I have a 1998 SLK230 with 80k mi. 3 weeks ago I'm parked on a 10 degree incline, nose up, over night. I go to drive off in the morning and cannot get out of first gear. I stop the car a mile away and move the shifter from drive back to park, then back to drive. When I shift back into drive there's a slight thud as the gear engages. I repeat the process 3-4 times, still getting the thud, when suddenly there's a smooth shift and off I go, however, the "check engine" light is on and stays on for a couple hours before disappearing. Since then I've parked at my usual spot and all seems fine.... until.... I park on the same incline location as before and the problem raises it's ugly head again. This time I don't drive off as far and was able to get the car back to normal shifting after a few attempts at moving the shifter back and forth. I'm not familiar with the "limp mode", but this seems hardly the issue given the abnormal jolt, albeit slight, that I've experienced. Perhaps I'm wrong. Can anyone point me in the right direction?