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Took delivery of a LS460 3 months ago. Everything about the car is great apart from one thing "the gearbox". Now I have previously owned a 400 and a couple of 430's and on all of these the gear change was imperceptible. On the 460 the changes are quite noticeable and the box always seems to be hunting for the right gear.

Have taken this up with the garage where I bought it but they just say that it is a learning gearbox and will take time to learn my driving style!

The problem is most noticeable when driving slowly and spoils an otherwise smooth drive.

As this box was heralded as the first auto eight speed is it a case of too many gears spoiling the car

If anyone else experienced this I would like to hear.

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Haven't driven an LS460 but have heard that same thing said a few times before, Top Gear said the same thing about the IS-F as well (which shares a similar gearbox)

It could be argued that it is too many gears so it doesn't know which one to use, but the merc 7 speed box doesn't have the same problems. In my opinion, it must be more of an electronics issue rather than the number of cogs in the box, and one they should update very soon.

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My LS430 has a 6 speed gearbox and I sometimes think that it has too many to know what to do with. I have driven a couple of LS460's and must admit that the gearbox in my opinion is the weakest bit. I found that using the manuall function was a bit daft trying to pull the leaver back three or four times to get the right gear. Putting it in sports and using the kickdown left a long delay before it surged forward. I think it would do better to have new software but the problems you are reporting are the same as I have felt in the one's I have driven.

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My LS430 has a 6 speed gearbox and I sometimes think that it has too many to know what to do with. I have driven a couple of LS460's and must admit that the gearbox in my opinion is the weakest bit. I found that using the manuall function was a bit daft trying to pull the leaver back three or four times to get the right gear. Putting it in sports and using the kickdown left a long delay before it surged forward. I think it would do better to have new software but the problems you are reporting are the same as I have felt in the one's I have driven.

I probably agree with the above - I have the 'old' LS430 (notsure how many gears) and that seems to hunt a fair bit when pottering - I have found mine is much smoother in 'performance' mode. It holds the gears longer and doesn't seem to want to downshift the moment the revs go above 1500. Its a much more manual in feel.

Having said that, it probably ruins your urban economy.

this is my first ever auto so I don't relly have any extensive experience of others, I've driven a couple of cars from work and once had the joy of the E63 AMG one afternoon. My overriding feeling is just the age it takes to kick down and respond unlike a manual - but I'm getting used to that.

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Interesting that you guys are saying the LS430 has the same problem, it's clearly electronics then rather than the number of gears, it clearly doesn't have a very intelligent program regarding which gear it should be using when - the 7 speed merc box has got this nailed as you barely ever feel a gearchange. It has it's own problem though and that is that it downshifts to 1st before you stop which I find seriously irritating and makes braking smoothly a very difficult task!

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Interesting that you guys are saying the LS430 has the same problem, it's clearly electronics then rather than the number of gears, it clearly doesn't have a very intelligent program regarding which gear it should be using when - the 7 speed merc box has got this nailed as you barely ever feel a gearchange. It has it's own problem though and that is that it downshifts to 1st before you stop which I find seriously irritating and makes braking smoothly a very difficult task!

I think its just part of the maximising economy and lowering emmissions - the standard setup just wants the highest gear possible and when you are pottering, staying in one gear is more desirable, in economy mode the.............. pootle = upshift - apply bit of gas downshift - pootle upshift again etc etc.

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The first series LS430 has a five speed auto and the second series has a six speed. I think it has alot to do with all this auto adaptive rubbish where it thinks it knows better than you do. If I'm pottering round I will leave it to it's own devices as my engine rarely goes above 2,000 rpm but if you really want to get a move on, forget sports, just plonk it in manuall mode and give it the berries in second right to the red line. Ruins your fuel econemy and keeps Tony at WIM in business as the rear Michelin's take a pasting but that big old tank can shift it with the best of them.

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Took delivery of a LS460 3 months ago. Everything about the car is great apart from one thing "the gearbox". Now I have previously owned a 400 and a couple of 430's and on all of these the gear change was imperceptible. On the 460 the changes are quite noticeable and the box always seems to be hunting for the right gear.

Have taken this up with the garage where I bought it but they just say that it is a learning gearbox and will take time to learn my driving style!

The problem is most noticeable when driving slowly and spoils an otherwise smooth drive.

As this box was heralded as the first auto eight speed is it a case of too many gears spoiling the car

If anyone else experienced this I would like to hear.

Hi WESTIE, what model year is your LS460? Does it happen mostly after being stopped in the Drive position for a few seconds? If so, take a look at the following service bulletin. http://ulozto.net/1954694/tc009-07.pdf ==> FREE DOWNLOAD

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I have driven my Dad's LS460 a lot and have never noticed this issue.

In-fact I would say that the gear changes are totally unnoticable and seemless.

It takes off like a fighter-jet when I put my foot down.

Maybe your thinking about it too much.

Just drive it and forget about what's going on in the computer...

It is a learning gear-box, so if you're always changing how your driving as you think it's not selecting the right gear, then it will always learn that you want it to be in a different gear...

Drive it, it will get it right then.

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