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I am surprised to here you are having problems with this version. The contacts are not normally an issue with these, however, there are a couple of things that can interfere with the paddle function (best to rule those out first).
You say you have factory levers ... but are they original - in other words, have they been carbon fiber coated (this often limits their travel and can make them hit and miss) ... have they been off for any reason? (if they have been off and then re-installed with a longer screw, that can also interference with the travel and ability to properly close the contacts).
a good test would be to sit in the car fully stopped in drive (sport or comfort, NOT manual mode) and repeatedly shift up and down (D,4,3,2,1,2,3, etc ... ) does one paddle miss ? do either or both miss when you press on the top tip of the paddle but work fine when you press the paddle closer to its mid-point?
a little more input might get us to a solution here ...
Cheers and stay safe,
Chris
I am surprised to here you are having problems with this version. The contacts are not normally an issue with these, however, there are a couple of things that can interfere with the paddle function (best to rule those out first).
You say you have factory levers ... but are they original - in other words, have they been carbon fiber coated (this often limits their travel and can make them hit and miss) ... have they been off for any reason? (if they have been off and then re-installed with a longer screw, that can also interference with the travel and ability to properly close the contacts).
a good test would be to sit in the car fully stopped in drive (sport or comfort, NOT manual mode) and repeatedly shift up and down (D,4,3,2,1,2,3, etc ... ) does one paddle miss ? do either or both miss when you press on the top tip of the paddle but work fine when you press the paddle closer to its mid-point?
a little more input might get us to a solution here ...
Cheers and stay safe,
Chris
Mine is a 2007, factory paddles. I'll downshift and nothing happens, keep pressing and it will shift, same on upshift, but not always.
Mine is a 2007, factory paddles. I'll downshift and nothing happens, keep pressing and it will shift, same on upshift, but not always.
did you do this test? It is a useful way to begin to isolate the issue (IOW ...is the problem in the switch or is it deeper?)
a good test would be to sit in the car fully stopped in drive (sport or comfort, NOT manual mode) and repeatedly shift up and down (D,4,3,2,1,2,3, etc ... ) does one paddle miss ? do either or both miss when you press on the top tip of the paddle but work fine when you press the paddle closer to its mid-point?
I'll try it next time I drive it, weather sucks here and I don't want to start it with out fully warming it up.
I can say that while driving pressing in the middle produces the results I stated.
DON"T drive while doing this test .... no need to warm it up ..... just start it and put it in drive (foot on brake, NOT gas)
"a good test would be to sit in the car fully stopped in drive(sport or comfort, NOT manual mode) and repeatedly shift up and down (D,4,3,2,1,2,3, etc ... ) does one paddle miss ? do either or both miss when you press on the top tip of the paddle but work fine when you press the paddle closer to its mid-point?
That's the point, you don't start a car and not drive it to warm it up. When their cold the FI goes full rich and washes down the cylinders when idling.
I'll need to wait until I can drive it and then do the test.
Hey Chris,
Just took the car for a ride, parked or driving the upshift will work from the middle all the time, downshift will work from the middle after repeated attempts.
Hey Chris,
Just took the car for a ride, parked or driving the upshift will work from the middle all the time, downshift will work from the middle after repeated attempts.
Up or down will not work from the top at all.
the fact that neither work when pushing the paddle from a higher position automatically suggests that the switches are somehow limited in travel (vs their designed travel) which can be addressed by replacement or internal shimming OR, they have dirty contacts (haven't seen this to be an issue, however).
AND the operation (or lack there of) that you are noting on the down paddle could be a more severe case of that which I mentioned above OR, you may have a compromised connection to the N135 (paddle interface mounted under air bag for 2007 and 2008 and in airbag for 2009 and on) or N80 (jacket tub module) ... either of these would be odd, but possible.
Were this a car I was working on, I would remove the air bag (using a T30 driver and safe practices ), then unplug each paddle and plug a header (.100" spacing) into the paddle and clip a DVM to it (set to ohms) and then cycle the paddle to confirm the dysfunction (and later confirm the repair) .... then repeat for other paddle. Now that you are under the airbag, removing the paddle only takes 1 screw and then they come apart by pushing out the pin (push on the small end), You will find a small PCB that may be dirty (again have not seen this) or there may be debris and ... while you are in there, you can experiment with putting a thin shim under the PCB to make the contact happen sooner in the travel of the paddle (also increasing the likelihood of getting it to work when you hit the paddle closer to the tip). In theory, a worn paddle would be more likely to have issues making contact, but this is a VERY robust design and I have never seen an AMG paddle worn to the point of being compromised ... I have seen some that were cracked (through the plastic base) that were compromised in function (so look for a crack around or emanating from the cast-in screw boss).
the fact that neither work when pushing the paddle from a higher position automatically suggests that the switches are somehow limited in travel (vs their designed travel) which can be addressed by replacement or internal shimming OR, they have dirty contacts (haven't seen this to be an issue, however).
AND the operation (or lack there of) that you are noting on the down paddle could be a more severe case of that which I mentioned above OR, you may have a compromised connection to the N135 (paddle interface mounted under air bag for 2007 and 2008 and in airbag for 2009 and on) or N80 (jacket tub module) ... either of these would be odd, but possible.
Were this a car I was working on, I would remove the air bag (using a T30 driver and safe practices ), then unplug each paddle and plug a header (.100" spacing) into the paddle and clip a DVM to it (set to ohms) and then cycle the paddle to confirm the dysfunction (and later confirm the repair) .... then repeat for other paddle. Now that you are under the airbag, removing the paddle only takes 1 screw and then they come apart by pushing out the pin (push on the small end), You will find a small PCB that may be dirty (again have not seen this) or there may be debris and ... while you are in there, you can experiment with putting a thin shim under the PCB to make the contact happen sooner in the travel of the paddle (also increasing the likelihood of getting it to work when you hit the paddle closer to the tip). In theory, a worn paddle would be more likely to have issues making contact, but this is a VERY robust design and I have never seen an AMG paddle worn to the point of being compromised ... I have seen some that were cracked (through the plastic base) that were compromised in function (so look for a crack around or emanating from the cast-in screw boss).
hope that helps.
Cheers and stay safe,
Chris
And, do NOT turn on the car if you have the air bag unplugged (as this will cause a code that requires an SDS or advanced scantool to erase). For the above mentioned test (with DVM) you do NOT need to turn the car on.
Thanks Chris, but it seems above my pay grade! I'll have a look under the airbag and see if anything stands out. Disconnecting the battery sounds like a good idea.
Thanks Chris, but it seems above my pay grade! I'll have a look under the airbag and see if anything stands out. Disconnecting the battery sounds like a good idea.
If you do remove your air bag, it would be worthwhile to at least remove the DOWN paddle and inspect the base for cracks. While finding a broken paddle is not particularly common, it does happen and more often than not it is the DOWN paddle (more often exposed to danger being on the "open door" side of the steering wheel, perhaps ...) . and yes, disconnecting the (rear) battery is a good precaution.
Hey Chris,
FYI it's a T-25 to get the airbag out.
Got it apart, but I don't have any electrical cleaner and can't get out to buy some, COVID.
Thought about a Q-Tip and alcohol, but don't want to get lint in it. WD 40 ?
Cleaned the contacts with alky, didn't look dirty, but cleaned them anyway, worked like a charm.
Only shifts from the middle, but I'm good with that.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!,
John
If I understand correctly, it is consistently shifting from the middle on the down paddle now?
glad you used alcohol ... WD-40 is not good for much and it is never good for contacts.
it is not uncommon for paddles to perform worse near the top, if you are happy with what you have now, then we can call it a success!
Being in the business of paddle shifters (I have been doing all of DCT motorsports Mercedes and Porsche paddle shift conversions for the last 10 years as well as designing and manufacturing Paddle-shift retrofit kits for various models), I have installed and fiddled with many sets of paddles (many more than 500) and have found some applications require a little more TLC than others to get them perfect. The next step for yours would be a small shim under each (up and down) contact PCB to make them more sensitive to shifts made further from the middle of the paddle ... but if you are happy then that is all that matters.
BTW, I don't recall any airbag that was not a T30, though I have seen some torx bits that were slightly over sized, AND, I do recall someone who insisted his was a T27 right up until he stripped one bolt head out (I think he ended up sawing through his airbag to get it off .... yikes!)
If I understand correctly, it is consistently shifting from the middle on the down paddle now?
glad you used alcohol ... WD-40 is not good for much and it is never good for contacts.
it is not uncommon for paddles to perform worse near the top, if you are happy with what you have now, then we can call it a success!
Being in the business of paddle shifters (I have been doing all of DCT motorsports Mercedes and Porsche paddle shift conversions for the last 10 years as well as designing and manufacturing Paddle-shift retrofit kits for various models), I have installed and fiddled with many sets of paddles (many more than 500) and have found some applications require a little more TLC than others to get them perfect. The next step for yours would be a small shim under each (up and down) contact PCB to make them more sensitive to shifts made further from the middle of the paddle ... but if you are happy then that is all that matters.
BTW, I don't recall any airbag that was not a T30, though I have seen some torx bits that were slightly over sized, AND, I do recall someone who insisted his was a T27 right up until he stripped one bolt head out (I think he ended up sawing through his airbag to get it off .... yikes!)
Cheers and stay safe,
Chris
hi Chris
great detailed info on the theme.
I have a 2005 with only 50”km and have problem with the downshift.
upshift works with the lightest touch. But the down shift has to be pushed harder and is easier from the middle and down. But sometimes it has to be pushed hard on the middle to to make a shift.
is it the same paddles as you described in this thread or is it others with other problems?
first thought was this is mostly used and maybe had more rough use over time( pushed to hard repeatedly) and I had to change it. Put they are only sold in pairs in Norway. So worth a try go thru your “manual”
if there’s any info different to the 05 model I be happy to hear from you. :-)
hi Chris
great detailed info on the theme.
I have a 2005 with only 50”km and have problem with the downshift.
upshift works with the lightest touch. But the down shift has to be pushed harder and is easier from the middle and down. But sometimes it has to be pushed hard on the middle to to make a shift.
is it the same paddles as you described in this thread or is it others with other problems?
first thought was this is mostly used and maybe had more rough use over time( pushed to hard repeatedly) and I had to change it. Put they are only sold in pairs in Norway. So worth a try go thru your “manual”
if there’s any info different to the 05 model I be happy to hear from you. :-)
well, yes 2005 model did NOT come with paddles.
so, if your 2005 has paddles they were added.
important question ... were they added to a 2005 wheel ? or was the wheel AND paddles added (that would likely be a 2007 and later wheel from an sl, cls or e class).
the reason this is important is that your issue may be how the paddle is mounted and not the actual condition of the paddle
I think this is originally mounted in this car. I was told the 2004 and down had the buttons. 2005 had this upgraded among other upgrades from the previous version.
it’s been a collector’s car and I’ve been told the car is all original and no mods except what AMG did. But I can’t be 100% sure.
I took a few pictures and maybe this will help you see :-)
after doing your test now while in drive parked. It seems like the paddle down works best in the top And worst in the bottom. The middle is mid hard and lowest end of paddle is to be pushed hard.
That is a button wheel that has been converted to paddles (see attached pic).
SL55s thru 2006 (230474 model) used buttons and an analog configuration. SL55s 2007 and later (230472 model) came with paddles and used a digital paddle configuration. (a very small number of late 2006 sl55s purportedly were the 230472 (newer / last version of SL55) and would have come with paddles. But zero 2005s were shipped with them.
Hopefully, the car was converted using one of my "mercedes paddle converter" modules (plug and play analog to digital paddle interface available from various distributors around the worls and from me directly as well) as the alternative "frankenstien'd" paddle (gutted paddle with old style switch patched in) is going to be very difficult to service.
I think we will need to see more pictures with paddle removed ...
It did look suspicious with the black flap not covered by the flap Installation and I had some idea this wasn’t original.
I’ve never seen this before I took the pictures now.....
im not sure if I’m ready to pull this apart alone...yet. since it still works fine at the top of the flap.
please give me information about where to buy your plug and play if I need to replace them. If they get worse I don’t think I will spend to much time searching for fault rather just change them.
I will check with a friend and mechanic if he can help open up. I’m not comfortable with the airbag and so on, sorry. Better to know my limits :-)
and thanks so much for your help even if it blew my idea of “all original”
that was supposed to say "remnant OF 2003-2006 style wheel that was modified to accept paddles"
also, the "-" & "+" pins (in the rim of the wheel in front of paddles) is a tip off that this was a button wheel . Your info on model year upgrades may be off by less than I suggested as European markets often are a model year ahead of the US (a 2005 model year in Europe may be the same as a US 2006 model ), but in ANY case, that is NOT an original paddle wheel.
the correct wheel for your car with paddles (2007 SL55) can be found in the used market ... look for a 2007 E350 sport wheel ... same wheel as the 2007 SL55 just a thought
03-27-2020, 06:55 PM
