E Class Hesitation When Changing Gears (D to R)
 

Does anyone notice that the E has a tendency to hesitate before grabbing the gear from let's say Drive to Reverse or opposite? Is this normal? Is there any way around this?

Are you coming to a complete stop when trying to switch gears? My W210 was a bit jerky when engaging or disengaging D, or R, but most especially when the car was not at a complete stop. (That was a 4-speed auto)

Which transmission do you have?

I have the 5 speed automatic. It seems slow from Reverse to Drive for example. When someone is waiting for me to back out of a spot it takes an extra second before it gets into gear after putting it in gear. Never really experienced this hesitation with any other car so I was wondering if this is normal...

Hmm. I haven't experienced that particular feeling. Anybody want to sound off on this?

I live on a pretty steep hill. First time I backed out of my driveway and shifted from R to D - the car rolled back 5-6 feet. Almost hit a pole. :(

One of the things I really dislike about the car. The dealer suggested driving in "Winter" mode. This apparently keeps the car from rolling (it also starts the car off in 2nd instead of 1st IIRC)

Kind of a lame solution in my opinion.

perhaps you could try pushing the other pedal

That works too. :)

The odd thing is that when I complained to the dealer - they asked me if I was a two-foot driver. He said that the car gets confused by two footed drivers.

Of course now I just stand on the brake for a few moments to prevent the car from rolling back but it seems pretty stupid just sitting there waiting for the tranny engage. :(

Hi John
Do New Zealand 211's have SBC Hold? This totally eliminates this problem.

Bye for now,
John
Sunny with a few clouds over Torquay

Both my old C230 and the current E320 both at times exhibited what I describe as "turbo lag" - a slight hesitation before power kicks in. For my money it always seem to happen when shifting from reverse to forward - like in a three point turn when I'm in a hurry. From a standing stop I never seem to have a probelm.

Several friends with MB's have also noted this...seems like they all drive either 320's or 230s - so maybe the more powerful engines don't show this characteristic.

There were a couple of threads about a while ago - answers ranged from how the car was still "learning" how the driver drove to maybe needing a new sensor or two.

I can't document where I read this, but I once read that MB has to modify the D-R and R-D shift on US cars to reflect that US drivers often make the shift while the car is still in motion, while in Germany that would be very uncustomary. It builds in a little more coupling slippage to prevent shocks to the drive line in the US.

i know exactly what ur talking about, but it only happens in reverse, it just takes an extra second to engage reverse after u shift it into R; I just got used to it...IMO it takes longer than most other auto cars i've driven/owned, but not a big deal

The worse possible thing you can do to your transmission is shift from forward to reverse if the car has not stopped. I would not be suprised if they have a built in time delay.

I'm not quite sure of the technical aspects of this, but it makes sense to me. I know that when this happens to me I always seem to be in a hurry and I believe that I'm guilty of not coming to a complete stop before shifting to drive - certainly very close, but I time it way too close when doing a 3-point turn on the busy street near the house.

Glojo, Yes, NZ cars have both SBC Hold and Stop.

Happens to me whenever I change from R to D. I hated the delay at first, but now I'm used to it. Doesn't bother me as much.

Happens on my CLK as well as my 530i. I guess maybe it's a German thing. Just think of it as a good thing. Like, "Oh your Accord doesn't have ADT (automatically delayed transmisson)? What a piece of crap!". :nix:

Hi John
Thanks very much, it appears a Global standard with the exception of the America's.

Can any of our Canadian subscribers confirm there vehicles lack this excellent fitment, that prevents the veicle from rolling when the vehicle is on an incline.

Regards,
John
Mild Autumn in Torquay