Hi Guys,

I just purchased a C450 AMG and am already having issues with buzzing of the front middle speaker. It seems too only play around 300 hz frequency which is really irritating when I play sat radio or talk shows.

Also, there seems to be alot of rattling when I go over road bumps or uneven surfaces coming from the sunglass areas.

I've taken it to the dealer and was told these are just normal parts of the build. Is it worth having these pieces taken apart? I dont want them to get worse!

Is anyone else having these issues and how can I fix it? Quite irritating for a new car!

 

This stuff is pretty handy. Pop the cover off (use a plastic pry tool or butter knife.) Flip the cover over (prongs facing up). Cut small sections of foam tape to run along the outer edge of the cover between the prongs. Replace the cover. The tape puts added tension on the prongs and takes the "play" out.

You can also pack any interior seams that are creaking against each other with it. Usual suspects are top of dash between the upper dash pad and the plastic gauge binnacle, behind the screen where it mounts to the dash, and along the underside of the metal "spear" that runs across the dash.

http://www.parts-express.com/parts-e...-roll--260-540

 

Go to another Merk dealer! I just brought mine in for rattling last week, the rattle was isolated in two spots (rear pass side and instrum. cluster). They fixed it by applying felt tape, it was done same day. I even got a touch pad software update because I complained about the touch pad not working (in all honesty) and told them to check if there are any updates.

The dealer's technicians are supposed to take the car for a test drive and diagnose the problem, as was done in my case. They even offered me to take a ride with them to show them the problem (I declined). The rattles I had are gone.


BTW, I got my car on Sept-1. So I'm on the same boat..

As for the speakers on my former '14 C, I had buzzing too, dealer simply replaced the speaker and sent me along my merry way. (warrantied)

 

how difficult is it to pry off the cover? is this something that could potentially damage something? I'm a bit of a panzy since I'm scared of breaking something! this is the grill directly right in the middle of your dashboard

 

It's nothing. It just snaps in and out. Get a blade under one edge and pry up, then get a hand in there and lift the cover upward. Pop it back in the same way. Set it in place and smack it down a couple of times.

 

May I respectfuly suggest you do not accept that line from the dealer at all...


The creaking and groaning in the car is not standardised and therefore not there by design intent.


It is due to a mix of poor / variable construction, and a lack of proofing from the manufacturer.. ie a warrantable correction is correct.


This car has many sources of interior noise due to panel / part flex and movement. Fixes include correct assembly, lubrication, and separation.. (ie barrier material).... in some case all of the above..


I have personally removed all door card, rear hatch panels, b pillar panles, dash binncale and the center console and rebuilt all adding sound deadner, barrier materials, lubricating, and correcting assembly errors (incorrect cable routing and adding fixing points to prevent vibrations, fitted missing assembly screws in tthe cnetre console assembly...
Granted have an automotive manufacturing engineering and product design and devel background.. but all that did is save me tolerating the dealership model to seek correction.. ie now i know its done right.. there is no way they can adequately attend the qty and level of correction required within the constrainst of warranty placed upon them..


All the ebst with getting your corrected..

 

Smack gently..... ensuring the tabs are aligned correctly before hand..


(trying to avoid a trashed part.. )

 

Right. You first press down to engage the clips then start slappin' to lock it down.

 

And then reach for the rubber mallet... we don't want to scratch it

 

All the rattles are the reason I'm gonna be going back to a Lexus. I'm on my 4th mercy and For a 50k+ car I shouldn't have rattles and be told it's normal or can't replicate. The one time I had one in my Lexus they took the entire dash apart and felt taped everything and not a single issue afterwards.

 

My 2005 Camry with 90k miles on it has no rattles. None of my three previous S Class, also driven into the 90k mile range, had rattles. My 16 C300 started rattling at 3k miles, and that's with Airmatic and softer (non runflat) tires.

 

what the hell is with the build quality on these C's?

Is it worth doing this felt taping by myself or should I keep sticking it to the dealer?

 

I think it's a design issue, and not enough real world testing. I'd do anything you can get at without disassembling the dash. For that, I'd let the dealer handle it, for no other reason than if you crack it open yourself they can argue you did something to cause the problem.

 

So prying off the speaker cover to throw some felt tape around wouldn't cause the dealer to deny me any claims down the road would it?

 

Nah. If that's your only rattle go for it.

 

So I lessened some of the rattling, but the biggest rattle seems to be coming from my sunglass housing. Every time I go over bumps this thing rattles insanely. That area is difficult to gasket tape as well since theres not really any area that makes clean contact housing -> cover. side closest to the engine)

Any ideas how to fix this? its driving me crazy!

 

Try temporarily packing that cavity with a shop rag and see if that helps. Probably a dealer fix.

 

Are your sunglasses in there? I heard rattling coming from that area and it turned out to be my sunglasses rattling in the holder. I store them in the center console now.

 

I had a rattle in the overhead console. It was a loose cable. You can lower the console. I tucked the cable neatly and replaced the console. No noise since.

 

Does anyone know how to remove those small panels that hold the speaker covers, I have new carbon fiber door panels and don't want to remove the entire door panel. Thanks

 

Regardless of how many times you ask the answer will always be the same. The retaining clips can only be accessed from the rear. You have to pull off the interior door panel.

 

Ok - so here's a question that's new:
1) How do you remove the silver gauge cluster surrounds to add vibration felt/tape
2) How can you remove the stainless trim piece that goes across the center of the dash (for the same reasons)?
3) Is there anywhere else typical of rattles that someone can explain remove of parts?

I have a complete trim puller kit, and I'm not a pansy at all (used to pull apart my Audi S4 all the time), but the Merk is a different animal....