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FINALLY fixed the common TRANSMISSION rough up/down shifting in W222!!!!!!!
As you know, this has become a common problem and many of you might even have it without knowing it. The W222 should shifts way smoother than it currently shifts for almost all of us.
I took my car last weekend to the dealership and said, I think my car shifting is rough especially from 2-3 or 3-2 and between 5th and 4th gear. Luckily I ended up with a smart engineer how had something other than the standard response (this is how it's designed, normal). This time, he agreed that yes it should be smoother, I have a solution, give me 1-2 days.
He called 2 days later and said, hey your car is ready. it's day and night difference now. The car shifts much smoother than before, even smoother than when it had 0 miles on it, an believe it or not just as smooth as the new S560 with it's new transmission. According to the engineer, what he did is that he installed two customized software, one for the transmission system in general, and the second is by connecting a computer to the car as it's being driven and a computer would adjust the shifts points to an optimum values (rather than a pre-adjusted values).
Conclusion, I knew from the beginning that the rough shifting the all 2014-2017 W222 cars are seeing is not due to a hardware or design issue, it was due to a software-and-design communication issue and wrong pre-adjusted shift points. Apparently, if you end up with a smart service manager who can connect your car to a computer that can automatically adjust the shifting points of your transmission to whatever is optimum for your car along with the new transmission software then this is all what it takes to change this very common problem. Just go to the dealer and try to skip service advisors and talk to the engineers directly (they might tell that's not possible, but just ask them to get you in touch with their most senior service engineer). Service advisors may not be the right person to talk to.
Update: here is a screenshot of the service comments (the detailed feedback i wrote above is based on discussion but it's summarized in the service comments below).
Thanks for your post. My w222 is doing the same thing now. I have taken it to the dealership 2 times. They said that they updated the software and nothing helped. They told me in December that their was a new software coming. I went today and still no software. They mentioned that it was nothing they could do until. I will pass this information along to a DIFFERENT Dealership and hope it will fix my problem.
2014 E350 Sport (sold), 2015 S550 Sport (sold), 2018 S560 Sport (sold), 2018 GLE43, 2014 E550
Originally Posted by thawkins
Thanks for your post. My w222 is doing the same thing now. I have taken it to the dealership 2 times. They said that they updated the software and nothing helped. They told me in December that their was a new software coming. I went today and still no software. They mentioned that it was nothing they could do until. I will pass this information along to a DIFFERENT Dealership and hope it will fix my problem.
I fought this one really hard. I will say that for me, the software "learning" phase took quite a while. Well over a month. Then one day all the harsh 5 to 4 downshifts just disappeared...
Still wondering how many labor hours this requires ... for those of us not under warranty, would it be practical to pay to have this done, assuming we could find a qualified expert to carry out the process ...
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by Tom in Austin
Still wondering how many labor hours this requires ... for those of us not under warranty, would it be practical to pay to have this done, assuming we could find a qualified expert to carry out the process ...
MB has actually agreed to buy back my 2020 S560 over the rough downshift issue, but I got such a sensational deal on it, that I really hate to give it up. Losing that deal and getting something new under the current market conditions, for a similar lease payment, I’d be getting way less vehicle. So, I am going to contact a good indy MB shop locally and find out IF they can do the fix and if so, what it might cost. I’ll report my findings.
MB has actually agreed to buy back my 2020 S560 over the rough downshift issue, but I got such a sensational deal on it, that I really hate to give it up. Losing that deal and getting something new under the current market conditions, for a similar lease payment, I’d be getting way less vehicle. So, I am going to contact a good indy MB shop locally and find out IF they can do the fix and if so, what it might cost. I’ll report my findings.
You car will be out of warranty if you use an indy shop for such an issue with transmission. The car register all software changes and so on. Just be careful.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by S_W222
You car will be out of warranty if you use an indy shop for such an issue with transmission. The car register all software changes and so on. Just be careful.
Thanks for that good info. I’ll keep that in mind.
As a follow-up to this thread, I printed the TSB and took it to my dealer. They did the update in 1 hour and only charged me 1 hour's labor ($185). On my way home I had an abrupt 5-4 downshift just like before.
2014 E350 Sport (sold), 2015 S550 Sport (sold), 2018 S560 Sport (sold), 2018 GLE43, 2014 E550
Originally Posted by cfmistry
As a follow-up to this thread, I printed the TSB and took it to my dealer. They did the update in 1 hour and only changed me 1 hour's labor ($185). On my way home I had an abrupt 5-4 downshift just like before.
My final update, that FINALLY worked, took weeks to kick in. The abrupt 5 to 4 just disappeared one day and never came back...
My previous w211 and w212 shifted like **** as well (2-1 jerk). Too bad they can't get it right like with BMW, which are smooth as butter. I wont settle for a S shifting like the way it is now. The other day it slammed while downshifting - I won't rest until it is fixed or warranty replaces the trans. Fluid is new so no excuses there..
My car does the same thing, especially on coldstar. It got to a point that I hate driving the car because of the way it feels,. once it's changing gears from 2nd to 3rd It feels like It almost want to throw me, because it pulls so hard. This is my 1st time owning a Mercedes and so far the only thing I can say about it is, I only like how it looks, but I hate the way it drives.
UPDATE:
it has been almost 4 weeks now since I updated the software and performed the manual shift points adaptations.
So far, the car is still shifting very smooth and even better than when it had 0 miles on it.
The only exception is when car is cold, it tend to shift hard from 2-3 but then it starts shifting smooth once temperature reaches 170 or more.
I never had an update on my vehicle yet because I only had it for 5 months, but from day one I did notice the hard shifting. I've done several things to see if I can correct that issue not knowing what's going on, bur of my reading through all the stuff my car is doing the same thing everybody else cars doing, but after the temperature gets to normal level the car runs smoothly. I did have an issue with a gas leak, but I'm not too happy I have an s 600 and I wish it shift gears better it only doesn't from the 2nd to 3rd gear when the car is cold, but like I said after it reaches the normal temperature it shifts smoothly, But no vehicle should shift gears so bad because my other car do not do that and I don't know where to take it for this so called update
2014 E350 Sport (sold), 2015 S550 Sport (sold), 2018 S560 Sport (sold), 2018 GLE43, 2014 E550
Originally Posted by deruin78
My car does the same thing, especially on coldstar. It got to a point that I hate driving the car because of the way it feels,. once it's changing gears from 2nd to 3rd It feels like It almost want to throw me, because it pulls so hard. This is my 1st time owning a Mercedes and so far the only thing I can say about it is, I only like how it looks, but I hate the way it drives.
Been there. Took me almost 10 months to get it fixed but after I got that one update and drove the car for a month or so, the rough shifts were gone forever (2015 S550).
Been there. Took me almost 10 months to get it fixed but after I got that one update and drove the car for a month or so, the rough shifts were gone forever (2015 S550).
Where did you take your car to get the update? Do you take your car to a Mercedes dealership?
2014 E350 Sport (sold), 2015 S550 Sport (sold), 2018 S560 Sport (sold), 2018 GLE43, 2014 E550
Originally Posted by deruin78
Where did you take your car to get the update? Do you take your car to a Mercedes dealership?
Yes, pretty sure it has to be a benz dealer. Tell the service advisor you want the newest transmission software installed and they should be able to look it up. Somewhere on this forum or in this thread you can find the release year and month of the update, it hasn't been out for a terribly long time.
I have a 2018 s560 and the 3rd to 2nd downshift pisses off my sister when im braking and she thinks i suck at breaking. temporary fix for this before you take it in to get a manual adaptation is to manually downshift. every car has a different sweetspot for me it seems 1.7k to 2k rpms is the ticket. comfort mode waits until 1.2k to 1.5k to downshift and thats when its pretty ruff I'm young so i look at as a minigame to test my skills so when i take it into the dealer and they find the optimum i wanna see if it matches mine.
2014 E350 Sport (sold), 2015 S550 Sport (sold), 2018 S560 Sport (sold), 2018 GLE43, 2014 E550
Originally Posted by WillKite
I have a 2018 s560 and the 3rd to 2nd downshift pisses off my sister when im braking and she thinks i suck at breaking. temporary fix for this before you take it in to get a manual adaptation is to manually downshift. every car has a different sweetspot for me it seems 1.7k to 2k rpms is the ticket. comfort mode waits until 1.2k to 1.5k to downshift and thats when its pretty ruff I'm young so i look at as a minigame to test my skills so when i take it into the dealer and they find the optimum i wanna see if it matches mine.
Sweet! Getting by in the meantime. Also, to reiterate just in case, that's not normal. I'm crazy attentive to shift points and LOVE this 9G transmission. It's basically flawless IMO and I'm the guy who fought Benz for over a year to get my 2015 (last car) behaving the way I wanted it to (or the way it was designed to).
This is an old thread, but from reading prior posts, the software update from 2020 only applied to s550 with 7 speed transmission. I recently bought a 2020 s560 4M with 9 speed, and it suffers from the harsh 3-2 downshift. Is there a software update for the s560? Has anyone else had success with forced adaptation on an s560, and if so, is there a TSB or screenshot for Xentry that would apply, like what S_W222 was able to get for his s550 resolution?
This is an old thread, but from reading prior posts, the software update from 2020 only applied to s550 with 7 speed transmission. I recently bought a 2020 s560 4M with 9 speed, and it suffers from the harsh 3-2 downshift. Is there a software update for the s560? Has anyone else had success with forced adaptation on an s560, and if so, is there a TSB or screenshot for Xentry that would apply, like what S_W222 was able to get for his s550 resolution?
A few years old thread, but still going. Am glad people are still finding value out of it. As the OP, and having owned both pre-facelift and a facelift W222, yes I think that particular service bulletin posted above is only valid for the pre-facelift, but the process itself that was followed can still be done for the facelift or any other model (Force Adaptation). I never felt I really needed this done on the facelift W222 though the transmission isn't smooth but that's how it works be design, but certainly needed it for the pre-facelift as it was not a "normal" behavior. If you have a facelift with downshift issue, I'd ask for "Force Adaptation" and would still reference that service note above at least as the guide. They might have issues something formal for the facelift but it doesn't matter if the tech knows what he is doing.
A few years old thread, but still going. Am glad people are still finding value out of it. As the OP, and having owned both pre-facelift and a facelift W222, yes I think that particular service bulletin posted above is only valid for the pre-facelift, but the process itself that was followed can still be done for the facelift or any other model (Force Adaptation). I never felt I really needed this done on the facelift W222 though the transmission isn't smooth but that's how it works be design, but certainly needed it for the pre-facelift as it was not a "normal" behavior. If you have a facelift with downshift issue, I'd ask for "Force Adaptation" and would still reference that service note above at least as the guide. They might have issues something formal for the facelift but it doesn't matter if the tech knows what he is doing.
Thanks OP for commenting again, I agree, the forced adaptation is applicable to many MB models with this rough downshifting behaviour, it did wonders on my C 43 even.
Thanks OP for commenting again, I agree, the forced adaptation is applicable to many MB models with this rough downshifting behaviour, it did wonders on my C 43 even.
Resources on forums like this, and the people who take the time to post on them and maintain them, are just invaluable. I have the car in with the dealership now, and gave them the information on forced adaptation, so fingers crossed. I will update with results.
Resources on forums like this, and the people who take the time to post on them and maintain them, are just invaluable. I have the car in with the dealership now, and gave them the information on forced adaptation, so fingers crossed. I will update with results.
Sounds good : ) Best of luck hopefully it solves it for you once and for all.
Fyi my dealer has been very unwilling to do this on my 2020 S560. The shifts absolutely drive me crazy. They are saying there may be a software update in June, though I’m skeptical.
Others have posted about success doing this themselves with Xentry. I’ve tried to do it but can’t figure out how. I’ve asked others to share step by step instructions and no one has been willing thus far - though I realize it is a lot to ask. BenzNinja has offered to try figuring it out but I haven’t had a chance to connect with him yet.
Fyi my dealer has been very unwilling to do this on my 2020 S560. The shifts absolutely drive me crazy. They are saying there may be a software update in June, though I’m skeptical.
Others have posted about success doing this themselves with Xentry. I’ve tried to do it but can’t figure out how. I’ve asked others to share step by step instructions and no one has been willing thus far - though I realize it is a lot to ask. BenzNinja has offered to try figuring it out but I haven’t had a chance to connect with him yet.
good luck and keep us updated.
Yikes I am sorry about that, yes as long as you can hook your car up and have access to XENTRY, it can be done. Yes, contact Peter first.
Fyi my dealer has been very unwilling to do this on my 2020 S560. The shifts absolutely drive me crazy. They are saying there may be a software update in June, though I’m skeptical.
Others have posted about success doing this themselves with Xentry. I’ve tried to do it but can’t figure out how. I’ve asked others to share step by step instructions and no one has been willing thus far - though I realize it is a lot to ask. BenzNinja has offered to try figuring it out but I haven’t had a chance to connect with him yet.
good luck and keep us updated.
I had to change 3 dealers to get that done, and as the OP of this thread, I think somewhere in these so many pages I mentioned that. U really need to find the right dealer with the right tech welling to do the force adaptation. It is the ONLY permanent fix. The "wait for next software update" is something the other less qualified dealer used to tell me before I fixed mine. As far as Xentry and all this BS, am sad to see this claim still being made and offered as a solution, don't waste your time and money, force adoptation can only be done with the tech actively driving your car and someone noticing the shift points and adjusting them as needed. Anything else is just a software transmission points re-learn or restart which you can do yourself anyway too, but it will only fix it for a few days to maybe 1-2 weeks or couple 100 miles. It's a waste of time and what you need is the force adaptation period. I've already tried it all. For a car like S560, this must be done by a good dealer technician. This is not a service were you can flip some switches or values in Xentry from one value to another.
When I bought my facelift W222 and was waiting for it, a vendor offered me software service to open up and code it CarPlay "yet it's a factory thing" : ) ... believe it or not lol. Educate yourself, read, do your own research, and go from there. Best of luck.
Quick summary: this is the post that you need to keep an eye one, and exactly that process that your dealer should follow if they know how to do it. SA won't know, but u need to find a tech within the service dept who knows that: https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...ml#post7961182
You can also refer to our forum colleague vinflouen in this post below, who had followed these same exact steps I shard above. Find the right dealer. To do it right this requires 2 people again, one to drive and one in the passenger seat to enter values for shift points for the forced adaptation. https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...ml#post8930789
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by epnfrn
Fyi my dealer has been very unwilling to do this on my 2020 S560. The shifts absolutely drive me crazy. They are saying there may be a software update in June, though I’m skeptical.
Others have posted about success doing this themselves with Xentry. I’ve tried to do it but can’t figure out how. I’ve asked others to share step by step instructions and no one has been willing thus far - though I realize it is a lot to ask. BenzNinja has offered to try figuring it out but I haven’t had a chance to connect with him yet.
good luck and keep us updated.
Is your car still under the original factory warranty?
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