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I'll need to do the engine mounts after winter; remarkably they're holding up well for 12 years, no issues. Yet...
My engine mounts looked new when I removed them ... however they had "settled" about 3/8", which was effectively bottomed out, and the vibration passed through to the frame of the car. Replacing them removed that vibration and noise.
My engine mounts looked new when I removed them ... however they had "settled" about 3/8", which was effectively bottomed out, and the vibration passed through to the frame of the car. Replacing them removed that vibration and noise.
Good to know, thanks for the heads-up! Haha, it's quite the task getting to all these rubber bushings/mounts on our W203's. I'll keep you posted if and when I replace the mounts
My 2007 C230 Sport w/86,000 miles has developed a ka-thunk kind of noise when going over even slight road imperfections (such as transitions between concrete and asphalt). Sounds as though the spare tire is loose and bouncing up and down in the spare well (not the case).
A friend who's owned about 20 Benz's over the years thinks it's probably the rear shocks.
Any thoughts/opinions? If I do replace the rear shocks, I'm inclined to go with upgraded Bilstein's, unless someone has a better recommendation?
Thank you in advance for any input!
86k doesn't sound like many miles, I have 130k and haven't replaced them yet. I would lift up the rear and visually check the shock bushings to make sure. Also do a bounce test, if it bounces more than 2-3 times it's bad. It's not hard to check if they're good or not so I wouldn't guess as if it's not, although you have new shocks you haven't solved the problem....
Your car is a bit younger than mine when I replaced the shocks, but mine probably needed replacement about the same time and mileage you are now noticing.
I replaced the stock units with Bilstein TC ... love them. Noticeably firmer than stock but not "hard". It will be hard to change to Bilstein in the back while leaving stock in the front though ... the car may feel a bit odd. So I f you are going to do two I would recommendall four.
I have a 10-year long problem with rear noises on my W202 from 1996.
These are really strong clunks only when the car is driving and only when the surface is not regular. It doesn't happen for instance on a regular bump on an elevated sidewalk.
However you shake the car when parked (and I mean shaking it for real with machines) no clunk is produced.
The struts have been replaced with no effect. Same for sway bar rubbers, strut bearings and silent blocks brushes (not sure this is a correct term).
No loosening are noticed with any suspension part checked so far.
Nothing else is loose, like the spare tyre and so on.
Can anyone be of help with this?. Thanks very much.
Last edited by kasparovitch; Oct 28, 2016 at 03:06 PM.
Follow up to my earlier post about the "ka-thunk" noise coming from the right rear of my 2007 C230 over even the slightest road bumps. I took the car into my local German car specialist to have the transmission fluid and filter replaced, along with the brake fluid. I bought the car a little over a month ago and noted from the maintenance history the trans and brake fluid were overdue for change.
I also asked them to investigate the rear suspension noise. Turns out the rear shocks were replaced at 80,000 miles with new OEM, but not by a dealer or qualified garage...instead by a more or less "Happy Harry's Auto Repair" kind of garage. They managed to over torque and strip the fasteners at the lower right rear shock...not so good. New bolts and nuts installed both sides to factory torque and the ka-thunk is long gone!
They also replaced the front lower control arm bushings and the ride is now as solid and quiet as brand new, although I can't wait to wear out the piece of crap noisy Hankook tires and install a set of quiet Michelin's.
My 2013 ML350 makes a loose rattle sound over minor bumps .Only 18K on it.
Anyone have this problem with W166 ? I'm 2 hours from nearest dealer over mountain roads . Safe to drive it that far?
Follow up to my earlier post about the "ka-thunk" noise coming from the right rear of my 2007 C230 over even the slightest road bumps. I took the car into my local German car specialist to have the transmission fluid and filter replaced, along with the brake fluid. I bought the car a little over a month ago and noted from the maintenance history the trans and brake fluid were overdue for change.
I also asked them to investigate the rear suspension noise. Turns out the rear shocks were replaced at 80,000 miles with new OEM, but not by a dealer or qualified garage...instead by a more or less "Happy Harry's Auto Repair" kind of garage. They managed to over torque and strip the fasteners at the lower right rear shock...not so good. New bolts and nuts installed both sides to factory torque and the ka-thunk is long gone!
They also replaced the front lower control arm bushings and the ride is now as solid and quiet as brand new, although I can't wait to wear out the piece of crap noisy Hankook tires and install a set of quiet Michelin's.
That looks good, however I had the struts replaced without any help, so I discard torque (actually, mine are hydraulic and I tried normal ones without any difference in noise, so I reinstalled mine again).
Front lower control bushes are replaced, too.
The parking brake might also be the culprit, but I drove the car with it half pressed without any difference, so I don't think this is the problem.
I think it must be something that is under stress when driving only and acts only on asymmetrical moves of the rear wheels.
The car is almost 400K now. This noise is its only major problem. Everything else is fine and it carries only genuine parts.
I use only Michelin, too, as these are the safest tires.
Thanks for contribution. Hope other contributions will show up. Non-standard hypothesis are needed at this time...
Last edited by kasparovitch; Dec 22, 2016 at 05:16 PM.
I have a 2005 c230 and just noticed having more negative rear camber on the right side versus the left.I have stock suspension components. What would possibly broken or worn down to have more negativr camber on the rear?
Hi, everybody.
my troubles is with my left rear wheel have an inclination too much that of the normal.
the paw of my tire are not complete and look the images. Look the difference between rear to front Paw not complete contact with the road Right rear tire complete paw on the road
it's a bit hard for me to tell from your pics. Can you show a clean pic of the entire side of the car, from each side, so we can see that the tire is cambered in more on the right? The pics should also show the suspension height on each side so we can confirm that one side isn't lower than the other (which would affect camber).
These cars I believe do not have adjustable camber or caster on the rear. So if it is significantly off, I would first check for damaged control arms/links or worn bushings on those links.
However if you know your car was hit on that side in the past, that could be a more serious issue of the control arm mount points being bent or moved out of the correct position.
Fyi here is a thread on the rear suspension links:
it's a bit hard for me to tell from your pics. Can you show a clean pic of the entire side of the car, from each side, so we can see that the tire is cambered in more on the right? The pics should also show the suspension height on each side so we can confirm that one side isn't lower than the other (which would affect camber).
These cars I believe do not have adjustable camber or caster on the rear. So if it is significantly off, I would first check for damaged control arms/links or worn bushings on those links.
However if you know your car was hit on that side in the past, that could be a more serious issue of the control arm mount points being bent or moved out of the correct position.
Fyi here is a thread on the rear suspension links:
I'm creating this thread because I see threads created on a weekly basis discussing the same kind of stuff over and over. I have gone through nearly every single noise (squeak or clunk) imaginable that can originate from the suspension. Im hoping this thread can be a collection of all of our best knowledge and become the place members can look for any sort of noise that may occur while owning a w203. Additionally, I am hoping to provide the most (cost) efficient means of pinpointing and resolving unwanted suspension noises.
I highly suggest purchasing a silicone based water resistant lubricant a spray and a grease - all suspension parts will have metal on rubber contact/friction and these types of lubricant last a LONG time and will not corrode your bushings.
Much of this stuff is straight forward to long time members, but hopefully this thread will help out our new members.
1: Sway bar end links (50). This is the most common cause of clunks on the front suspension. The end link nuts may come loose and need periodic tightening.
2: Front Lower control arms (140). Take a look at the control arms and if they are leaking fluids - the bushings are worn and must be replaced. If you can find a hydraulic press, you can replace just the bushing, but most places will recommend replacing the entire arm because it can be purchased w/ the bushing in place.
3 (Aftermarket) (50): Adjustable sway bar end links. If your car is lowered (alot) and you have adjustable end links, you could potentially have your end links adjusted to be too long. The result is your long end link will knock with one of your lower arms. Not good. Shorten the arm or raise the car.
Squeaks:
1: Sway bar end link bushings (50). Spray with lubricant and go for a test drive. If the sound goes away, then you should replace the sway bar end links.
2: Sway bar bushings (20). Like all other bushings, these can get old and make noises. Apply lubricant liberally. Removing the brackets to get to the bushings is sort of a pain - there are very long bolts holding the brackets in place.
3: Strut bearings (115). This most commonly occurs when people have installed their suspension wrong after installing new parts. It has to be properly positioned in the strut tower otherwise it will make noises when turning and during driving. Additionally, this piece is known to wear down over time and compromise handling. Its a good item to replace and check if your car has noises from the front, but possibly the most difficult to deal with because it requires removing the entire strut/spring assembly.
1: Sway bar bushing brackets (50/60). Need to be tightened - happens all the time to people installing new hardware.
2: Sway bar end link (70). Needs to be tightened - happens all the time to people installing new hardware.
Squeaks:
1: Sway bar bushings (20). These bushings are pretty well exposed to the elements under the car and can often wear down and need lubricating or replacing.
2: Sway bar end links (70). These endlinks have two ball joints in them when are notorious for failing and causing all sorts of noises and should be replaced. Replacing the arm requires a special 12 sided tool.
3 (aftermarket) Adjustable camber arms (470) - These arms are exposed to the elements and have two metal ball joints. Most arms come w/ a certain amount of lubricant on the arms - I suggest putting on tons. You WILL have to eventually reapply depending on the weather your car sees.
4: Lower control arm bushings (70/80) - These get old and could use replacing. This is the most difficult and time consuming rear suspension squeak to fix. Spraying w/ a lubricant does not work well to test it, so replace these as a last effort to eliminating your rear suspension squeak. If you have a hydraulic press you can replace just the arm, but there is another bushing that attaches to the rear wheel hubs that should also be replaced at this time. Just replace the whole arm for simplicity sake.
5 (not really suspension but too common): Rear lug bolts are too long. When installing new wheels (OR the spare tire), be sure to use the proper length for your lug bolts. Compare the length of your new wheels and lugs with your stock wheels and lugs. They should both come out the back side of the wheels roughly the same length. If you installed bolts that are too long, you will hear lots of noise and probably lose the functionality of your parking brake. You will have to have the parking brake mechanism replaced.
Hope this helps consolidate all of these topics into one giant thread.
Thanks to glyn for providing the images.
I had made a new thread bc I did not see my issue already posted and then found this about noises and see you want stuff like that under 1 thread so here's my post below:
Hi I have a 2004 c240 4matic. 2 Sundays ago as I was driving under 30 pulling up to a light the car gave me a jerk. Kinda like when you're running and someone grabs you and pulls you back kind of Jerk and then it makes a noise that sounds like when you go over those ridges on the highway when you go over the side line. It only happens when I am doing under 30 miles and not braking or accelerating, just driving . At 40 and above it is fine but if I am going to stop without really slowing down I can feel the brakes skip. For a while i only heard the noise and felt the vibration but just thoight i was drivin over ridges or a rough street but now once i hear the vibrating it always follows with the car jerking back. I sent it to mechanic who had it for a week and he swore it was my coils bc the car did shake when idle and he changed all of them. Even though they did need to change, i told him it wasn't the coils bc it was a diff type of vibration. One does not happen without the other. It is either I get the pulling back first and then the noise/vibration or vice versa. I am at my wits end and cannot continue to bring my car to the mechanic. It is affecting work and I just need help with what it could be. We have changed the back brakes and rotors but not front which I told them to do. I DO KNOW I need tires, badly and working on finding a reputable place. Can anyone help me?
P.s. I have no check engine light, I do not smell anything rubbing or burning.
I had made a new thread bc I did not see my issue already posted and then found this about noises and see you want stuff like that under 1 thread so here's my post below:
Hi I have a 2004 c240 4matic. 2 Sundays ago as I was driving under 30 pulling up to a light the car gave me a jerk. Kinda like when you're running and someone grabs you and pulls you back kind of Jerk and then it makes a noise that sounds like when you go over those ridges on the highway when you go over the side line. It only happens when I am doing under 30 miles and not braking or accelerating, just driving . At 40 and above it is fine but if I am going to stop without really slowing down I can feel the brakes skip. For a while i only heard the noise and felt the vibration but just thoight i was drivin over ridges or a rough street but now once i hear the vibrating it always follows with the car jerking back. I sent it to mechanic who had it for a week and he swore it was my coils bc the car did shake when idle and he changed all of them. Even though they did need to change, i told him it wasn't the coils bc it was a diff type of vibration. One does not happen without the other. It is either I get the pulling back first and then the noise/vibration or vice versa. I am at my wits end and cannot continue to bring my car to the mechanic. It is affecting work and I just need help with what it could be. We have changed the back brakes and rotors but not front which I told them to do. I DO KNOW I need tires, badly and working on finding a reputable place. Can anyone help me?
P.s. I have no check engine light, I do not smell anything rubbing or burning.
NISHA238
Amazing Post thanks to TruTaing too .
Incredible very useful.
Thanks to you guys.
ONE for WROTE the post and THE OTHER for QUOTE
2005 C240 4 matic with 151k miles. There is a thumping nose from the rear, sounds and feels like a kick in the caboose, happens only when a) putting it in reverse and slowly backing up, b) coming to a stop at stoplight after stopping, c) slowly accellerating. Doesn't seem to do it until the car is warmed up some. Doesn't do it when shifting (tranny seems smooth) or going over bumps or when turning. Mechanic can't find anything wrong. New tires and alignment had no effect. Pushing up and down on the trunk produces no noise. Anyone. PS -thanks for this thread. Took a while to go through but didn't see anything matching.
You need to check the Flex Disks in the drive line shaft. maybe is there the problem.
go to youtube and find mercedes flex disk, and you can see many videos.
If this is not the problem maybe you need check your differential fluid.
You need to check the Flex Disks in the drive line shaft. maybe is there the problem.
go to youtube and find mercedes flex disk, and you can see many videos.
If this is not the problem maybe you need check your differential fluid.
I'm wait that this options can help you.
Thanks for your input. I checked out the videos on the flex disks and went into the dealership with some extra knowledge. They put it up on the lift and poiked and prodded and couldn't find the problem but when it came down the noise was gone. They said the flex disks were good and their service records said the car was well maintained and was "a solid car". Mechanic even drove it home that night to make sure the problem wouldn't recreate itself. Drove away from the dealership very happy.
So recently ive changed entire front suspensio on c220 i own. However i keep getting noise from front strut mounts whenever i turn my steering wheel. Im pretty sure everything was put together spot on.(since ive reasembled whole thing 2 times) mounts do sit right in place where they should and how they should. However the bit where you put top strut nut seems to be sitting much higher than before.(thats if before strut nut with washer and a plate sat on the cars body(right above strut bearing) now it sits in the air.right above the rubber bit where its ment to sit. At this point im not sure what else i could do to get rid of them noises. The only thing which was not done after replacemeny is camber alligment since most of the shops dont have them special pins to do it. Not sure can this make such an impact on suspension. Any advice more than welcome since im sure there are lots of experts
I am planning to replace the lower/upper front control arms as well as they sway bar end links. Still running on the original components after 180,000 miles. Everything appears tight but the noises are getting louder, especially on uneven road surfaces and right turns. I will attempt to do this myself based on all the helpful information from this thread. Does anyone have the part numbers for a 2003 C230 sedan with the factory sport suspension? I would like to stick with the OEM parts from either MB or the original supplier (Lemforder?) My VIN number is WDBRF40J33F379100 if that helps. Thank-you!
I am planning to replace the lower/upper front control arms as well as they sway bar end links. Still running on the original components after 180,000 miles. Everything appears tight but the noises are getting louder, especially on uneven road surfaces and right turns. I will attempt to do this myself based on all the helpful information from this thread. Does anyone have the part numbers for a 2003 C230 sedan with the factory sport suspension? I would like to stick with the OEM parts from either MB or the original supplier (Lemforder?) My VIN number is WDBRF40J33F379100 if that helps. Thank-you!
If you want MB labelled parts, try parts.com ... that site is serviced by dealers around the country. For my last few purchases from them it has been Lokey Motors in FL fulfilling the orders for MB.
If you are okay with aftermarket suppliers like Lemfoerder or Corteco, you can try some popular online houses like PartsGeek and RockAuto.
RMEuropean carries both MB label and aftermarket.
You don't necessarily need to know the exact parts numbers (although Parts.com will generally list them) ... just make sure the site you order from gives you a place to enter your VIN so they can confirm the parts are correct for your car's suspension.
So recently ive changed entire front suspensio on c220 i own. However i keep getting noise from front strut mounts whenever i turn my steering wheel. Im pretty sure everything was put together spot on.(since ive reasembled whole thing 2 times) mounts do sit right in place where they should and how they should. However the bit where you put top strut nut seems to be sitting much higher than before.(thats if before strut nut with washer and a plate sat on the cars body(right above strut bearing) now it sits in the air.right above the rubber bit where its ment to sit. At this point im not sure what else i could do to get rid of them noises. The only thing which was not done after replacemeny is camber alligment since most of the shops dont have them special pins to do it. Not sure can this make such an impact on suspension. Any advice more than welcome since im sure there are lots of experts
Late reply, but since there were no other replies --
The top portion of the top strut mount looks like a bundt cake made out of rubber, which fits inside a pocket on the underside of the fender well. When you turn your wheels the geometry of the front suspension causes the strut to pitch and roll ... this movement may cause that rubber bundt to creak inside the fender well.
I had this problem early on when my car was under warranty, and the dealership lubed inside that pocket. When I changed my strut mounts back in 2012 I also lubed the new mounts, but didn't get it just right so it still creaks a bit when I turn the wheels sharply at a slow speed.
If this is your problem, you can lube that area by removing the top retaining bracket off the top of the strut in the engine bay, jack up the car by the body, let the suspension dangle, and then push the top of the strut down another half inch or so ... then you should have a bit of room to get in through the hole at the top of the fender well to rub some (rubber-friendly) grease in there.
If you want MB labelled parts, try parts.com ... that site is serviced by dealers around the country. For my last few purchases from them it has been Lokey Motors in FL fulfilling the orders for MB.
If you are okay with aftermarket suppliers like Lemfoerder or Corteco, you can try some popular online houses like PartsGeek and RockAuto.
RMEuropean carries both MB label and aftermarket.
You don't necessarily need to know the exact parts numbers (although Parts.com will generally list them) ... just make sure the site you order from gives you a place to enter your VIN so they can confirm the parts are correct for your car's suspension.
-- John
Thanks, John. I went ahead and ordered a complete set of Lemforder control arms. They do come with the self-locking nuts since these are not supposed to be reused. Should the control arm bolts be replaced as well or can I just reuse the original ones? What about the strut to steering knuckle and the brake caliper mounting bolts which have to be removed to provide clearance for the torque strut disassembly? I also understand MB fasteners come pretreated with locking compound. Do I need to reapply some blue Loctite threadlocker if reusing is an option?
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