2018 E300 jitter/vibration after 65+
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 16
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2017 E300 4MATIC
My dealer has ordered a new rear diff for me. No other details provided yet, so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed.
I found this interesting article on how vibration analysis works - https://www.brakeandfrontend.com/dri...th-vibrations/
I found this interesting article on how vibration analysis works - https://www.brakeandfrontend.com/dri...th-vibrations/
Last edited by JK2; Dec 29, 2018 at 05:14 PM.
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Super Member
Joined: Oct 2017
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2021 M550i
My dealer has ordered a new rear diff for me. No other details provided yet, so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed.
I found this interesting article on how vibration analysis works - https://www.brakeandfrontend.com/dri...th-vibrations/
I found this interesting article on how vibration analysis works - https://www.brakeandfrontend.com/dri...th-vibrations/
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Joined: Jan 2009
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Past 03 SL500,03 C240, 07 E350, 07 ML350, 10 ML350,11&14 E350 X2 2017 E300, 2017 C350e & 2000 S500
My car used to have a small jitter while braking, but now the whole car vibrates and shakes while braking any where from 60 to 100+ mph. Been complaining about it since the car had 1k miles, they changed the pads at 3k and now the rotors have failed at 18k. Will be taking it in. The car has amg line brakes
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Joined: Jul 2018
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From: Port St. Lucie, Fl
2026 GLE 450 (Black on Brown Saddle)
Ask the dealer to check lower ball joints and associated systems as well. I had a similar issue with one of my earlier MB's. The previous visits had addressed: tires, rims, brakes
etc. Only when the ball joints were inspected and replaced did the vibrations were corrected. Sometimes, this issue is overlooked. Good luck..
etc. Only when the ball joints were inspected and replaced did the vibrations were corrected. Sometimes, this issue is overlooked. Good luck..
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Oct 2017
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2021 M550i
just dropped off my e300 last night and i got a 2019 c300 coupe sport as a loaner. so i am starting to notice that this vibration might be added intentionally now to the design to add sportiness?? this 2019 c300 sport vibrates a lot more and drives very similar to a 2018 c43 i drove last year. i accepted the fact that the c43 would drive like this due to the fact that it is was a c43... but it seems like they brought it over now to the c300 sport coupe as well. I drove a c300 coupe cab non-sport a month or two ago and i didnt notice it. So it might be something that are fitting into the sport models....
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 16
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2017 E300 4MATIC
Next step is the servicing dealership to escalate to MB USA. Apparently they have regional tech teams who swoop in for tough cases. Specifically there's like one guy nationally who specializes in vibrations, so hoping he'll engage. They have a particular tool to detect drive shaft imbalance, which is the shop foreman's next guess at root cause. He said it could also be the two rear axels. To a layperson like me, also seems like it could be something at the output side of the transmission.
I'm close to requesting MB USA to repurchase, but going to give it one more try.
Aside, since I find the vibration analysis fascinating, here's an iPhone app that for $400 attempts to do vibration analysis -
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2021 M550i
awesome find and great report! yea for a non technical guy like me it seems to be engine/tranmission related as well. i really think 9 gears paired up with a 4cyl will give quite a bog down / buzz.
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2017 E300 4MATIC
Update - Dealer had my car for two more weeks while we were away on vacation. Had a tech from MB USA come and balance the prop shaft (drive shaft). After doing that, he also found it slightly "out of alignment", which I'm led to believe is something about the angles between it and the components on either end. He mentioned he's seen this sort of thing before. Their "pico scope" readings improved a lot after this. Shop foreman test-drove, wasn't sure if he could still feel the vibration or not. I took it out my long highway commute and can still feel it, though it's less consistent than before; you really have to be paying attention, and need to be on super smooth/quiet roads. I'm planning to request a repurchase from MBUSA at this point. I'm in love w/ everything else about the car, but can't NOT hear/feel this vibration. Also worried that w/ the root cause unresolved, it will grow more severe overtime.
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Joined: Oct 2017
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2021 M550i
Update - Dealer had my car for two more weeks while we were away on vacation. Had a tech from MB USA come and balance the prop shaft (drive shaft). After doing that, he also found it slightly "out of alignment", which I'm led to believe is something about the angles between it and the components on either end. He mentioned he's seen this sort of thing before. Their "pico scope" readings improved a lot after this. Shop foreman test-drove, wasn't sure if he could still feel the vibration or not. I took it out my long highway commute and can still feel it, though it's less consistent than before; you really have to be paying attention, and need to be on super smooth/quiet roads. I'm planning to request a repurchase from MBUSA at this point. I'm in love w/ everything else about the car, but can't NOT hear/feel this vibration. Also worried that w/ the root cause unresolved, it will grow more severe overtime.
Great to hear, maybe i can relay this message over to my dealership. But for you, i recommend you test drive another e class of any sort and see if you notice it or not before you have mbusa repurchase the vehicle and you go through the same nightmare again... keep us posted and good luck!!!
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Joined: Oct 2017
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2021 M550i
Update - Dealer had my car for two more weeks while we were away on vacation. Had a tech from MB USA come and balance the prop shaft (drive shaft). After doing that, he also found it slightly "out of alignment", which I'm led to believe is something about the angles between it and the components on either end. He mentioned he's seen this sort of thing before. Their "pico scope" readings improved a lot after this. Shop foreman test-drove, wasn't sure if he could still feel the vibration or not. I took it out my long highway commute and can still feel it, though it's less consistent than before; you really have to be paying attention, and need to be on super smooth/quiet roads. I'm planning to request a repurchase from MBUSA at this point. I'm in love w/ everything else about the car, but can't NOT hear/feel this vibration. Also worried that w/ the root cause unresolved, it will grow more severe overtime.
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Joined: Nov 2018
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From: UK
MY19 E450 4MATIC Coupé
Update - Dealer had my car for two more weeks while we were away on vacation. Had a tech from MB USA come and balance the prop shaft (drive shaft). After doing that, he also found it slightly "out of alignment", which I'm led to believe is something about the angles between it and the components on either end. He mentioned he's seen this sort of thing before. Their "pico scope" readings improved a lot after this. Shop foreman test-drove, wasn't sure if he could still feel the vibration or not. I took it out my long highway commute and can still feel it, though it's less consistent than before; you really have to be paying attention, and need to be on super smooth/quiet roads. I'm planning to request a repurchase from MBUSA at this point. I'm in love w/ everything else about the car, but can't NOT hear/feel this vibration. Also worried that w/ the root cause unresolved, it will grow more severe overtime.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 882
Likes: 110
2021 M550i
Update - Dealer had my car for two more weeks while we were away on vacation. Had a tech from MB USA come and balance the prop shaft (drive shaft). After doing that, he also found it slightly "out of alignment", which I'm led to believe is something about the angles between it and the components on either end. He mentioned he's seen this sort of thing before. Their "pico scope" readings improved a lot after this. Shop foreman test-drove, wasn't sure if he could still feel the vibration or not. I took it out my long highway commute and can still feel it, though it's less consistent than before; you really have to be paying attention, and need to be on super smooth/quiet roads. I'm planning to request a repurchase from MBUSA at this point. I'm in love w/ everything else about the car, but can't NOT hear/feel this vibration. Also worried that w/ the root cause unresolved, it will grow more severe overtime.
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Joined: Nov 2018
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2017 E300 4MATIC
Random observation about my symptoms - I *think* they were less prominent when it was 10-20 degrees out, in the dead of winter, when they had to shaft balancing specialist working on it. When he gave it back, I really had to pay attention to feel it, but now as warmer days arrive, the vibration feels more obvious to me. Could also be that whatever adjustments they made have reverted somehow.
On repurchase, not going particularly smoothly. MBUSA states 2-4 weeks for the process. It was radio silence for 3 weeks. Then the dealer called to take the vehicle back in "because MBUSA asked us to". This is after the dealer told me there was nothing else they could do since the scope read clean after the shaft adjustments. I called back in to the MBUSA rep to try to get more color, asking things like "Why is the car going back to the dealer if the dealer says there's nothing else they can do; what changed? What makes us think this time will be different? Is the specialist coming back?". The guy couldn't answer any of this; gave a lot of nonsense answers, felt like a very low-level call center rep instead of good service. Anyway, it went back to them this morning, and I have no idea what they're trying/thinking.
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Joined: Oct 2017
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2021 M550i
Good for you! Do you mean that even with the device they had to try it a bunch of times to pick it up?
Random observation about my symptoms - I *think* they were less prominent when it was 10-20 degrees out, in the dead of winter, when they had to shaft balancing specialist working on it. When he gave it back, I really had to pay attention to feel it, but now as warmer days arrive, the vibration feels more obvious to me. Could also be that whatever adjustments they made have reverted somehow.
On repurchase, not going particularly smoothly. MBUSA states 2-4 weeks for the process. It was radio silence for 3 weeks. Then the dealer called to take the vehicle back in "because MBUSA asked us to". This is after the dealer told me there was nothing else they could do since the scope read clean after the shaft adjustments. I called back in to the MBUSA rep to try to get more color, asking things like "Why is the car going back to the dealer if the dealer says there's nothing else they can do; what changed? What makes us think this time will be different? Is the specialist coming back?". The guy couldn't answer any of this; gave a lot of nonsense answers, felt like a very low-level call center rep instead of good service. Anyway, it went back to them this morning, and I have no idea what they're trying/thinking.
Random observation about my symptoms - I *think* they were less prominent when it was 10-20 degrees out, in the dead of winter, when they had to shaft balancing specialist working on it. When he gave it back, I really had to pay attention to feel it, but now as warmer days arrive, the vibration feels more obvious to me. Could also be that whatever adjustments they made have reverted somehow.
On repurchase, not going particularly smoothly. MBUSA states 2-4 weeks for the process. It was radio silence for 3 weeks. Then the dealer called to take the vehicle back in "because MBUSA asked us to". This is after the dealer told me there was nothing else they could do since the scope read clean after the shaft adjustments. I called back in to the MBUSA rep to try to get more color, asking things like "Why is the car going back to the dealer if the dealer says there's nothing else they can do; what changed? What makes us think this time will be different? Is the specialist coming back?". The guy couldn't answer any of this; gave a lot of nonsense answers, felt like a very low-level call center rep instead of good service. Anyway, it went back to them this morning, and I have no idea what they're trying/thinking.
The funny thing is I told them the same symptom about the temperature as well. My thought is as the weather warms up, the tires become softer, possibly hugging the road better thus equating to more feedback coming into the cabin. Just multiplying the sensation.
Good luck! Makes sense that they would do anything to not buy-back the car haha
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From: A Dutchy Living in Marseille, France
EQE SUV AMG-line 350+
I too have an overall vibration at speeds over 130m/h
best to describe it is that it FEELS like it's the road that causes it, though this i definitely not the case as the vibration is constant on old & new (smooth) asfalt.
it's the car as a whole that vibrates. steering wheel, does not...
dealer could not find anything wrong, but i doubt they really tested it...
it's very subtle
i know all the above remains vague, but if anyone has any suggestions?
best to describe it is that it FEELS like it's the road that causes it, though this i definitely not the case as the vibration is constant on old & new (smooth) asfalt.
it's the car as a whole that vibrates. steering wheel, does not...
dealer could not find anything wrong, but i doubt they really tested it...
it's very subtle
i know all the above remains vague, but if anyone has any suggestions?
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Joined: Jul 2003
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From: North Scottsdale, AZ
'71 Pinto
Start with basics request tire/wheel “road force balance” i.e.: https://www.hunter.com/wheel-balancers
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2021 M550i
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From: Venice Florida
2018 S560
I have a slight vibration in my Wagon at speeds over 70 or so, feels like it's coming from the rear. Very slight. When I change out the tires for the Primacy 3's I'l see if it goes away. I have a feeling it's gonna ride smooth as silk with the Michelin Primacy 3's. I really think it's something to do with the hard sidewall Goodyear Eagle Sport tires on the car now. It's a shame though I do like the way these Goodyear Sport tires feel in Corners, they are very firm. Hate to chuck out tires with only 10K miles on them. I just know when I get up north to the bumpy roads I'm gonna really hate these tires.
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Joined: Apr 2008
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From: A Dutchy Living in Marseille, France
EQE SUV AMG-line 350+
lock was in car, but hidden
I usually drive not faster than 110km (the limit) between home & work and only on some weekends will I use roads where limit is 130,
my guess is that one or 2 wheels are badly balanced after I had 2 tires replaced, though that's done "automatically" so don't se how they could have F'ed it up..?
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2017 E300 4MATIC
On my end MBUSA gave me the big middle finger on my repurchase request. I guess since the shop foreman can't currently feel the vibration himself, under whatever conditions he drove it, I'm out of luck at the moment.
Frustrating that there's been no real person to talk to beyond call center reps. Can't get answers to sensible questions like "so if I can demonstrate the issue to the foreman in warmer weather, will you repurchase it instead of making me bring it in for a sixth time?". Or "the foreman has a history of giving the car back w/ vibration intact (as verified by MB tech), so can we get a different opinion on this?". Or "hey, there's some sketchy stuff going on at the dealer, like:
- Only having 3 work orders on record even though the car's been in 5 times
- They picked the car up from my house, but told me if MB roadside assistance called, to say I had needed a jump
- Paired a phone named "337 hates benz" with my car
Anyway, hope you have better luck, I'm still following your saga as well.
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Joined: Nov 2018
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From: UK
MY19 E450 4MATIC Coupé
Nice.
On my end MBUSA gave me the big middle finger on my repurchase request. I guess since the shop foreman can't currently feel the vibration himself, under whatever conditions he drove it, I'm out of luck at the moment.
Frustrating that there's been no real person to talk to beyond call center reps. Can't get answers to sensible questions like "so if I can demonstrate the issue to the foreman in warmer weather, will you repurchase it instead of making me bring it in for a sixth time?". Or "the foreman has a history of giving the car back w/ vibration intact (as verified by MB tech), so can we get a different opinion on this?". Or "hey, there's some sketchy stuff going on at the dealer, like:
- Only having 3 work orders on record even though the car's been in 5 times
- They picked the car up from my house, but told me if MB roadside assistance called, to say I had needed a jump
- Paired a phone named "337 hates benz" with my car
Anyway, hope you have better luck, I'm still following your saga as well.
On my end MBUSA gave me the big middle finger on my repurchase request. I guess since the shop foreman can't currently feel the vibration himself, under whatever conditions he drove it, I'm out of luck at the moment.
Frustrating that there's been no real person to talk to beyond call center reps. Can't get answers to sensible questions like "so if I can demonstrate the issue to the foreman in warmer weather, will you repurchase it instead of making me bring it in for a sixth time?". Or "the foreman has a history of giving the car back w/ vibration intact (as verified by MB tech), so can we get a different opinion on this?". Or "hey, there's some sketchy stuff going on at the dealer, like:
- Only having 3 work orders on record even though the car's been in 5 times
- They picked the car up from my house, but told me if MB roadside assistance called, to say I had needed a jump
- Paired a phone named "337 hates benz" with my car
Anyway, hope you have better luck, I'm still following your saga as well.
