nnb

Hello Experts,
I have 2005 Mercedes S500. ONLY in winter when it is cold and if the car stays out in parking lot for 4 to 5 days, car starts with no issue but I can't change gear form Parking to reverse/drive position. Any help would be much appreciated

Thanks
Nitin

wallyp

Inside the shifter, there is a computer-controlled solenoid-operated plastic link which blocks shift lever movement unless the brake pedal is pressed. Possible causes for your problem include:
The brake pedal brake light switch is not functioning in very cold weather. Check the brake lights to see if they are functioning when the lever doesn't release.
There is excessive drag in the solenoid and/or the plastic lever in very low temperatures, preventing the lever from moving. Try jiggling the shift lever while pressing the brake pedal.
The plastic lever is cracked, and doesn't move far enough to release the shift lever. You can buy a kit, consisting of two or three different sizes of metal replacements for the plastic lever. Installation is feasible for a reasonably experienced DIY owner.

nnb

Wow, thanks for the quick reply...I will look into your suggestion.
Nitin

nnb

Brake light doesn't comes when the gear stuck in parking so I tried second option and it works like charm . Is there any permanent solution for this issue??
Thanks for your advice.
Nitin

briknope

I just removed my broke plastic lever and went with that no more issues. just don't put it in reverse without your foot on the brake

pjdellarco

I am having this same issue on CL500. can you give any more details on getting to this plastic part??

briknope

I would defiantly look into the brake switch light first and see if that's working. The whole shifter box on the floor needs to be removed i was able to fish it out otherwise you may have to drill out the rivuts on the side to access it there are replacements available online but I just left mine out. It negates the safety of what it does. There's a solenoid which pushes the plastic lever that says it's safe to move from park to reverse or drive

thomasxmb

Old thread, but I will try my luck.

I am currently dealing with a problem which won’t let me release the car from park when cold. On the warmer days (+1 celcius), it moves to the other positions just fine, but when it’s below 0 celsius it won’t budge.

When first trying to move the shifter to the right before going downwards, it’s kinda sticky like it’s frozen. I can’t seem to find any post describing it like me.

If I jack up the car and put a heater directly under the shifter lever and leave it for about 30-60min, it will release from park.

Im thinking maybe there is a water drop or something inside the shifter and have thought of spraying a little wd40 or crc inside, but I don’t want to do that since I have read that the shifter is super sensitive to any form of liquid and will break.

I can’t understand which broken plastic lever you guys are talking about, could someone please elaborate? Maybe this is the problem i’m having

Thank you.

Fried Chicken

Just remove it. Mercedes only installed it because audi faced legal trouble, the shift lever is already designed in such a way to avoid accidental use. The entire "feature" is for idiots. Mercedes didn't do this in their older vehicles (with the same style of shifter)

thomasxmb

okay thank you.

But I still dont understand which part we are talking about. is it possible for you to post a picture?

Fried Chicken

Do a search. it's a little bit involved, you have to remove the shifting mechanism somehow I think. If you find something pls post it.

briknope

It's a small plastic piece that's controlled by a solenoid. Sounds like your specific issue is the solenoid itself. I removed the broken plastic thing and it worked fine after that. You can find pictures everywhere. The whole console and shifter has to come out and it's a pain. I hired a mobile mechanic to do mine because no regular shop is going to remove safety stuff. I'd also check your brake lights. The brake switch will lock up the shifter also

thomasxmb

I can’t seem to find any pictures of the plastic thing everyone is talking about. I just find several post of people talking about it.

I have thought about the solenoid, but I do hear a click from the shifter when I press the brake. If i have understood correctly, this means the solenoid is fine

Fried Chicken

You have to remove the shifter assembly, and then it's in there. I'm sure with it removed you'll find it right away.

wallyp

Google (or Duck-Duck-Go) is your friend.

https://www.benzworld.org/threads/sh.../#post-3577185
https://www.benzworld.org/threads/sh.../#post-5696819
https://www.benzworld.org/threads/sh...#post-11438137
https://www.benzworld.org/threads/sh...#post-17261082

There are over twenty pages of posts on this problem.