First, hard shifts will give you less wear on the clutches, by and large, but more wear on pinion gears, diff mounts, spider carriers, etc. To say nothing of being annoying.

Second, even on the diesel, a leak in the ACC vac system will give harder shifts from low engine vac. Worse on the diesel.

The vac supply on the diesel is split -- main hose goes only to the brake booster, everything else is run off a small line with a restrictor in it. Anything that reduces vac in that subsystem will cause hard shifts.

Finally, check ALL the rubber vacuum line parts, they are likely dead. Replace anthying suspect, and verify that ALL the subsystems excpet tranny control valves on the diesel hold vac. Fix anything that leaks.

"Normal" MB tranny shifts are firm by US standards (the W108/109 and possibly the W116 three speeds are an exception -- can't usually tell when they shift at light throttle). Bangs are not.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!