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When we got the car, it had a noise in the front end, and the guy who we bought it from said that the shop told him the lower control arms needed replaced which as everyone knows is a common issue on these cars.
So I changed the uppers and lowers, noise still there. The struts were OE, but it looked like it'd been a long time since they were replaced, so I replaced them, noise still there. The sway bar links are aftermarket but look like they are practically new. I put a pry bar on the sway bar around the bushings, and almost no play there. I am stumped.
It doesn't always make the noise, it's mostly on sharp bumps like where one section of pavement is higher. I have replaced sway bar links on probably a dozen cars over the years and this sounds like a sway bar link that is worn out.
I guess the next step is to go to OEM sway bar links and see if that solves it, otherwise, I am out of ideas.
Anyone else got any idea on where else I might look?
Struts. I don’t know why the 204 struts knock when they’re beat up, but they do. I was down the same rabbit hole and thought the sway bar links was the likely culprit, but they weren’t in this case. Mine had 240k by the time I replaced them, but the noise starter around 200k.
From my experience with the W204 sway bar links is they should be replaced if you can grab it and rotate them side to side by hand. With the front end jacked up both wheels off the ground the links should not move at all. Ive replaced mine twice so far, one full set then 2yrs later had one fail. This last time I thought it may be the strut bearing up top. It would make a clunking sound on the right side if i went over a bump with the left tire, so I figured it was the link. i confirmed it by rotating it and it was loose. I would buy the Genuine mercedes links. I bought Febi brand and thats the one that failed after 2yrs.
but multiple light clunks create a rattle. Sometimes I hit a bump on the right side of the car, and hear the noise on the left, or hit a bump on the left and it clunks on the right. That is what is leading me towards the sway bar or links.
I wanted to update this with a resolution to the issue...
It was the Sway bar links. They looked relatively new, the boots were intact, and still grease in the ball joints, but they were so loose that I could move the ball joint with one finger with little effort. It's nice to drive when people outside the car don't think something is about to fall off of it and run for cover.
I wanted to update this with a resolution to the issue...
It was the Sway bar links. They looked relatively new, the boots were intact, and still grease in the ball joints, but they were so loose that I could move the ball joint with one finger with little effort. It's nice to drive when people outside the car don't think something is about to fall off of it and run for cover.
Thanks for all the input.
Thanks for following up with the resolution. I know it feels good when you finally resolve a longterm and annoying issue.
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