A140 automatic - showing F on dashboard

[sap2012]

Hey guys,
I am new to this forum and was wondering if any one of you might have come across the following problem?
Got a 10yr old 70k miles A140 - automatic where the dashboard displays F intermittently. When i start the car, it shows the correct gear (D/N/R) but after sometime (between 1min - 10 mins) the car jerks and the F sign displays - and change of the gears prompts the car to jerk everytime. Is this something which I can ignore or need to get fixed immediately? Also, is there any good garage which any of you can recommend near the Hounslow area.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Howard]

Hi there,

Have a read of this :-

Bert Rowe's-Mercedes-Benz 'A'-class info. Changing full Automatic Gearbox fluid on Mercedes- Benz 'A' Class ACS transmission

It appears that the PCB in the gear selector module is poorly made , but the good news is that Automotive ECU suppliers can do the work for about £150.

They fixed the ECU/MAS on our little A190 so i can vouch for the quality of the work.

 

[sap2012]

Thanks for the link and information Howard.
Stupid question - but did you fix the new [FONT=Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, Sans-serif][SIZE=-1]ECU part to the car yourself?[/SIZE][/FONT] Was it an easy job to do?
Regards,
Sap

 

[Howard]

Yes , it's fairly easy to remove the MAS/ECU , as long as you are careful and methodical.

The gear selector module ( which you will have to remove ) i have no idea i'm afraid.

Good luck.

 

[sap2012]

Thanks Howard

 

[TheJoker]

Another dreaded A-Class auto box problem. Have a read on Lofty's site, send the board off to be repaired and see if it fixes it. If you can afford it, do the ECU at the same time (or simply wait until it might need doing).
If you can't remove them yourself, print out the page(s) from Lofty's site and take them to a friendly and understanding garage that can do more than just swap parts out. They should be able to help you out and keep the costs down.
In general it's good to read up on the problems that have surfaced, Lofty's site covers a lot, and having the knowledge means a happier A-class life.
Also, I would recommend supporting Lofty - I have just purchased the CD and the ignition cover removal tool.

Finally, please let us know how your problem was fixed so that the information is logged for any other owners and their potential problems.

Hope you get it fixed without too much problems!