carlsbadbill

I have a rattle inside the backrest of the seat immediately behind the driver, not the rear-facing seat. I'm searching for help to remove the carpeted back of the seatback. Car is a 2016 e350 Wagon. I'm not very good at searching past discussions and need some help. Thank You!

ALFAitalia

....or very good at posting in the correct section it would appear!


Try here....https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w212-109/

carlsbadbill

I'm still searching old posts. I am hoping that a reader who has a manual could forward information to me, or post it in a reply in this thread. QUESTION: Do the $15 dvd manuals (like available on ebay) have this type of information? My first MB was a 1983 diesel wagon (purchased directly from a MB factory engineer in Germany) and I had a paperback manual about an inch an a half thick that had "chassis and body" information and pictures in it; is there a version for current models on dvd? Also, I have picked up 6 other vehicles (4 MB and 2 BMW) at factories in Germany if anyone would like personal information on European Deliveries.

Could someone tell me if it is acceptable to message another member directly, and if so, how to do it? Koningstiger(sp) in AZ is so helpful to so many with his pictures! I am hopeful to get a post from him. Pinto, ha!

pierrejoliat

Your PM privileges will start after you post I believe at least ten times, I am also surprised at the few responses but not many wagons in the US. I believe Senecat sent you the link to WIS, that should help, you need PC, it won't work on Apple, I had to resurrect an old laptop and delete everything else from it. Program is big.

carlsbadbill

PierreFromPepperPike! Thanks for your comments....I have paid for the WIS (yesterday), and I have downloaded and extracted the 8 files with the approx amount of GB of data, but now I'm fighting to get the Oracle VM updated and installed. I get the error message shown in Stage 5 in the YELLOW HIGHLIGHTED BOX, I have followed the link he gives in his instructions, but I can't determine which version of Oracle VM to download, so I'm going to try the 6.1.30.
My seat back may be identical to the Sedan, with the addition of the two upper holders for the Wagon Safety Net Bar.

FastWgn

Her are the instructions:
ski sack install

The setbacks are identical between wagons and sedans.

pierrejoliat

Yes, it seems so, thank Alfa Italia for the thread link! I did not set mine up, my programmer at work did it, he sets up our PLC's so he's pretty good. Others here are more capable than I when it comes to IT stuff.

carlsbadbill

The photos you took of your "ski sack install" are super-helpful, Thank You! Your comments about the carpet panel R&R being the HARDEST part of the job are scary, because it appears that's what I have to do to find and stop the rattle. My "X" in the photo should be about 2.5 inches more towards the center of the car, almost in the middle of the center armrest. On the WIS subject update, I have it up and running (seems like "limping along" is more accurate); does anyone with WIS find the actual detail of the removal/replacement of that back panel carpeted section in the WIS? Most likely they assume we are smart enough to pry it out, but reinstalling it is obviously tricky!

CycleFamous

@carlsbadbill I had the exact same rear seatback rattle you describe in my 2016 E350 wagon and was able to fix it myself. I'm not very handy and was terrified to ruin my seat but this turned out to be a simple fix.

For me, the sound was most easy to replicate if I hit the front of the seatback firmly near the armrest. It was kind of a rattle accompanied by a short metallic buzz. I wish I'd taken some photos but here's a brief description:

Fold the seat back down. The carpeted, rectangular floor piece in the cargo hold directly behind the seat can easily be lifted out to provide a little extra work space. Pull firmly up on either side.

I did not remove the carpeted seatback. Instead, I detached the fabric at the bottom of the carpeted seatback just enough to reach my hand in. Use a flat head screw driver to gently push down into the seam and then pry back. Start near the corner and work your way across the bottom prying every 3 to 4 inches. You will begin to expose a soft, plastic "U" channel that is affixed to the fabric. Don't pry any one position to far or you may crease the plastic U channel. Also don't worry, this reattached easily for me.

Once you have opened this seam (at the bottom only) then you should be able to reach your hand between a metal plate (essentially the carpeted the seat back) and the seat foam. Near the center, just a few inches inside you will feel a metal rod. You can "pluck" that rod and notice that it really vibrates. I agree that the sound seemed to come from the center of the seat, however, I jammed a microfiber towel between that rod and the metal plate very close to the bottom of the seat and this eliminated the noise completely.

To close it back up, just push the plastic U channel back under the metal plate. I was able to get this seam closed 95% by hand and got it factory tight with a few taps by a rubber mallet.

I was prepared to be frustrated but this was all very simple and I only wish I'd done it sooner. 20 minute job.

a1bray

Thank you CycleFamous! I have the same rattle in my wagon, sometimes it would resonate during low rpm high load situations, If you bang the back of the rear seat near the floor you could really hear it buzzing. I spent about an hour taking off various trim bits to try to get a look inside, then a took a break and searched the forum...for real it took me 20 minutes to get inside and use the rag trick. As I was feeling around in there a half round plastic bracket that was loose in there came out. It's diameter matches perfectly the diameter of the vibrating rod, it still had 1 screw in it. I'm guessing it clamped the rod mid span to the metal seat back to stop it from vibrating. for whatever reason it came out....Anyway the rattle is gone and there was no damage to the seat or any of the plastic bits in the process....I think this is a pretty common issue, maybe it should be a sticky?

MercWagonCo

did you ever find a way to fix this? Having the same problem with the backseat of my car (same year/model) and it’s driving me insane.