aviator787

Not happy now... Coming from an Audi I was happy but wanted to try MB. I guess it's my last.

places

My thought is that of the main three; BMW, MB, and Audi, Mercedes has deviated from its core more than the others. It's a shell of what it once was.

aviator787

Should have done my due diligence and homework better I guess but I did not like the styling of the other SUVs and chose the GLC. I'm was thinking they all have their quirks

ParjAS

2019 2018 were the best years for the GLC and 2017 for MB as a whole. In their technological pursuit, MB has basically killed their reliability. Was reading another thread somewhat like this a few days ago. Also, it also applies for BMW. Their core was to be the Ultimate Driving Machine. Now it's tech, tech and more tech. Their steering racks suck, and they are going to transverse mounted front drive platforms. I still miss my old M3s. Really, their only real BMW was the M240i and M2. I snatched one this year. Same deal for Mercedes. In the adding of MBUX and new 4 cylinder, there have been some issues. Problems with the auto climate control, turbocharger, ac compressor, and now this. What the heck? Not the deal for 2019. How much changes in one year....

Igor Shpengler

Hi guys, got the same problem with my GLC400d arrived in August. The problem was first noticed few days ago after rather a long driving on autobahn (220 km). When I just exited and slowed down, I noticed this annoying noise coming directly from the central console, from behind the vent openings, a bit below them. During the trip the noise disappeared and appeared again, usually it was quite during the first 10-15 minutes after start, and then appeared again. I supposed the reason is MBUX unit cooling, because the noise was very similar to a fan on small devices like a video adapter or CD-ROM (if your still remember what it is - and yes, it had a fan to cool it down).
Researching here and on other forums just confirmed it is MBUX. Since few days I have been trying to identify any relation between what MBUX is doing and when noise appears, because it does not come always. It seems I found something, and want to ask you for confirmation - whether you observe the same.
1. I noticed the noise appears primarily when I use Navigation.
2. Just navigation does not always cause the noise, but when it is used with AR (Augmented Reality) enabled on the map (that fancy blue arrow appearing on the top of the picture from the front camera) the noise comes almost immediately.
3. Sometimes the noise appears when I use audio commands for few consecutive orders.

Anyone having the same issue, could you please try to drive with MBUX enabled and doing navigation for 20-30 minutes with AR enabled and without it? Better you drive in a city, so AR is shown more often. Does disabling the AR make any difference to the noise?

decorily

I stopped reading after 400d...... I'm so jealous!!!!!

ParjAS

MB makes a GLC 400d?

Igor Shpengler

Yes, in Germany. 3L, 6 cylinder in-line diesel, 330 hp.

ParjAS

That a +90 increase over a 300! Almost as much as a BMW M2 40i, my Sunday/Track car which also uses a 3L, inline 6, 335 hp. Nuts!
Of course, my BMW is lighter, but still mind bending.
BTW, how high does that engine rev?
The 300 2.0L can do 7000 (Not bad ...)

Igor Shpengler

It is a diesel, the red zone starts at 5.500, the odometer is marked till 6.000.

horiecz

Is there any update on this issue?

dadalook

MY2020 here... start noticing it maybe a month or so ago. Didnt notice any loud pitch noise during the first 8 months of ownership. Rarely use AR so cant comment on it. Been using navigation as default display since day 1. Does displaying it on screen means using it constantly? I notice the noise comes on whenever I go for a long drive with radio on.. If the noise is caused by heat to turn on the fan, then I rarely notice it during the summer... maybe the air condition fan mask the noise? It is autumn here. I cant confirm.

Another poster mentions turning off the wireless charging. Is there such an option? I never use it as my phone is in a thick case that prevent me from using it.

ParjAS

Just curious. Thanks for answering!

ParjAS

I don't know about the wireless charging since I don' t have it on my 2019, but have never heard any noise. You even have that option? It's not standard for sure.

wkc987

I just noticed similar fan noise behind the vents on the center console after driving a while. When car is at red light stop, the fan noise is pretty obvious.

Igor Shpengler

Hi All. Here is the update on this issue. It seems I have got it finally solved.
First, I found out on other forum that there is MBUX SW update from FUP2 to FUP3 available for GLC. The update is not delivered OTA, you need to visit a service. I made an appointment just with a 'noise from the central console' complaint. They asked me to record a video with the noise if possible (understanding it can be not easy to reproduce) - so I did.
In the service several engineers looked at the video and concluded that "yes, the noise seems to be coming from electrical device and most likely it is MBUX head unit". The electrical specialist they invited to look at the video had just confirmed it. However he said the behaviour of the fan looks correct (it turns on to max speed immediately when triggered, and runs on max until the CPU is cooled down), but the noise itself is not right (too loud). He suggested to replace the head unit. I asked about SW update, but they were sceptical it can help - however agreed to try and order the new head unit in parallel.
Afternoon things developed further. They called me and said that replacement of HU will not help and Mercedes is strictly against it. They said all the HU are prone to this issue, it is caused by specifics of fan placement on the unit. But they gladly confirmed this is the known problem and it is fixed via SW update. In the FUP3 the behaviour of the fan is changed - they did not say how exactly, but from what I see it turns on a bit earlier but with minimal speed, so it helps to keep the unit constantly cool. It is barely heard now. So I have driven 700+ km after the update, including long runs for several hours, and have not heard this terrible noise again. So it looks the problem is solved.

One hint: save all your settings to you driver's profile via Mercedes Me app: the settings are lost during SW update.
Hope it helps.

mscaroline

My car does the same thing. When I first bought it, it never made that sound until recently and it’s very annoying. I’m going to take it to the dealership and get it looked at.

Eaton

They'll probably just tell you it's normal / happens on other cars they have. It is a fan that comes on when it's hot outside.

I agree it's very annoying. Maybe your dealer will be more willing to help. Please post what they say!