Hi
I am new to the Crossfire Forum.
I was hoping to make the Blenheim Palace meet but circumstances got in the way (see earlier post)
I purchased a 2005 Roadster Auto in October 2012 - quite a rare one I think as it has all the Startech embellishments factory fitted from new. Sapphire Silver Blue - 32000 miles
At that time everything was working as it should (except heated seats - which i gather is not unusual for a Crossfire
After purchase in October put the car in the garage while off to Florida. Just got it back on the road in mid May and all seemed fine. However I have just noticed a problem with the gear stick indicator. When first engaging 'D' the car took a few seconds to move off (engine just revved and car did not move) I then noticed that the gear selection window in the instrument cluster lagged behind. For instance - put lever to 'D' from 'N' and noticed that the window remained showing 'N' about 5 seconds before showed 'D' During this 5 secs or so the gears remained disengaged.
This also happened when changing from 'R' to 'N' - 'R' remained in window for a few seconds.
As a rule I do not use the autostick sequential gears (tiptronic?) - just happy to jog along in auto mode. However a few days ago I gave it a go and it worked fine. Today it will not function. Tap the lever from side to side - just remains in 'D'
Once on the move all is fine - and even better now we finally have some weather in the UK to go topless. Just a bit worried that something more ominous is lurking. Have only done about 200 miles since buying the car and up to now had no indications that anything was wrong. I am now a bit worried that this 5 second lag may increase - visions of slipping it into drive at a traffic light and waiting for the 'D' to show!!
I am hoping that some knowledgable Crossfire owner will be able to offer some good advice before I take it to a dealer
Any such advice would be appreciated
Thanks
Richard

 

Noticed any leaks from the transmission?
If the tranny fluid is low the changes are sluggish.

 

Thanks for getting back to me.
Can see no signs of leakage - I assume this would normally be evidenced by fluid underneath the car engine area?
Have done lots of googling and it certainly points towards low atf
Just wondering if anyone else has had exact same symptoms and diagnosis
Richard

 

I am taking the car into the local MB dealers on Wednesday for them to look at.
I have told them the symptoms and suggest that it may be low on ATF and would like that checked.
They have however said they would need to do a diagnostic check first (£75) and take it from there.
Can you tell if a gearbox is low on fluid by doing such a test - what can it show them about the state of the gearbox?
I would have thought the first thing to do was check the level before billing me for a diagnostic check. It might be just a low fluid problem - if not then certainly look into it further and then bill me!!
Richard

 

You check the level with a dip stick just like the engine. They did not come with a dipstick and the cap is locked for a one time opening which requires a new lock to be put in. The cap fits fine without the lock though.
The method to check the level is mentioned on this forum and you should do it before going to the dealer.

 

If the car has been standing and the battery voltage has dropped it can cause strange things to happen on auto's, try putting the battery on a trickle charge overnight and see if it improves.

Even a long drive will not always recover a battery fully.

 

There is a selector switch for summer mode/winter mode...make sure you have it in summer mode. It will act a little different in winter mode....

 

I tried my auto in winter and summer mode - makes no difference to the speed of engagement nor the speed of display change when using manual - virtually instantaneous - hope this is of some use as a cross check

Rob

 

Well - I took the Crossfire into the local MB dealer yesterday. They still insisted that a full diagnostic be done but I also insisted that my crossfire forum buddies had said that it was just probably low on ATF so they concurred and did a level check and fluid change with new filter,seals etc.
I was a bit worried that it was something more ominous but when i picked the car up the gear shift lag had disappeared and all was at it should be.
I did give the battery a good charge as 'pct' had suggested but this made no difference. Also I checked and confirmed that i was indeed in summer mode
Waiting now for the sun to come out in the UK - Wimbledon tennis next week so that usually guarantees unsettled weather.
Back to Florida in October for the winter - wish i could take the crossfire with me
Thanks to all those who corresponded
regards
Richard

 

Thanks for the feedback, its helpful to the forum as often people just go quiet and we never get to find out the outcome of problems.

My theory on the battery comes from owning an auto Mercedes which does strange things when the battery gets a bit low after short runs during the winter, it causes snatchy upshifts and shift lag which is well documented on the MB forum, if the battery is kept topped up with a trickle charge at weekends its as good as gold.

It sounds like the fluid change and filter clean did the trick in your case, glad you got sorted.