M-Class (W166) Produced 2012-2015

Who needs the dealer? Fixed the interior rattles in my ML350.

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Old Dec 20, 2018 | 07:24 PM
  #1  
C280 Sport's Avatar
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Who needs the dealer? Fixed the interior rattles in my ML350.

Hello everyone. Not sure if anyone has had any interior rattle with their W166. I bought my 2015 ML last year with only 22k miles. Now at 34k miles it started ratting like crazy my wife has been telling. I take it to the dealer to tell them and show them what was up with it. Of course they are useless and did nothing and said it did not rattle and they cant do anything yada yada ect. So I drive it home and the wife was right it is rattling, creeking, ect. Bring it in the heated garage and starting taking pieces apart.

1.) Air vents on each side- They pry right off very easily. I wrapped the vents with black felt. clipped it back into place again and it is not solid as can be on drivers side and passengers side.

2.) Speedo Cluster round gauges. Basically what is happening here is that round trim is rubbing against the vinyl. By cutting some black felt and pressing it on the side and into the hidden area of the cluster it makes the noise go away.

3.) Plastic trim over the Nav screen. Pry the trim back a little bit and just cut some felt and slide it in there so the plastic does not rub against the vinyl

4.) Metal trim in the center arm rest area. Basically that entire unit just pops right out. I cut the black felt very think and put it onto the lower trim between the hard plastic and the arm rest area allowing for a solid connection. This way it does not make noise when you lean on it. I had to use most of it but it works very well now.

5.) In the back seat area where there are the rear vents and climate control there is a plastic lip above the vents and climate control. If you lean on that you get a very loud noise. Pry it up a little and put some felt in there. The noise goes right away.

6.) The glove box- The noise is because the glove box has some play in it. Cut a long piece of black felt and stick it on the inside of the door where it closes right below the wood trim. It closes very solid now. I will admit it does not look too nice when you open the glove box but that is ok because I never open it anyways.

Solid as a rock again just when I bought it. Overall still very happy with my ML
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Old Dec 21, 2018 | 05:09 AM
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I'm willing to bet that you own a black felt manufacturing factory LOL

Good on you for tracking down the sources of the noise(s). We initially had a very slight rattling behind the dash around the nav screen, but I swapped the screen out for a 9" version and everything is packed so tight in there, the noise somehow went away.

How sad that the dealerships don't give a crap about valid complaints. I've been thru the same thing with the MB dealership up here in Mtl.
I'd bet we'd get better service from a Hyundai dealership...
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Old Dec 21, 2018 | 08:26 PM
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Originally Posted by peter2772000
I'm willing to bet that you own a black felt manufacturing factory LOL

Good on you for tracking down the sources of the noise(s). We initially had a very slight rattling behind the dash around the nav screen, but I swapped the screen out for a 9" version and everything is packed so tight in there, the noise somehow went away.

How sad that the dealerships don't give a crap about valid complaints. I've been thru the same thing with the MB dealership up here in Mtl.
I'd bet we'd get better service from a Hyundai dealership...
Glad your rattle got fixed. Tracking down the rattles was not that hard. This car is pretty easy to work on as well and not overly complex. Poor dealership service is not a brand issue its a dealer by dealer issue. I have owned cars from Ford, Hyundai, Dodge, GMC, Mercedes, Tesla, Porsche, Maserati, Ferrari, Nissan, Dodge, Honda, Lexus, Infiniti. There are good and bad dealers/service centers for each one. My issue is that where my ML is located (Capital Region NY) we only have 1 MB dealer and since my ML has a warranty I would use them until out of warranty then use my indi shop. The nearest MB dealer is many hours away so I am stuck with this one and it is not that good. Post pics of your 9'' I am curious to see it.
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Old Dec 22, 2018 | 06:36 AM
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Nothing to see, really. I doubt that anyone would realize that it isn't an OEM set-up. I just wanted a bigger screen like on the newer GL's. And since I'd wrapped the truck and not reinstalled the rear badging except for the Star, the only way to really tell that this truck is actually an ML and a Bluetec is by the rear valance (no tailpipes).


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Old Apr 9, 2019 | 12:28 AM
  #5  
temoc rosas's Avatar
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2012 Mercedes ml350
Where did u buy that screen

Was it hard to install
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Old Apr 28, 2023 | 03:24 PM
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‘15 ML 350 Blue Tec
Originally Posted by C280 Sport
Hello everyone. Not sure if anyone has had any interior rattle with their W166. I bought my 2015 ML last year with only 22k miles. Now at 34k miles it started ratting like crazy my wife has been telling. I take it to the dealer to tell them and show them what was up with it. Of course they are useless and did nothing and said it did not rattle and they cant do anything yada yada ect. So I drive it home and the wife was right it is rattling, creeking, ect. Bring it in the heated garage and starting taking pieces apart.

1.) Air vents on each side- They pry right off very easily. I wrapped the vents with black felt. clipped it back into place again and it is not solid as can be on drivers side and passengers side.

2.) Speedo Cluster round gauges. Basically what is happening here is that round trim is rubbing against the vinyl. By cutting some black felt and pressing it on the side and into the hidden area of the cluster it makes the noise go away.

3.) Plastic trim over the Nav screen. Pry the trim back a little bit and just cut some felt and slide it in there so the plastic does not rub against the vinyl

4.) Metal trim in the center arm rest area. Basically that entire unit just pops right out. I cut the black felt very think and put it onto the lower trim between the hard plastic and the arm rest area allowing for a solid connection. This way it does not make noise when you lean on it. I had to use most of it but it works very well now.

5.) In the back seat area where there are the rear vents and climate control there is a plastic lip above the vents and climate control. If you lean on that you get a very loud noise. Pry it up a little and put some felt in there. The noise goes right away.

6.) The glove box- The noise is because the glove box has some play in it. Cut a long piece of black felt and stick it on the inside of the door where it closes right below the wood trim. It closes very solid now. I will admit it does not look too nice when you open the glove box but that is ok because I never open it anyways.

Solid as a rock again just when I bought it. Overall still very happy with my ML
Thank you so much, some power and dedication and taking your time with these will actually fix these issues. I used black electrical tape or pieces of microfibre clothe. The vents in the back seat as you mentioned is a loud one. I also had rattles in my headliner, rear bumper tow plastic cover which i solved as well.


thanks again
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Old Apr 30, 2023 | 04:45 PM
  #7  
loneryder's Avatar
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ML350. E350 Cab
Originally Posted by temoc rosas
Was it hard to install
Same here. Where did you get it??
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