arich

My wife truck has developed a rattle or clunk in its front end. Happens over all bumps but gets worse which I go from Confort to Sport Mode on suspension.
Has anyone had this happen. Dealer can't take it for 2 weeks.

Dreamszalone

If it is loud and clear then your lucky because it would be easy to diagnose, else if its a low noise then the Tech would go on Suspension parts replace rampage. Because they would start with Sway Bar Links\Struts\Steering parts etc. By the time he addresses the real issue he would be done by replacing 40% of suspension part, because they hate the customers who says they hear a clunk noise on bumps in slow speeds dont know why anyway it all depends what is going on in his mind.

But as per your description it could very well be Sway Bar links or lower control arm.

scottmcdaniel1

it may be hard to diagnose as sometimes the suspension is actually MEANT to do that. i'm not saying that it's supposed to in your particular case, but it can...

i was in Tuscaloosa/Vance about a month ago for some training. we went to the plant for a tour, saw the assembly lines, etc and then went to Mercedes' off-road test track for SUV's. we were in 2015 GL450 models with the on-off road package. it was truly amazing what these vehicles can do, what they're capable of, inclines with rollers, rocker steps, fording 2' deep of water (enough to bury the front camera), etc. I have friends with Z71, F150, F250, etc 4x4's that i'm not sure if their trucks could do what these GL's did. that being said, when going through the course, you could hear the suspension and all popping and what sounded like cracking. the driving instructors said that the sound is completely normal for the suspension reacting to road surface and driving conditions.

now, with THAT being said, it could very well NOT be the same as yours. my E350 has a popping sound in the suspension at low speeds when turning into parking spot or my garage at home. i've had a couple techs look at it and say nothing is wrong with it. best of luck and hope it's nothing serious.

paomien

Just bought my bluetec in for a clunking noise in the suspension. Tech ended up ordering a sway bar and two front struts.... It took them a while of driving to notice the noise, though. Maybe you're having the same issue.

doctorG

I have a similar noise in my CLS. I also noticed the same in my old S class. I think it is something with the Airmatic. Again, not saying this is the exact problem in your case, but I can sympathize with you.

arich

Service tech took it for a 30 second test drive and said OH YEAH I HEAR AND FEEL IT. They replaced the front left strut. I requested both but they said the right it fine. Back to perfect now.
I have the optional sport/comfort suspension so I don't know if the strut is different.

doctorG

Wow! Thanks for the followup!

arich

I was actually quite surprised by the level of service (of course you pay for it). I've been used to a whole other world. I know it's not a comparison but there's an suspension vibration in our Land Cruiser that has driven me crazy for 4 years. Tech simply says it's normal while I KNOW it's not. Land Cruiser is an incredibly reliable vehicle with amazingly low depreciation so I've learned to live with it.
Apparently Mercedes really listens to the customer or was is this not the norm?

BTW, I took the GL for fuel one day and was asked my wife "how long has your truck had that clunk?" Guess what her answer was.

doctorG

Haha!! I insist on driving my wife's car every once in a while to pick up stuff like this!

Ntuck

I have heard/felt in my steering wheel a sort of rattling too. I have a GL350, so no sport mode on mine. I do notice when I go slower around the neighborhood that I hear it more and don't really hear it at low speeds. I took it in back in June and they couldn't find anything or hear anything. I only hear/feel in the front end as well. I am wondering if mine is the same thing as yours. If I tell the dealership about this thread, they will get funny. 9 times out of 10 I have the same problem as someone else, and I tell them about the forum and what has worked for others to replace ,and they always say well that I shouldn't always listen to what is on here etc. I love this forum and that there IS a place to find out what could be wrong and if others are having the same problem. I just drove it on the sand in Nantucket and noticed after that that the clunking got worse. I may give it another round and see if they can hear it when I take for an oil change this week. I swear this has been going on the last 6 months and don't remember my GL doing this beforehand.

Ntuck

Also, was this covered by MB? Or did you have to pay out of pocket?

arich

Covered by warranty, no questions asked.
I knew it was a shock or a steering tie rod end. Felt like it had slop in the front end when going over small bumps.
Anthony

luv2sleep

This brings back bad memories. I had the same issue with a '09 GL450 and '11 GL350. We'd hear a clunk and metal grinding noise while backing out of our drive way-not always but majority of the time. Other times were going over speed bumps while turning. The dealer ended up replacing a bunch of front end parts on the '09 and the noise never went away. After a while, they said that the noise was "normal and safe". Really? I dumped the '09 GL450 after just over a year; it had a few other problems too. The '11 GL350 had similar noises coming from the front end. Took it in twice and had the sway bar (?) replaced. I got tired of wasting my time at the dealership so the GL350 also took a hike after about a year. We went through a couple of Infiniti SUVs and now we are back to a GL; no funny noises from the front end on this one, knock on wood. $80k+ vehicles shouldn't be doing this, you'd think!

Ntuck

Thanks for the info. I took my car in today for service B and state inspection. Told them to check what was going on again and mentioned maybe the struts. Turns out they did find something but it was something about the coupling? Said they have to order a part for it for next week. I'll be on vacation so have to get it fixed when I get back. I hope this will fix the problem. I've had my 2 year old car in the shop at least 12 times unrelated to oil changes etc. Seems like it's always something for an $85K car. It's unfortunate because I truly love the car. I just hope I can hang on to it for another 4-5 years and not have it in the shop each month.