allanmcc

Hi guys

Mercedes C Class W205 AMG Premium Sport.

I have a grinding noise coming from my steering when driving in the rain. It sounds like metal grinding and can be clearly heard at low speed turning left or right. Strange thing is it is not heard when the roads are dry. Have had the car in with Mercedes and they are stumped on what it is, have changed everything that they can think off. Has anyone else heard this while driving in the rain.

JimKing

You sure its not rust forming on the brake discs from the wet weather?


If its definitely steering related then it could be the power steering belt. Usual solution is to spray belt conditioner on the belt. Wet weather & different temperature conditions can cause the belt to be noisey and can also grab on the pully and cause the pump to make a grinding noise. This is unusual for a new car though. usually due to a lot of wear

RealReady

I have exactly the same problem with my US-built C400 that I took delivery of May this year (January production).

Still working through this with my Dealer and have first appointment with them to diagnose next week. Has your Dealer been able to resolve this for you?

allanmcc

Had mine with the dealer for a few days. They tried everything from changing the disc, pads, callipers but still the problem existed. Even demonstrated the sound in a car with the same 19" wheels with Continental tyres and it made the same noise when you soaked the wheels with water from a hose. They then thought that it might be the gap between the rim protector on the tyre and the alloy, so they removed the tyre and resealed it again. Noise still exists in the wet but only on one side, they did not do the other wheel. Car is back with them on Monday to have the other tyre resealed and I will let you know how I get on.

c4004matic

Im going to make a couple of guesses, it happens when the wheel is all the way to one side and wet leaves make it worse. The guesses are from my own experience. I think I actually have a good answer for you, its actually the wheels chattering due to slippage. As you must have noticed European cars including ours have a much tighter turning radius than American or Japanese vehicles. Particularly in reverse, when the wheel is completely turned and the surface is wet you are in fact slightly dragging rather than smoothly rolling the front wheels. In wet conditions this sideways drag leads to a noise since the tires actually skip over the pavement.
That is my theory and I think it explains it nicely. I have also noticed that on occasion when the wheels are completely turned you get a clicking sound from the front axels identical to the one you get on a vehicle whose universal joints lost their grease or are worn out, not the same issue but also a symptom of a universal joint that is a little over its optimal angle of deflection.
To summarize, its a "normal" quirk sound that you get in these vehicles.

Glyn M Ruck

It is my understanding that there is a factory bulletin out on that issue. Tell your dealer to check.

RealReady

Thanks for your input on this all. My car has been with the Dealership for 3 weeks as they investigate this and a number of other issues. MB Canada has agreed to swap out the standard Continental's for Pirelli's. They believe there is a relationship between the suspension/tire setup of the car and the wet tire chattering that has also led to extremely high tire wear (after only 2500KM the front Continental's were almost down to the line).

Dmonson

I own a 2018 W205 sport package with perrelli run flats
after 2 weeks driving dry road is fine as soon as I’m steering
right and left in the wet I hear it rubbing friction sound I’m in for an oil change shortly and will bring it to my dealership s
attention and see what they come up with very odd it’s only in the rain . I’ll keep you posted.

Dmonson

dubash

I live in Dubai at the moment and drive a C-300 (W205). We have not experienced this kind of rain in over 24 years.

Some of the roads were flooded and my car was pretty much in and out of massive puddles for most of the day of driving around trying to get to work.

The good news was that my car didn't cease or die whilst driving but the next day when I started my car, there was a very loud grinding noise coming from he steering.

I thought it was because of the gunk and mud that might have gotten stuck to the steering column form the rain but after taking it for an extreme wash, there was no luck.

So I decided to send it over to a Mercedes service centre for diagnosis.

They just got back to me saying that the steering motor has shut down due to water damage.

They will be installing new rubbers and a slightly used motor for around US$ 1,700/-

I came across a few threads regarding this issue and no one had a definite solution to it so I decided to upload this to try and help out members who are facing this issue.

Dmonson

Hi
thanks for the response. I took mine to the dealer and they told me to bring it in when it rains hense it doesn’t do it in the dry weather. So haven’t had a chance yet to get it in. Sorry to hear about all the rain your getting Australia needs it for sure. Love to visit Dubai one day seeing all those hi end Mercedes like the C63s love to get one one day.
once I get mine in to the dealer I’ll update you on what they find . I will mention the steering motor you had replaced .

regards
Dmonson

dubash

Hey Dmonson
Cheers for the reply. Yeah its sad how ironic it is. My home country Australia needs the rain and I'm in Dubai experiencing the floods. Its horrible.
So at the moment the guys have finished working on the car after installing the new part. not only has the noise gone but its so much smoother now when you turn the steering wheel and actually enjoying the drive.

Dmonson

Glad they fixed it up for ya . Yea ironic you being in the wet zone while home is hot and dry . My aunt &uncle are in Melbourne they are doing good out of the fire zones. Nice wheels love the grill yea I can understand the water getting into those steering components and causing trouble .we are in winter mode here in Canada so have to wait for spring to get mine in for the rain situation.i do believe there was a thread recently explaining tire skimming the road surface when wet I’m thinking mines doing that
i have the perrelli run flats on mine . We will see what the dealers techs say once they have a wet surface .

Regards
Dmonson