I'm sure others have these two problems. has anyone's dealer found a good fix for these things?

1. sometimes the car hesitates badly when you start accelerating from a stop.
2. when you turn the A/C fan to a higher speed, it takes from about 10 seconds to sometimes up to a minute or two before air starts coming out.

car is 03 e320 btw.

 

warranty time... this is something the dealer needs to fix. The first sounds like your transmission is at fault, maybe the torque converter is low on fluid, could mean a transmission leak.

The second issue, is a again a warranty issue.. is it happening in auto or manual mode where there is a delay? Could be a temp sensor.

 

thanks. the blower thing happens in both auto and manual, almost all the time, and especially if the fan is turnede to a higher speed.

just wondering if anyone else has had these problems

 

There is a developing problem with coolant/glycol leaking into the transmission through an internal radiator cooling line, causing major transmission and torque converter issues. See your dealer asap.

 

i have a similar problem. I can't keep up with an older camry at the toll booth. it is so sad. I just except the fact that this is the slowest car I ve ever owned ,as the dealer tells me there is nothing wrong with the car.

Regarding the A/C: my a/c fan only blows at half speed, after 2 min. of start up and, simultaniously, the center vents stop working completely. The defroster takes over and my windows completely fog for about 15 min. Not to mention, the incredibly long amount of time it takes to cool off the cabin. Incidently, does anyone know if air should be comming from the ducts under the front seats, (leading to the rear)?

 

I have no problems (the whistling noise not withstanding) with my AC. BUT the hesitation in the acceleration has always sucked. Also notice when you go from reverse to drive, it takes a while for you to start moving forward. Dealer has looked at the problem several times and says it normal. I have basically learned to live with it too. $50K+ and no oomph. Its still an awesome car though and I love it.

T

 

agreed...got some minor problems u learn to live with...

i experience a long delay going from drive to reverse

 

Your car should not hesitate....something is wrong. i would take it to the dealer and request a drive in another and compare back to back. mine accelerates very strongly. hope this helps.

 

My car (2003 E320) is currently at the dealer to address among other things the hesistation in acceleration that has intermittantly plagued the car for as long as I have owned it. Part of the problem has been getting the problem to act up when it is in the hands of the service department, but this last week the service technician finally got to experience the problem first hand and agreed that this should not be happening. In the interim I have been driving a 2006 E350 and have experienced absolutely no hesitation in acceleration. Unfortunately the root cause of the problem has yet to be identified - during this most recent service visit they have done a fuel system flush and installed new fuel injectors.

As to whether these latest changes will have finally fixed the issue remains to be seen, but, I am not yet willing to let MB off the hook and accept this as something I have to live with.

 

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I was just wondering if anybody had a solution to the hesitation problem? I went to two dealers and they both were unable to "duplicate the problem".

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P-07_00-28F FEB 04 Engine Controls - Lack of Power/Hesitation/MIL ON


The problem is a CEU upgrade and this is the number of the Technical service bulletin.

 

Sounds like "tip lag" as they refer to it in the Audi forums. Google Audi & "tip lag" to read more.

 

If my car was 05 with mfg date of Sept 04, wouldn't they have already implemented the TSB on it?

Thanks for the reply.

 

steph280, I agree with CE750's assessment for the original poster- waranty time. If the dealership that you have been taking the car too hasn't solved the problem, try another dealership.

Besides a transmission or software issue as a possible cause, maybe there is a problem with a spark plug(s) or wire(s). Test out a similar car to see if it feels the same. Try to see if there is anything you can do to easily replicate the problem. Good luck.
William
2003 E 320

 

just curious, other than the hesitation thing, how did u like the 06 350 vs. your 03 320? Was there a drastic difference b/w the two cars? Thanks

 

The E350 engine clearly has more oomph than the E320, but it is not a situation where I would sell the E320 simply to get the extra horsepower (to me the difference is not that large). I will say that some of the decontenting and cosmetic changes that have been made on the E350 are not to my liking (center armrest, center vent on the dash, chrome strips where the dash meets the center console, and the plastic trim near the bottom of both front seats). I know that some people prefer the cosmetic changes that have been made but to each his own.

I will say that my long standing problem of hesitation on accleration has apparently been fixed (no reoccurence in the last 2.5 months). During my last visit to the service department they figured out how to replicate the problem on demand and started to systematically replace components until the problem disappeared. The root cause was diagnosed as the fuel injector valves, which were replaced, but before that they changed out the throttle valve actuator, mass air flow sensor, accelerator pedal assembly, and tested all spark plug connector ends. Along with the fuel injector valves being replaced they also replaced a crankshaft sensor.

My advise to folks who have had similar problems is to keep going back to the service department until the issue is finally fixed.

 

Excellent advice BWL!! I think that a significant number of people will give up after one or two complaints and won't persist because they don't want to spend the time or they don't have the personality strength to continue to press their case despite what the "authority figures" in the service department say (ex. they are all like this; cannot replicate problem).
William
2003 E320

 

One other thing that I would add to William's comments is that as the driver you should always try to describe the problem as specifically as you can, particularly when it is something that is intermittant. The more general the description the harder it is going to be for the service department to pinpoint the problem.

It is good to be firm and persistent - but resist the temptation to lash out. Venting may make you feel better in the short term, but its not very constructive if you want to build a long term relationship. In my area I have only two dealerships to choose from and they are both owned by same company - so it is not an easy proposition to simply take my business elsewhere if I am dissatisfied.

 

This actually could be a number of different things. I had the same problem with my '03 Nav replacement. Took it back to the dealer many times but they could find nothing wrong. I finally took it to another dealer, actually the largest dealer in NJ. They put it on the computer and found it right away... A broken $3.00 "pin" in or around one of the cylinders. The car immediately drove great.

As time went on, the "learning" done by "drive by wire" started to catch up to me and I started to get annoyed by the acceleration. After reading an item on this forum, I did the drive-by-wire "reset" and the car started driving excellent again.

If you haven't tried changing service departments, I'd try that first. Once they find the problem and fix it, after you have driven it for a while, try the "reset" and see if it gets even better.

Good luck, I know the feeling!

 

This is a quotation from the TSB

Date: February 2, 2004

Order No.: P-B-07.00/28f

Supersedes: P-B-07.00/28e dated Dec. 18, 2003

Group: 07

Revision: Warranty Information Updated

SUBJECT:
Model 220/215, Model Year 2003 Model 203, Model Year 2002 and later Model 210, Model Year 2002 Model 211, Model Year 2003 Model 209, Model Year 2003 Model 230 as of Chassis No. F029500

Model 170 (SLK32O only), Model Year 2002 and later

Engine Control Unit Software Update

The Flashware CD release 0004488102/0005 (refer to S-B-07.61/30) or any newer version contains a software update for the engine control unit for the following conditions. Please use only the latest flash CD for flashing.

Note o not flash Model 230 (SL5OO) with chassis number lower than F029500. ME software with part no. 113 153 34 79 will not communicate with transmission control unit resulting in a no start condition.

Note : Emissions are not exceeded under normal conditions.

All M112/M113 Engines - Model 220/215 MY 2003 and later remaining models MY 2002 and later:

^ Lack of power under full acceleration and mid range and/or upper long-term adaption values drifting to lean.

^ Hesitation caused by "two-footed" driver, i.e. driver depresses accelerator and brake pedal at the same time as outlined in DTB # 302 dated May 29, 2001.


After flashing the ECU will have part number as follows:

^ All models with M113 = 113 153 44 79 with the following exceptions:- S500/430 4-Matic = 113 153 46 79

^ All models with M112 = 112 153 51 79 with the following exceptions:- C320MY2003 = 112 153 59 79
- C-Class 4-Matic, MY 2003 = 112 153 44 79



Model E320/500 and CLK320/500 - MY 2003:

^ Check engine light with code P0442.


After flashing the ECU will have part number as follows:

^ E/CLK500 = 113 153 44 79
^ E/CLK320 = 112 153 51 79


Note :

^ Ensure that all engine related systems are within specification. The software update will not compensate for any system or mechanical component malfunction.

^ When asking for SCN number (MY 2003 vehicles only), the PN that will be in the ECU after flashing must be specified.


Please refer to S-B-07.61/27 for instructions on flashware use.