What to do?
 

Hi guys

Just a bit of info I have a 2002 (sold as 2003 model) c200K m271 rwd auto with 174 000km Besides having an aftermarket muffler for a bit more sound, mechanically the car is stock.

I've had my baby for 2 and a half years now and the owner before had it from new, he was an old Asian guy, service records were perfect and he took great car of the car except it never got any "spirited" driving

Anyways long story short first problem I had was the engine misfiring under hard acceleration and during overtaking. Turned out the spark plugs were only changed ONCE during 14 years!!! So got the plugs changed and she pulls beautifully now, still got plenty of go in her.

However as all you may know I have the "vibration" issue. It started to be just annoying, nothing serious, no CEL. The usual vibrations when stopping, turning on the AC, changing to any drive gear D and R or turning at slow speeds eg parking spaces (very heavy steering for some reason :crazy:) All the same symptoms as many of you, fine in the higher idle range 700-900 rpm but "stuttering/surging/shaking" when in the lower range 500-600rpm

BUT now something more serious has happened, driving today with a mate I had the AC on and stopped on a hill while turning and the engine just cut out :eek: I thought that's a bit odd but just a glitch or something. THEN IT HAPPEND 5 MIN LATER AGAIN when I stopped at his house!!!!! and the CEL came on. It just skipped the vibrations and shut down completely!

It's had a major service 4000km ago (all fluids replaced, all filters replaced, new oil, brakes, spark plugs) so im really confused, any advice before I go to the mechanic?

thanks for any help in advance and sorry for the long post

c300 vIBRATION
 

I've been dealing with vibrations in the driveshaft since I bought my used 2010 C300 4Matic. Finally I hope the new transmission (with tranfer case) and torque converter ewill fix the issue. Starting at 26k miles until yesterday (56k) I've felt a "pulsing" at various speeds, independent of engine rpm. I feel it mostly in the drivers seat, gas pedal and gear shifter. Speeds from 100mph to 2mph. Hardest part to diagnose was the randomness of the pulsing, comes and goes. But I knew it was center-chasis. Dealer tried everything - 2 sets of rims, 3 sets different tires, etc.
Hopefully the new tranny and torque converter will fix my issues.

Other issue I've had is the performance of the AWD. On rainy or snowy roads the rear of the car feels like it is going to kick out on me - so I constantly have to correct (or over-correct) with the steering wheel. Maybe the torque converter is the root cause and this will go away.

Any one have thoughts?

Check these items(common over looked items)
1.engine mounts
2.trans mount
3. Flex discs
4.Driveshaft bearing


Had a customer with w221 s550.Complaint was lack of power and harsh ride with vibrations. After diag found that both engine mounts/trans mounts were toast causing the motor to sit on the sub frame. So now all engine/trans movements were transmitted to the car and visa versa. The knock sensors were picking up hard bumps/harsh ride and pulling back on timing and fuel.

Is it normal just to replace 1 motor mount or should you replace all off them including the one on the transmission? How many total mounts does the w204 have anyway?

I have a 2008 C300 Sport 4matic. 90,000 miles

When I come to a complete stop I get vibrations.

If i put the car in neutral it goes away.


Cleaned MAF sensor, Throttle body, New plugs and air filters.

Nothing has helped. Could this be a vacuum leak?

Im guessing you've never driven a Smart Car
 

I don't believe you've ever driven a smart car please don't give advice about something you don't know.
the shaking while idling for someone who drives a smart car often it gets very annoying, and especially in stop and go trafficputting it in neutral is the only way to alleviate this stress.

What was the issue in your car? My friend getting the same exact noise.

Thanks

Hey guys,

I'm having this issue on my 2008 Mercedes Benz C300. As soon as it comes to a complete stop, it shakes.

Couple weeks ago, my vehicle wasn't starting and it was throttling (I could smell the gas). Two hours after, it started up again and it was fine. Haven't had the issue since. What could be the issue?

Thanks all!

mercedes vibration
 

I had a similar problem with my merc.it was vibrating alot when idling.i looked everywhere for the problem with no avail.i can say to all merc owners with a vibrating problem that i found the culprit.i replaced both the 2 main engine mountings and the problem is gone!

I replaced my motor mounts and this helped reduce the vibration some, but now it seems like its coming back. Im just not sure what direction to head in now. Should i have the transmission mounts replaced ? mines is similar, vibrates hard for 2 seconds when stopping and has a rough idle

My dad said that is the brake cooling. Hes had people complain about it and really get mad at the car for it. Thats why its experiencd on many models 4matic and not

Not sure about the steering wheel, but the feeling through hte brakes of the rumble is brake cooling from my dads explanation. mrm relation manager/european delivery salesman

My C class has this happen depending on weather, and after intense pressure applied to brake while driving hard;

(NOT all of your symptoms will fall under this umbrella)

I had a catalytic converter fail from previous owner using 86 0_o

Did Torque converter lockup clutch solve the engine vibration when stop on light
 

Did u solve the problem when break on light

I've been noticing the same issue in my 4matic. However, I just thought it was a normal thing as my other cars have had the same vibration. They've been older cars though. The vibration seems to come and go though, and more often than not it isn't there. It doesn't really both me all too much. Is this something that if it goes unchecked will cause permanent damage to the car?

..I've got an extended warranty through a third party, and I have a feeling it's going to be an up hill battle to get them to cover the repairs...

Update: After some investigation, it seems the vibration only happens when my motor starts up from a cold start or a luke warm start. After driving for a bit, the vibration subsides. The vibration also seems to increase and decrease with the RPM's, but only when it's not in gear. When in gear there is no vibration until coming to a complete stop after the RPM's go back down to 500.

anybody figure it out? , i have the same problem but from all the comments and the way my car is it can be the transmission mount or the left side axle thats a common problem like people say. engine mounts are okay i checked those already

Here's my two bits... I was experiencing the same thing on a Gtronic tranny 07 E320 CDI. When slowing down and actually braking, the car would shudder, and at times kill the engine. It wasn't until I threw it in neutral that I could avoid it stalling.
Other times it would not engage any gear, when this happened I had to 'reboot' the processor, basically restart the engine and I would be good to go, later I found that putting it in park achieved the same thing. This lead me to look at the tranny, I started investigating and the 7speed Gtronics have an issue with the valve body and electronics once you've got enough miles/time on them (search the web).

Maybe the filters/fluids weren't exchanged at regular intervals idk.

One day my wife called and told me it went/stayed in limp mode. I had already started checking around for indie shops. I took it to my local MB indie shop, who gave me an estimate of about $2k. They replaced the valve body and electronics, things are better but not perfect. I still get the shudder when stopping and once in a while it get's lost in the shift pattern especially between 2nd and 3rd (like it used to). My indie shop is starting the tell me it's the engine, etc. etc.

With my limited experience my guess is the torque converter remains locked and won't release, not sure why or how this could happen, but this means you "feel" the engine pistons firing at low rpm.

In my case, after the repair, I suspect either the firmware upgrade to the tranny/electronics, or one of the feedback sensors in the 'new' valve body is responsible for my new symptoms. It's not always consistent and seems to be worse once the fluid get's hot. My other 08 E280 does not have any of these symptoms, about same mileage 150k, but it has additional tranny cooling in front of radiator. I will post my progress as I make any.
Cheers

Hi...it's now Nov 2015! Will 'dirty MAF' (what's MAF?) or 'throttle body' and O2 sensor appear as codes?

My E500 is diesel-like knocking, ticking, and rough idles.

Regards from Pasadena, CA!

I'm wondering if the vibration you were experiencing went away or lessen when you put the car on neutral? I just replaced my tranny mount and the vibration is still there. Thanks in advance..

Hi. We (my mechanics and myself) discovered several issues. The variable vibration turned out to be the alternator. The bearing was shot and the unit finally died. Replaced it and the performance returned and the car smoothed out.

Afterwards there developed a different and more serious vibration. I bought engine and transmission mounts, trans fluid, filter, and pan gasket, prepared to replace one item at a time in order to determine the source of the shake. Once up on the lift, the mech found that the rear driveshaft coupling had one bolt sheared off, and the other two loose. Since I had the gas tank etc replaced under extended warranty at the dealer, they had dropped the driveshaft in order to remove the tank, failing to torque the coupling bolts. So back it went. Now it's smooth as ever.

I'm changing the trans fluid, filter and pilot bushing next week. I kept the mounts for another day. My indie refused money so I gave him 3 ArcLight passes with popcorn for StarWars.

Hey guys...I read through this and I am wondering if you guys know that there is difference between the engine mounts on a w212 e350 magic vs 350 base (rwd).... at least part number wise...is this so? or are they interchangeable? let me know thanks

I have a 08 W211 E350 4matic with the 722.6 tranny and I have the same issues as well. On some days, the car would not vibrate at the stop light, but some days, it would be worse. The vibration only happens after driving for awhile. It goes away when put in neutral or parked.
I had a mechanic checked for the mounts and they said they were fine and normal wear for a 100k miles car.

For some odd reason, the my e350 was completely vibration free after a transmission service for like 3 weeks, but now it's slowly coming back again...

Anyone had any luck using Oreaily's front CV axle. $100 vs $1100 dealer...

Update to my tranny problem
 

Update: It was getting progressively worse and one day after a long uphill trip to Tahoe, the tranny would essentially put the car in limp mode. As the day got hotter, even going down hill, it would fail into limp mode (had to restart the car each time).
Out of desperation, it occurred to me this might be a thermally induced problem. I bought a bag of ice, and dumped on the front radiator section where the tranny cooler is.
To my pleasant suprise, the tranny behaved as new..no limp mode. I had another shop check the tranny fluid level (it was fine), but conditions was like it had never been changed.
I took it back to the indie shop with a letter detailing my findings to date. I argued that the 'new' (reworked?) valve body assembly (which has the electronics plate) is defective. As the symptoms are classic thermally induced failures in electronic components. (I'm an Engineer)

The said they 're-surrected' my tranny, but that it may now be the torque converter. (I'm definitely suspicious now). Brand new fluids, etc.

Tranny is much better..we'll see

Valve body?
 

I believe it's more than coincidence that the shakes stop after maintenance on the tranny. You're welcome to try the bag of ice trick, at least it will confirm if it's a thermally induced issue and maybe your indie shop can install extra cooling capacity. I think the real fix will be replacing the valve body assembly (electronics/sensors I think are the real culprit, but it's all packaged together). I hope you find a good honest shop. (there's a shop in Santa Monica that specializes in this problem/repair..I should have tried them)

I had increasing vibration while at idle and on acceleration. Installed new engine mounts yesterday and it smoothed out like butter. My mechanic said the mounts looked fine upon inspection, but once he got them off they bled like hell and he found they had leaked onto the bottom cover. He didn't need to remove the exhaust or drop the steering rack, only a torsion bar. Now on to the air suspension.

Both of my front cv axles had broken boots, however after replacing both cv axles, engine mounts and transmission mounts, the vibration is still there...
The tech even checked the engine harmonic balancer and said it was fine.

No vibration when it's in park or neutral. At this point, I think it could just be a bad design in the 722.6 transmission. My other non-4matic E350, which had more miles than the 4matic had no vibration at all, but uses the 722.9 transmission.

Update: I pretty much checked all the local mercedes dealer and mb specialist regarding the vibration issues and they told me it is normal for a 4matic.

There reason: The 722.6 4matic in the w211 have too much hardware and weight sitting on the 3 mounts. The non 4matic version do not have the extra weight from the front CV axles, transfer box and all the additional hardware mounted in the front.

So essentially it's a engineering and design problem from the start. I mean daimler and chrysler was in charge of designing the w211 and maybe they thought the design was "good enough". To be fair, MB's quality wasn't up to par when they merged with chrysler back in 98 through 08.