C180 W203 Gearbox problem, please help

[Ghani73]

Hi everyone, this is my first post, I wonder if you could help me please!

I have a problem with the auto gearbox of my C180 W203 2002 with 42000 miles, the problem started 2 weeks ago when I left my home in the morning & the gear shifting between 1 & 2 was very rough as if the car was hit from behind, & it has been the case since then. I took the car to an MB specialist who has changed the ATF & filter, also diagnosed a fault in the gearbox electroplate which he has changed as well, I was happy that they have found the fault.

I went to pick up my car, & the guy emphasised that the problem has gone, I paid a bill of £600+ including service A, and when I drove off, again exactly the same thing happened & nothing has changed.

Any idea of what could be causing this to happen? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[seymansey]

Bear in mind that on cold starts the gearbox will be lumpy for a few miles as the engine warms up, the gearbox is programmed to hold onto revs for a short while until the engine is up to temperature, perhaps you are confusing it with this?

[Ghani73]

Thank you Seymansey, I dont think that is the case, as the problem is there at all times, & I dont have to rev the engine to get the gear change, it happens even at low speeds.

[Will]

Silly question - but have you called back to the place that did the work?

Might be wise to read the fault codes etc.

Will

[Ghani73]

Yes I took the car back there & it was at the end of the day, so he has just put the car again on his Star machine and it was reading a fault about gearbox temperature, he wasnt sure what the problem was & asked me to bring the car back on Tuesday morning.

[Andy@pcd-ltd.com]

I have worked on many gearboxes in my life and have never come across someone saying they didnt know what the problem was and to bring it back in a few days not too sure what that will achieve lol.

Was it a genuine star machine he was using as i have used various machine in my life and the description from machine to machine can be different.

What part of london are you in

[Ghani73]

Well, thats why I thought I'd share my problem with you guys, as the mechanic wasnt really sure of what was causing the problem!

I am not sure if they are using a genuine star machine, but I suppose so.

I am in west London

[Andy@pcd-ltd.com]

Oh right west london is not far from me and i have a star machine.

So if you have no joy with the place that originally looked at it i would be more than happy to have a look at it for you

[ddentrec]

Early W203s had Valeo radiators: the radiator matrix breaks down and water enters the gearbox (since the gearbox oil cooler is inside the same engine radiator).

This results in noisy jerky shifts and always results in a wrecked gearbox. It is a well known issue and Mercedes have been aware of these defective radiators for at least 5 years now.

[Ghani73]

I took the car to the garage again yesterday, they checked the gearbox & said that it needs to be rebuilt, but when they changed the ATF & filter 10 days ago, they said that the ATF was clean and there was no burning smell or debris in it.

I would like my car to be looked at again at a different garage, can anyone recommend a good place near London to take my car to?

[Andy@pcd-ltd.com]

When they said the gearbox needs to be rebuilt what was there reason what had gone in it.

Or was it there way of saying they dont know but if we strip it and rebuild it it might fix the problem.

Was there any fault codes with it.

What part of west london are you in as im in north london and have a star machine and would be happy to look at it

[Ghani73]

Thank you willow, I dont really know the fault codes, but the problem happened suddenly & the gear shifting was very very smooth and as new before the problem occured, thats why I want to seek another opinion.

I live in Chiswick W4 & work in Perivale UB6

[Buggerlugs]

Hi Ghani,

Don't you just hate it when you get spanked!!??

From where I'm standing mate, you need to get your money back for a start, for the "repair" that is.....

Anyroad, the 1-2 shift is bridged by the F1 sprag clutch inside the K1 clutch assembly, in English that means if the sprag fails you'll have a crap 1-2 shift, just like you describe, it's a common fault and the most likely cause in your case, a competent tech can turn the job around in about 4-5 hours and the bill should'nt be more than say 500 quid tops. (Assuming a straightforward sprag replacement).

Hope this at least provides you with a bit of ammo. Good luck.

[s_k]

Dear Ghani,

I have recently develop a similar problem with my C180 W203 2003. It has done 48 000.
Harsh changing from 1 to 2.
So I was wandering what was the outcome of your problem Ghani? seem like I have exactly the same problem.

Thanks.

SK

[eugekav]

After going into limp home mode i took my MB c180 (w203) to my local mechanic who cleared the existing dtc codes turned the dashboard warning light off happy days or day as the same problem happened as as soon as i acelerated to join motorway the car locked in gear,the only way to get any gears is to turn off the car and re-start to get gears at low revs sometimes the knock down-up gear lever seems to work the gearbox .my local mechanic has a snap-on computer and has given me the DTC codes but can't find the code answers in his book the codes are as follows P200F, P2502, and P220A any help would be apreacated. Thanks in anticapition Eugekav.