Eric Lessard

Hi All,

- Took possession of the brand new car 3 weeks ago.
- 300km after leaving the dealer I felt an abnormal harmonic, cycling and humming vibration in the steering wheel between 100-130km/h.
- It is not engine related as it happens independently of the engine RPM.
- Not a loud noise or aggressive vibration, but a cycling, humming vibe that is noticeable to anyone with a bit of driving experience.
- Took the car to the dealership and has been sitting there for the last couple of weeks... ... ...

3 Technical advisors, the service Director, the General Manager and the regional Mercedes head have tried the car.
All agree this is abnormal and "bizarre".

They thought it was the wheels or tire, so they mounted the car on new rims and tires, and it didn't solve the issue - just no impact.
Now they are in conversation with AMG, blablabla ... ... ... and more blablabla for now...

I have read quite long threads on C450 and C43 2016-2017 and 2018 with a similar type of noise/vibration issues.
Some owners have seen a resolution to their problem after a differential or drive shaft center bearing replacement (not talking about wheels and RFT).

Anyone with 2019 C43 with a similar problem?

I would think after 3-year model on the market Mercedes would have solved these types of recurring QC issues.
Yes, as you can imagine, I am quite annoyed at Mercedes given they seem to have ongoing problems of this type, in addition to the car being brand spanking new.

Will provide updates as they come.
Comments are more than welcome, as we have no lemon law here in Canada that could force Mercedes take the car back... so in the end, I am condemned to wait and see how things turn out...

MVEOVR

Just for reference, have not experienced this in my MY19

Eric Lessard

Quick update as of September 11th.

Car is still in the shop.
The dealer is in conversations with Mercedes technical services and awaiting instructions as to how to handle to situation.
All in all, it took a couple of weeks to find out it is not tire or rim related.... hopefully it will not take weeks and weeks...

The joy of a brand new car sitting in the repair bay of a dealership... for how long is the question...
On God knows, but the Devil is in doubts about it

Eric Lessard

Just finished a call with the dealer.

They have taken out the driveshaft, repositioned it 1/3 rotation further twice, no change.
Next steps, as per the Service Director : Going in direction of (Bot yet confirmed) a differential changeover.

Seems similar to some of 2017-18 issues as per the following thread :

https://mbworld.org/forums/c450-c43-...-thoughts.html

Will keep updating.

stockbmw

Who is your dealer?

My dealer replaced the diff week after ordering it. Then proceed to replace not repositioning the driveshaft a month after ordering it from Germany.

Eric Lessard

Dealer is Mercedes Benz Gatineau (Near Ottawa).
There a new AMG performance center.

My understanding about changing the positioning, as per the Service Director, is to validate a potential wrongfully balanced driveshaft... They apply what Mercedes is basically telling them, step by step.

You have a 2019 also ?

stockbmw

Tell them to call shop foreman Ian at Maple, Ont.

And after extended testing, noise was produced between 80kmh to 90kmh.

Changing the driveshaft didn't improve the noise, but diff did.

Eric Lessard

Oh thanks ! I certainly will do this this pm
Much appreciated!

zibby43

My car has been at the dealer for the same issue (experiencing identical symptoms) since last Tuesday.

They said they couldn’t hear the noise on the lift, but could hear it when test-driving the car and that the noise was normal.

I’ve never heard anything like it before, especially in a car with less than 5k miles.

They’re still looking into it.

Eric Lessard

Thanks, shoot us updates when you can !

zibby43

Will do. Thank you for all your detailed updates, as well. Good luck. This is starting to seem like a design defect spanning the entire design life, even through the LCI.

Perhaps post your updates in this thread as well:

https://mbworld.org/forums/c450-c43-...houghts-5.html

GWSHARK

@Eric Lessard is it a noise or like a faint a repetitive humming / vibration ? If it’s the latter I had/ have the same issue with my 17 Sedan, and after much back and forth with dealer, Mercedes, AMG specialist, they determined that it was normal and they tested other cars that performed the same. To be honest since a swapped out to non RFT , it’s improved but it’s still there as soon as I hit 100 kmh, til around 110-112 then it goes away. Sorry if I mis-read above but if it is same issue be curious to see what if any resolution they come up with!

zibby43

I thought it was your diff?

5ilver-5urfer

36 months of ownership later and I can confirm that the harmonic vibration is just part of the package. My car has done it since day one. I've driven the car on 3 sets of tires, 2 sets of rims, and had alignment / balancing done here and there between seasons. Nothing ever really fixes it, but changing out to non-RFTs made a slight difference. Some people can't notice it when they sit in the car with me even if I point it out, others notice it right away....I guess it depends on how sensitive your physical senses are. Either way, it doesnt seem to be dangerous, but it is kind of disconcerting to experience it on a car this price.

GWSHARK

@zibby43 totally separate issue, 3rd diff installed in my car and whining at 80kmh is gone. That’s why I was asking OP if his was more feel than sound, cuz I have the same issue.
Hope this clarifies.

zibby43

Thank you. It does.

Eric Lessard

I understand the benefits of installing non RFT's.
As this is my second C43 (I owned a 2017 before, then a c63s and finally a e63s that I have just sold), indeed running non-RFT always improve the ride quality I have installed non-rft on all prior cars.
This being said, having owned 3 MERC AMG in recent history that had no issues whatsoever, the problem I have currently is not tire and wheels related. It is a completely abnormal situation, which is quite annoying and would drive any car lover totally crazy in hearing the constant vrrrr...vrrr.vrrr.vrrrr.vrrr sound and feel it easely through the steering wheel. All at the dealer specialists and techies agreed this is not normal. Will provide updates of course as we move forward with the situation.

Eric Lessard

I don't think it is dangerous indeed, just simply unacceptable in buying a top-brand car experience.
What I am going through is not a simple "feel" thing as anyone reading this thread could easily notice the problem.

I don't believe that harmonic vibrations are a "normal" thing, being a slight vibe or bigger.
A basic car like a 12K$ Chevy Spark doesn't do it! (I know my daughter has one lol).
A dealership making you believe that harmonic vibrations are normal because of other cars doing the same is an invalid argument IMO.
My 2017 C43 Coupe never had anything like this, why should my 2019 Sedan be ridden with abnormal vibrations?

If you currently experience this annoyance on your car, it IS NOT normal, and Mercedes being the company they pretend to be shouldn't make any of their car owners believe that such situations are "normal".

I have owned over 40 cars in my life to this day, I have never encountered such a problem.

We all buy AMG with the performance and assembly quality in mind, and at the price they sell their toys, asking them to provide a quality and smooth ride is not being picky and should just be the norm.

Eric Lessard

Update :

Dealership confirmed first step, change of Driveshaft.
Awaiting when they can do this.

Based on conversations with them, chances are this is step 1, and step 2 may end up changing the differential.

Eric Lessard

09/16 Update

Driveshaft will come from Germany.
Best ETA (Nothing certain) is next Monday, Sept the 23rd.

Will be close to 4 weeks without my car by then.

jmc1

Gosh ... followed this thread and I feel your anguish too! At least they are trying to resolve the issue.
Just hope the driveshaft and/or the differential is indeed the solution.
Did they happen to give you another C43 loaner? Cuz if that car doesn't have the problem .......

zibby43

I test drove a 2019 C43 sedan back when I intially took my car in.

That car did not appear to have the issue, but I only drove it a short distance. My car wouldn't make the noise all of the time. It seemed worse in cooler weather, but as the mileage increased, it appeared more frequently and over a great speed range (between 40-50 mph).

I've had a '19 C300 loaner for over 2 weeks now and that car has not produced any differential noise whatsoever.

jmc1

So both Eric and you should ask for a C43 (long term) loaner!

zibby43

Crazy. You'd think MB would have a better handle on this. This forum is a small sample size and the number of folks with diff/driveshaft issues across both pre and post-facelift cars is just staggering.

I'm getting to the point that I don't want this car anymore.

lol I wish!

jmc1

well ... maybe with the newer car releases it hurts a little more
like when my car was hot and new and had a transmission control unit die it took a week to get the replacement unit from germany etc
plus another week for the techs to learn from the german experts on how to code it back in blah blah the usual
that warranty event was kinda freaky cuz mine was the first such job they did
good news was the young tech took his time and did a good job