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Service update changed the car

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Old 12-29-2020, 11:40 AM
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Service update changed the car

I took my 2017 C43 for a service and said that it was a little jerky on shifting. They performed a software update on the transmission control module to relearn the adaptations for the gear shift and now it drives totally different. For instance, when in sport + I could floor it and then when I took my foot off the gas, the car would slow down a little making it feel almost like a manual. Now it just cruises and slows down like a normal car. I am not sure this is how it is supposed to be, but feels so much less aggressive than it did. Anyone else experience this?
Old 12-29-2020, 06:01 PM
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Originally Posted by thesh0rty
I took my 2017 C43 for a service and said that it was a little jerky on shifting. They performed a software update on the transmission control module to relearn the adaptations for the gear shift and now it drives totally different. For instance, when in sport + I could floor it and then when I took my foot off the gas, the car would slow down a little making it feel almost like a manual. Now it just cruises and slows down like a normal car. I am not sure this is how it is supposed to be, but feels so much less aggressive than it did. Anyone else experience this?
On mine on sport+, when letting go of the gas, it would downshift increasing to 3k rpm while slowing down on each gear, sorta like engine braking while making tonnes of noise.

On other modes, it would downshift to 1.5k rpm like other normal cars.

Is this what you are trying to say?
Old 12-29-2020, 06:37 PM
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+1....to add to the above, the amount of engine braking depends on the current gear. The lower the gear the more engine braking. Since your adaptations were reset, it might not downshift as aggressively as it did before when you let off the throttle. This may change over time as it re-learns your driving style, but could also mean the original jerkiness will be back eventually. So you would have to compare it to before based on the same gear. If it doesn't yet downshift as aggressively, you can always help it along and manually downshift using the paddles.

If they did a transmission software update, then it's also possible that it changed the characteristics of the torque converter lockup clutch and release is when coasting. This would lead to a softer coasting and slowing down as there is only fluid coupling making the car more comfortable essentially, but feeling less direct. Given the many complaints about transmission jerkiness in the C43, it's possible they revised the programming with an update to make it drive more like a C300.
Old 12-29-2020, 06:50 PM
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Originally Posted by stockbmw
On mine on sport+, when letting go of the gas, it would downshift increasing to 3k rpm while slowing down on each gear, sorta like engine braking while making tonnes of noise.
On other modes, it would downshift to 1.5k rpm like other normal cars.
Is this what you are trying to say?
Yes, that is what it used to do. Now when I let off the gas, it almost has no reaction at all...it goes into a gentle cruise.


Originally Posted by superswiss
+1....to add to the above, the amount of engine braking depends on the current gear. The lower the gear the more engine braking. Since your adaptations were reset, it might not downshift as aggressively as it did before when you let off the throttle. This may change over time as it re-learns your driving style, but could also mean the original jerkiness will be back eventually. So you would have to compare it to before based on the same gear. If it doesn't yet downshift as aggressively, you can always help it along and manually downshift using the paddles.

If they did a transmission software update, then it's also possible that it changed the characteristics of the torque converter lockup clutch and release is when coasting. This would lead to a softer coasting and slowing down as there is only fluid coupling making the car more comfortable essentially, but feeling less direct. Given the many complaints about transmission jerkiness in the C43, it's possible they revised the programming with an update to make it drive more like a C300.
Previously when I floored in Sport + it would shift with pretty decent jerks between gears, but felt very aggressive. Also when I took my foot off the gas, you could instantly feel the car slow down almost like a manual. They did mention there would be some relearning, but not sure how to get that spunk back into it. Like you mention...it does feel like a normal car vs the AMG it was just a few days ago....really weird and not sure I am digging it.
Old 12-29-2020, 06:52 PM
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I have done dozens of tcu reset to get rid of occasional jerkiness in comfort but that does not get rid of buckin bronco in S+
Old 12-29-2020, 07:13 PM
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Originally Posted by stockbmw
I have done dozens of tcu reset to get rid of occasional jerkiness in comfort but that does not get rid of buckin bronco in S+
I already reached out to the dealership, but will be taking it for a decent drive in the next few days and if it still feels like a gentle cruise, then they need to undue whatever they did.
Old 12-29-2020, 07:21 PM
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Originally Posted by thesh0rty
I already reached out to the dealership, but will be taking it for a decent drive in the next few days and if it still feels like a gentle cruise, then they need to undue whatever they did.
I remember reading a post awhile back, someone was in similar situation as you and they never got the car the way it was after the transmission update. They contact the dealer to reverse it but dealer said no can't do.

I wish you best luck
Old 12-29-2020, 07:37 PM
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Originally Posted by stockbmw
I remember reading a post awhile back, someone was in similar situation as you and they never got the car the way it was after the transmission update. They contact the dealer to reverse it but dealer said no can't do.

I wish you best luck
Well that sucks to hear...lol. I will be driving it the next few days to see how it feels and if it is still weak, then they will need to do something.
Old 12-29-2020, 10:57 PM
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Originally Posted by thesh0rty
Well that sucks to hear...lol. I will be driving it the next few days to see how it feels and if it is still weak, then they will need to do something.
Let us know how it goes. I actually want to get rid of that jerkiness. So you the car feels less sporty, but does it still feel as fast? I don't want to have a more comfortable transmission if that sacrifices how fast it can shift.
Honestly, I wish they could make the transmission super soft and comfortable in Comfort mode and then make Sport+ transform the transmission into super aggressive mode. I mean, isn't that what having different drive modes are for?
Old 12-30-2020, 07:41 AM
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Originally Posted by Ramsino
Let us know how it goes. I actually want to get rid of that jerkiness. So you the car feels less sporty, but does it still feel as fast? I don't want to have a more comfortable transmission if that sacrifices how fast it can shift.
Honestly, I wish they could make the transmission super soft and comfortable in Comfort mode and then make Sport+ transform the transmission into super aggressive mode. I mean, isn't that what having different drive modes are for?
I will be driving it the next few days on a couple hour drives and hope to get a full grasp of what changed. I have only driven it from the dealer back home after the fix. Right of the bat though I could tell the jerkyness between shifts (sport +, auto) was gone and the speed was still there. I also have the performance exhaust so the roar is still there, but feels like I need to floor it to get all that going, where prior was as simple as pointing my toe and she would get after it. Again, not 100% sure yet, but will come back here after the new year if I am taking back in and what if anything they can do.
Old 12-30-2020, 03:11 PM
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So i took it out again today and the sound is good, the speed is good in lower gears but seems to be a little less aggressive at higher speeds compared to what it was. Also there is basically no downshift at all when I take my foot off the gas pedal. Only when I hit the brakes do I get that downshift sound and feel. When going anything over 45-50 and release the gas it just cruises with a VERY gentle and unnoticeable change in RPM. Prior to updates when I let of the gas, there was always a notable change in RPM and gear...basically gone now. I reached out to dealership and they want to me to bring it back in after the new year and then take their experts for a ride to better explain what it used to do, to what it is doing now. We will see....
Old 12-30-2020, 03:29 PM
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Originally Posted by thesh0rty
So i took it out again today and the sound is good, the speed is good in lower gears but seems to be a little less aggressive at higher speeds compared to what it was. Also there is basically no downshift at all when I take my foot off the gas pedal. Only when I hit the brakes do I get that downshift sound and feel. When going anything over 45-50 and release the gas it just cruises with a VERY gentle and unnoticeable change in RPM. Prior to updates when I let of the gas, there was always a notable change in RPM and gear...basically gone now. I reached out to dealership and they want to me to bring it back in after the new year and then take their experts for a ride to better explain what it used to do, to what it is doing now. We will see....
Ah got it. I would love to have it be a lot less aggressive like you described, but only in Comfort mode. It should be super aggressive in Sport+. I wonder if it's even possible for them to change it according to the driving modes or if it's just "comfort for everything" or "aggressive for everything".
Old 12-30-2020, 04:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Ramsino
Ah got it. I would love to have it be a lot less aggressive like you described, but only in Comfort mode. It should be super aggressive in Sport+. I wonder if it's even possible for them to change it according to the driving modes or if it's just "comfort for everything" or "aggressive for everything".
I agree and that is actually what I am trying to get it back too. I have to assume that there are settings for each mode as the feel is completely different for each one.
Old 12-30-2020, 07:38 PM
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They can definitely change the shift quality and strategy based on the mode. From the description it sounds similar to how my C63S shifts, however, I generally only use the automatic shift mode if I'm in Comfort. In any of the other modes I mostly shift manually, but the few times I've had it in S+ with the transmission in automatic mode I've noticed that it adapts to my current driving style. If I drive somewhat casually, then it shifts less aggressive and stays in higher gears, but if I drive aggressively then it shifts aggressive. Generally I observe that in all modes. Even in Comfort mode if I give it more throttle than usual it holds on to the current gear longer and if I drive spirited it downshifts more proactively. The drive mode mainly influences the shift quality. In Comfort the individual shifts are softer, whereas in S+ and Race it literally slams the gears complete with an accompanying jolt if I'm on the throttle, however, if I relax the throttle before the shift then it shifts almost like in Comfort mode, so it's very much in tune with how I'm currently driving the car. IMO, that's how it should be. I'm thinking you will have to drive a few 100 miles before it has re-learned your driving style.
Old 12-30-2020, 08:32 PM
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Originally Posted by superswiss
They can definitely change the shift quality and strategy based on the mode. From the description it sounds similar to how my C63S shifts, however, I generally only use the automatic shift mode if I'm in Comfort. In any of the other modes I mostly shift manually, but the few times I've had it in S+ with the transmission in automatic mode I've noticed that it adapts to my current driving style. If I drive somewhat casually, then it shifts less aggressive and stays in higher gears, but if I drive aggressively then it shifts aggressive. Generally I observe that in all modes. Even in Comfort mode if I give it more throttle than usual it holds on to the current gear longer and if I drive spirited it downshifts more proactively. The drive mode mainly influences the shift quality. In Comfort the individual shifts are softer, whereas in S+ and Race it literally slams the gears complete with an accompanying jolt if I'm on the throttle, however, if I relax the throttle before the shift then it shifts almost like in Comfort mode, so it's very much in tune with how I'm currently driving the car. IMO, that's how it should be. I'm thinking you will have to drive a few 100 miles before it has re-learned your driving style.
Great feedback. I pretty much drive in sport + every time and usually stay on the gas, but not sure how the downshift will learn unless I move to manual or they make adjustments. Are you thinking the same?
Old 12-30-2020, 08:48 PM
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Originally Posted by thesh0rty
Great feedback. I pretty much drive in sport + every time and usually stay on the gas, but not sure how the downshift will learn unless I move to manual or they make adjustments. Are you thinking the same?
I don't think it learns from how one shifts in manual mode, however, having had some interest in this subject what I found is that these systems try to categorize your general driving style. They try to determine if you are a dynamic driver or not. This is basically based on how you accelerate, brake and corner. It will then adapt the shift strategy to your style. W/o having direct insight into the algorithms, based on observations I suspect they are building different profiles of how you drive in various situations and based on that adjust the shift strategy. For example when I first got my car it always downshifted to 1st when I came to a stop and that was jerky. It stopped doing that after a while and now stays in 2nd until I come to a full stop. I can only assume it learned that I generally drive somewhat relaxed around town and only drive dynamic on open roads or at higher speeds.
Old 01-05-2021, 08:02 AM
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Originally Posted by superswiss
I don't think it learns from how one shifts in manual mode, however, having had some interest in this subject what I found is that these systems try to categorize your general driving style. They try to determine if you are a dynamic driver or not. This is basically based on how you accelerate, brake and corner. It will then adapt the shift strategy to your style. W/o having direct insight into the algorithms, based on observations I suspect they are building different profiles of how you drive in various situations and based on that adjust the shift strategy. For example when I first got my car it always downshifted to 1st when I came to a stop and that was jerky. It stopped doing that after a while and now stays in 2nd until I come to a full stop. I can only assume it learned that I generally drive somewhat relaxed around town and only drive dynamic on open roads or at higher speeds.
I will be meeting with them this week, but I can see your point. I drive pretty aggressively and pretty much push the car all the time staying on the gas. I am curious how it would learn the downshift to keep it at higher RPMs when I slow down. As mentioned, prior to this service when I took my foot off the gas there was always a notable shift and now it just cruises...I really liked it. I will admit that I dont miss the jerkyness that I had before. I can just tell it is pretty different all around. The MB here wants to have the tech in the car with me so I can show him what it is doing...we will see if this is something that can be changed or has to be relearned by my style. I will circle back here after just in case anyone else is interested.
Old 01-27-2021, 09:44 PM
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So, apparently, since I was the second owner the car was adjusted to the first owner and how I got to know how the car feels. Once the service was completed, the jerkyness or bronco affect was fixed completely, but the car was basically restored to factory settings and now it has to learn my driving. I normally dont use the paddles, but I am using them now to get that agressiveness back and hoping that it will translate into the driving experience that I came to expect. I am not sure if I would recommend anyone else doing the same unless they want to experience the same. good luck.
Old 01-28-2021, 12:41 AM
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Originally Posted by thesh0rty
So, apparently, since I was the second owner the car was adjusted to the first owner and how I got to know how the car feels. Once the service was completed, the jerkyness or bronco affect was fixed completely, but the car was basically restored to factory settings and now it has to learn my driving. I normally dont use the paddles, but I am using them now to get that agressiveness back and hoping that it will translate into the driving experience that I came to expect. I am not sure if I would recommend anyone else doing the same unless they want to experience the same. good luck.
That's great to hear that the jerkiness is gone. Do you mind elaborating or posting the service records so I can see what exactly was done to it? I want to get my car to behave less aggressively on upshifts and downshifts. I get that this is suppose to be the AMG line and all that but unrefined and jerky transmission does not equal "aggressive" and "sportiness". There are plenty of sportier cars that are rougher, stiffer and everything, but their transmission is buttery smooth.

From my understanding the car adapts to you only in automatic mode, not when you manually shift using the paddles. In automatic, how aggressive you are on the throttle will be how the car learns your pattern and depending on how aggressively you brake, that also affects how quickly the car will downshift to keep you in the right rpm. Pretty much, if you floor the car often, it will eventually expect this behavior and remain in the lower gears so that it doesn't have to downshift as often.
Old 01-28-2021, 06:10 AM
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Originally Posted by Ramsino
That's great to hear that the jerkiness is gone. Do you mind elaborating or posting the service records so I can see what exactly was done to it? I want to get my car to behave less aggressively on upshifts and downshifts. I get that this is suppose to be the AMG line and all that but unrefined and jerky transmission does not equal "aggressive" and "sportiness". There are plenty of sportier cars that are rougher, stiffer and everything, but their transmission is buttery smooth.

From my understanding the car adapts to you only in automatic mode, not when you manually shift using the paddles. In automatic, how aggressive you are on the throttle will be how the car learns your pattern and depending on how aggressively you brake, that also affects how quickly the car will downshift to keep you in the right rpm. Pretty much, if you floor the car often, it will eventually expect this behavior and remain in the lower gears so that it doesn't have to downshift as often.
I can share the service records, but they really don't provide more details than what I have shared. However, here is a little more detail. When I dropped it off for standard service I mentioned the bronco affect in 1-2 gear, but that I have adjusted my driving style to overcome it. Fortunately, the tech was able to replicate it and immediately knew something was wrong. He tried to make adjustments to "adaptations on the shift values" (their words) which did not help and then created a PTSS case to reach out to MB Engineering in Germany. They told tech to perform a software update on the transmission control module and then allow the system to re-learn the adaptations for gear shifts. This corrected all the jerkyness. Keep in mind that this is ALL for Sport+ and basically the only mode I drive in.
Upon taking the car back I noticed all the jerkyness was gone but so were a few other things. Previously when driving somewhat aggressive I would let off the gas peddle, the car would downshift making that gurgling sound and keeping it higher RPMs and was fairly aggressive. Now, when I let off the gas peddle the car merely cruises. The tech and I did a drive around yesterday and he said that the car will learn in 8 driving cycles what my style is and should adjust. He DID NOT say whether or not the paddles vs automatic would do it, so not sure if this will get it back to what I expect but this is what I am doing. NOw if you want less aggressive, then I think this might be an ideal step for you to take.
Old 01-28-2021, 11:59 AM
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Originally Posted by thesh0rty
I can share the service records, but they really don't provide more details than what I have shared. However, here is a little more detail. When I dropped it off for standard service I mentioned the bronco affect in 1-2 gear, but that I have adjusted my driving style to overcome it. Fortunately, the tech was able to replicate it and immediately knew something was wrong. He tried to make adjustments to "adaptations on the shift values" (their words) which did not help and then created a PTSS case to reach out to MB Engineering in Germany. They told tech to perform a software update on the transmission control module and then allow the system to re-learn the adaptations for gear shifts. This corrected all the jerkyness. Keep in mind that this is ALL for Sport+ and basically the only mode I drive in.
Upon taking the car back I noticed all the jerkyness was gone but so were a few other things. Previously when driving somewhat aggressive I would let off the gas peddle, the car would downshift making that gurgling sound and keeping it higher RPMs and was fairly aggressive. Now, when I let off the gas peddle the car merely cruises. The tech and I did a drive around yesterday and he said that the car will learn in 8 driving cycles what my style is and should adjust. He DID NOT say whether or not the paddles vs automatic would do it, so not sure if this will get it back to what I expect but this is what I am doing. NOw if you want less aggressive, then I think this might be an ideal step for you to take.
Yes, I might give it a shot. I only drive aggressive when I shift manually using the paddles. Otherwise, I am in Comfort so I want that to be smooth. Thanks again!

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