gsholz

I have an annoying buzz coming from the center of the door panels around the door latch when driving on less than smooth paved roads. The buzzing stops when I push against the panel below the chrome trim (accent light). Worse on the passenger side. The resonance is probably amplified by my 20" low profile AMG wheels. Disappointing for an S class with less than 10kmiles, my 2007 E63 was completely buzz/rattle free.

Has anybody encountered this? What is the fix?

pleeson

I've had the same issue on mine, and let me tell you, it's not easy to fix.
Dealer replaced the LED/wood trim strips with new ones; no better.
I've had my door apart so many times I can have it off and in pieces in under 5 minutes.

I removed the door panel and led strip, glued the rattling plastic diffuser in.
When this didn't do it, I took the trim piece apart, siliconed it together, then placed foam between the door panel and the back of the trim. I think this may do it.
BTW, shoving a card behind the light strip only works temporarily.
If you lightly touch the door panel, you feel tremendous vibration transfer to this panel -- I think this is the root cause.
If you think it's bad now, wait till it gets cold -- mine gets much worse.
I'm hoping my problem is solved, but won't know till winter.

Jan AMG

Very good answer pleeson.. Looks like you've had many Mercedes and you can solve problems.
Door panels are easier to solve than dashboard rattles. Drove me crazy on my W221. Right now I deal with door wood creaking on my W126. I use vaseline to lubricate rubbing parts. Lasts more than 12 months.

gsholz

Thanks pleeson. Do you have to take the whole door panel off to remove the trim? Where did you put the foam? Behind the main panel or between the trim/led and main panel? Thanks

pleeson

First easy thing to try is pushing some foam strips between the door panels and the LED strip.
This may work...
If not, then you're removing the door panel and then the trim piece from the back of the door panel.
Having done all this, my buzz is still there, but diminished by about half.
I've thought about putting Dynamat along the back of the LED strip, but I have my doubts

IIRC, someone was getting a whole new panel under warranty on one of the forums, maybe that would work.
This car has been 90% wonderful and 10% infuriating....

albatore

I just bought a 2010 S550 3 weeks ago and I have the same issue I am disappointed, I hope I will be able to resolve this as soon as possible. Any advise is appreciated

survey1

Did anyone ever get this fixed? Dealer has now tried 8 times to fix the issue, including replacing the wood trim and nothing has even made a dent in reducing the sound. They are giving up.

Mike5215

It's likely coming from the strip of LED lights directly under the wood trim. With time a little play develops. To rule them out as the source, take small pieces of cardboard, and fold them in half so they're the shape of a tent. Jam them under the backside of the LED strip at equal intervals along the length.

If that works, a more permanent fix is to get a thin strip of black felt and pack it into the crease.

gcssat

I have a 2013 S550 with 22k miles with the exact issue on both front doors. It's at the dealership right now to get this resolved. I will report back with the result.

Greg

pleeson

I never could silence that noise.
The LED tricks didn't work, including gluing them in and replacing the trim strips altogether.
I think there is just too much vibration transmitted into the doors from the road.

My solution was to sell the car...

DaveW68

No annoying noises coming out of my 10+ year old S600. It seems strange that a much newer car has these issues.

The Thomas J

I have the same issue coming from both front doors. It is coming from the wood trim. If I hold it down with my hand it stops. If I open and close my windows it stops too. It's kind of annoying.

DaveW68

Perhaps build quality went down with the facelift.

The Thomas J

So far that's the only noise it makes. It's not even loud. It's not even constant. But it's there. At least it stops if I open and close the window.

Mike5215

Today I installed felt strips in the C on the gauge binnacle, a trim strip on the dash, two of the AC vents, and above and below the trim on both front doors. It's got 10k miles and is less than a year old. The rattles in the W205s are numerous and wide spread. Same for the new E. They don't build anything like they build the S.

That said, the little C is still a blast to drive and while I wasn't jazzed about the looks when I got it, after a few mods and new wheels it's definitely grown on me.

1975benz

I found that the noises i was getting from both my front doors on my 2011 s350 bluetec was because my engine mounts had failed i dont know which one so replaced all three now i get no noise what so ever super quiet you may want to try that as it is a common problem on uk w221 facelift s class!!

Mike5215

True, the engine mounts are fluid filled and they can leak and collapse but I've never had them go south of 50k miles. Possible though. The tell (aside from fluid oozing down the sides) is a harsh vibration in the cabin at idle and a lot more noise from the drive train.

The Thomas J

My engine and trans mounts were dealer replaced at 35,000 miles according to my cars service history.

gcssat

I took the vehicle in, this is the second time for the same issue. The first time, the noise came back. So far, it appears the noise is gone. I'm sharing what the dealership worked on to rectify the problem.

Greg

JJFelock

I too have had issues with the passenger door panel on my S350 Bluetec. The dealer failed on this completely, claimed the buzzing was seat related (I knew it was not). No improvement at all once they claimed to "fix" this.