akbro93704

For some reason today, it seemed as if my car was starting to fall apart. Every crack or bump I hit in the road there was a creak from the interior. From the instrument cluster, dash, rear shelf, whatever it may be. The back seat area of my car seems to make most of the racket. Crap, my friends 2002 camry with 126k miles on it doesn't even sound like this.

My cars SA built by the way, if that means anything. This car doesn't feel nearly as solid or well built as the 2005-2007 W203 sport sedans. To me, there's a "solidity" missing to this car that was ever so present in the W203. This is just my opinion though. Anyone else agree?

I LOVE my car. Some days I get fed up with things though. I'm sure by tomorrow, I'll be loving it again

C300Sport

So far mine is solid as a rock. At 3750 miles as of today, not a single squeak, rattle or creak as yet.
Sorry about your luck...

cjh.

+1, 20k miles here.
Take it to the dealer and raise hell.

albert101

My car's got 16k km on the clock. Germany build here and its just like yours, crackling like a Rice Crispy's bowl every time I go over bumps. I've noticed most of the crackling coming from the center dash, the side speakers on the dash, rear parcel shelf, and also the driver seat sometimes. The roads I drive on a fairly rough filled with potholes so I think the road condition has contributed to the interior wearing down. Sadly MB doesn't make interiors like they used to. Just last week I had my car taken into the dealers to have the crackling fixed. I'll be getting my car back tomorrow, lets see if they were able to fix it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

nyca

Be more specific. I had some rattles, all of them were my fault - pair of loose glasses in the center console, tire pressure gauge in the rear door storage bin, flashlight in the glovebox.

Spec_Davis

no problems here! 10k+ built in SA.

C300Kid

I haven't had a single rattle. I've pushed on the dash before with pretty decent force to see if it would creak and still nothing.

I think the W204 interior feels significantly more solid than the W203 (based on the limited experience I've had with them).

JohnGjolaj1

i got 28k miles on it so far and germany built. i too hear the cracks, there and there. not often. but i must agree, mb does not make the same interiors like they use too. my 1988 560sl interior is solid built with no creaks of any sort. but the creaks in the c class shouldnt really bother anyone

akbro93704

Well, the black plastic surrounding the instrument cluster feels really cheap and creaky when I press on it...thats where some of the sounds are coming from up front. And the rear hat shelf makes "cracking" sounds. It just seems like I'm always hearing some kind of crackling sound behind me while I'm driving(if I happen to be driving without music on....)

I guess I'm just really picky and sensitive to creaks and rattles

chilledbenz

German built here and mine has had the same problems since new, creaks, rattles, pops, the works. Build location doesn't have anything to do with it as my U.S.A. built R class is solid with no noise what so ever.

C300Sport

I have read somewhere on the forum where the instrument cluster surround creaking can be solved with the little "foam wedges" inserted between the dash and the cluster surround. Likely the same for the rear shelf to.
Admittedly, this is my first Benz. I test drove the W203 several times but just never got the "Vault Like Feeling" of being in a Benz. The W204 does have the "Brick $h!thouse" kinda feel that made me confident enough to take the plunge of owning one.

tategoi

Can you tell me more about the little "foam wedges"? Mine is German-built, and I had the creaks between cluster and dash on the very day I collected my W204.

C300Sport

I found this post but not the specific one I was thinking of. This should help though.
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...le-issues.html

Moto_Guzzi

Today I noticed the crack I think you may be talking about. If I reverse out of my garage, I have to turn sharp left and reverse, then forward and right turn. This means the car is twisted a bit. I can swear I heard two cracks towards the front left pillar of front door. Now, I hope it is not what I think and that is it maybe the cabin welding or cabin plates shifting over each other=Remember they advertised re-inforced steel used in places around cabin, but not everywhere....Now if it is this and I hope not so, this could backfire right in Mercedes face over time.
Strange I did 300KM over a bumpy SA road and did not noticed it again.

The fact that your car was made in SA maybe of importance, I know the workforce of Africa, but luckily most things are automated.
Lets see where this goes......Would be interesting!

hadjionm

I have a German built W204 C220 CDi, about 7k kms on the clock. I was occasionally getting a ticking, creaking sound from the front passenger side. After some investigation it turned out to be the shelf in the glove box! I jiggled it about a little and it seems to have stopped. Other wise the car is very quiet and solid feeling.

albert101

I notice the exact same thing on my car as well! But it only happens in the morning when I first start my car and when I leave my garage. Probably cause the car's still cold? Once the car warms up under the sun and once the engine's giving off heat, I don't experience it anymore.. Weird! I'm interested to see where this goes too! I've even resorted to backing out of my garage in different ways to see if it makes a difference and it hasn't made a difference.

lx Raven xl

Check if craking sound coming from seat. Normally you can tell its seat wen you hear the sound while a weight sift, during acceration, break, making turns.
If its that then check the bolt under the seat . There a a post about it as well.

search for " chair squeak"

peterstar

The instrument cluster creaks and plastic on plastic can be fixed with some felt inserted or lubricant. The S class has similar issues and I noted instructions on WIS on how to fix.

ayilar

Thank you for the response. Sorry for the obvious -- what/where is WIS?

peterstar

WIS is Workshop Information system. The dealers use this software to maintain all Mercedes vehicles. If you have XP porfessional or WIN2000 OS then a $30US investment on Ebay is worth it if you intend doing any work yourself. The software covers all cars made by merecedes on 2 or 3 DVD/CD disks. Do a search on ebay for car manuals or WIS.

mac911

Mainly my German built car is quiet with 17,000 miles.

HOWEVER, on certain slightly rough roads, doesn't do it on really rough, but just slight roughness, there is some kind of low pitch squeek maybe from the center radio area or something. Not sure, but i does make me mad.

Going over a driveway entrance or something I hear things, but they don't bug me as I think that is normal.

However, the driving down the road sound I Hear sometimes from the middle makes me really upset.

c3nthusiast

35,556 miles on the odometer and still quiet.

andrusha

noticed annoying squaking sound today in the seatbelt/door column today... its starting to drive me crazy

albert101

I have the same sound!

AMGTTV8

17K in less than a year and no creaks!