I was experiencing slight vibration at 60-65 mph. 13 S550 with 20" factory rims and factory Conti tires. Took it to my dealer and they tried to balance front wheels with no results. They diagnosed it as a very slightly bent front right rim. They straightened it and the vibration is gone. Large diameter rims are very prone to this they explained and need to be completely true or they will induce front end vibration. I hope this helps someone else.

 

Never experienced this issue.

 

I think one of the earlier posters indicated the TSB excluded 4MATICS.

"(LI00.90-P-050323 – 221 except 4MATIC, steering wheel vibrations/shimmy @ highway speeds. Vibration caused by wheel/tire balance/uniformity; torque strut bushing; or steering rack (vehicles with EHPS up to VIN A351230)) "

 

I have a 2011 S 550 4 MATIC and the steering wheel vibrates sporadically above 50mph. The dealer cannot find anything wrong other than the tires show a wear; 30Kmiles. They recommend Michelins to rule out tires; I am certain this will not solve the problem because a tire issue would be constant. We'll keep on posting, and encourage all that are having this problem to do the same...sooner or later MB will have to address this problem with their flagship line. If they don't, a new BMW will be my next purchase. Bought my dream car, and it is turning out to be a nightmare.

 

From someone who read the whole thread for the first time start to finish my take on it is many people and dealers alike are balancing etc but not noticing a slightly bent wheel and the multiple people who have found it and fixed it have solved the problem...?

 

even with 22" wheels and 25 tall tires in the back,
with fine tune of road force balance,
I have ZERO vibration issue!

2012 s550 4matic.

 

Greetingz!
I have this similar PROBLEM in my 07 CL550!
is this PROBLEM exclusive only to the mentioned vehicles???

My mild/ intermittent vibration seems to come on at speeds above 50-60 MPH.
depending on the circumstances can be felt/ seen in the steering wheel.
Mildly felt in the seat/ whole car.
felt moreso when braking from a high speed over 50ish

I have had this problem with very little change before/after the following "fix" attempts...
1. starting off with aftermarket TSW wheels in stock sizes.
2. "new" take-off C- series 19" AMG multi-spoke wheels/ tires
3. resurfaced front rotors needed (all pads recently replaced)
4. Transmission mount replaced. (dealer)
5. Dealer alignment ("badly needed")

Les schwab says rear rotors need to be replaced!. how would this affect the front steering wheel vibes?

all this done and changed nothing!!
my car is 07 w216 w/ 70K miles.
did not come w/ original wheels, maybe this has something to do with it not coming with originals?

Thanks to any Gurus who can help with NEW ideas/ thoughts! ( I read this thread start to finish)
Thanks!!

 

Does your dealer have a 221 S in his used car inventory with OEM wheels? If so, ask if they would be able to swap wheels for diagnostic purposes. 99% of vibration issues originate in the wheels. 221/216 are very sensitive to variations in rim offset, hub bore, width, etc.

First take the tech out on a test drive in the donor car and verify it drives smoothly. Next take him out in your car as-is to replicate the condition.

Next replace the fronts and the take another test drive. Note any change or improvement.

Do the rears. Is the problem gone? It's a tire/wheel issue. That can mean rebalancing on a road force machine, and measuring run out. Or replacing the wheels with OEM and fresh OEM tires. Sometimes even the tread pattern of a non OEM tire can cause issues.

No change? It's in the suspension.

Did the alignment report show all green? Was anything up front borderline? Older 221/216 sometimes need a set of camber bolts to bring it fully into spec?

Is there "play" in the steering? Is the rack okay?

Are the motor and transmission mounts ok or are the engine mounts leaking or seeping fluid?

You just have to work a process of elimination, most likely (wheels) to less likely.

 

Nice to know I'm not going crazy

2009 Here;

Noticed the vibration at 60-70mph right after I purchased the car, now almost two years, the car came with aftermarket non OEM wheels size 20s.

* Noticed the car came with Sumitomo tires- changed them nothing
* Installed hub centric rings on wheels -nothing
* Balance tires-nothing
* Repaced the front rotors pads-nothing
* Balance the tires with a road force machine- nothing
* Inspected the entire under carry including the drive shaft flex plate-nothing
* Replace the transmission mount- nothing

Purchased 4 brand new AMG OEM wheels with Michelin Super Pilots, the car got a lot better BUT I still feel a vibration that comes and goes, even that is a lot better it really bothers me. I love the car but this is nuts.

 

Did you ever got this fixed? I have a 2012 4matic and after a service B from the dealer I noticed a low hum when in idle and when the shifter is in "D" while the car is not moving and pressing on the brakes. I could feel some vibration on the steering wheel which feels like it is coming from the engine.

 

I've never had one vibration except when the factory conti's wore down and barely passed inspection. Only time it ever vibrated. Just got new Michelin A/S 3+ and smooth as can be again. I don't think all 2010+ do this. Or I'm just lucky.

 

Just for a data point. My 2011 S63 has a small vibration just sometimes at 45 -55 MPH. Wheels have been straightened and balanced. Must be a harmonic thing I am thinking. It rarely happens so I tend to forget about it.
I brought it to my trusted auto shop the first time and they found my TPMS module had broken off inside the tire. Fixed that and still had a vibration. Took it to my trusted wheel shop and three out of four rims were bent. Fixed that and still a small vibration sometimes.
Has to be some rubber mount somewhere just a little out of spec.
Vince

 

They say when you can't get rid of vibrations to get Michelins, for some reason.

 

I did not notice a vibration when I had stock tires on my car. With the newer continentals which are a different version (Continental DWS 06s) than the stock ones, still no vibration. But I would have thought the V-8s would go past 50 so fast that you would not even notice it?

 

I have not read this entire thread. I have not had any such experience though. One thing I have come across in the board and do believe may make a difference is to have allignment done at the dealer. Just sharing a brainfart. Hope it doesn't stink too much....

 

I too experienced a steering wheel vibration issue at highway speeds above 60 mph when I purchased my CPO 2012 Mercedes S550 4 Matic. I took my S550 to my local trusted Mercedes dealer and they confirmed the vibration. They put the car up on a rack allowing it to idle and you could visibly see from underneath the vehicle that all four wheels were bent and out of round as they were spinning with the engine running. THE CAUSE OF MY MERCEDES S550 VIBRATION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WAS BENT OEM MERCEDES WHEELS. I purchased a set of stunning Advanti Catalan 19 inch replacement wheels from tire rack which were only $277 per wheel. I also needed four brand new Michelin Pilot SPort All Season 3 plus tires as the COntinentals (2 older , 2 new selling dealer installed) had a very high road force when trying to balance and would thus have continued to cause some vibration. In my opinion the Michelins are far superior to the COntinentals...you get much more mileage out of them.

The new wheels and tires COMPLETELY SOLVED MY VERY PROMINENT MERCEDES S550 VIBRATION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (60 mph and above) ISSUE. I now love driving my S550

I believe that the root cause of many of these Mercedes S Class vibrations at highway speeds is BENT OEM Mercedes wheels which may be bending easily and frequently during normal road use.
This is just my opinion. Mercedes may have a problem with their wheels bending in general, especially on the heavier S class models because of the higher forces the wheels experience due to the heavier cars.

After contacting MBUSA about my issue, I was disappointed to learn that Mercedes Benz USA will only act as an intermediary between the client and selling dealership, and has virtually no pull in resolving the issue. MBUSA told me that each dealer is independently owned and it can do nothing to persuade or force the dealer into resolving a legitimate problem a client is having even on a Certified Vehicle where the bent wheels should have been discovered sorted and replaced during the CPO inspection process. How sad and disappointing that a premium automobile manufacturer like Mercedes has such little power to resolve a customer issue with the selling dealer.

Mercedes USA got me in touch with the General Manager of the Dealership and after letter writing and 4 weeks of back and forth, the dealership general manager finally agreed to refund me the cost of my new wheels and tires: $2500. After first trying to low ball me and offer $1200 .... how disgraceful, something I would expect from a cheap used car lot. I pointed out to him that I bought $277 wheels, not $750 Mercedes OEM wheels. I should have demanded I be reimbursed the cost of Mercedes OEM wheels. However I was satisfied with the reimbursement of my new Advanti Catalan wheels (which in my opinion are stronger than the OEM wheels) and Michelin tires.

In conclusion, if you have purchased a Mercedes S Class with a vibration at highway speeds, the root cause of the vibration may very well be bent wheels and high road force tires. If your Mercedes was a CPO vehicle, the selling dealer included during the Certification Process checked for vibration in item 126 Vibration and Noise (Drivetrain and Wheels) in the ROAD TEST PORTION of the Inspection and Certification Report. And if the root cause of the vibration in your Mercedes is bent wheels, then it is your selling dealers responsibility to reimburse you for new wheels. After 5000 miles of driving city streets and highways, my Mercedes S550 drives silky smooth with no vibration




My 2012 Mercedes S550 with new Advanti Catalan 19 inch wheels from Tire Rack. $277 a piece

 

To share my vibrations story ... I recently bought a 2008 S550 with the AMG package (wheels) and I've noticed strong vibrations in the car (steering wheel, the acceleration pedal). The tires were pretty worn out so I bought a set of new 4 Continentals but that hasn't changed anything.

Changing the engine and transmission mounts however fixed the issue although I still feel some slight vibrations when the engine is cold and as I drive the car and the engine heats up they eventually dissapear.

 

Engine and trans mount replacement is common on the S class. Mine have been replaced as well. The replacement mounts are supposed to be stronger and last the lifetime of the car.

 

I have a S350 w221 2011. When I changed from 20" to 18" rims I noticed the described vibrations. I had the wheels balanced; it was better, but still noticeable. I then had them road force balanced on a Hunter 9700, and guess what; al vibrations gone. For those who do not know normal balancing will neither eliminate to take care of lateral wheels imbalances; a road force balancer indicates to the workshop where to rotate the tire on the rim, plus indicates both, radial and lateral, imbalances and where to correct them. Hence, I strongly suggest, before doing anything else, have the wheels road force balanced. After this experience, I will not do anything else but have the wheels road force balanced.

 

Many of a cars vibration issues can be traced back to bent wheels, bad tires etc.... I had so many issues with my e-class with the sport package and 18inch wheels I finally went down to AMG replica 17 inch wheels and I was so happy. I had thrown so many parts at the car including shocks and struts by the time I got the new wheels and tires on the car rode amazing. It was almost as smooth and quiet as my S 550. These cars look so great on larger wheels and low profile tires but, the headaches that come from poor road maintenance doesn't make the issues that come up worth it and are very expensive to correct. This is why I won't go bigger on the S class I have now. I haven't had any issues with the stock 18inch wheels.

The S class also suffers from the mount issues. I think the originals were gel filled if I'm not mistaken. I am not sure what the new larger mounts are made out of.

 

The key is with larger wheels is to keep the psi up! 20's need 40 lbs, no less. Much less chance of bending.

 

It's not the wheels or brakes, must be drive shaft, torque bushings, already replaced motor and transmission mounts,

 

Hi,
My friend, I have the same issue with my S Class w221 S320 cdi 2008 but we have found the cause, on mine, it is the Wheel that has a manufacturing fault that is causing the vibration and that was found by the tyres fitter guy, that was the front O/S (driver) wheel.
To find out, the wheel must be dismounted and put on wheel balancing machine.
Maybe this information may help you guys.

Regards,
Jhemedy1

 

Different model to the ones here: C220 CDI W204 2007, 120,000km or about 80,000miles (?), very bad chassis noise and wobble starting at 60kmh or 40 miles per hour. Previous owner put new Kumho tyres on for the sale and they would have been balanced. Could not repeat the noise with son on board to get him to experience it. Vibrations seem to come from the back. One mechanic said engine mounts are a problem with Mercs of that age. Here the consensus seems to be rims-out-of-round? Certainly do not wish to spend more money on this car as I noticed the local Aussie Merc dealers maintained the vehicle very badly:

1. No auto transmission oil change every 60,000km (35,000miles), not even at the 120,000km service!
2. No fuel filter change, mileage as above. Cut filter open and is full of loose bits.
3. Thermostat rises slowly and only makes it up to 80 deg. Celsius, should be 90. Test drive after service (?) should have revealed that.

Get a class action going with a no-win/no-fee lawyer!

 

Mine started vibrating after installing aftermarket rims and tires