GL Class (X166) 2013-2015 after facelift became GLS (X166)

2015 Mercedes GL350 Bluetec gets confused

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Old Dec 25, 2014 | 02:45 PM
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2015 Mercedes GL350 Bluetec gets confused

So, I will be driving along at slow-ish speeds and punch the accelerator pedal to get a downshift. Shortly after, the vehicle suddenly finds itself out of breath and confused at 4800 RPMS (notably beyond the redline). It literally cannot figure out that I am going too fast for a particular downshift until I am bouncing off the rev limiter, This is pretty easy to reproduce, I would say my speed at "punching it" is maybe 5-10 MPH.

Anybody else have this happen?
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Old Dec 25, 2014 | 04:01 PM
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Please pull the "left" paddle and hold for 3 seconds to downshift - then pull the "right" handle for 3 secs to return to auto.

I think that will be much smoother/quicker for you than "kick down" on a diesel..
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Old Dec 25, 2014 | 09:28 PM
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Does this reset something? I've owned several MB diesels, and none of them have ever done this type of behavior. They all "knew" which gear they should be in.
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Old Dec 25, 2014 | 10:58 PM
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Do you own a GL or GLK ? The reason I ask is so that you know whether youy are on the correct forum.

I am not talking "reset" - what I am suggesting for you is a more effective "kick" procedure to take advantage of with the 7G+ tranny which overcomes the accelerator-by-wire characteristic you are bumping heads with" ... try it a few times until you get comfortable with it....it should make you happy ...
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Old Dec 26, 2014 | 06:35 AM
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I guess the subject didn't come through on my first post. It's a '15 GL350. I know, I haven't updated my "garage" yet on here. I understand now more clearly what you are saying, but it seems like a malfunction to me. I was just wondering if mine is the only one that does this. I will try what you suggest, though, just out of curiosity.
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Old Dec 26, 2014 | 09:30 AM
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at 5-10mph i doubt you have a gear to downshift to.....and what are you trying to accomplish flooring it at that speed anyway?.......my lexus even balks when you do that and it takes awhile to kick in and will blow the rpm's....are you in manual or automatic? mine doesnt do that unless its in manual
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Old Dec 26, 2014 | 01:08 PM
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Since in auto it takes off in 2nd - yes, in the 7 speed you have a lower gear - or at stop you can choose to "click left paddle one" to shift down to 1st....
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Old Dec 27, 2014 | 11:59 AM
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I think you are trying to drive your diesel like it has a gas engine. The diesel starts to run out of power around 3300 rpm and you need to let off of the accelerator to let if shift UP (not down) to get the engine running back in its peak range which is 1600-2400 rpm. A diesel engine isn't like a gas engine where you just floor it to get the most power. With my X164, I found that if I let the engine run above 3500 rpm, sometimes it was hard to get it to shift up and it would sort of hang in the lower gear during hard acceleration. It takes some getting used to and it is part of the character that comes with driving a diesel. You have to pay a little more attention to what the engine is doing than you do with a gas vehicle.
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Old Dec 29, 2014 | 07:31 AM
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Originally Posted by 43221B
I think you are trying to drive your diesel like it has a gas engine. The diesel starts to run out of power around 3300 rpm and you need to let off of the accelerator to let if shift UP (not down) to get the engine running back in its peak range which is 1600-2400 rpm. A diesel engine isn't like a gas engine where you just floor it to get the most power. With my X164, I found that if I let the engine run above 3500 rpm, sometimes it was hard to get it to shift up and it would sort of hang in the lower gear during hard acceleration. It takes some getting used to and it is part of the character that comes with driving a diesel. You have to pay a little more attention to what the engine is doing than you do with a gas vehicle.
Well said....
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Old Jan 2, 2015 | 12:31 PM
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Guys, I have had diesels for years so I am pretty familiar with them. This is on a blind curve with a sharp turn and a steep hill where you have to gun it or risk being hit. NO other car I have ever had, has done this.
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Old Jan 2, 2015 | 01:27 PM
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Originally Posted by 300SE1993
Guys, I have had diesels for years so I am pretty familiar with them. This is on a blind curve with a sharp turn and a steep hill where you have to gun it or risk being hit. NO other car I have ever had, has done this.
I drove a X164 for 5 years and what you describe was the one thing that drove me nuts about it and I had to pull out into traffic in a very similar scenario daily. It required a lot of concentration to get the all the available acceleration out of the engine without over revving it. If I allowed the engine to run much above 3500 rpm, it wouldn't want to shift up which it needed to do to produce more power. It had plenty of acceleration for almost all other situations but when I really needed acceleration, it just didn't have it.
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Old Jan 3, 2015 | 10:57 AM
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I have a '14 GL350 and I had to gun it once with the pedal and found that my RPM was really high and felt that it wouldn't shift up. I had to let my foot off the pedal because I wasn't sure if it would shift. I know what you're talking about. My husband has a 2500 HD Chevy Diesel and that thing can gun it and go. I am not able to really punch the pedal all too often and have it really get there. The 450 I drove for the loaner car was much better about that. Starting out from 1st gear you almost have to put your foot in a certain position on the pedal and sometimes it will totally take off and other times it lags and can't seem to get there.
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Old Jan 3, 2015 | 05:22 PM
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Thanks for the feedback. Well I guess it's good and bad news that others have had the problem. I wonder if there is a software fix. It's inconvenient for me to get the car to the dealer but there are a couple other things I want them to look at so I may do it in the next couple weeks. By the way, in this situation, if I keep it floored, it will hold 4800 RPMS for a couple seconds, and then shift. It never gets stuck in that gear. It just takes it a minute to figure out what to do.
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Old Jan 3, 2015 | 07:05 PM
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Originally Posted by 300SE1993
By the way, in this situation, if I keep it floored, it will hold 4800 RPMS for a couple seconds, and then shift. It never gets stuck in that gear. It just takes it a minute to figure out what to do.
That sounds normal. I know, those two seconds are an eternity when you see someone coming around the bend when you are already half way out into the road.
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Old Jan 4, 2015 | 05:15 PM
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Originally Posted by 300SE1993
Guys, I have had diesels for years so I am pretty familiar with them. This is on a blind curve with a sharp turn and a steep hill where you have to gun it or risk being hit. NO other car I have ever had, has done this.
When I am needing to break out into fast moving traffic from a standstill, I just put my foot down hard on the brake, step on the "diesel" pedal and get the turbo spooled up. When it's time to go I just release the brake and give it more fuel and then we take off like a rocket! Spins the wheels! No turbo lag.
Old guys will remember this technique from drag racing in high school with their parents' cars with automatic transmissions.
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Old Jan 12, 2015 | 05:58 PM
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The X166 GL350 has some pretty bad turbo lag at 5mph (call it crawl speed) becasue it's in second gear. I've learned to pull the paddle at this speed but it's been hard teaching the wife to do it as it's her car. I also short shift into second as there is no need to wind it out.
I've had a few cases where I was waiting to make a turn and I thought I had plenty of time, you hit the "diesel" pedel and the truck doesn't move then VROOM, the turbo kicks in a away we go cutting it way to close.

I REALLY do have to learn how to drive this thing a little differently. I like the idea of power breaking at highway entrance ramps. Going to have to try that. Just a little, so I don't over stress the drivetrain.
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Old Jan 30, 2015 | 08:43 PM
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Originally Posted by 300SE1993
By the way, in this situation, if I keep it floored, it will hold 4800 RPMS for a couple seconds, and then shift. It never gets stuck in that gear. It just takes it a minute to figure out what to do.
I have a Euro Spec GL 350 CDI (258hp) and have not noticed this type of behavior. You can gun the accelerator all the way down in any situation and it will never "get" stuck at higher than ideal RPMS, not ever for a few moments. Typically, when you floor it, it will upshift at around 4200rps. My car has only 2500km on it's odometer, I guess the engine still needs to loosen up a bit.


Originally Posted by arich
The X166 GL350 has some pretty bad turbo lag at 5mph (call it crawl speed) becasue it's in second gear. I've learned to pull the paddle at this speed but it's been hard teaching the wife to do it as it's her car. I also short shift into second as there is no need to wind it out.
I've had a few cases where I was waiting to make a turn and I thought I had plenty of time, you hit the "diesel" pedel and the truck doesn't move then VROOM, the turbo kicks in a away we go cutting it way to close.
It's interesting how also in this case, the behavior is different. In my case if you press the accelerator (say half way, more or less) at around 5-10 km/h with the transmission in 2nd gear, the transmission will actually allow some slippage and will enable engine to "pull" the car for a few moments at constant rpms like if it were "riding" on a torque wave. I don't know if I'm explaining myself in an understandable way

When you push the gas all the way at around 5-10 km/h with the transmission in second gear, it will down-shift in to first (quite abruptly) and will then quickly up-shift in to 2nd gear at around 4100 rpms, again shifting quite quickly and strongly with some "abruptness" (I actually like this behavior, feels "sporty".)

Maybe the transmission settings are different for Euro Spec cars? Could it be that for the US transmissions have been set for greater comfort?
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