Is the 7g gearbox really that bad?

[Ian Donkin]

Good discussion and thanks everyone; I'm encouraged by this albeit the reasoning behind my original post (the opportunity to buy an E280 with the 3.0 V6 petrol engine) could bring far greater problems than a 7g box could possibly create!

 

[Paul/]

But it's not in the existing casing.... Master E confirmed this with his tutors today. It roughly the same size becasue by using more complex gearsets it can produce more drive ratios with the same number of gear set placings.

So presumably, if MB had deemed the sprag clutches necessary, they could have included them within a new casing that would still fit the within the confines of exisiting design's tunnels.

 

[st4]

Good discussion and thanks everyone; I'm encouraged by this albeit the reasoning behind my original post (the opportunity to buy an E280 with the 3.0 V6 petrol engine) could bring far greater problems than a 7g box could possibly create!

You got to watch that engine. Search M272 timing gear issues.

 

[st4]

So presumably, if MB had deemed the sprag clutches necessary, they could have included them within a new casing that would still fit the within the confines of exisiting design's tunnels.

Maybe not.

The fact a lot suffer with harsh shifts would indicate a sprag clutch is necessary and that may well require a larger casing.

Smoother shifts and no roll back, a perfect reason to include it in the boxes specification.

 

[BenzedUP]

Got an 8G BMW for a few weeks, excellent car.

Don't see any issues with the MB 7G had it in my slk, got to say the 5G seems slightly smoother and quicker.

 

[PXW]

Maybe not.

The fact a lot suffer with harsh shifts would indicate a sprag clutch is necessary and that may well require a larger casing.

Smoother shifts and no roll back, a perfect reason to include it in the boxes specification.

Just for balance...I'm sure some 7G gearboxes will have harsh shifts though most of those seem to be cured by software updates, indicating the problem where it exists is often not mechanical....but the vast majority of people who post here about this do not experience any harshness in the 'box at all. And many users say that they find it very smooth shifting. Possibly therefore overstating it to say that of the millions produced 'a lot' suffer from harsh shifts,....?

 

[steve333]

I'll give my thoughts as have owned 2 5g 's-c180/clk320 cab & my current cls 500 7g the c180 5g box was slower than the 7g in changing up/down & was often in the wrong gear & some of the downshifts we're quite aggresive,by contrast the 5g in the clk320 was much smoother & was always in the correct gear but in all honesty my current 7g box in the cls is hands down better than both the previos 5g's-it's always in the correct gear(hardly notice changes up or down),have never had a harsh downshift (as a few others have mentioned).

 

[st4]

Got an 8G BMW for a few weeks, excellent car.

Don't see any issues with the MB 7G had it in my slk, got to say the 5G seems slightly smoother and quicker.

Not like you or I to agree.

 

[st4]

Just for balance...I'm sure some 7G gearboxes will have harsh shifts though most of those seem to be cured by software updates, indicating the problem where it exists is often not mechanical....but the vast majority of people who post here about this do not experience any harshness in the 'box at all. And many users say that they find it very smooth shifting. Possibly therefore overstating it to say that of the millions produced 'a lot' suffer from harsh shifts,....?

Perhaps I'm more discerning than others, out of 4 I drove two were ferociously snatchy. Have I and a few members got the only jerky ones? I suspect not. There will be millions of cars out there with substandard gearboxes driven by those who just accept it. I only accept better.

I therefore drive a car with the five speed transmission

 

[PXW]

Perhaps I'm more discerning than others, out of 4 I drove two were ferociously snatchy. Have I and a few members got the only jerky ones? I suspect not. There will be millions of cars out there with substandard gearboxes driven by those who just accept it. I only accept better.

I therefore drive a car with the five speed transmission

I could accept that the are some substandard ones out there and that yours was amongst them. I can't however accept that all 7G are worse gearboxes and that if people don't agree its just because they are less discerning than you!!! You and your small band of supporters on this issue are heavily outnumbered even on an MB enthusiasts website such as this....it's quite a leap to declare yourself the only enlightened ones amongst so many ;o)

 

[Paul/]

Perhaps I'm more discerning than others, out of 4 I drove two were ferociously snatchy. Have I and a few members got the only jerky ones? I suspect not. There will be millions of cars out there with substandard gearboxes driven by those who just accept it. I only accept better.

OK, I cracked first and added it up- so far it's 23 for and 4 against. I've listed names below so you can check- if any errors or omissions (I couldn't decide from some of the comments whether they were + or -) feel free to post an updated version.

+23
SPX, LudoCLS, bpsorrel, Paul/, This is Pete, V12, Mercy1, developer215, SL300-24, MD5, MOCAS, Mr E, WOODYTHEWISE, Mactech, st13phil, Ash, mct cars, Orwic, kianok, sspeed, NISFAN, BenzedUP, steve333

-4
***, D-18, BlackC55, davidjpowell


I think it unlikely that we are a wildly unrepresentative sample, and I don't see any grounds for assuming that we are any less discerning than..

 

[D-18]

In Scotland we have the option of a 'Not Proven' verdict and that's probably where I sit.

I was firmly in the 7G is better camp until a software update ruined the shift quality on mine. Up to that point I thought the 7G was an improvement over the 5G and I still believe that a well sorted 7G is better than the 5G.

 

[BigSilverEstate]

The gearbox is so bad only the most discerning can detect anything wrong with it. Lol.

To be fair I don't think that was quite ST4s point - wasn't it more that there are two sets of issues (a) designed in features which some drivers may compare unfavourably with earlier transmissions, but which are deliberate, not faults and (b) an incidence of faulty or badly manufactured units which is higher than reported because many drivers who have such units do not have anything to compare to.

Ps I think I am in the 'for' camp except for wishing it took slightly less of a heavy foot to nudge down a gear in lower speed / town driving, and for quicker response to the paddles

 

[Peter DLM]

I'm in the 'For' camp.

I've lots of experience with both and I've recently driven more than a dozen different MBs with the 7g and they've all been perfect gearbox wise.

 

[Paul/]

So I think the 2 changes make it 24:3.

But I'm not belittling ***'s or others issues- they are significant issues for them- just trying to give some perspective on the chance of someone else having probs- in which case 1 in 9 isn't great, but perhaps the odds are similar for any other complex components on any car?

 

[Mercy1]

Paul, you have been around here long enough to know that every month or so somebody asks a question about the 7g box. As sure as night follows day, Steve comes along to rubbish it . It's Ok. We understand. You can either agree with Steve or you can be wrong! .
Twenty four wrongs do not make a right!

Lol...

 

[akhan48]

I had a 7G on my C63 and it was lovely and smooth. Got it again on my E250, and once again I haven't been disappointed, very smooth and don't even notice gear changes. Very economical too in comfort / economy mode.

 

[Ian Donkin]

So I've now had the chance to test drive the 7g box for myself - 250 miles (and counting) today; the car has plenty of miles under its' belt and has had the Brabus D6 III and a towbar fitted since new so I suspect has not always had the easiest of lives...

I thought it drove really, really well - no nasty jolts back into 1st, holds the car on a steep incline without need for the brakes to be applied and changes swiftly / smoothly in both manual and auto modes.

Of course it could all go terribly wrong, but for now I'm a fan (and the rest of the car around which it is built is pretty nice too). I hope it doesn't go wrong however as the test drive was me returning home from buying the car

 

[Paul/]

Congratulations and thanks for kicking off such an interesting thread.

 

[Aterrasse]

Dido to most other members. The 7G box is great and smooth on the E w212. Much less bumpy and abrupt than the previous 5G box which was fitted on my ML 320.

Alex