I'm about to take the plunge on a 2005 C350 SE Auto Coupe (UK model) but as you all know, when buying second hand your kind of limited in the options dept, to what the original buyer selected.

Well the one i have my eye on does not have the paddle shift on the steering wheel, although it does have the 7G auto transmission, and the mode selection switch next to the shifter has only C and S on it, no M option

So my question, if armed the correct steering wheel with the paddles fitted, is it possible to retro fit the paddle shift option ? if so what's needed, except the obvious of the wheel and possibly the mode switch (i'm assuming it's actually the same switch just different markings) .... is it then a software update that's needed ?

TIA

 

hi, did you manage to retrofir paddle shift steering to your c350. If so how did you go about and if possible I also like do the retrofit as well

 

Hi, sorry for the really slow reply, this one snuck past me ...

I have not done it yet, however i will be doing.

You need to source a suitable steering wheel, and then have that fitted, and the Car's ECU reprogrammed with a STAR machine to recode it and enable the manual shift option, the little button that has "C-S" on it will work just fine, but can be swapped for one that says "C-S-M" if you wish.

For me here in the UK, COMAND Online will remove the old wheel and fit the new Steering Wheel and recode the car for about £200

Sourcing the exact one you want however can be tricky, as there are a button style and a paddle style, i am currently looking at SLK ones SLK R171 for example will fit, accept the airbag and switches i have and will accept the AMG aluminium paddles too if i want