C230 Steering Wheel Clicking
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
E350
C230 Steering Wheel Clicking
Hello, a friend of mine is interested in buying a used, out of warranty 2006 MB C230 with 65k miles.
I test drove the car for the friend this evening and noticed a clicking sound coming from the steering wheel.
- Happened at all speeds, parked, slow, 20-30 mph
- Especially noticeable when turning left
- Pretty consistent
Here's a video, capturing the sound. May need to increase the volume of your computer speakers:
The car recently got fully serviced by MB. Rotors, brake pads, etc. nearly $3,000 worth of work done on it. I couldn't find anything else wrong, just this noise.
Questions:
1. What most likely is causing it?
2. Should my friend ask the dealer to address it prior to purchase?
3. If the dealer won't agree to fix, should my friend not buy the car because of it?
Thanks!
I test drove the car for the friend this evening and noticed a clicking sound coming from the steering wheel.
- Happened at all speeds, parked, slow, 20-30 mph
- Especially noticeable when turning left
- Pretty consistent
Here's a video, capturing the sound. May need to increase the volume of your computer speakers:
The car recently got fully serviced by MB. Rotors, brake pads, etc. nearly $3,000 worth of work done on it. I couldn't find anything else wrong, just this noise.
Questions:
1. What most likely is causing it?
2. Should my friend ask the dealer to address it prior to purchase?
3. If the dealer won't agree to fix, should my friend not buy the car because of it?
Thanks!
Super Moderator
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,295
Likes: 22
From: VA
THE C350
Hard to say what it is but my guess would be the clock spring is making some noise.
Where does the noise seem to come from down near feet or up near the wheel? Does changing the angle and pulling in or out change it?
If the car is at a dealer i would have them look into it. If they fix it great if not i would have a good indy or dealer do a ppi and ask them to give you estimate to fix. This will help with negotiating hopefully.
The clock springs is not that uncommon of an issue and I don't believe it to be that expensive. So if the car is a good deal and he is pretty sure that's what it is then i would say go for it.
Also what was done that cost $3,000
Where does the noise seem to come from down near feet or up near the wheel? Does changing the angle and pulling in or out change it?
If the car is at a dealer i would have them look into it. If they fix it great if not i would have a good indy or dealer do a ppi and ask them to give you estimate to fix. This will help with negotiating hopefully.
The clock springs is not that uncommon of an issue and I don't believe it to be that expensive. So if the car is a good deal and he is pretty sure that's what it is then i would say go for it.
Also what was done that cost $3,000
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
E350
Hard to say what it is but my guess would be the clock spring is making some noise.
Where does the noise seem to come from down near feet or up near the wheel? Does changing the angle and pulling in or out change it?
If the car is at a dealer i would have them look into it. If they fix it great if not i would have a good indy or dealer do a ppi and ask them to give you estimate to fix. This will help with negotiating hopefully.
The clock springs is not that uncommon of an issue and I don't believe it to be that expensive. So if the car is a good deal and he is pretty sure that's what it is then i would say go for it.
Also what was done that cost $3,000
Where does the noise seem to come from down near feet or up near the wheel? Does changing the angle and pulling in or out change it?
If the car is at a dealer i would have them look into it. If they fix it great if not i would have a good indy or dealer do a ppi and ask them to give you estimate to fix. This will help with negotiating hopefully.
The clock springs is not that uncommon of an issue and I don't believe it to be that expensive. So if the car is a good deal and he is pretty sure that's what it is then i would say go for it.
Also what was done that cost $3,000
The noise seems to come from the top, near the wheel.
I tried changing the angle of the steering wheel (moving it up and down) .. that move did not make the sound. At all angles ... when turning the steering wheel counter clockwise (especially, as seen in the video), the sound was there.. and was consistent.
The $3k service included replacement of all brake pads front and rear and all new rotors. Also replaced the spark plugs, rear flex disc, a broken hood pull, and all fluids & filters. The $3k job was done by the service department, who billed the sales department of the dealership. I was able to get my hands on a copy of the invoice detailing these fixes.
One last thing I just noticed --- the passenger front door's handle seems to be fully detached at the top... basically when you pull the door to close, the top portion comes off and the bottom portion stays on, which makes it nearly impossible to close the door when the car is on a slope. How hard is this to fix? Does my friend need a new door?
Will use these findings to help negotiate the price lower.
Super Moderator
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,295
Likes: 22
From: VA
THE C350
Yep sounds like clock spring
Did they service transmission?
Door is an easy fix part cost me less than $30 back in like 2008 it is a common issue. If you do it yourself takes about 20 minutes with very basic tools.
My concern would be the balance shaft as that can be a very expensive fix and likes to show up around 60-100k if I remember correctly
Did they service transmission?
Door is an easy fix part cost me less than $30 back in like 2008 it is a common issue. If you do it yourself takes about 20 minutes with very basic tools.
My concern would be the balance shaft as that can be a very expensive fix and likes to show up around 60-100k if I remember correctly
Last edited by samaritrey; Oct 23, 2014 at 07:06 AM.
