2012 Mercedes CLS350 SB - stuttering/jolting at low throttle
Discussion
HI guys
Just wondered if anyone had experienced a similar issue, guess it wouldn't be particularly related to the CLS but any 350 engined car. Basically my car used to stutter/jolt occasionally particularly when cold and on a light throttle. You'd feel a jolt through the car as if the engine momentarily lost all power then found it again. This happened infrequently.
However recently its been doing it a lot more, and not necessarily when cold. Last weekend it did it a lot, almost to the point where i considered turning around and leaving the car at home, it even threw the amber warning light on the dash. Phoned Mercedes and got the car booked in, they said it would be okay to continue driving. Unfortunately by the time the dealership saw the car (today) the amber warning light has gone and it seems a bit better again although still doing it now and then. They checked it over, found a few fault codes but nothing conclusive and updated the engine/gearbox software to the latest version. They took out for a test drive and said all smooth and perfect.
However as you guess, on the way home it's started again. Trouble is it doesn't happen all the time so I'm worried this is going to be one of those ongoing back and forth to the dealer saga's costing me a fortune in diagnostic time. We had a very similar issue on my wifes 630i BMW, ended up part ex'ing it in the end as the dealer could never fix it.
Just wondered if anyone else had experienced similar problems and could shed any light on in it?
Cheers
Graham
Just wondered if anyone had experienced a similar issue, guess it wouldn't be particularly related to the CLS but any 350 engined car. Basically my car used to stutter/jolt occasionally particularly when cold and on a light throttle. You'd feel a jolt through the car as if the engine momentarily lost all power then found it again. This happened infrequently.
However recently its been doing it a lot more, and not necessarily when cold. Last weekend it did it a lot, almost to the point where i considered turning around and leaving the car at home, it even threw the amber warning light on the dash. Phoned Mercedes and got the car booked in, they said it would be okay to continue driving. Unfortunately by the time the dealership saw the car (today) the amber warning light has gone and it seems a bit better again although still doing it now and then. They checked it over, found a few fault codes but nothing conclusive and updated the engine/gearbox software to the latest version. They took out for a test drive and said all smooth and perfect.
However as you guess, on the way home it's started again. Trouble is it doesn't happen all the time so I'm worried this is going to be one of those ongoing back and forth to the dealer saga's costing me a fortune in diagnostic time. We had a very similar issue on my wifes 630i BMW, ended up part ex'ing it in the end as the dealer could never fix it.
Just wondered if anyone else had experienced similar problems and could shed any light on in it?
Cheers
Graham
We have two of those engines - E class and CLS, although both are earlier, 320, versions.
On the E an occasional judder / hiccup was the exhaust back pressure sensor - code made a clear diagnosis and it was a relatively cheap fix - the part is circa £50.
On the CLS it was something that worsened over time, sometimes putting the EML light on, sometimes not, and sometimes accompanied by the car going into limp mode and acting really sluggish. It rarely occurred from cold, and was more associated with driving off after a warm re-start and moderate acceleration. OBD reader gave various spurious codes, but STAR diagnosed failing turbo actuator - new turbo fitted at Indy completely resolved the issue.
On the E an occasional judder / hiccup was the exhaust back pressure sensor - code made a clear diagnosis and it was a relatively cheap fix - the part is circa £50.
On the CLS it was something that worsened over time, sometimes putting the EML light on, sometimes not, and sometimes accompanied by the car going into limp mode and acting really sluggish. It rarely occurred from cold, and was more associated with driving off after a warm re-start and moderate acceleration. OBD reader gave various spurious codes, but STAR diagnosed failing turbo actuator - new turbo fitted at Indy completely resolved the issue.
I've had an ongoing problem with my 2013 CLS 350CDI:
- jerky/kangaroo at about 20mph on steady throttle with revs surging up and down c. 600rpm
- some harsh gear changes
- loss of kick down via pedal but could kick down on flappies
First one above sounds a little like your problem...?
Despite being out of warranty, dealer has continued to work on car at their cost.
The car recently came back from a week and a bit of diags and work - lock up clutch has been extensively re-calibrated and, following factory determining that there was abnormal errors being recorded by the torque convertor, convertor has been replaced.
So far, with about 200 miles put on it the car has been behaving pretty well. I'm 75% confident that problem has been resolved. But it has taken a lot of time and effort to get to that point.
- jerky/kangaroo at about 20mph on steady throttle with revs surging up and down c. 600rpm
- some harsh gear changes
- loss of kick down via pedal but could kick down on flappies
First one above sounds a little like your problem...?
Despite being out of warranty, dealer has continued to work on car at their cost.
The car recently came back from a week and a bit of diags and work - lock up clutch has been extensively re-calibrated and, following factory determining that there was abnormal errors being recorded by the torque convertor, convertor has been replaced.
So far, with about 200 miles put on it the car has been behaving pretty well. I'm 75% confident that problem has been resolved. But it has taken a lot of time and effort to get to that point.
To reiterate, my (recently sold) CLS350 shooting brake exhibited the same issues, which reminded me of turbo lag on an 80s car, hesitant acceleration and then literally ballistic acceleration as you'd expect from the 350.
On one occasion I had the red warning on the speedo saying do not change gear and go to a dealer. Ignored that as my client meetings struck me as more important. On next switch on, no such warning.
For the next day it used to clunk out of park every time so I took it to the dealer under warranty and they indeed, as stated earlier, updated the gearbox software and it behaved itself until I traded it in.
I'd suggest gearbox software. There is a gearbox "driving style learning adaptive german thing" reset procedure somewhere too, might be worth a look.
Was interesting at the dealer as I had Paula in the boot - lucky the dog cage was between the rear headrests, she is a 3 year old militant Binturong and apparently was a bit "snarly"!
HTH
On one occasion I had the red warning on the speedo saying do not change gear and go to a dealer. Ignored that as my client meetings struck me as more important. On next switch on, no such warning.
For the next day it used to clunk out of park every time so I took it to the dealer under warranty and they indeed, as stated earlier, updated the gearbox software and it behaved itself until I traded it in.
I'd suggest gearbox software. There is a gearbox "driving style learning adaptive german thing" reset procedure somewhere too, might be worth a look.
Was interesting at the dealer as I had Paula in the boot - lucky the dog cage was between the rear headrests, she is a 3 year old militant Binturong and apparently was a bit "snarly"!
HTH
Thanks for the replies chaps. I didn't manage to get into the dealer on Monday so it's going back in tomorrow. Mine feels to me like it's miss-fueling or something then clears itself. Constant light throttle and it stutters or jolts then clears itself. Very odd, no issue when flooring it just seems to be when on a light throttle. Selecting Sport mode doesn't seem to make a difference.
Problem is it doesn't happen all th time so sods law says they won't experience on their test drive, although the amber warning light is still on so there must be a fault code to read. Will mention the experience above with the Torque Converter.
Shame as I really like the car otherwise, been superb and seriously considering the CLS63 SB at some point soon.
Problem is it doesn't happen all th time so sods law says they won't experience on their test drive, although the amber warning light is still on so there must be a fault code to read. Will mention the experience above with the Torque Converter.
Shame as I really like the car otherwise, been superb and seriously considering the CLS63 SB at some point soon.
Edited by ParanoidAndroid on Wednesday 17th May 16:42
Went back into the garage yesterday, suspected Air Flow meter this time which was reset initially but dealership suggested it may have to be replaced. Driving the car again today and the problem is back so it sounds like they will need to swap out the air flow meter, fingers crossed that will fix it. Due back in on Thursday and they are keeping it for a couple of days.
GuyWilliamson said:
Hello, I have the same fault as your thread, occasional ballistic judder on take off. Out of warranty, so just wanted to check the air mass sensor fixed the problem before I go to the dealership.
A while back now but yes this did fix it for me in the end but get them to check it and any error codes as it wasn’t a cheap fix. Good luck!Edited by ParanoidAndroid on Wednesday 21st August 20:51
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