MBHEEL

2003 E320 with 73k on it. Drives perfect. Left ball joint KEEPS GOING! Why? Dealer fixed it first. then is starting squaking again a year later, Brought it to another non dealer to fix because it was half the price of Jerks at MB dealer. One month later- squaking again.. Anyone have this problem? Very annoying to ride down the street sounding like a beat up POC when I spent all that money on a Mercedes!

55fanatic

squeaking? ball joints will rattle more then squeak. My best guess is maybe 1 of the two shops you have taken it to, has screwed you over... unless you asked specifically about your ball joints. Things that might squeal... frozen brake calipers... axles(depending on your car being awd or 2wd) hub bearings

none of these are cheap solutions

georgedaman

It is the lower balljoints i assume.Mines went after the rubber boot gets busted and dust gets in.

dbarrym

Interesting...my '03 E500's were replaced at 65K and again at 92K, in neither case did they make any noise. The first time was by an unfamiliar MBZ dealer, the second time by an independent that I trust (Charles Foreign car in Encinitas, CA). No curb hits, etc...

Barry

Diesel Benz

The lower ones start to squeak when worn. There was a recall for these for early W211. Not all cars affected, it was only one parts supplier who had issues. I wonder if you got your joint replaced with the same bad part, it should not have happened.

lkchris

Do you have OE wheels and tire sizes?

cb04e320

i have an 4 e320 and just dropped it off at dealership today to have the ball joints replaced for the 2nd time in 6 months. same squeeking noise you're talking about and it's VERY annoying to hear that sound on every little bump you hit. i have aftermarket rims and tires but mercedes didn't say anything about that the 1st time i took it in, they just replaced the entire setup on the passenger side. i think both sides are gone this time but i'll repost once they let me know.

Diesel Benz

What do you mean by "the entire setup being changed"? I doubt they would have changed all joints. Would be nice to know for statistics if you had issues with the lower or the upper joints, or both, or were both changed even if perhaps only one or the other was bad?

konigstiger

DTB P-B-33.15/22 FEB07 Squeaking/thumping noise from front axle – upper ball joint sealing boot on upper control arm damaged/torn.

“Use of an impact wrench during installation; tapered surfaces contaminated with oil or grease; application of excessively high torque would pull the tapered portion of the ball joint too far into the steering knuckle. The sealing boot is too taut on the joint and twists in this area with each rotary movement until the sealing bellows suffer a fatigue fracture. As a result, the joint corrodes and causes noises.”

oilbelcher

You quote makes sense to me now. I have an '05 E500, 46k miles (bought CPO at 42k), and have had my suspension looked at 3 times now for sqeaking noise when turning at low speeds. They did a TSB, which solved for a couple days (or didn't notice it), then starting making even more noise, with less turning required to generate noise. This last final time today, they replaced a worn bushing, on the control arm, and I was just guessing that a seal broke and let the grease run out. It is evidentially a metal on metal joint that needs sealing to keep grease in, dirt out. I bet with the previous work, they over-tightened the joint and cause more damage as you decribe. It was a matter of weeks since the first two attempts that the noise grew worse. I bet they didn't torque properly. I could see early on that there may have been some bad seals from suppliers as well.

Taylor-Made'90

I'm having a similiar issue.

I had the front passenger airmatic strut replaced in June ($1100.00). But now the driver's side ball joint is squeaking. The MB service writer told me the joints really can't serviced, just replaced... I felt like they just needed greasing (that's the sound they were making). But I was told (on here and at the dealer) that there are no grease fittings on the W211. (stupid, if ya ask me).

It's been squeaking for about two weeks now. And I'm leery of getting them (both joints, both sides) replaced, for fear they'll start squeaking again......

I'm tempted to slide the boot back and slap some #4 heavy lube grease on it and see what happens. But I know I'm not.....

Diesel Benz

I don't remember when passenger cars had joints with grease fittings. If they had, they would start squeaking sooner than now when you would not remember to service them often enough.

MB mostly has joints that can be replaced without replacing the whole control arm.

Is your worn joint the upper or the lower one, or one of the others?

georgedaman

I tried this years ago when universal replacements boots were available.In a nutshell,i was not worth it.Practicaly it is easy to stop the squeeking but technicaly ,by the time the joint squeeks ,mostlikely the grease is gone and there is damage to the ball or the seat,there is more play and the joint will just wear out really fast regardless of the grease.

vettdvr

I had the ball joints replaced under 100000 warranty at 68,000 miles. Way premature. My Corvette 80,000 driven on the track is solid. My ford truck w/141000 miles still going strong on origional joints. Given the number of failures there must be a design issue with the joint.

Materials, lubrication or sizing will cause these issues. Just too many on this board complaining about ball joints for me to believe there is not a design issue of some type.

HoustonRider

my guess is the MB dealer didn't replace them the first time, only lubed em.

Ball joints are waaaaay down the list of maintenance items. Its rare to say the least.

You guys need to get your hands dirty and crawl under your cars more often. If anything just to see if **** was replaced. Could save you thousands. I check the oil after each change just to make sure the guy getting "flagged" hours really did my $200 oil change. Trust no one.

csumt76

I don't know any MB tech that would not change your oil. I've known quite a few over the past five years. A different group of guys turn wrenches on high end cars.

cb04e320

i believe they replaced the entire control arm instead of just the ball joint. and i made a mistake when i said it was the same side that went out both times. it was the right side first and this was the left side. hopefully i don't have to go back any time soon.