blizzard12

After 4 months and multiple visits/attempts to fix an issue (noise) the dealers are shrugging and telling me there is not much they can do anymore. There is no lemon law in Canada. What are my options?

Gungaslow

Call the police

Mike5215

At this point it sounds like the choices are limited to trading the car and taking a loss, living with the issue or finding it yourself.

If you've exhausted the area dealers, you might have better luck at an independent MB shop. Here's why: Most MB techs now working at an Indie shop do so because they hated working for MB dealerships, got fed up and left. In fact chances are the owner of the Indie shop was once an MB tech who was so pissed he opened his own garage.

As a result, they absolutely LOVE making dealership techs look stupid. You'll have to pay for the diagnosis but if they do find something you can go back to the dealer with something specific.

What's the issue you're having?

Mplayers2006

I'm not someone who would be Able to help you, but I am curious to know what noise are you referring to. I have some noise coming from car that sounds like a rattle or ticking noise. The dealership does not know 100% what is making the noise or can fix it and just told me that sound was normal but none of their loaners sound like this.

Mike5215

It's Canada. He'd have to call the Mounties.

blizzard12

Mike, thanks for your reply. It's a faint rattle/vibration that creates sort of a rumbling noise in the cabin.
One dealership changed the swaybar link and claimed the noise was gone. Lies!
Another dealership was more succesfull by actually inspecting the area and securing some parts in the engine bay on the pessenger side (some vacuum hose, the washer fluid tank, applying felt tape, etc). However, those parts were rattling because of a vibration created by something else. While they were able to considerably reduce the noise the source of the vibration is still unknown and it's still audible though not as bad as before.

blizzard12

It's a faint rattle or vibration from the front passenger side. Curiously it doesn't happen on bumps, but on the rebound or when the wheel drops. It's best audible when driving over cracks in the road at low speeds. When the wheel drops into the crack I can hear a 'Trrr" sort of noise.
It is not the tire. It only comes from one side and their demos with the same packages don't make this noise.

Mike5215

Is it drive train related (you can induce it by revving the engine in neutral, or it changes on the road depending on whether or not the engine is under load) or suspension related (vibrations in the seats or steering wheel that change depending on speed)?

blizzard12

It seems to be suspension related. The dealer who was able to fix it to some degree says it's not the suspension itself, but some other parts rattling.
As I stated above: it's a faint rattle or vibration from the front passenger side. Curiously it doesn't happen on bumps, but on the rebound or when the wheel drops. It's best audible when driving over cracks in the road at low speeds. When the wheel drops into the crack I can hear a 'Trrr" sort of noise.
It is not the tire. It only comes from one side and their demos with the same packages don't make this noise.

Mplayers2006

Yah your issue sounds different and worst than mine. I'm assuming you have already tried contacting mercedes headquarter in Canada to work out a deal.
I was going to suggest the same thing mike did and just sell it or trade it. You stated that they reduced the symptoms but Did not fix the root, so that could mean it could revert back and/or get worst than before. We have car max here in the USA, maybe Canada has the same thing and its simple to just sell your car there and they offer a fair price.

StanNH

I had a rattle issue on the passenger side that was traced to the seat cooling fan. The dealer replaced that unit and the rattles disappeared. If you have the seat cooling, that's something else that should be checked. If not, an independent shop, as Mike suggested, will be your best bet.

blizzard12

I have not contacted Mercedes headquarter Canada yet. I would be happy if the noise got worse. That way I could prove my point and they would have to do something about it, but with my luck it won't.

blizzard12

Thanks for your input. I don't have the seat cooling feature.

StanNH

On mine, there was also a loose seat rail that was found. The seat should be checked by the dealer. It took three days for the dealer to isolate and eliminate all the rattles.

Mike5215

Do you hear it more than feel it or is it both?

blizzard12

I hear it.
​​​​​​

auditoamg

Ok, your dealer(s) are being lazy.
First, they should have opened up a case with MB Canada and gotten the regional rep involved.
Second, they have a device called a "Chassis Ears" which would allow them to pinpoint the noise by placing small sensors on various parts of the car, driving to replicate and then narrowing down the noise location.

Do you have adjustable suspension?
Did they check the shocks themselves?
Has the noise been there since new?

Dealers only get compensated a small amount for diagnosis attempts, and usually NOT for repeated diagnosis attempts for the same problem, which is why they are now telling you they cannot resolve it..... In my mind, it means they should have resolved it and diagnosed it correctly the first time.

blizzard12

I agree. However, one of the foremen's approach was: "if you have to drive the car on a specific road at a specific speed to get the noise then that's not the manufacturer's problem".
REALLY?

I've asked them about the "Chasses Ears" and I've been told that the noise/vibration is so minimal that the device wouldn't pick it up.

I have the sport package (with sport suspension) and as far as I know it's not adjustable. It is not airmatic.

I don't think they did any special investigation of the shocks other than manually trying to make the car bounce. The service manager is 100% confident that it's neither the shock nor anything wrong with the suspension.
I would personally disconnect or remove the shock and do a road test that way, but I guess the dealership won't do it.

I started noticing the sound when the car was 3 months old. I don't think the noise was there when the car was new.

Mike5215

You need a shop with this gear:

https://www.picoauto.com/products/no...g/nvh-overview

auditoamg

^^^^^ This... this all day!

Your dealer is just being lazy/terrible.
And yes, it is the manufacturers problem if your car does something on a specific road that no other car does on that same road/surface.

Get MBCanada involved and/or talk to the GM of the dealership(s).

Mike5215

There's this guy on the Cadillac ATS V forum whose dealer was giving him the same stonewall so he bought his own Pico rig, posted the results online and sent them to the guy who headed the ATS V's development team and finally they took him seriously and fixed it.

GerritKw

This sounds like a faulthy shock absorber.
Should not be too hard to find out if this is the case.

Mike5215

^Thats my take. If you get onto the right front corner of the car and bounce it up and down can you replicate it?

gfmohn

You have described it exactly, for the indie shop where I take my Mercedes cars. That's European Auto Solutions, in Waltham MA. They were four guys that worked in another indie shop. As soon as a local mega-dealer bought the shop, they started their own shop. They are doing well enough to have had to move to a new, much larger space.

The funny thing is, the mega-dealer bought the indie shop to take care of repairs that his three MB dealerships couldn't handle. Namely, older Mercedes that require real mechanics and also hard cases just like the case discussed here! With the departure of most or even all of the technical expertise he thought he had bought (of course, the former owner left too), his project went under. He had to settle for using the land for a showroom for three other high-end makes.

blizzard12

Not by bouncing it myself. I'd have to sit in the car and listen while someone bounces the car. I doubt that I'd hear it since it's impossible to replicate a "wheel drop" while the car is stationary. I'll try though when I get my car back.
​​​​