randomly. They are also extremely slow, sometimes taking a full 2 seconds before it downshifts into the appropriate gear.

Also, when I hit redline in 1st gear it stalls for half a second and then engages 2nd. This only happens in first.

I really don't like the 7 speed, I feel like its very weak and tempermental and I find the tranny in my ford explorer to be smoother than it.

Once I put NOS into my CLK, the tranny really started to take its toll...they should really work on strengthening the tranny or just maybe making a strong 6 speed or something? I find 7th gear a waste.

nlk10010

Just to chime in, I have about 1200 miles on my E63 and the transmission is really taking the joy out of driving. When cold the 1-2 and 2-3 upshifts are very rough and the whole transmission sporadically shifts roughly up (though, strangely, relatively smoothly down) even when warm and at high speed. If the tranny ALWAYS exhibited this behavior I could demonstrate to my SA; nonetheless, when I go for my courtesy service I WILL mention the problems. I shifted more smoothly in my M5 and was hoping that the E63 would give me the smooth, seamless shifts modern autos have become famous for. No such luck.

Heck, there may be a part of me that's HOPING the transmission craps out so I can get it replaced.

=NLK=

BlkE63AMG

Tranny gets better as time goes along with regard to smoother operation. I heard that there is a software upgrade for this (as previously mentioned here) and I am waiting on my SA who is checking on this. The other option is to put the car in comfort mode and bypass the 1-2 shift in traffic. It is very effective. If you need quick accel then just pull back on the left paddle. Anyway, good luck and give it some time, tranny does get better (currently at 6K miles).

MercedesFTW

Does the 7G blip when you downshift?