2012 ML350 Rumble from 40 to 60 mph
03-20-2017, 08:33 AM
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2012 ML350
2012 ML350 Rumble from 40 to 60 mph
The dealership put new tires on my 12 ML350 before I picked it up last Thursday evening. Now I have a significant rumble between 40 and 60mph that wasn't present on the test drive. I've heard everything from drive shaft joint to wheel balance. Any thoughts from the group before I get the dreaded "Dealer unable to replicate issue"?
03-20-2017, 05:47 PM
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The dealer called and said the car was fixed. It wasn't... I at least got a tech to go on a ride with me to demonstrate. They road force balanced all the wheels and replaced the front brakes but the rumble persists.
03-21-2017, 10:40 AM
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What exactly do you mean by rumble? Vibration in the cabin / steering wheel or just noise? If it's mostly noise, it could simply be a result of the tire tread design and not somethign that you can do anythign about. What tires did they put on?
03-21-2017, 11:33 AM
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Its a vibration between 40 and 50mph that really could be anything from a bent rim to a worn bushing or bad shock. It sounds sort of like the vibration you get if you drive at speed with only one window open. You feel the vibration. It can be replicated on uneven pavement at slow speed too.
03-21-2017, 01:35 PM
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W204 C63 Coupe, W166 ML350 BlueTEC, 928GT, C5 Z06 & IS300 race cars, EQE 4Matic+ on order
Worn control arm bushings would cause vibration at all speeds, plus may introduce some play in the steering. Same goes for worn wheel bearing - they will whine at all speeds with the whine increasing in pitch as the speed increases. None will stop past a certain point. Worn shocks will not cause (or transmit) vibration - they simply won't provide any damping to the springs.
What you're describing is a tire balance issue, plain and simple. These are large and heavy tires, and you may need to get the tires road-force balanced (on a regular balancing machine you could balance a square - it doesn't mean that you could drive on it very well). If your dealership does not have a road force balancer, find a shop that does and get it done there. It could be a bent rim, but it is unlikely... the dealership would be the first to tell you that they could see it hopping while it was on the balancer and try to sell you a new one.
What you're describing is a tire balance issue, plain and simple. These are large and heavy tires, and you may need to get the tires road-force balanced (on a regular balancing machine you could balance a square - it doesn't mean that you could drive on it very well). If your dealership does not have a road force balancer, find a shop that does and get it done there. It could be a bent rim, but it is unlikely... the dealership would be the first to tell you that they could see it hopping while it was on the balancer and try to sell you a new one.
03-21-2017, 02:49 PM
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The latest solution that the dealership is trying is a rear transmission mount and a new exhaust dampener. They Road Force balanced it already with no results. If this doesn't work then I'm still within my 5 day swap window. I'll switch to another one. Not a fan of the C-Class that I have for a loaner right now and will not drive it for much longer
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03-24-2017, 01:45 PM
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Did you buy the car from Herb Chamber of Boston? I would take advantage of their 5 day swap period if I were you. One last thing to try might be take the wheels and tires off another ML and swap them with yours and see if the problem goes away. Good Luck.
03-24-2017, 02:55 PM
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03-27-2017, 09:25 AM
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They could not find the noise as of Friday and I cancelled the order. We threw more money at the problem and are now getting a 2014 with 34K miles that has the lighting, Radio, Park sensors, BLIS and hitch options. It least I don't have to upgrade stereo and headlights now. Lets hope this one works... If for some reason it doesn't, done with MB.
03-27-2017, 01:36 PM
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I am glad it work out for you, do you have to pay any fee or was everything refundable? My wife has the same 2014 ML350 as you, lighting, Radio, Park sensors, BLIS and hitch options, its a very nice SUV.
03-27-2017, 02:18 PM
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Had to repay administrative fees and reg fees. About $360. The dealer has been great in some ways but some of their staff leave a little to be desired. I plan on fully disclosing my frustration on my survey
03-27-2017, 02:22 PM
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The survey is the best way to express your dissatisfaction, you can also post a review on dealerrater.com, I know that particular dealer takes the reviews at dealer rater very seriously.
