I need help please. My car wont change gear again and its stuck in Gear 1 when driving. I have checked the oil level and it seems to be ok. My mechanic is out of his wits and not sure what to do, almost 4 months with him. HELP.

Wish I could help

gearbox wahala loading. have it scanned

alabiyemmy:
I need help please. My car wont change gear again and its stuck in Gear 1 when driving. I have checked the oil level and it seems to be ok. My mechanic is out of his wits and not sure what to do, almost 4 months with him. HELP.

this car is not a car you just give to any technician, you need someone verse in Benz to work on it. Well if you need help, lets have your query and then we can assist
1. What year is the CLS500
2. What was done prior to the gear issue poping up
3. Have you scanned the gear to know the error its throwing
4. Did you drain or topup the gear fluid, if yes, what fluid was used

lets start from here first

Ive seen this issue on a w211 E500. Is it hard to remove the gear from park and into drive?

nurey:


this car is not a car you just give to any technician, you need someone verse in Benz to work on it. Well if you need help, lets have your query and then we can assist
1. What year is the CLS500
2. What was done prior to the gear issue poping up
3. Have you scanned the gear to know the error its throwing
4. Did you drain or topup the gear fluid, if yes, what fluid was used

lets start from here first

It's a 2006 cls 500 which I acquired in 2009, so I am not new to it and it has been serviced by mechanics who know their worth.

Prior to the problem, the fluid drained out due to a leaking pipe and this was fixed and everything was ok and I drove it for a while. I used star gear oil from M Benz.

I don't have the obd scanner but a couple of times before parking it with the mechanic, it has been scanned and it was saying valve body, but after buying and changing the valve body, the trouble continues.

alabiyemmy:


It's a 2006 cls 500 which I acquired in 2009, so I am not new to it and it has been serviced by mechanics who know their worth.

Prior to the problem, the fluid drained out due to a leaking pipe and this was fixed and everything was ok and I drove it for a while. I used star gear oil from M Benz.

I don't have the obd scanner but a couple of times before parking it with the mechanic, it has been scanned and it was saying valve body, but after buying and changing the valve body, the trouble continues.

ok good, the expert you need on nairaland now is Kashif. He is the gear guru, i have mentioned him, i hope he will assist you in unraveling your gear mystery.

you can also contact him personally

king406:
Ive seen this issue on a w211 E500. Is it hard to remove the gear from park and into drive?

Not at all. It just wont Select gear when on the move, it just stay in gear 1.

alabiyemmy:


It's a 2006 cls 500 which I acquired in 2009, so I am not new to it and it has been serviced by mechanics who know their worth.

Prior to the problem, the fluid drained out due to a leaking pipe and this was fixed and everything was ok and I drove it for a while. I used star gear oil from M Benz.

I don't have the obd scanner but a couple of times before parking it with the mechanic, it has been scanned and it was saying valve body, but after buying and changing the valve body, the trouble continues.

NAG2! You may have a major repair on your hands. One thing with this transmission is that most times, you will need to reflash the TCM after repair/rebuild. It is possible that the oil shortage starved your clutches/brakes of cooling and application pressure, and toasted them.

Is it that upper gears are not being commanded, or you have flare when commanded? Do you remember the code(s) you had? Since a valvebody replacement did not solve the problem, you need to put your original valvebody back. The sump was updated in 2010, though I am not really sure why. ATF was also updated.

You need to know what the computer is telling the box.

bros OP, d day i experienced such transmission wahala (2006 R350 4matic), d gears wouldn't select. A kazeem dealt with me by changing d gear oil. Lo and behold, d exhaust system were pushing out smoke like a rocket on lift off.
fast forward, d gearbox was later condemned and changed by Benz place at lekki. D amount no be here with an epistles of faults stored in der system.

look for a competent person to handle it.

Kashif:


NAG2! You may have a major repair on your hands. One thing with this transmission is that most times, you will need to reflash the TCM after repair/rebuild. It is possible that the oil shortage starved your clutches/brakes of cooling and application pressure, and toasted them.

Is it that upper gears are not being commanded, or you have flare when commanded? Do you remember the code(s) you had? Since a valvebody replacement did not solve the problem, you need to put your original valvebody back. The sump was updated in 2010, though I am not really sure why. ATF was also updated.

You need to know what the computer is telling the box.

not sure until i see the mechanic next week.

My E230, 2001 model is having similar issue, though a little different.
The gear will get to 3 and at times gear 4, without getting to gear 5.
Note: At times when driving, the gear will enter neutral, I will then park, off the engine, before moving again.
For now, the car is parked, till I know that exact step to take.
I was told to change the "Gear Brainbox"
Will this solve the problem?
Do I go for computer scan before taken any step?
Experts here should help, please.

alabiyemmy:


It's a 2006 cls 500 which I acquired in 2009, so I am not new to it and it has been serviced by mechanics who know their worth.

Prior to the problem, the fluid drained out due to a leaking pipe and this was fixed and everything was ok and I drove it for a while. I used star gear oil from M Benz.

I don't have the obd scanner but a couple of times before parking it with the mechanic, it has been scanned and it was saying valve body, but after buying and changing the valve body, the trouble continues.

I don't think the codes will just say 'Valve Body'. There are many components on the valve body.

Secondly, you seem to have a 722.9 tranny and a valve body swap alone is not the repair process.

It is evident you need a new technician for your car's tranny problem.

You can visit my workshop for a proper diagnosis and repair. Location is Abule Egba, Lagos

NB: fixing a 722.9 tranny is not cheap. Diagnosis, coding, flashing, relearning etc would cost you at least 60k to 100k and this does not include cost of hardware components like the TCM,Valve Body or the complete transmission as a whole (depending on damage). Genuine Star oil costs over 4,000 per litre and you would need 8 litres average plus a new OEM filter.

am sorry @ op. You need to change your gearbox and stop wasting money around. A client of mine had same issue on brnz c240 2004 and it happened the oil leaked out basically because the connection from the radiator to the gearbox was weak. In the end we had the almighty fault error "incorrect gear ratio" though d benz terminology is different. Came up with almost all sensors and switches being bad when scanned. Immediately I told him to have the gear box changed and he did and has been using it, have your car scanned first

Denn:


I don't think the codes will just say 'Valve Body'. There are many components on the valve body.

Secondly, you seem to have a 722.9 tranny and a valve body swap alone is not the repair process.

It is evident you need a new technician for your car's tranny problem.

You can visit my workshop for a proper diagnosis and repair. Location is Abule Egba, Lagos

NB: fixing a 722.9 tranny is not cheap. Diagnosis, coding, flashing, relearning etc would cost you at least 60k to 100k and this does not include cost of hardware components like the TCM,Valve Body or the complete transmission as a whole (depending on damage). Genuine Star oil costs over 4,000 per litre and you would need 8 litres average plus a new OEM filter.

Unfortunately the car is in Abuja as I don't live in Lagos.

ican2020:
My E230, 2001 model is having similar issue, though a little different.
The gear will get to 3 and at times gear 4, without getting to gear 5.
Note: At times when driving, the gear will enter neutral, I will then park, off the engine, before moving again.
For now, the car is parked, till I know that exact step to take.
I was told to change the "Gear Brainbox"
Will this solve the problem?
Do I go for computer scan before taken any step?
Experts here should help, please.

Yes brother. An initial scan is always helpful.

mayor2013:
am sorry @ op. You need to change your gearbox and stop wasting money around. A client of mine had same issue on brnz c240 2004 and it happened the oil leaked out basically because the connection from the radiator to the gearbox was weak. In the end we had the almighty fault error "incorrect gear ratio" though d benz terminology is different. Came up with almost all sensors and switches being bad when scanned. Immediately I told him to have the gear box changed and he did and has been using it, have your car scanned first

Good talk.

mejai:
bros OP, d day i experienced such transmission wahala (2006 R350 4matic), d gears wouldn't select. A kazeem dealt with me by changing d gear oil. Lo and behold, d exhaust system were pushing out smoke like a rocket on lift off.
fast forward, d gearbox was later condemned and changed by Benz place at lekki. D amount no be here with an epistles of faults stored in der system.

look for a competent person to handle it.

Maybe take it to Mercedes Benz in Abuja?

I wish that this thread can be stickered.

It's a perfect example why a simple vehicle is what is needed by most in Nigeria.

Don't buy these high caliber vehicles because they are cheap to buy, it's the TCO that's important.

EgunMogaji:
I wish that this thread can be stickered.

It's a perfect example why a simple vehicle is what is needed by most in Nigeria.

Don't buy these high caliber vehicles because they are cheap to buy, it's the TCO that's important.

I completely dis agree with your assertion. I have used and maintained this car since 2009 without complain, I should have let it go for another model since, but for the love i have for it. It is a mechanical machine, so faults are expected. i have no regret, even if i cant fix it ever, I have used my money from it. Anybody who love them, and can afford to buy them and maintain, continue to buy them please.

alabiyemmy:


I completely dis agree with your assertion. I have used and maintained this car since 2009 without complain, I should have let it go for another model since, but for the love i have for it. It is a mechanical machine, so faults are expected. i have no regret, even if i cant fix it ever, I have used my money from it. Anybody who love them, and can afford to buy them and maintain, continue to buy them please.

It's okay to disagree but the cognitive amongst the readership will notice that I did not say no one should buy them.

With an estimated 20 or so various Mercedes that's passed through my stable I know a thing or two about the brand.

My thesis wasn't to bash the brand and I suspect that you know that.

alabiyemmy:


I completely dis agree with your assertion. I have used and maintained this car since 2009 without complain, I should have let it go for another model since, but for the love i have for it. It is a mechanical machine, so faults are expected. i have no regret, even if i cant fix it ever, I have used my money from it. Anybody who love them, and can afford to buy them and maintain, continue to buy them please.

Nice one
Your problem might not be gear,
You have to run a comprehensive scan on the car and correct all errors to conclude its the gear

it could be speed sensors
ABS issues causing the car to limp mode
fix the little things 1st before u can dabble the tranny,and if u must do tranny better do a total replacement rather than the valve body

EgunMogaji:


It's okay to disagree but the cognitive amongst the readership will notice that I did not say no one should buy them.

With an estimated 20 or so various Mercedes that's passed through my stable I know a thing or two about the brand.

My thesis wasn't to bash the brand and I suspect that you know that.

I do brother

BOUNTYDOG:


Nice one
Your problem might not be gear,
You have to run a comprehensive scan on the car and correct all errors to conclude its the gear

it could be speed sensors
ABS issues causing the car to limp mode
fix the little things 1st before u can dabble the tranny,and if u must do tranny better do a total replacement rather than the valve body

The speed sensor was also a suspect.

Just an update on the issue with my car. It happened to be an electrical issue somewhere. It's now sorted. Thanks all.

alabiyemmy:
Just an update on the issue with my car. It happened to be an electrical issue somewhere. It's now sorted. Thanks all.

.am here to pull your ear, NEVER ALLOW ANYONE MESSUP YOUR ELECTRICAL. U where saved from spending unnecessary money before getting fedup
. Never allow anyone di cut and join wire in ur car. Wishing u a jolly good driving

ironheart:
.am here to pull your ear, NEVER ALLOW ANYONE MESSUP YOUR ELECTRICAL. U where saved from spending unnecessary money before getting fedup
. Never allow anyone di cut and join wire in ur car. Wishing u a jolly good driving

ok o. i don hear.....Thanks mate.

Your problem is likely a transmission control unit problem. I am currently fixing same problem for my GLK 350. After all assessments, we thought it was the gear box, until the electrical experts looked at it and concluded its the TCU. If you are in Abuja let me know so I can refer you to the guys fixing my car.