S500 4Matic-Some Clues to Potential Fixes
10-31-2012, 05:02 PM
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2004 S500 4Matic, 2006 E350 4Matic Wagon
S500 4Matic-Some Clues to Potential Fixes
Just wanted to update fellow W220 4matic owners of some of the issues my car had when I bought it with 114k miles and the steps I took to fix them properly but with some trial and error along the way. I hope this info will help another member with similar trouble.
1. Noisy driveshaft - Car was making a loud noise only on decel above 50mph. Thought it was the diff.
Pulled the driveshaft out and the U-joint was very tight and almost seized causing the decel noise. Apparently the joint is not replaceable. Got a used low mileage driveshaft and put it in. Noise from the rear end is gone. Yeah!! Glad it wasn't the diff.
2. Knocking sound going over pot holes and dips in the road:
Apparently the sway bar links were bad causing the knocking sound on pot holes and dips in the road. Fixed that.
3. Vibration in the tires : TOO MUCH WEIGHT ON WHEELS!
Last is the wheels and tires. To begin with, the tires were not properly balanced when I got the car. To make things worse I just found out the guy who I hired to balance the wheels didn't take the old weights off and just continued to add weights until it balanced out. That is a big no no!
Finally just got a real tire shop to do a road force balance and took off all the unecessary weights off and started fresh. One tire in the rear was out of round and they flipped the tire and did a 180 degree and it balanced out. Smooth as silk now. Drove over 100mph to see..don't tell.
4. Gear Whine in the Cabin from Transfer Case:
The gear whine or transfer case sound coming into the cabin was due to the insulation that was cut away around the gear shift lever from an old fix before my ownership. The car had a stuck in park lockout problem and it was fixed previously by the old owner by a moron. Another nono.
5. Squeaky Instrument Cluster - Apprarently it has been discussed many times. Looks like the clear cover rubs the trim ring the wrong way and it squeaks like hell. A little dry lube help quiet it down.
6. Slight Lifter Tick - Low oil level and dirty oil. If you have issues change the oil first to get all the crap out of the lifters. I used a little Seafoam and it did the trick.
Car is almost back to factory new car feel. Man it sucks when you got inexperienced dumb techs working on these complex cars. It was like trying to solve a murder mystery when you buy these cars used. I definitely learned a lot since taking ownership in August.
1. Noisy driveshaft - Car was making a loud noise only on decel above 50mph. Thought it was the diff.
Pulled the driveshaft out and the U-joint was very tight and almost seized causing the decel noise. Apparently the joint is not replaceable. Got a used low mileage driveshaft and put it in. Noise from the rear end is gone. Yeah!! Glad it wasn't the diff.
2. Knocking sound going over pot holes and dips in the road:
Apparently the sway bar links were bad causing the knocking sound on pot holes and dips in the road. Fixed that.
3. Vibration in the tires : TOO MUCH WEIGHT ON WHEELS!
Last is the wheels and tires. To begin with, the tires were not properly balanced when I got the car. To make things worse I just found out the guy who I hired to balance the wheels didn't take the old weights off and just continued to add weights until it balanced out. That is a big no no!
Finally just got a real tire shop to do a road force balance and took off all the unecessary weights off and started fresh. One tire in the rear was out of round and they flipped the tire and did a 180 degree and it balanced out. Smooth as silk now. Drove over 100mph to see..don't tell.
4. Gear Whine in the Cabin from Transfer Case:
The gear whine or transfer case sound coming into the cabin was due to the insulation that was cut away around the gear shift lever from an old fix before my ownership. The car had a stuck in park lockout problem and it was fixed previously by the old owner by a moron. Another nono.
5. Squeaky Instrument Cluster - Apprarently it has been discussed many times. Looks like the clear cover rubs the trim ring the wrong way and it squeaks like hell. A little dry lube help quiet it down.
6. Slight Lifter Tick - Low oil level and dirty oil. If you have issues change the oil first to get all the crap out of the lifters. I used a little Seafoam and it did the trick.
Car is almost back to factory new car feel. Man it sucks when you got inexperienced dumb techs working on these complex cars. It was like trying to solve a murder mystery when you buy these cars used. I definitely learned a lot since taking ownership in August.
Last edited by nice4matic; 10-31-2012 at 05:06 PM.
10-31-2012, 05:17 PM
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Great write up and some good info for DIY'ers. Did you have your S500 inspected at a indi shop or dealer before purchasing? These issues could of been founded before purchase. 114k is nothing for a 220 that is well upkept. Check under the high miles 220's thread there is one that comes into my indi ship with over 350k miles on it.
10-31-2012, 05:31 PM
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2004 S500 4Matic, 2006 E350 4Matic Wagon
Great write up and some good info for DIY'ers. Did you have your S500 inspected at a indi shop or dealer before purchasing? These issues could of been founded before purchase. 114k is nothing for a 220 that is well upkept. Check under the high miles 220's thread there is one that comes into my indi ship with over 350k miles on it.
The tire fiasco was just me being lazy and I should have known better to go to a tire shop with experience. I was getting the car safety inspected and tried to kill two birds with one stone. The Shell gas station that did the work should not be fixing cars for a living if they can't even balance a tire..lol.Live and learn.
Last edited by nice4matic; 10-31-2012 at 05:41 PM.
