2016 GL550 Transmission Jerks & Suspension Noises
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Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 356
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From: San Francisco, CA
'16 GL550, '12 C350
2016 GL550 Transmission Jerks & Suspension Noises
2016 GL550, 3,800 miles.
So before I take her into the dealership, wanted to ask you guys if what I'm experiencing is normal or something I should inquire about.
1. The transmission is a total jerk, when I'm in a low-speed drive and in a parking lot, when stopping and going, it makes a clunk and jerks and each clunk can be felt lightly through the accelerator and steering wheel - there's clearly play between the jerks. This also happens in stop-go-traffic and between stop signs/block to block. Personally, the crappiest tranmission ever and I hate it.
2. In comfort mode the front suspension makes fluttering noise over small, multiple little bumps or a series of small potholes. It sounds like an old car that would typically need ball joints or bushings. This doesn't happen in sport (lower) or off-road height, higher. Is this the side-effect of having 21" low-profile sport wheels or something else? Or is this the nature of the sway bars - don't they disconnect in off-road height? Seems to be prevalent on cooler, dry days.
3. When I'm in comfort mode and I go over a speed bump, I hear a thump and clunk - both front and rear as each axel rolls over the hump. Is this normal too? I think it's the sway bars.
4. Right rear wheel (air-strut) makes a metal-on-metal squeal every so often when compressed the right way. Now, this has only happened three times since I've owned it. But just doesn't seem normal, unless all of the above is "normal" and this is just how this rig was designed.
Anyway, outside of these possible issues above, the GL550 has been okay.
So before I take her into the dealership, wanted to ask you guys if what I'm experiencing is normal or something I should inquire about.
1. The transmission is a total jerk, when I'm in a low-speed drive and in a parking lot, when stopping and going, it makes a clunk and jerks and each clunk can be felt lightly through the accelerator and steering wheel - there's clearly play between the jerks. This also happens in stop-go-traffic and between stop signs/block to block. Personally, the crappiest tranmission ever and I hate it.
2. In comfort mode the front suspension makes fluttering noise over small, multiple little bumps or a series of small potholes. It sounds like an old car that would typically need ball joints or bushings. This doesn't happen in sport (lower) or off-road height, higher. Is this the side-effect of having 21" low-profile sport wheels or something else? Or is this the nature of the sway bars - don't they disconnect in off-road height? Seems to be prevalent on cooler, dry days.
3. When I'm in comfort mode and I go over a speed bump, I hear a thump and clunk - both front and rear as each axel rolls over the hump. Is this normal too? I think it's the sway bars.
4. Right rear wheel (air-strut) makes a metal-on-metal squeal every so often when compressed the right way. Now, this has only happened three times since I've owned it. But just doesn't seem normal, unless all of the above is "normal" and this is just how this rig was designed.
Anyway, outside of these possible issues above, the GL550 has been okay.
Last edited by Count Laszlo; Feb 7, 2016 at 08:59 PM.
Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 102
Likes: 58
From: Chicago
2020 GLE450 / 2003 BMW M5
2016 GL550, 3,800 miles.
So before I take her into the dealership, wanted to ask you guys if what I'm experiencing is normal or something I should inquire about.
1. The transmission is a total jerk, when I'm in a low-speed drive and in a parking lot, when stopping and going, it makes a clunk and jerks and each clunk can be felt lightly through the accelerator and steering wheel - there's clearly play between the jerks. This also happens in stop-go-traffic and between stop signs/block to block. Personally, the crappiest tranmission ever and I hate it.
2. In comfort mode the front suspension makes fluttering noise over small, multiple little bumps or a series of small potholes. It sounds like an old car that would typically need ball joints or bushings. This doesn't happen in sport (lower) or off-road height, higher. Is this the side-effect of having 21" low-profile sport wheels or something else? Or is this the nature of the sway bars - don't they disconnect in off-road height? Seems to be prevalent on cooler, dry days.
3. When I'm in comfort mode and I go over a speed bump, I hear a thump and clunk - both front and rear as each axel rolls over the hump. Is this normal too? I think it's the sway bars.
4. Right rear wheel (air-strut) makes a metal-on-metal squeal every so often when compressed the right way. Now, this has only happened three times since I've owned it. But just doesn't seem normal, unless all of the above is "normal" and this is just how this rig was designed.
Anyway, outside of these possible issues above, the GL550 has been okay.
So before I take her into the dealership, wanted to ask you guys if what I'm experiencing is normal or something I should inquire about.
1. The transmission is a total jerk, when I'm in a low-speed drive and in a parking lot, when stopping and going, it makes a clunk and jerks and each clunk can be felt lightly through the accelerator and steering wheel - there's clearly play between the jerks. This also happens in stop-go-traffic and between stop signs/block to block. Personally, the crappiest tranmission ever and I hate it.
2. In comfort mode the front suspension makes fluttering noise over small, multiple little bumps or a series of small potholes. It sounds like an old car that would typically need ball joints or bushings. This doesn't happen in sport (lower) or off-road height, higher. Is this the side-effect of having 21" low-profile sport wheels or something else? Or is this the nature of the sway bars - don't they disconnect in off-road height? Seems to be prevalent on cooler, dry days.
3. When I'm in comfort mode and I go over a speed bump, I hear a thump and clunk - both front and rear as each axel rolls over the hump. Is this normal too? I think it's the sway bars.
4. Right rear wheel (air-strut) makes a metal-on-metal squeal every so often when compressed the right way. Now, this has only happened three times since I've owned it. But just doesn't seem normal, unless all of the above is "normal" and this is just how this rig was designed.
Anyway, outside of these possible issues above, the GL550 has been okay.
1 - dealer reset the transmission adaptation (shift patterns and timing) and also reset gear change adaptation (clunk from park to reverse / drive). After they were reset, I drove very conservatively. Clunks improved slightly, but I still get a jerk at rolling stops about 3-4 times a day...and parking lots are like an on/off switch with a light tapping noise on throttle engagement...all the time when the truck is warm. 1-2 and 2-3 shifts were much improved. No change to 3-2 on braking...which has always been abrupt. I have no idea what causes these issues - maybe not enough pressure being maintained in the transmission off throttle? No clue - but it is frustrating. If your dealer figures it out - I'd be very interested.
2/3 - Airmatic sounds are normal from what I can tell. Dealer hasn't found anything out of spec or abnormal. I had a leaking air strut replaced with no change to random noises. I get a light click / tap noise over speed bumps; washboard surfaces (gravel roads) induce a rattle from the front. Maybe a bushing? Again, nothing found.
4 - not normal; aside from the odd whoosh noise as the suspension levels, I have never heard a metal-on-metal sound from my air strut...and I'm at 70k mi. If you can get it to reproduce at the dealership...definitely get that one looked at.
