Rich

On 2 occasions I have had a horrible metal on metal grinding noise. It sounds like it comes from the right front wheel, but I'm not sure. Almost like a brake getting hung up on a caliper. The noise is not from the transmission (still have it in N). It varies with the car speed. The first time it happened I was going to the dentist and listening to a NPR story about the crash of the Concorde. I thought that the noise was part of the story! I stopped, turned around to take the car back home, and the noise went away, never to return. Six months later I was again going to the dentist and the noise returned. I tried hitting the brakes a few times, turning the wheel right and left, but the noise wouldn't go away. I turned around to take the car home, and again the noise went away! The dealer is 90 miles away, and my experience with them is that they won't find anything or do much if I can't reproduce the noise.

Rich

Oh yea, the car is an '01 E55

mbtech208

While I haven't seen a complaint like yours yet, I doubt your dealer will give you the "could not duplicate" routine. This isn't an intermittent electrical problem, it's a metal-on-metal grinding noise. Whatever it is should be fairly obvious to the technician servicing your vehicle, if not staring him right in the face. You say it varies with vehicle speed, so it's probably related to the brakes, maybe the wheel bearing assembly. There's not much to the suspension on an E-class, so this doesn't sound like a difficult problem to diagnose at all. Since it only happens when you're going to the dentist, would it be possible that there's a section of road making this noise? It sounds far-fetched, but it does happen. As a last resort, maybe you should stop going to the dentist. That should fix your car.

E55MKB

At one time I had what sound like metal to metal noise coming from the front axle area. It turnes out to be cause by small stone lodged in the brake caliper area. At certain time the stone will be in contact with the moving rotor an causing the noise.

Took off wheels and inspected the brake and found out the problem.

vinmanc32

Since that is the only time you have the problem.. Whats more important.. your teeth or the car. (Dentures are available).

Rich

E55MKB, gonna take the wheels off and check for a stone tomorrow. 3/4 of my driveway is gravel, and it leads to a very sharp incline (cement) and then the house. The two times it has happened I came up the hill fast, and bounced onto the gravel. Just curious, did you still have the stone in there when it wasn't making the noise?

hmrdwn

Rich,
I had the same kind of noise from the front disk brake on one of my other cars. I would stop and back up a few car lengths and sometimes that would get the stone out. One time it was a piece of wire that had to be removed. Good Luck.