Hi folks, need your advice regarding an 07 E350 4Matic just purchased a few weeks ago. I've driven the car about 1000 miles now, and here are my issues:

After a few days of getting used to a MB (I used to drive a Jeep Cherokee), I started asking myself "should the transmission be this hesitant?" But leaning towards the fact that this is my first MB, I thought maybe that's just the way they are.

After a couple of weeks, I decided to ask the service manager. He offered to take me for a test drive, and he did admit there was a 2-1 bump on the downshift when coasting towards a red light or stop sign. He agreed to reset the adaptations, and it will re-learn my driving style.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, I filled up my gas tank for the first time, but mistakenly using 87 octane fuel. As the tank starting getting toward empty, the "hesitation" became more prominent.

The service manager offered to change out the entire transmission, but I told him that it might just be the bad fuel I put in, so we agreed that I drive it another week and decide from there.

Since then, I have finished the tank of 87 octane, and filled up with 92 octane and there is definitely some improvement, but not what I would consider 100%.

The service manager allowed me to take a E350 (non 4Matic) for a comparision drive, and the non-4Matic had absolutely no hesitation whatsoever.

So here's the question: do the 4Matic's have an inherent "hesitation" simply because it's a 4Matic, or is there a potential problem with the transmission, and I should just let them replace it?

My problem is that

a) I have no other 07 E350 4Matic w/33k miles to compare it to
b) It's my first MB, so I don't know that it could be "just how they are"
c) To me, replacing an entire transmission at 33k doesn't sound right, and don't want to introduce new problems by replacing such a major component.

Luckily for me, my service manager is very patient and willing to go to great lengths to make sure I'm pleased.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Seems to be a common occurence. I'm noticing the 2-1 thud as well, particularly noticeable when the engine is cold (starting off in the morning) and in traffic.

I too am bringing this matter up with my SA when I bring the car in for the next scheduled service.

 

my tranny is a piece of **** too If I was offered a new one I would have been all over it. I get the thud and the hesitation too and it sometimes acts out randomly and it really pisses me off. The 5spd on my 08 E is really the worst idk what it is about them. I know that sometime during 08 they changed to the 7spd which I really would have wanted I'm sure they worked out the quirks with that one as my 204 has it and its flawless. I really hope they put out a recall on whatever is causing this it couldn't be more frustrating I'd see if they will still replace it for you. Better yet see if they can mate the 7 spd.

BTW, how often, if at all do you use the manual shifting option just out of curiousity?

 

Have you guys tried the sneaky TCU reset yet? Sounds like BS, but it works. I reset mine once a month or so after daily, high traffic commutes.


1. Get in, shut all doors

2. Turn the ignition key to the on position (position 2, right before car starts).

3. Press the gas pedal to the floor and hold for 15 seconds.

4. Turn the key to the "off" position (position 0 but don't remove the key), then release the gas pedal. Make sure to keep the gas pedal to the floor while turning the key to "off", release the pedal after the key has been turned to "off"

4. Wait at least two minutes for ECU to reset.


This will reset the TCU shift quality to original specs. Since the tranny is always adapting, it will sometimes end up in this sluggish state when driven gently for long periods of time. This will not help your 2-1 downshift thump. That's an entirely different animal, normally solved by replacing valve bodies and resetting adaptations.

Good luck.

 

I think it's the 5-speed tranny that's the problem. They replaced my whole transmission due to glycol contamination. Even after that, in high traffic incidents, the car will sometimes rock back and forth very lightly when driving at very slow speeds, something about the computer being stupid or something.

 

benzorama -

did the instructions you gave above. is there some sort of message on the display that confirms you reset it? I did not receive any message or anything.

with that being said, I only drove it to work and back, but I think there's an improvement already.

question: how does this compare with the dealership "clearing out adaptations?"

 

amgtestdrivernj -

I never use the tap shift function.

I wish there was a way to disable it, because I often hit the shifter forcing it into manual mode.

 

Nope, no indication. And honestly, I'm really not sure what the difference is when the dealer does it with DAS. But there's no doubt that this little trick wakes up our cars after they've been babied for a while. And if you think about it, all this really does is simulate a 15 second wide open throttle run, followed by 2 minutes of idling. So if you ever have the chance to safely run your car at W.O.T. for a 1/4 mile or so, you can achieve the same results.

 

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...that sounds like more fun than sitting in the driveway, playing with the buttons on the steering wheel! Thanks for da tip!

 

For #1, are you referring to the hesitation when you hit the accelerator? If so, do a search here for "drive by wire."

For #2, I have the same MY as you. I experience the same symptoms, as do many here on this and the other MB boards. Try running in "C" mode for a while. It seems to be the only solution (since the tranny'll only dnshift to 2nd gear and stay in 2nd).

 

If we all have these symptoms we should do something to get a TSB or recall on whatever is causing this. It REALLY bothers me.

 

Actually, I like how with MB, the tiptronic feature is different than BMW, Audi, Lexus, Infiniti, and pretty much everyone else. With all other cars with tiptronic, you have to move the shifter to another gate on either the left or right hand side. God forbid you have to downshift when braking isn't enough, your pretty much f*ucked with the other cars due to reaction time. With the MB, you just drop the gear right away. I like this a lot. One of my friends that is really into cars pointed that out (and he doesn't like benzes either) and said how much of a good idea that was on MB's part.

In regards to reset, it does make a difference. My parents drove my car for like 20 miles and they always put it in C mode . I was cursing on the freeway on the way back from Palm Desert because in the traffic, the *******g thing would have to downshift every time I put my foot to accelerate while cruising at slow speed and there were 1 second delays in downshifts. At one point I had my foot all the way down (minus the kickdown) and the car was accelerating just as it would at almost minimal pedal power.

 

This 5 speed does not belong in a mercedes, it is far too crude and unpredictable(The Stuttgart engineer must have overdosed on Brats and Beer when designing this POS), my 06 w211 4Matic started acting up at 20K, there was a thud from 2 to 1 and a lunge from 2 to 3 with foot off the gas. I took it to the dealer last week (just before the warranty expired), the tech reported no problem on the paperwork, I was informed by the service advisor that a new program was installed as a fix for "Rough Shifting", but it was done off the record. Amazingly, it shifts much better now, I would say it is 80% improved. You may want to ask your dealer about that.