There always seems to be debate over the topic of which gear these diesels start in. My 300D starts in 1st gear 90 percent of the time, and the 10 percent when it starts in 2nd, it downshifts immediately to 1st when I give it a little throttle. I once had a 240D that started in 2nd (as if 1st would have yielded too much acceleration...hah!), but if I put it into L, then into D at a stop, it would start from 1st.

...so the debate continues.

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Matt
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1995 E300 Diesel (Die Blau Frau)