NewCents05

I have a 2001 E-320
My son just got his permit and has been driving it around with me. ive realized he likes using the touch shift feature which i dont mind cause its not hurting the car. I thought the feature was just like an add on that lets you use the car in manual. I havent used it but he has been using for about 5 months now and nothing seemed to be wrong with it. The check engine light came up so i took it to the dealer. no malfunctions or anything showed up just the check engine light. when i took it there they explained a bunch of stuff that i didnt really get but they said it was most likely due to use of the touch shift. Is there a wrong way to use that? is it not a manual thing is it something like what they use to pull loads or go uphill. i know you can go 4 gears on that cause my son always tells me when im sitting next to me. Can someone explain what this feature is and how it got ruined. i am going to go pick it up tomorrow and will get the evaluation sheet to see what is wrong with it and will post what they tell me tomorrow but any help with what this "touch shift" is would be greatly appreciated.

akbro93704

Touch shift is meant for manual style shifting, or just wanting to be in a low gear for steep grades etc. The only thing that could possibily hurt the engine is keeping it in a low gear and running the engine to the redline too much(even that shouldn't cause the check engine light to come on), and your son would not do that with you in the car.I dont know what your dealer is talking about, the check engine light shouldn't have anything to do with touch shift.

NewCents05

yes i figured out it was not his fault. the spark plugs were "messed up" according to the dealer and the abs system is malfunctioning because my wife likes to keep her handbag on the middle console thing next to the gear thing. it apparently hit the gear into first and she got onto the highway so thats what caused the problem. women... thanks for quick replies.

AJChenMPH

A little OT -- my mom once called me up in a panic, and left a message on my voicemail that the car was stuck in 2nd gear on the highway. She called me back a few minutes later, saying she had pulled over, turned the car off, turned it back on, and it seemed okay. I figured out later that it was her handbag leaning against the gear-shift... *sigh* I have yet to figure out how a once-brilliant surgeon like her (she's retired now) could be so technologically inept (she still hasn't figured out how to use a VCR)...

lexrex

I think you need to find a new dealer. Your dealer is either incompetent or dishonest or maybe both.

NewCents05

well its the only mercedes benz dealer within reasonable driving distance. i could always take it to the bmw dealer down the street...
my wife is a doctor but after 4 years with the car she still has trouble finding out how to unlock the doors. she always hits the rear shade to go up. They need to have car classes at the dealership for women or something.

Ala-benz

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NewCents05

OK i think you guys are right i need a new dealer. They have had the car for 4 days now and i called them up to ask them about it. They said they needed a part that has to be imported from germany... uhh arent these cars made in the U.S. why do they need something from germany. im just going to pay for this and never going back there

lexrex

No, Mercedes-Benz is a German car. The ML class is assembled in the U.S. (although it uses German-manufactured parts), but the E-class is manufactured & assembled in Germany.

sosh

What you need is to keep your kid out of the driver's seat when you are not in the car. Touch shifting will not hurt a thing, however winding it out in gear to the redline constantly is abuse and I am willing to bet thats what is going on.

lexrex

Maybe I'm just ignorant, but I don't understand the connection between touch shifting (and potentially winding to redline) and an ABS malfunction.

mypantsaretorn

so i learned the hardway that the touch shift doesnt automatticaly upshift like my c class did when it hits the redline...

NewCents05

thanks so much for your help guys it was something to do with the way it was shifted. like something physically with the shifting. nothing wrong with the transmission. just they overcharge for the smallest things anyway. had to get the cup holder FIXED because of all the drinks that kept getting spilled in there because those damn cup holders dont hold !@#$ and they ended replacing the whole thing with even cleaning out the build up so it still moves like crap but its brand new and they charged $200 for a new cupholder...sigh the ways they try to rip you off. luckily i got them to clean it out and just bought the new one cause the old one was working like crap.

slk55lvr

Ok, 200 bucks for that ****ty plastic cupholder is highway robbery. My dealership charged me 70 and installed it for free, and even that was a bit much. Find another dealer.

slk55lvr

By the way, I use the touch shift on my car all the time and it does not cause engine problems. Now having your handbag pushing the shifter to the left and causing the car to be in first gear for hours?

Why don't women have a little common sense about cars?

MB Fanatic

My wife drove my E55 and TL with the parking brake on to work. I had to get complete new brake job on the rear of both cars.

Women and cars dont mix. Oh well she can destroy the E55 for all I care about, I have the CLS now.

pokerFACE

don't they get that rather nasty-sounding warning beep when the parking brake is on with the car moving?

slk55lvr

Wow that tops my story! I'll bet the rotors we're glowing embers by the time she got to work Sell me the e55 and get her an old diesel 190, nothing can kill those!

MB Fanatic

Yes, and the display also turns bright red. Clearly she was not paying attention. Cost about $1500 to get teh brakes on the E55 fixed. New rotors, pads, sensors, SBC had to be flushed, and new shoes inside the rotor for the parking brake had to be replaced.

The TL was about $1000 to get fixed.

pokerFACE

if you're not too worried about the E55, can I have it instead?