vishanthram

Hey guys,
I am a new member of the site. I bought a second hand 1999 Mercedes E430 and i am not sure if it is a sport or classic. I only had it for about seven to eight months and i noticed a problem that just starting to happen. I can feel a very strong vibration when i am driving at 55 MPH and i could feel that vibration till i hit 70 MPH and then.. boom.... its gone. After 70 MPH my car feels smooth. I don't know what the problem is and what is causing that problem. I need help and i am very worried about my car. Thanks in advance.

Hirnbeiss

Wheels / tires out of balance. Get checked for sloppy ball joints and control arm bushings while there.

vishanthram

Hey thanks Hirnbeiss, how much do think it is going to cost me for replacing a ball joint and I forgot to also mention that the steering wheel also vibrates/shakes when in that 55 to 70 mph zone. Thanks again and I will take care of it soon

Hirnbeiss

The parts themselves are about $35 per side (don't get URO!) and the shop standard is an hour per side, which is more than sufficient. Depending on shop rates and markups, around $200.
The vibration is worse at that speed because it is in the car's natural frequency, and the steering wheel vibrates because it is connected via the steering to the tires.
How many miles on your car?

vishanthram

It is about 127000 miles and I just did a tune up.

vishanthram

I had to do an engine tune up because the before owner did not take of the car that well. Oil was leaking from one of the head gasket on the right side of the engine and had to be cleaned and replaced and a catalitic converter had to be replaced too. So i just spent about $2000 on my car and that wiped me out. So i am worried about this problem getting worse and costing me more than it should. So can i wait for a little bit or should i take care of it right away adn just for your info, i drive to college everyday in that speed zone. I took it to my mechanic and they said that it could be a motor mount problem and gave me a estimate of $700 to replace it, so could that be the problem? Thanks Hirnbeiss again for your help!!!

siopaolover

the motor mounts cause vibration at idle, so that's not the problem. and your mechanic would be overcharging you for the job. i purchased motor mounts online for around $130 for both sides and the dealership charged me around $300 for the job.

vishanthram

wow I thought I could trust those guys!!!! Those mechanic are a cheat!!!! $430 for the whole thing to be done!!! That is awesome. So if I want the ball joints to be replaced, do you recommend me to buy the parts and then take it to the mechanic? If so which ball joint do think I should buy. And I also asked them about a wheel balancing and alinment and they gave an estimate of $110 and they also said that the price could go up if they had to buy some other equipment (they gave a name for it and I forgot what it is) but thanks siopaolover for your help!!!!

Hirnbeiss

I would take it to Theo's and just have them balance the wheels and inspect the steering and suspension parts. Leave the alignment until after any parts have been replaced. Based on what they see, you can tell whether it's OK to delay the repair awhile and handle your commute to Ga. Tech.
By the time I had your mileage, I needed to replace the tie-rod ends, ball joints and front wheel bearings, all of which are not bad DIY jobs.

vishanthram

Thanks again man!!! You have no idea how much trouble you saved me!!! If you places in peachtree city then research about Allspeed, which is the mechanic shop I took my car too. They were the one who charged me $2000 for an engine tune up and a catlitic converter and an oxygen sensor replacement. My windshield wiper fluid dispenser also busted and the Allspeed guys said about $175 to replace it and I am waiting on that too. So that's a wheel balancing, ball joint replacements, steering wheel checking, wheel alignment and the windshield wiper fluid dispenser replacement I have to do to my car. Could you please tell me which ones are DIY and whic ones I have to take it to a shop, please. Thanks Hirnbeiss again for your great help.

Hirnbeiss

Here's a good source of DIY info so you can see what is in your range.
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...s-exhaust.html

The parts on the wiper are the reservoir and the http://www.autohausaz.com/search/pro...0Washer%20Pump . The shop price is not extreme, but obviously you can save something if you DIY.

vishanthram

Hey Hirnbeiss, I just did a wheel balance and an alignment for free!! Apparently I did a balance and an alignment a month ago with tires plus near my house and so they said that they would do it for free and so when I test drove it afterwards I still felt the vibration and so I finalized that the problem is from the ball joints and so I am going to take care of it with in a month and then I will post the result in this thread and thanks for all your help man and I have a question which ball joint would you recommend me to buy? Like which brand?? Please help me with the product brands! I researched about the ball joint nd there are like literally million ball joint manufacturing company that will work with my Benz and so I need a trusted brand name to buy and I think will change the ball joint by myself and so I also want to know if need any special tools or not? Thanks again.

ohlord

a different shop. Any shop that claimed to do an alignment on a car with worn ball joints leading to such a tremendous vibration at the speed range you mentioned and did not discover such a wear issue is a joke of a shop.
Have you examined the front tire wear? Get down there and look at the inner tire tread wear,are the tires worn and cupped on the inner edges? Do you notice the vibration more when driving in the rain.
Who inspected the car and determined it was the ball joints?
If it is order them from www.autohausaz.com oem brand.
$2000 for a tune up and new cat? You are getting soaked on car repairs and either need to find better shops,learn to diy,or get out of that car into something you can afford.

Hirnbeiss

Remember that it's impossible to diagnose accurately from afar. Most vibrations come from out of balance wheels or bad tires (which usually also make a rhythmic thumping or other road noise too). If you cam exclude those, then you have to look at suspennsion, steering and other components. Is it the ball joint or the tie rod end or something completely different? I don't know, and only actually checking them will tell. One thing though, by your car's mileage the things I have mentioned should have been renewed, so unless they have been done in the past, they will generally be due and last you another 120k miles or 10 years.
If the vibration gets really nasty, don't wait to have it looked at.

vishanthram

Thanks ohlord for putting a perspective view on my car. I was really confused about how to deal with the problems in my car and thanks for the website and i am learning how to do DIY more, since all the work shops near my house are very costly (except theo's). Like i said in my before post, i did a balance and an alingment for free and i came to school in my car and noticed a termendous difference with my car. I was actually flying at 75 MPH and didnt even feel like i was going at that speed. I took it to a test drive right after they did the fixing but this morning i drove it like i drive everyday and i did not feel that much vibration in my car. I did feel a little vibration though and that vibration is because of my worn out tires. They inspected my tires and said that all are wearing out evenly but one at the back which is worn unevenly. They said that it has high and low spots. They also said that i have to change all of my tires within couple of months, which i am going to do in a couple of months. But i am also going to change my ball joints myself because like Hirnbeiss said it had to be replaced but i wasnt replaced and so i am takign care of them now rather than leavign it until they bring up a problem again. Allspeed is the Mercedes authouriced mechanic shop in my area and they gave me a estimate of $600 to change the ball joints and the arm control. I know that is very pricey and so i am going to change them on my own, i am going to take it to Theo's, like Hirnbeiss told me to, and ask them for an estimate for changing ball joints and arm control and see their price. Thanks for all your help guys and i am very happy that i found and took to be a part of this very helpful website.