gaazmon

So in the last 6 months I've had the following done on the front of the vehicle:

2x lower control arms
2x upper control arms
2x sway bar links
2x front struts
2x shock tower

So I still have the two following issues: 1) clunking/creaking noise over speed bumps and uneven road and 2) clunking when turning the steering wheel after halfway on each side.

So after going back to my shop, he advised me that my steering rack needs to be changed as there is a lot of play on it.

Is this something common that goes wrong? It seems very rare. I searched the forum and couldn't find much info except in the ML and GL forums. I found a bilstein part and a refurb one by maval on partsgeek. Anyone have any experience with maval?

http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/200...ring_rack.html

xsever

The clunking/creaking noise over speed bumps may be caused by the rear sway bar bushings. It's a common thing for CLKs and has a cheap fix. My car had that creaking sound and the bushings' replacement fixed that. Part #: 2033260281

As for the steering rack and clunking, I get a sound sometimes where it's a click rather than a clunk, but it's not too bad so I haven't looked into it. I'll leave this point for other users here to chime in on.

merceBENZ

https://mbworld.org/forums/clk-class...gs-w-pics.html

gaazmon

I'll have him check that out. I get a click too but that's when i'm going in reverse and uphill.

Thanks you. I'll look into this.

To clarify the steering issue: It is that when you turn the wheel you can actually feel a clunk in the steering itself and hear it. Also, for example, if going around a traffic cone, if you go to the left and then quickly try to turn the wheel back to the right, there is a resistance at some points (like a tension that builds up) before letting the steering turn all the way over to the right. I also do notice a lot of play, definitely not as smooth or linear as our 02 CL500 and 14 E350.

floridawriter

The steering racks can go bad. The weakness is the mounting points that wear. They are not replaceable and you have to buy a whole new rack which is very expensive.

gaazmon

Ya the bilstein one is like $1k so i can imagine what the mb dealer price would be for the part i was advised by my indy that the non-speed sensing steering systems have a repair kit, but the 550 all have speed sensing so it needs a complete replacement i wanted to know if anyone had any experience with the maval refurb ones on the w209s

gixxerboy

When they did the struts did they do new mounts?

gaazmon

The receipt states "shock towers", which he said was the mounts for the struts

gaazmon

On another note, I had a clanging noise that I would hear when going in reverse on an uphill or speed off quickly from a stand still (somewhat like a clicking sound). I had the rear brake pads changed and that sound went away. We'll see if it returns.