E-Class (W211) 2003-2009

The MB Door "Thunk"

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Old Aug 11, 2008 | 02:19 AM
  #1  
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The MB Door "Thunk"

I've been enjoying my 2004 E320. My parents owned Mercedes as I grew up. So buying my first Mercedes after owning two other cars... It's been great. My dad still sometimes drives the infamous 240D (with more than 260k miles).

One thing I did notice in the E is that the door does not close with the trademark, solid "thunk". I checked up on previous threads, and sure enough, I'm not the only one that noticed: see https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211/69859-new-mbs-closing-doors.html

Below is an excerpt from Edmund's recent review of the E550. Are they bs'ing? Did Mercedes bring back the "thunk"?

My buddy's brand new E63 doesn't have the thunk. (But my other friend's BMW 545i does!)

"Mention Mercedes-Benz and a number of images could come to mind: stately sedans, dashing drop tops, self-absorbed celebrities and their tiny dogs, a bank vault. The latter has been used so many times in analogy to describe a Benz's solid construction that it wouldn't be surprising to see an S-Class door guarding the gold at Fort Knox. Give a Mercedes the old door-shut test, and you'll see what we mean. The hefty, precise and vibration-less manner in which it closes gives the feeling that the whole car is carved out of a block of solid titanium. "
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Old Aug 11, 2008 | 03:12 AM
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I don't think there is a big difference from previous models to the W211. But the force you need to close the doors is one of the most popular complaints from first time MB owners (or visitors), I hope MB does not start following the others because of this.

Are you saying your door vibrates after it is closed or something? I'm afraid the article just tried to gain readers' interest.
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Old Aug 11, 2008 | 10:28 AM
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The article is talking about the W221, which when I saw it in person had a peculiar thunk that no other car around there had. The W211 I saw at the same time didn't sound quite the same as the W221.
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Old Aug 11, 2008 | 10:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Diesel Benz
Are you saying your door vibrates after it is closed or something? I'm afraid the article just tried to gain readers' interest.
My door doesn't vibrate. It just doesn't close with the "Fort Knox" feeling. To your point, it appears that the article is inaccurate -- Especially about something that irks some owners a bit.
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Old Aug 11, 2008 | 11:10 AM
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Originally Posted by AsianML
The article is talking about the W221, which when I saw it in person had a peculiar thunk that no other car around there had. The W211 I saw at the same time didn't sound quite the same as the W221.
OK, that could well be from the electric soft close system instead of a vacuum operated one. The sound certainly is different (soft close is louder and not as nice sound) on a W221 but I don't feel the door closing otherwise differently.
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Old Aug 11, 2008 | 04:23 PM
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It may not sound the same, but everything about the W211 door is safer than the W123 door.
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