Over-assisted steering: is there any solution?
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 81
Likes: 2
2016 GL 450
Over-assisted steering: is there any solution?
After driving our new GL across the country, one thing that stands out as a notable negative on the base X166 (other than the weird drivetrain rattle / hum on ours) is the steering: it's ridiculously over-boosted for highway driving.
This is something that you can correct (more or less) with the Sport / Comfort mode selector if you have a model that includes that option. For those that don't, is there anything that can be done?
This is something that you can correct (more or less) with the Sport / Comfort mode selector if you have a model that includes that option. For those that don't, is there anything that can be done?
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 356
Likes: 13
From: San Francisco, CA
'16 GL550, '12 C350
I did a 2,000 mile trip over the Christmas holiday and never felt in either comfort or sport what you're describing, actually, no dullness, vagueness or under- or over-boosted issues, including dead spots. Now, I do have the GL550 with the larger wheels and lower profile tires which I'm sure helps. I thought all GLs come with both sport and comfort as standard? It could be tire pressure?
As for the odd drivetrain hum, I do have that when I'm traveling over 70 mph and have zero clue what it is. I brought the rig into the dealership when I got back from my trip and explained that it sounded like a rear bearing or rear diff going-bad sound (whooh whooh whooh sound)... They found nothing of course just like my creaking seat which is there every day when I drive it, but not when they drive it. Anyway, now that I have about 4,000 miles on the rig it seems to have gotten better or has gone away. As for the seat... sound is still there.
Planning on taking it to another dealership when I have time to correct that which is there no lie... And also some weird suspension sounds I'm getting. Oh, the the tranmission is clunky as hell but after digging deep this sounds like a Mercedes issue with the 7G box and not even going to bother pursuing a fix... You'd think they'd have the best transmissions in the business.
As for the odd drivetrain hum, I do have that when I'm traveling over 70 mph and have zero clue what it is. I brought the rig into the dealership when I got back from my trip and explained that it sounded like a rear bearing or rear diff going-bad sound (whooh whooh whooh sound)... They found nothing of course just like my creaking seat which is there every day when I drive it, but not when they drive it. Anyway, now that I have about 4,000 miles on the rig it seems to have gotten better or has gone away. As for the seat... sound is still there.
Planning on taking it to another dealership when I have time to correct that which is there no lie... And also some weird suspension sounds I'm getting. Oh, the the tranmission is clunky as hell but after digging deep this sounds like a Mercedes issue with the 7G box and not even going to bother pursuing a fix... You'd think they'd have the best transmissions in the business.
Last edited by Count Laszlo; Feb 16, 2016 at 09:55 PM.
