Hi all.

We have a 2021 W223 S450 and I have noticed a lot of rustling/wind noise around the front driver and passenger windows.
1. Is this normal and could it be the result of the rest of the car being so silent?
2. If not is this something that other owners have experienced and if so have they had it remedied/fixed?
3. The specifications guide says our vehicle should have heat and noise insulated glass, but I am unable to tell if this is the case. How do you identify if this is the case?

I also seem to get a rattle sound from the rear suspension as you go over sharp bumps like rail lines or sliding gate tracks. I'm pretty sure it's from the right hand side only.

The dealership has told me both of these issues are series characteristics, however I don't buy it. I don't recall wind noise every being an issue in our W222 or the odd rattle from the rear suspension over sharp bumps.

Any help or guidance would be appreciated.

 

Request the lead tech or shop foreman road test the vehicle with you to identify both wind noise & suspension rattle. Provide VIN I’ll pull MB data card listing equipment, etc.

 

Thanks mate. I'm doing that on Monday. But it's just so easy for them to say 'Oh that's normal' if they have no idea. We have very few S-classes here, so what's normal and what's not is not as easy to determine.

The VIN is W1K2230612A019772. Much appreciated.

 

Wind noise and suspension rattle most certainly are not characteristics of S-class. This means 223, 222 and previous generations as well.

For wind noise, I suggest you check (visually as well as moving your hand over them) the door and window seal for irregularities. Any abnormality might be small but if you spot them, you can point them to the dealer.
Also, have someone sits in the rear and see if similar wind noise is observed like the front.

For the rattle sound from right rear suspension area, check the boot thoroughly to make sure nothing is loose, especially near the right rear wheel. Also, lift the carpet and check the battery tray area too. You can eliminate these small possibilities before going in to the dealer.

For heat and insulated glass, lower the window half way and see if the glass is laminated (https://mbworld.org/wp-content/uploa...5710119545.jpg) or look for an ''acoustic glass'' marking on the glass (https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...le_001-1-.jpeg).

 

Very helpful suggestions mate. I'll check all of that out.

The top of the glass definitely does not look like that and there is no 'Acoustic' labelling on the glass itself. But the specifications guide says the car is supposed to have the insulated glass. Hopefully @konigstiger VIN check shows what the car is supposed to have from factory. If there is a mistake I'm sure they would have to replace it.

 

No it does not have option code 596, heat insulating + IR reflecting acoustic windows. Not standard on this model in Europe at least.

 

Checking current Mercedes Australia website,
W223 (S450) and V223 (S450L) have ''heat and noise-insulating acoustic glass for front side windows'' and ''heat-insulating dark privacy glass for rear windows'' as standard features.

This is for MY 2022. OP has MY 2021 though.

 

Yeah I'm in Australia and it was listed as standard equipment for MY21 cars as well.

I'd love to see what the full equipment list according to the VIN is.

 

Can you help me with the Australian MB site. I cannot find any proper price list (including accurate option codes). The configurator does not seem to cover heat and noise insulating windows, not as an option, neither listing it standard.

I did find a specs page but there the ''heat and noise-insulating acoustic glass for front side windows'' was only for the S580. This is how it has traditionally been, standard from 500 onwards. Usually an option for models "less than 500" though.

 

Here is the download link for the brochure pdf for MY 2022 S-Class. Pages 3 and 4 list 'Standard Features' for the S450/S450L/S580L (All 4Matic).
https://www.mercedes-benz.com.au/pas...ions-10-21.pdf

 

See attachment. Only windshield shows code 596.












Dark tinted glass

 

Interesting. Actually the page I referred lists "key features" which means that this page is not in conflict with the later, more detailed page. In my country and in Germany 596 is standard only from S500 upwards but for Australia it could well be standard for all models (considering the very hot areas of the country).

@MBOZ84 should ask the dealer, would be interesting to see their response.

 

I think this is regional specific.
Eg previous generations of S-class (eg W220) here in Hong Kong had this feature as standard on S320/S350.

Edit:
I notice there is a ''safety vests for driver and passengers'' as a standard feature in the Australia MB Configurator.
Is it a standard feature in Europe?

 

There is no common set of standard features in Europe. As you say, the set of standard features is very country specific. Even within Europe this varies a lot from country to country. Germany usually has the very basic set of standard features but they have the highest freedom to pick up options of their personal preference. And cars often are very well equipped despite the lower level of standard features.

The safety vests are mandatory for all cars in some European countries. Not in my country but lately MB cars have had them from factory. I did not find any option code from our price list, may have missed it.

 

Thank you so much! That's incredibly helpful.

I dropped the car off this morning and checked out the other S450's they had on the lot. Non of them had stamps to indicate the glass was acoustic, even though it is clearly listed on the Australian Specifications (attached).

 

If it were just a mistake in the specs sheet, they should have had the heat and noise-insulating acoustic glass for front side windows an option at least.

 

It's listed as standard fitment and if it weren't you would reasonably expect there to be an option to fit it. That said MB Australia is EXTREMELY poor in what they allow us to option and how we can customise our vehicles, so it doesn't surprise me it's not a standalone option on the spec guide.

It's a very interesting situation. Could there be a batch of Australian W223's built without the acoustic glass they are supposed to have?

 

As I mentioned earlier, acoustic side windows are not standard from the factory point of view on an S450, only on the S500 and higher. It is more likely a mistake by the Australian importer when they order your cars.

Did you ask the dealer why the car at their showroom does not have better windows even if their specs state so?

 

I reckon, MB Australia does intend to have acoustic glass as a standard feature for all their S450s, as evident in their 2021 and 2022 brochures. However, even though this is what they want, Sindelfingen factory might not have enough parts to fulfill this ordering. Recognizing this, MB Australia adds a footnote in their 2022 brochure, stating that ''Standard Features may have changed since publication and are subject to availability. Please confirm final details of standard features with a participating authorised retailer prior to purchase.'' This should cover their *** if a standard feature like the acoustic glass is missing. Who would have thought to go through the list of standard features with the dealer before ordering? But, if you place an order of an S450 via the Configurator, the summary at the end does not have acoustic glass under the list of standard features.

 

You're probably right! And that's a pretty poor outcome for what is such a big item IMO. If I'm told that's what the vehicle is supposed to have, that is what I would expect.

The car has been at the shop for the last 4 days with various bits and pieces being addressed including the wind rustle and rear noise. I have a GLE400D loan vehicle and while it is definitely not as quiet as the S with road noise, there is no sign of the rustling around the windows. The car does not have noise insulated glass.

 

Would be interesting when they figure out the issues. Please post when you have news.
Mine is also a S450L. Acoustic/thermal windows is a separate option here that one can order. It is not important to me so I just let it go.
Subjectively, wind noise is not noticeable. The fastest that I drove is just about 110-115 km/h so far. It is very quiet, at least, up to that speed.

 

I dropped the car off at the dealership for a few days and they gave me a GLE loan vehicle. The 'rustling' was far less pronounced/not even noticeable on the loan GLE I had. How could a GLE be quieter in this respect than an S!

I got a call back from the dealership saying they could not find any issue with the window noise, nor the rear suspension rattle. I said I would like to come in and go for a back to back with the foreman. When we did this, the wind noise was consistent with the dealer demo car they had. The drivers side on both cars was noticebly louder than the passengers side and the Foreman agreed. So I don't know where to from here. I might try to get a test drive at another dealership just for my sanity, but where do I go after that.
1. Is the noise I am hearing so pronounced because the rest of the car is so quiet, or is this just a design flaw? It would be hard to think that the S would get through testing with this level of noise, but with Mercedes these days...who knows. The foreman did mention to me that they had fitted many W204's with acoustic glass because of this very complaint.
2. The next area they are looking into is why is the car is not equipped with the specified acoustic glass.

At least with rear rattle I was able to replicate this for them and they did acknowledge that this was something that was not consistent across both vehicles and they would have to investigate further when I give the car back to them in a few weeks.

 

Did they figure out what was going on with the rear suspension? Mine seems to be doing something similar (more of a thump after coming down on a bump)

 

I seem to have a similar rattle in the back of my car, which happens consitently when my rear wheels come across (sufficiently large) road imperfections, like speed bumps. I'm not sure if the source of sound is suspension though.

Did you ever find a solution to yours?

 

In mine (although mine was more of a "thump" than a "rattle"), they adjusted the rear seat position, and that took away the sound when going over bumps. I guess there is a vulnerable real seat position that makes the seat loose...