2010 E350 Avantgarde automatic

[oliveau]

I'm finding that sometimes as I pull away from a stop that the gearbox is locked, displaying D1. Once or twice it's locked in other gears. Just flicking the switch down to D reverts to normal auto setting.
I've looked in the handbook and there doesn't seem to be a way of setting and holding a specific gear.

Advice please?

 

[V6Matty]

Do you have paddles on the steering wheel? If so just hold the up shift and it will go back to D

 

[Droverunner]

We have found now and again with our CLK which has paddles you pull away and it stays in 1st making you think the gearbox has faulted but it's always been we've knocked the paddle to hold 1st when operating another stalk or twirling the steering wheel.

 

[oliveau]

Thanks chaps. Yes. it looks as though i might just be catching the paddle.

 

[LostKiwi]

The paddles set the maximum gear available. I.e if it shows 1 only 1st is available, 2 means 1st and 2nd, 3 means 3rd, 2nd, 1st etc.
Pulling the left paddle will drop to the gear lower than the current one, pulling and holding the left paddle will drop to the lowest permissable gear for the current roadspeed. Pulling the right paddle when not in D increments the available gear but does not force the gearbox to use it. Pulling and holding the paddle resets the gear selection to D. If you pull the right paddle whilst in D it will request an upshift but this may or may not be acted on depending on road speed and mode selection (S or E).
Note this is how my R class with 7G+ gearbox works but may not be the same for other vehicles.

 

[Droverunner]

Personally I dislike the paddles. If... and it's a big if... I wanted manual gear selection it seems so much more natural to touch the gear selector sideways to do the same thing. Our paddles have only ever caused accidental lower gear selection and never been any benefit.

 

[EmilysDad]

The paddles set the maximum gear available. I.e if it shows 1 only 1st is available, 2 means 1st and 2nd, 3 means 3rd, 2nd, 1st etc.
Pulling the left paddle will drop to the gear lower than the current one, pulling and holding the left paddle will drop to the lowest permissable gear for the current roadspeed. Pulling the right paddle when not in D increments the available gear but does not force the gearbox to use it. Pulling and holding the paddle resets the gear selection to D. If you pull the right paddle whilst in D it will request an upshift but this may or may not be acted on depending on road speed and mode selection (S or E).
Note this is how my R class with 7G+ gearbox works but may not be the same for other vehicles.

My paddles don't do that. My R Class didn't have paddles but had two switches at the back of the wheel that did as you describe. My ML & Smarts all have paddles that go up or down the 'box, holding the up paddle on both 451 Smart & ML will put the box back into AUTO .... the 452 Smart requires the button the gear selector to be pressed.

 

[V6Matty]

Personally I dislike the paddles. If... and it's a big if... I wanted manual gear selection it seems so much more natural to touch the gear selector sideways to do the same thing. Our paddles have only ever caused accidental lower gear selection and never been any benefit.

The 212 doesn’t have a gearstick to knock left or right so it paddles or right foot