crippo2
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2014
- Messages
- 321
- Reaction score
- 85
- Location
- North Oxfordshire
- Your Mercedes
- SL350 (R230) & CLK350 (W209)
R230 SL350. Drove it home on Thursday, want to park it in the garage and after getting it properly positioned went to move the gear lever from drive to park. Because it felt a bit stiff, a bit notchy, I moved it back from Park to Drive - all seemed OK, but I had to be precise in the movements through the gate. Imagine my surprise ( no 1) when I tried moving the lever back from Drive to Park, when at the neutral point there was a loud clonk and all resistance from the gear lever disappeared.
The Gear lever idents and movements (except I did not try Park) were free and easy, so free and easy it seemed likely there was nothing connected to it - the connection between lever & gear box seemed to be no more.
Being inquisative I wanted to check if my belief was right, so removed the centre console and the Gear Selector mechanism - bingo no connection.
I do not have the space or frankly the desire to clamber under the car, so having checked it was in neutral I phoned the RAC fellers (I have home_start/home_get_you_going/whatever, for them to come and flat bed it to my local garage for them to sort.
I told the RAC the problem They wanted to send out someone to see if they could mend it because it was a 5+ hour wait for the flat bed. I repeated the problem & said there was no point is sending anything other than transport for the car to the garage.
Here is surprise number 2: Because I had had a look see as to the fault (just trying to help narrow down the issue) the RAC would not come out FOC as they had contracted to do. Oh no; I had 'interfered with the problem' and they wanted to charge me £100.
So the RAC moto seems to be If its broke don't check to see what it might be. Do not try to be helpful, just treat the car as a magic box and let them sort it out.
All a bit odd really
The Gear lever idents and movements (except I did not try Park) were free and easy, so free and easy it seemed likely there was nothing connected to it - the connection between lever & gear box seemed to be no more.
Being inquisative I wanted to check if my belief was right, so removed the centre console and the Gear Selector mechanism - bingo no connection.
I do not have the space or frankly the desire to clamber under the car, so having checked it was in neutral I phoned the RAC fellers (I have home_start/home_get_you_going/whatever, for them to come and flat bed it to my local garage for them to sort.
I told the RAC the problem They wanted to send out someone to see if they could mend it because it was a 5+ hour wait for the flat bed. I repeated the problem & said there was no point is sending anything other than transport for the car to the garage.
Here is surprise number 2: Because I had had a look see as to the fault (just trying to help narrow down the issue) the RAC would not come out FOC as they had contracted to do. Oh no; I had 'interfered with the problem' and they wanted to charge me £100.
So the RAC moto seems to be If its broke don't check to see what it might be. Do not try to be helpful, just treat the car as a magic box and let them sort it out.
All a bit odd really
