Any thoughts on what will cause vibration in drive mode on 08 4matic E350 Benz?

 

moved to W211 forum...

 

Did you change the motor mounts? Very common for those to go, mine went at 60k.

 

Not only did I have the L/R motor mounts changed, Changed Transmission Mount, L/R Axles and New front rotors and brakes.

 

Only at idle or only while driving? There's also the giubo flex disc in the drive line. The usual bad tire, bad rim, out of balance tire can also apply if it's while driving.

 

The vibration starts after coming to stop. Driving is AWESOME!!!!

 

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread - I've noticed the same thing, I slight vibration in the steering wheel while idling with my foot on the brake and the transmission in D. I'm not so sure it's a problem though, I've noticed the same thing in a couple of other vehicles, including a 2017 Santa Fe.

 

I have the same issue.

I just bought a 2011 C300 4Matic and it runs great except for this slight vibration I feel in D or R. It goes away in N, P or "at moving speed." While waiting at a traffic light in D, The vibration disappears once you stat moving or shift out of gear into N or P.

The other day, I had new engine and transmission mounts installed. While the vibration is much less than before, I can still tell it is there. The mounts just help mask the vibration. They are not the cause per se. My old mounts were not really bad.

Since I purchased the car, I've been combing through the threads for similar issues. It seems that those with these symptoms have all gone ahead and replaced the three mounts. While it has solved the problem for some (likely b/c they indeed needed new mounts), many 4Matic owners (not just he W204) have not had this resolved, including myself.

there are some threads that allude to the drive axle and drive shaft particular to the 4Matic. Some have had this expensive repair cure them of the problem. Another seem to have needed a new transfer case.

Anyway, I'm subscribed to this thread now and hope others will report back with their results. While there are many threads out there about this issue, many posters do not bother to follow up with what fixed the problem.

One more thing.

What I do notice, is that depending on the incline of the road that I am on (while stopped in D at a light), the vibration *seems" to diminish to noting, while other lights it is constant. I'm not sure if the wheel position may have something to do wit this.

There is also one other issue now that I think about it. When I first got the car, it had the vibrations, but it also had this steering noise and vibration as well. IF I turned the wheel as it nears the travel stops, there was a shudder-like vibration too. Now that I have new mounts, the vibration is less as mentioned, along with much less shudder in the steering wheel when turned towards stops. Like the general vibration, the steering vibration is still there but much less. The mounts are holding/masking some issue together. These two symptoms are likely related.

 

does it vibrate in low speeds?

 

no... or at least not noticeable. I don't feel like its there once I begin to accelerate. Strangely, when I first start the car cold the RPMs are high (normal) as the engine warms up. With the idle RPM at say 700-800, there is no vibration. As the engine warms up, the idle RPM drops to the normal 550-600 RPM, and the vibration begins to become more noticeable when stationary in D.

 

can it be the spark plugs?

 

I have the maintenance records from prior owner and it looks like they plugs were changed at 81K (10K ago) - so they should be good. Plus it doesn't sound much like an engine issue (runs/idles well in P and N), more like something transmission related. I think this has something to do with the torque converter or transfer case for all 4Matics.