E200CDI Auto - gearchange at 30mph. Is this right?!!

[jumpinjohnson]

Hi everyone, hopefully someone can tell me that this is just a foible of this car/gearbox combination but I just need to make sure.

I've recently bought a 3 year old E200CDI Bluefficiency with the 5 speed auto box. Overall I'm very happy with the car (apart from it being a little under powered!) but there's one bl**dy annoying thing that is really, really irritating me. I can't imagine that any decent motor manufacturer would design a gearbox like this so thought I'd ask if anyone else has come across this problem!

There seems to be a gear change at almost bang on 30mph. The throttle's relatively sensitive so ease it up accidentally to 31 and it can change down causing a sudden rise in revs and the accompanying light jerk that always comes with a gear change. But move your foot a micron and it changes it up again, then down, then up... it provides this annoying jerking sensation. Just travelling down a level road packed full of speed cameras can become really annoying.

I can't imagine Mercedes designed a gearbox for UK use that changes at 30mph. Surely 25mph or 35 mph would be much better. But not bang on the speed limit. It actively discourages you from driving at 30mph. The 'box changes smoothly and, whilst it's a little clunky and unintelligent compared to the more modern 7 speed autos, it seems fine in every other way.

The car's done an absolutely verifiable 17,000 miles in just three years so I can't see it can be a gearbox problem... surely?

Can anyone advise?

 

[panason1c]

You could try this previously posted procedure outlined below which is supposed to reset the gearbox ecu, there are differing opinions as to whether it makes any difference or not, but costs nothing to try in my opinion...........


" 1. Get in your car, it doesn't matter if you close the door or not.

2. Turn the key to the on (not start) position, the position just before the starter turns over.

3. Press the accelerator pedal to the floor with the key in the "on" position.

4. Hold the pedal to the floor for five seconds, then turn the key back to the "off" position (don't remove the key), then release the pedal.

5. Wait 2 mins for a full alignment.

6. Drive the car as you always do.

Depending on your driving style, this may or may not be a big factor. I do a lot of city driving so I noticed a big change after erasing my history. It is not hard to do this, just follow the instructions - Key on, pedal down 5 secs, key off, pedal up, wait 2 mins. Keep the key in for the entire thing. Seems to work on mine. "

 

[jumpinjohnson]

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

So, just to get my head around it, is it possible that the gearbox/gearbox ECU has learnt how the previous owner drove and adjusted to suit? i.e. it doesn't just shift the same way for everyone regardless?

It just seems absolutely nuts that there'd be a change at 30mph given that it's the UK speed limit for the majority of roads. I'm being very, very gentle with the throttle but to no avail.

Cheers!

 

[geraldrobins]

Have you tried using cruise control set at 30

 

[jumpinjohnson]

Hi, yes I have. There's a long, perfectly straight road near my house with a few very gentle undulations on it. I set cruise at 30 mph and, whilst it maintains speed pretty much perfectly, the ever so slight inclines (and I mean TINY) cause it to change down as the road slopes up slightly and change up as it hits the level again.

 

[jumpinjohnson]

I realise that's part and parcel of combining an auto box with cruise control 0 I get that. But it's the fact that it's doing this bang on the UK speed limit both in and out of cruise control. I just can't imagine that a firm with the research and development of Merc would sell a car with that trait knowing full well what the UK speed limit is. The UK is a big market for them.

 

[geraldrobins]

Sorry but I don't quite see the problem. Have you tried changing down manually as it should then hold that gear unless it detects over revving. I don't get this problem or haven't noticed it.

 

[jumpinjohnson]

The problem is that when I'm trying to maintain a speed of 30mph with my foot on the accelerator (being very careful/steady on the throttle) the car wants to be in one gear, then another, then back down again, then up again etc. Just the tiniest (and I mean slow small I can barely feel it) movement of my foot or incline in the road and it's changing gear.

It's impossible to keep your foot that steady constantly. I've been driving autos for years, 4, 5 and 7 speed and I've never come across anything like this. The gear change seems to be set at almost bang on 30/31mph. Just the tiniest, imperceptible movement in my foot and the thing is changing gear.

The problem is that, compared to other cars I've had recently (e.g. Audi 7-speed auto), this merc box isn't the smoothest in the world - you can definitely feel the changes. So this constant up/down/up/down creates an annoying jerky motion that just feels unnatural and wrong. I can't see how this can be something Merc engineers thought through when considering releasing this engine/car/gearbox combination in the UK and thought "yeah, you know what? This will work"... our speed limit around town is 30mph and this annoying trait makes the car very irritating to drive at that speed. It encourages you to do 35mph or 25mph instead.

In answer to your question, yes, I've tried changing down manually and it holds it there. It's absolutely fine like that but that's not reasonable to expect to have to do that every time you want to do 30mph.

 

[geraldrobins]

I shall monitor this phenomenon when Im driving at 30 mph or at a speed that's at a pinch point. Mines a 7 speed so gearing may be different.
I have noticed though that driving my wife's manual c max and my previous manual Passat that although they could be driven at 30 mph in 4th they didn't always like it and I often chose to change down to avoid labouring.

 

[jumpinjohnson]

Yeah, ironically (if this turns out to be a problem, that is!) I chose NOT to go for the 7-speed automatic due to being warned off it for reliability reasons. I was told to go for the 5 speed as it's an older, tried and tested design that's much more solid/reliable. We shall see!

If it were a manual there wouldn't be a problem as I'd simply not change gear... I do wonder whether speed limits on the continent are subtly different, sufficiently so that they don't pootle around at 30mph and so don't have the same problem?

 

[artyman]

I have a C200cdi with a 5 speed and can't say that I've noticed the problem, I know it's usually in 3rd at 30mph. I usually put the limiter on set to 30mph when in town then if you press a little to heavy on the go pedal it will still stay at 30mph. Have you tried that?

 

[jumpinjohnson]

I've not tried that to be honest but I still want the ability to put my foot down if necessary... plus I don't want to be using cruise control ideally around town. It's pretty busy around here and cruise isn't really suited to busy town driving in my experience... unless there's a speed camera

I'm wondering whether, say I've got the same engine and gearbox as you do in your C-Class (which is lighter), putting that combination in a much heavier E-Class might just necessitate it staying in 2nd for longer. That would then make the gear change between 2nd and 3rd a little later on. This could just be a foible of this particular engine/gearbox/model - a product of putting a relatively detuned engine in a big heavy body with an auto gearbox. Not an ideal combination I know!

 

[BlackC55]

Can I suggest getting it re-mapped? This may change the need for changing down a gear if it has a bit more poke.

 

[IanMSpencer]

I've not tried that to be honest but I still want the ability to put my foot down if necessary... plus I don't want to be using cruise control ideally around town. It's pretty busy around here and cruise isn't really suited to busy town driving in my experience... unless there's a speed camera

I'm wondering whether, say I've got the same engine and gearbox as you do in your C-Class (which is lighter), putting that combination in a much heavier E-Class might just necessitate it staying in 2nd for longer. That would then make the gear change between 2nd and 3rd a little later on. This could just be a foible of this particular engine/gearbox/model - a product of putting a relatively detuned engine in a big heavy body with an auto gearbox. Not an ideal combination I know!

The speed limiter is just what you need and is accessed by pressing the button on the end of the cruise control, lighting the orange light. It can be set in 5mph increments (and single mph) and allows you to follow the traffic speed but not exceed the speed limit, kickdown overrides it - ideal for town driving.

 

[jumpinjohnson]

Thanks for the clarification on the limiter... really appreciate it. It definitely sounds like a great tool and one that I'll be using quite a lot I reckon. Going from the Audi cruise control system (very simple) to the Merc's multi-function stalk that also includes the limiter is taking a bit of getting used to. Still, it seems like it's a lot more competent.

In terms of a remap I have actually considered this. I've already spoken to a form a mate of mine's recommended in Northampton. He's had a number of mercs done there in the past with great results and no issues with longevity etc. With the car only have 17k miles on it now I can't see a responsible remap (i.e. about 30bhp increase) being an issue at all.

I think I'm going to do the remap but leave it a few months so that I really notice and appreciate the difference ;-)

I've just take it down to my local garage - an independent but really good, knowledgeable bunch of guys. They do a lot of Mercs but have never worked on a E200CDI (most are E220CDI+) with that box. They drove it and agreed that it was annoying at times but said they don't think there's an actual fault. They just think it's overly sensitive - not particularly well thought out by Merc for the UK market.

Then I took it to the local main dealer around the corner and they obviously denied there was an issue. They wouldn't test drive it as all work has to be booked in and charged for. They deny there's a known fault though - but then they would do wouldn't they!

Overall, if it's just something I've got to get used to then so be it. Maybe the mild remap will sort it out.