My 1997 C180 was off road for 2 months and when I put it back on road it had a problem. When I start it the ABS light stays on and when I select drive it jerks hard into gear - not the smooth gear select I got previously. The car drives but only in the 1 gear and the ABS light stays on. If I drive in 1 gear until the engine is up to normal temp (and not before) and then stop the car, turn the engine off and restart the ABS light is still on but when I select drive it selects gear smoothly and drives away, the ABS light goes out after a few seconds and the gears change normally. I can stop and start or drive for ever and all remain OK if the temp is at normal. If I stop and let the car stand and go below normal temp then the problem comes back but always goes away if turned off and on after reaching normal temp.
Could it be anything to do with the gear box fluid (can't check it as can only be done by merc dealer) or is it more an ABS problem or an electrical problem. There are no strange noises from the gears so I hope it's not a gear box problem. What do you guys think? Thanks.