CaptMike

Does you car make an abrupt transition if reversing and then selecting DRIVE while the car is still rolling backwards?

My wife's BMW transitions very nicely from REVERSE to DRIVE. You do not have to come to a complete stop while reversing in order to prevent an abrupt jerk forward when you select DRIVE as in my 320.

I have never been in a car that does not transition smoothly from REVERSE to DRIVE while car is still rolling rearwards.

BudC

I have this problem with our '04 E320. You MUST come to a complete stop. I have no problem with our '91 300E.

In other words, I believe this to be a common trait of the 5G transmission.

SAguirre

Well, one thing to consider is that if you have the transmission on C mode, the car will stop itself from rolling backwards. That will be very abrupt, if you are rolling backwards and then you put it in Drive.

On the other hand, if you are in S mode, it is not as bad, but it sure does not like it. As Bud said, my 300E was smooth, but it was a very different transmission. The old 1998 740 IL that we had did not like it either (but I think it had a GM transmission).

That said, it is not the best practice to switch gear directions when the car is moving in the opposite direction. However, it is hard to avoid if you are maneuvering in tight places. I have become very accustomed the 5G transmission and I am able to totally avoid any kind of jerking now.

Steve

McGuireV10

I'll go ahead and say it: it's plain STUPID to do this.

Your transmission is not a braking device. Don't use it that way.

clkcadet

i get that too sometimes, i really try to avoid this but sometimes when doing a quick K-turn its unavoidable
however i notice this even when i am at a full stop, when accelerating hard then when shifting from 1st to 2nd it jerks a little, is that a problem?(also happens if im at a stoplight still in D)

MB Fanatic

khaug

Hear, Hear! Well said.

glojo

Totally agree. I had to check the date to make sure it was not an April 1st type post!!!

Well said,
John

SAguirre

I see all of your issues with shifting the gears while still rolling in the opposite direction. I thought I would be tactful when I worded my post. I seriously doubt that anyone who is intelligent enough to earn the money to buy one of these cars would be so senseless as to shift the transmission while it is still rolling close to 1 MPH. But who knows, I am sure we have some winners! I viewed this comment as a simple observation.



I have never purposely shifted my car when it is still rolling. But I am sure that in the past 8,500 miles I have done it at least once while barely rolling. I have noticed that this transmission is very tight. The other thing I noticed is that when I drive over the last bump (which is about 1 inch) to get into the garage my car will come to an abrupt halt if I have it in "C" mode. This happens if I am barely rolling into the garage and the car does not have quite enough momentum to go over the 1 inch lip on the concrete. I think that the SBC must be activated because the car will stop itself IMMEDIATELY! The minute I switch the transmission to "S" mode, it will roll back. There is no clunk, it really seems as if the brakes were applied.

Now back to the original issue, If my tranny did not do anything, or if it felt loose, I would see it as a sign of worn bands/clutches. Kind of like our very old 300 TD that took a while to engage reverse or D. I by NO MEANS think that it is remotely OK to abuse a transmission like that. If you switch gear direction while still rolling it is not too far different from simply putting the car in Park to stop the car.

Steve

glojo

Good evening Steve,
I never doubted your driving technique. In Europe we are fortunate to have SBC Hold which is a great aid in stopping the vehicle from rolling in the oposite direction.

I am sure this question has been asked before by a different member and they also complained about the loud 'clunk'.

Nice speaking to you,

Regards,
John