91 300E, 126,000 miles. I believe my trans starts out in 2nd gear (correct me if I'm wrong). Anyways, if it starts in 2nd gear, then when the trans shifts from 3rd to 4th (the 2nd shift) I think it may be slightly "sloppy." Now when I say sloppy, I mean it doesn't shift as crisply or firmly as the shift from 2nd to 3rd. 2nd to 3rd is very tight and sometimes even seems to slam (although I have learned from all my other previous Mercedes that this is a fairly common trait). But the shift from 3rd to 4th isn't as quick, in fact it seems to last a split second longer, perhaps more closely resembling the shift quality of an American car. It sort of feels like you're driving a manual transmission and letting the clutch out a little more slowly than usual. There's a definite beginning and end to the shift process, but it just seems to last slightly longer than I'm used to, almost as if it's "hanging" for just a moment before actually shifting. And under load (i.e. spirited acceleration) the hanging seems more pronounced. But if you drive the car moderately (i.e. normal acceleration and not like you stole it) you almost don't notice it.

I have owned the car since beginning of August and have put 8,000 miles on it without any problems. Either the slow shifting just started recently, or I never noticed it before. I have checked the fluid twice since I bought it, most recently about a month ago. The fluid looked almost new and was at the proper level. Should I change the fluid and filter just to be safe? Should I run a trans flush first? If so, can anyone recommend a specific product?

Is this normal? Am I just paranoid?

Thanks in advance everyone!

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