My 2003 CLK 430's metal base stem on the gear shift get hot after driving for a while. Is that normal? I also notice a subtle, sweet alchol odor when the transmission does a little work when I accelerate rapidly (around 5,000 rpms) or decelerate using the tiptronic. The odor goes away during regular driving. What is the ordor and what is causing it?

 

Not sure about the ordor but I just got my CLK 2 days ago and noticed the heat after about an hour of driving. I guess this is normal. My lexus does this if I push it hard or drive for 2 hours +.