have done 115k in 270 cdi manual, and started to notice it would occasionally drop out of first gear when pulling away from the traffic lights etc which can be pretty annoying. have now driven an additional 10 k without it getting any worse or any better. is it bad news? do i need a new gearbox or would a change of oil subside the problem. thankyou

 

This is a part flaw on some of the W211 manual gear boxes. New parts are available and will fix the issue.

 

thanks for that, the next thing is to identify which bits i need without going into a dealership.

 

I believe the part you would need is A211 260 20 45 (better to double check). But are you sure you want to change it yourself? Quite a lot of work involved.

 

which affects both the first and second gears. about £45 for the part then 5 litres of gearbox oil £78, and on top of that the labour for stripping down and rebuilding the gearbox! i wont be doing it, but i know a man who will! thanks and hopefully a toast to another 100k of smooth motoring.