Q: My 1998 mercedes c280 will not shift out of first gear

Your car has an electronically controlled transmission, and I’m willing to bet the problem lies in the control system. Mercedes had some issues with the wiring of the early electronic transmissions, so they were performing a lot of updates when the cars came in presenting problems. If there are any warning lights on you dashboard, even if it is something that seems unrelated like an ABS warning, it could be part of the problem because all the systems are interconnected and share information with each other. There is not much that you as the owner can do without the diagnostic equipment. Those cars don’t even come with a dipstick for checking the fluid level. You have to buy a workshop dipstick if you want to check the fluid. If you contact Your Mechanic, they can send a technician to your home or office to diagnose your transmission problem and let you know what can be done about it.