simeonp

I have an O2 C32.
I've read up on here on the tranny issues, glycol etc.

I'm interested in opinions on the best way to try to find a solution for my car.

Problem, it feels like slipping gears from 1st to 2nd at low speeds, has a slight jerk felling sometimes. no issue when driving in W mode.

I took it into MB of Bellevue (WA) about 2 months ago when i got it and asked them about glycol contamination, they told me they checked it, it was fine and that they test drove it and there was no issue. i hear that as they drove it and did no test at all.

I HAVE NO WARRANTY !
So what's the best step to fix, take it back to merc and ask them to check it ( i have little confidence in them based on reading on here)
can i find an independant that may be able to help and know what they are doing?
Is ti worth getting a tranny oil change at a local indpendant and see if that fixes it?

any advice, i just have concerns that taking it to Merc on my dime is not a great option.

dkflipse

Not sure about the "slipping" but many of us (maybe all of us?) have the jerking at slow speeds. I've read people changing out all kinds of parts (torque converter, etc) and it never resolved it. I just live with it. It's a minor issue when weighed against the upside of the car. And it doesn't seem to have any long term ill effects.

Bif powell

It sucks, but the possibility of damage and the cost involved there really makes me recommend that you test it. If it's clean, just replace the radiator with the Behr. If it's contaminated, replace the radiator and flush the tranny/torque-converter. If it's REALLY contaminated, then you might have other issues, but it sounds like it's probably minimal if at all at this point. When it gets bad it will buck and jack all over the place, from reports.

simeonp

An idea how much I should expect to pay for
1) Rad change
2) Flush Torque Converter?

Is it worth getting this done somewhere else than MB to save cost but get it done properly or is it a MB only job to be safe?

Thanks

Bif powell

I'm going to do it all myself. If you can change the oil, you can change the tranny fluid IMHO (with some caveats - make sure you can get the fill plug out before you remove the drain plug, etc...). Otherwise, I don't know if I would take it to 'the guy down the street' on the radiator but any quality shop can do these two procedures. Just make sure they use the MB approved coolant. If it makes you nervous, take it to the dealer, it's still less than a fried tranny.

I'm sure some others will chime in here and give you information based on more experience, but IMHO this is a worthwhile fix on these cars.

Oh yeah, also I have no idea on what this will run, but I think the radiator is like $300?...check oempartsdirect . com.

SilverBulletAMG

Over the past year and a half I've had mine in to 4 different shops on 6 different occasions for the infamous tranny jerk issue. They replaced everything you can possibly think of and then some....still has the same (&#$(&# issue. Every "fix" they did was just a bandage and the problem always came back. I can't even begin to list everything that has been replaced, but in the end, as far as I'm concerned, this is just the way it goes if you have the jerk from the start.

If I was you I would just make darn sure they did the check (have them show you a sample) and if you truly don't have any contamination then just leave it! If you trying chasing this problem (especially with no warranty) it will be an absolute money pit and in the end you will be several thousand lighter, pissed, frustrated, and still have the same problem as when you started. Even with a platinum aftermarket warranty on mine I've still got close to $1K invested into this issue with nothing to show for it other than a bunch of new parts that still jerk in 2nd gear around 15mph damn near every time.

Here is the ONE and ONLY fix I've found to the problem. Floor it off the light till you get out of second or past ~30mph....

tjbrum

+1 I have had more piece of mind about the car after I decided not to do anything more to resolve this issue. Just punch it!

simeonp

Thanks for all the advice.
Spooky that my approach has also been to floor it until past the pain point, and it's a fun way to deal with the problem.
It actually bugs me most when i have someone in the car and have to drive slowly, makes the car seem crappy!

i think i will leave it until the next service and get it checked out then.
based on all the feedback about chasing invisble gremlins i'm not sure i want to hand it over to Mercedes or have an indpendant do it and draw a blank.

I'll just remember to leave it in "W" mode when i sell it ;-) strange that W mode seems to leave me jerk free when others seem to report it being even worse ! i guess in W it never goes into first but pulls away in second.

SilverBulletAMG

Yes, that's how it works in "W"inter mode. Mine jerks worse usually when pulling from second though. I agree about the embarrassing jerk with passengers. I just say it's aggressive shifting since its a performance version (AMG). It's total BS (for the most part) but they usually buy it...lol

One trick to do if/when you go to sell the car is clear the adaptive shift points. There are several posts on clearing it out. That should get rid of the jerk long enough for a test drive or two.

360_iti

The infamous jerk isn’t necessary related to glycol. My dealer got rid of the jerk a few months ago by fixing the transmission valve body. The big jerk never came back ever since, but from time to time I still feel it very lightly. I’ve also insisted my dealer to perform glycol test and it came back negative.