Why? Because it's cheaper? What does the Operator's (Owner's) Manual say to use? Using gasoline that is below the minimum specified octane level for an extended period of time will cause damage. So, when did the vibration start?

I'm beginning to think this is not a transmission problem, but an engine problem. I'm surprised you don't have bigger issues. Google this: "what happens if you use lower octane than recommended".

 

I'm curious to know how he tested the fluid without dropping the pan to confirm metal/copper was in there?

The transmission system is a sealed unit/system and our cars don't even have a dip stick. And to check fluid he basically would of had to drain all the fluid and pump new in... Did they mention they drained the fluid and pumped all new in to confirm metal in the fluid?

I would absolutely take the advise from others and get another opinion at a certified MB service shop. If not a MB dealership.

I listened to your video and that is quite the noise! That'll make your cheeks pucker while going down the road.

I was almost thinking you had a front drive line vibration/issue when I first was reading your post. Is your car 4matic? I know the front drive shaft has a u-joint that can go bad and is not servicable. It would need to be replaced.

Keep us posted and good luck!


Ant

 

I'm also with @JettaRed on this and the low grade fuel.

I would NEVER run anything but the minimum 91 octane in any Mercedes. Luckily I can get 93 where I live. It can create a host of other issues not running the premium fuel

Jetta,

​​​​​​You might be on to something here leading to it being something else than a trans problem ..
​​​

Ant

 

It appears that his car is RWD.

I suspect he has either a major transmission problem or a major engine problem, both due to neglect and abuse. Yes, using low grade fuel is abuse. If there was Social Services for Cars, he'd probably be charged with neglect.

 

MAYBE a transmission service AND a dealer recalibration using XENTRY could fix this problem, but I doubt it. And, it'll cost probably around $800 or more. Regardless, the car should be properly diagnosed by a Mercedes dealership.

In the end, does using cheap gas actually save money?

 

Got it! Thanks for confirming @JettaRed and total abuse!

@Jval I suggest you pump some premium fuel in your can and put a fuel additive in there to clean up any deposits and build up from using junk fuel over the years. MAYBE itll help but it sounds like the damage is already done..

Here's a good video from Lake - the motor oil geek.
At about 10min he goes into "the good" additives which are only fuel additives.

Run a high quality fuel system cleaner (I use techron full fuel system cleaner) and see if that helps smooth anything out but I doubt it if it's a mechanical/trans issue. Either way it wouldn't hurt .

Ant

 

It'll probably take a bunch of tanks of fuel with a good PEA based additive, but READ the instructions. Not sure they should be used back-to-back, but maybe in this case they should.

 

Cheap gas never ends up being cheaper brother... Gotta run what the manufacturer calls for.

 

There had been many threads discussing on the "octane problem" over the years on mbworld, I won't bother linking them here and just simply summarize it, some claim they had been using 87 for over a decade on GLs, MLs, and said it was fine although the manual specifically mentions it should be minimum 91 octane.

Here is my humble opinion, although there are many factors to this, what fuel station and refinery was the fuel from, how long has the fuel been sitting in the vehicle since it was extracted from oil refineries (remember, it takes time to go from refinery to gas station and then to the customers' vehicle, accounting for a month to months). Was the gasoline pure or was it with ethanol, was the vehicle tuned, was the vehicle driven in a spirited manner, what oil weight was used in the engine, was the oil used meeting MB specifications, what brand oil and any additives in the oil, how often was the oil changed, was synthetic used, what is the humidity of the area the vehicle is mainly driven, what is the average temperatures the vehicle was driven in, was the oil warmed properly before it was driven spiritly, was the vehicle constantly driven at low RPMs throughout its ownership, did the vehicle have a supercharger, did the vehicle have a turbo or two, etc.

To me octane is more than a number, for example, shell they have many fuel additives that cleans and protect the engine that the regular gasoline doesn't have.

Yes, modern computers are better at handling engine knock but why give it a chance to happen anyways? The saying I still believe is right, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

That trans comes with converter. Heres the link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/25599481647...VDADXRJ95GD1MN

 

I have always used 87 in my previous cars and pretty sure that's what they recommended anyways. My Mercedes is the first car I noticed it says 91 or higher so I did alot of searching around for if its really needed, while I forget most of things I read i made the choice to only use 91 or higher. Around my area its mostly 87, 89 or 93 so I get 93. I dont really pay attention to gas prices and will get gas at any large gas station, except there is a Sunoco in the area i stopped at and they were charging around $1 more which I thought was nuts. I refuse to go there anymore. Theres also a small quick mart down the road i got gas at a few times and it seemed my car ran bad after filling up so I wont go there anymore either.

I like using Techron once in awhile. Been using it for years along with Seafoam. Ill use Seafoam in all my small engine gas containers and I think it does really keep the gas fresh, never had a gas related problem in any of my small engines. Techron ill add if I feel the car is running a little rough at stop lights, its not running horrible but more like a slightly noticeable rough idle. Seems I add the techron and the roughness goes away and I forget all about it. I pick up the big bottle on sale at Napa.





Whenever i went to the Mercedes dealer I noticed they always asked me for my VIN, same with FCP Euro. I realized they were using it to look up the correct parts by model/submodel. Its how i find the correct parts diagrams. Then I just typed in the correct trans when looking on ebay.

 

Gas wise, MB likes TopTier Gas certifed, costco is also an option if it is near you and would like to save, I personally go with shell, anyways, here are the gas stations certified by TopTier Gas: https://www.toptiergas.com/fuel-stations/

 

Quincy, Massachusetts, or nearby.

 

@Jval what oil do you use and how often do you change it?

 

Sorry about that, I should had stated my location: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rXUZqXd05t4/maxresdefault.jpg

 

OP, was the vehicle ever be placed on a hoist and any chance the sound can be duplicated in that case and can properly hear where the noise is coming from? I will hope it is not an engine issue for your sake, was chassis ears used to try to locate the sound?

 

Interesting. I looked through the Operators Manual under Fuel Requirements and it only mentions using Premium unleaded gasoline. Under Gasoline additives it mentions MB "recommends only the use if quality gasoline containing additives that prevent the build-up of carbon deposits". The words Top Tier arent found.

I had to check to see where i typically fill up, I knew it is a Cumberland Farms but just noticed it is Gulf Gas. That gas station is not shown on the Top Tier map though the Mobil I sometimes stop at is. I looked to see if Gulf is labeled as Top Tier and do not believe so. But on the Gulf webpage it mentions using BASF additives.





I look up BASF gas additives and see they make Keropur. No idea how to find out exactly what the additives are in Gulf gas though.

 

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...38113-9999.pdf
The article states it is mentioned in the operator's manual, I wonder why it wasn't mentioned in yours, maybe they changed it at some point.

 

I've now listened to the video and this doesn't sound like a torque converter issue. I would get a 2nd opinion without bringing any of the previous suggestions up. It's possible the flywheel/flex plate has cracks or something but this is unusual.

 

So much appreciate all your feedback fine gents!
@W205C43PFL @JettaRed @TimC300 @antboii @cvx5832 @Adi-Benz


So grateful I found this community and also regretful for my neglect. Gonna correct this nonsense issue asap, not only for this car but any other in the future.

Regarding some things mentioned, my regular and trustworthy mechanic does the regular maintenance, oil changes every 5k miles (synthetic), etc and also other bigger things as replacing the whole suspension 1-2 yrs ago, and recently changed a pump because he noticed some oil leaking, engine mounts replacement (transmission mount was still good) and injectors' cleaning. He also knows I've been using the low octane gas but I changed that now. He is almost positive that the vibration issue is not engine. Thats' why he took the car to his transmission expert guy / shop. They inspected it (apparently did a job that would normally cost $400 in labor to reach the diagnose but didn't charged me since my mechanic told him we are good buds). The converter needs to be replaced and the tranny could go up to 140-150k miles before another major work / replacement. They have seen this situation happened before - this whole story of metal inside and vibration so he is positive this is the issue.

My car has been good to me throughout all these years despite my neglect. But the recent expenses plus the current vibration / transmission issue and now this new dashboard signal that probably requires gas pedal replacement is making me worry and think about my options:

Option A:
Is all this money gonna be a good investment to keep the car for the long-run or is it better to fix and sell because other possible bigger things can start happening? Or is it just part of the process of maintaining and old car and I should just get my act together, do everything by the book, take really good care of it, put some extras in it to freshen it up and hold it for up to 200k miles instead of letting it go for such low market value - I guess probably $7k?

Option B:
Sell it and put an extra $8-10k on a Merc upgrade. What do you guys think could be the best option under $20k with less than 70k miles that is reliable to keep long-term and low maintenance?
- W205? some people say it is less reliable than 204
- CLS? heard it is actually pretty reliable and the look is very nice and different from C300 .
- Any coupe?
- SUV if it fits the budget and doesn't look too much as a soccer mom car and if there is a body kit that make it look sporty and cool, hah

Option C:
I know we all love Mercedes here so please don't crucify me just yet if I ask you for any feedback for some other brands / alternatives that might be worth considering for the same price / mileage:
- Lexus NX 300 (plus body kit - soccer mom look... haha)
- Lexus IS
- Audi TT
- Audi Q5
- Porsche Cayman / Boxter (older than previous options)
- Other?

 

I think you will get more money for it if it was fixed and running right. How much do you think you will get for it running as-is, probably not alot. I paid $7k for mine 5yrs ago with zero issues and dealer maintained service history.

If you are being told its the TC/trans and you trust the shop then get it fixed. Once its fixed then see where you are at.

 

OP, I am sorry you have to deal with all this. We all would want to try to help if possible.

Sounds like you already spent quite a bit of money on this vehicle. We need to know more about the history of the vehicle, was it purchased since new or you got it used? How was the maintenance history, like a carfax or dealership printout of the vehicle's services (vehicle master inquiry, VMI). This is other than the fact that you put regular gasoline on the vehicle. How is your driving style? That also plays a role, is it commonly short commutes (so engine potentially never reaches operating temperature?). What about the annual mileage you drive the vehicle? What is the brand and oil weight the mechanic used for the oil changes over the years, etc.

Your vehicle has an M272 engine if I am not mistaken (pre-facelift W204 C 300), it is not a bad engine if I recalled correctly. I forgot how much is shared in common with the M276 which is the most reliable one, I went ahead and did a quick google search and came across this thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/glk-class...2-vs-m276.html
I am not sure how accurate is the information on the thread so further research is needed.

So, for that reason, we need more information before we can recommend if you should keep the vehicle or not, please send us the pictures of the glitter your mechanic showed you as well.

If you want to stick with mb, find a vehicle with a m276 engine, which there are plenty, it comes in 3.5L naturally aspirated and 3.0 turbo charged versions.
I will not recommend CLS especially with the V8 if you are worried about running cost and maintenance cost. The CLS is also closer to an S-Class but it is really the sportier version of the E-Class. The higher tier MB commences higher prices in maintenance and running cost as a result.

The W212 is a solid E-Class platform, yes you pay E-Class tax in a way when it comes to maintenance but it is pretty close to a W204 C-Class. The W212 is generally reliable and it is built very well.
If you really want a SUV, you have the option of getting ML or even GLK (if I recalled correctly, the GLK is reliable too).

Although the M276 is one of the most reliable engines in MB's lineup, it isn't free from issues. Make sure the vehicle you are looking at doesn't have the dreaded startup rattle caused by failing camshaft adjusters. That is one of the major ones but otherwise the engine is very solid. Although uncommon but make sure there is no oil in the wiring harness that might fry the ECU, the prevention is to install pigtails.

Just that if you do end up replacing the vehicle, it is always recommended to get a qualified mechanic to do a thorough inspection, maintenance history is very important.

no problem mentioning other brands at all : ), it is good to have competition after all and honestly the most important is to get what you want with the money you want to pay, that is what matters, it doesn't have to be an mb but if you want an mb that is fine too.

I guess you don't like bmw since you didn't mention it, purely from engine wise, the B58 six cylinder has been one of the more reliable engines in BMWs.

 

 

Ya, sorry about that : ) and for the confusion. Yours to Discover is Ontario's slogan. I live in Ontario, Canada.

 

@Jval your Option C is all over the place, from SUV to sedan to sports car. What are you going for?

I have a 2004 Mk1 Audi TT 225 with 250k miles. (Well, actually, it's my son's now, but I still think of her as mine.) Major replacements have been the clutch (a couple of times), rear differential, shocks, and front control arms. For 20 years old, that ain't bad. If you can get a good one, they are awesome cars. I've used mine in the snow to pull some kids out of a ditch when they went off the road with their WRX. While more practical than most sports cars, they are not the sedan you currently have. Two adults is it!

I'd probably stay away from the Boxter if you are worried about service/maintenance and repair costs.

Lexus? Meh! Good cars, but not for me.