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New owner of 2016 E63s Wagon and we have a problem with vibrations
Hi to all…
Long story short. I purchased beautiful and clean 2016 E63s Wagon with 56k miles, black with designo black/orange interior. Car is super clean, no accidents etc…. Mint
Before purchase, took it on a test drive, everything was fine… didn’t drive more that 50 mph probably (small “residential” streets and cop’s everywhere). After purchasing, on the way home, on the highway, speeds 55mph slight vibrations coming from the back of the car. Faster you go, bigger vibrations. At 90mph it’s getting really uncomfortable.
i didn’t contact dealer, i will not waist my time fighting with them over this issue, since it’s a used car with no warranty. Paperwork signed, nothing else to discuss.
i took it to my good friend mechanic shop that usually works on german cars.
he change engine oil, trans fluid and both diffs fluid. No metal shavings etc. he check all suspension components, driveline, engine and transmission mounts, all good. Only thing that he found was little oil around one cam magnet (but harness is dry).
tires are pretty much new, made 24th week of 2024. Wheels are in great condition, no visible damage or even curb rash.
Does anyone had similar issues?
It’s hard for me to believe that problem is in unbalanced wheels because usually vibration going away with higher speeds, in my case, they are way worst….
any help is greatly appreciated….
99% of the time it's the wheels/tires; rebalance them and check their balance without the tires, check for bends in the rims with the tires off.
to be clear - your German car mechanic checked the wheels and re balanced them, yes?
I've seen people struggle with this kind of issue then take it to a 3rd guy to balance the current or new tires (after the first two guys failed or gave up) and boom - smooth ride. Some guys aren't as good at balancing tires as others; also these cars wear the inside of the tires aggressively and the tires can lose balance over time
less likely the rotors are causing a balance issue
$0.02
Last edited by PeterUbers; Mar 21, 2025 at 01:56 AM.
I agree that it sounds like wheels and tires since you do not mention that they were put on a balance machine.
You also mentioned that he changed the fluid in the front diff? That’s usually a complicated procedure in this vehicle and not just a quick drain and fill with two bolts. It would be surprising to me that he would do this before checking the roundness of the wheels or balance of the tires.
I can understand thinking that out of balanced tires would get smoother the faster they spin, but that’s not really the case.
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
Everyone has stated the likely culprit. As Balti stated, the front diff is not an "easy" service. You also have not said you scanned for codes -- not all problems show up on the dash.
With that low mileage, the car is practically new. However, I would have the mechanic check the driveshaft and U-joints. It's unlikely you have an out of balance or bent drive shaft, but when a U-joint goes, it shakes the car to pieces.
I agree that it sounds like wheels and tires since you do not mention that they were put on a balance machine.
You also mentioned that he changed the fluid in the front diff? That’s usually a complicated procedure in this vehicle and not just a quick drain and fill with two bolts. It would be surprising to me that he would do this before checking the roundness of the wheels or balance of the tires.
I can understand thinking that out of balanced tires would get smoother the faster they spin, but that’s not really the case.
Are you sure this friend is a “good” mechanic?
agree - I hope there were two unrelated separate line items:
1. Let's Do some routine maintenance and a PPI (post purchase inspection) on my new/used car - so the fluids are changed, engine inspected yada yada
2. And btw, I have this vibration at higher speed - so now the wheels are checked while car is on a lift (not put on a balancer), mounts inspected, can't find issue
was this car due for these maintenance items? The seller hadn't done them? Was there a PPI (pre purchase inspection)
you mentioned some "oil at the magnet" - like leaking from the magnet down the engine or in the harness? An important distinction - as in - did the magnet get replaced? Did the harness get inspected for oil creep?
Last edited by PeterUbers; Mar 21, 2025 at 10:20 AM.
Just did the front diff. Super easy. Drain and refill 700ml of new oil through the drain plug. Add 65ml for spillage, done.
While I agree it can be done this way, that is not the way that it is asked to be done by Mercedes. To me, the trick to make it easy, by going up through the drain plug would be done by a mechanic that would know to check the wheels first… so do we really think it’s likely this mechanic knew the shortcut, or knew how to do it right? An easy normal diff with a fill and a drain plug I can imagine being done right, but not this one in this circumstance. Didn’t the test ride and scanning of codes before doing any work with the mechanic point in the direction to start? It didn’t sound like either of those were done by this friend before starting work.
A good ppi from a friend should consist of test drive, scan codes, under body mech inspection, engine bay and sensor inspection, boroscoping cylinders, compression or leak down test, then fluids, balancing and alignment.
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
Originally Posted by EckFe1
Just did the front diff. Super easy. Drain and refill 700ml of new oil through the drain plug. Add 65ml for spillage, done.
Draining is easy. The refill should have required disconnecting the front axle shaft at the differential/transmission case. Both my cars are RWD, so I haven't had the pleasure of removing the front axle shaft, but that sounds more complicated than "easy". Also, fill capacity is 550ml. If your mechanic added 765ml of fluid, that might be too much.
Draining is easy. The refill should have required disconnecting the front axle shaft at the differential/transmission case. Both my cars are RWD, so I haven't had the pleasure of removing the front axle shaft, but that sounds more complicated than "easy". Also, fill capacity is 550ml. If your mechanic added 765ml of fluid, that might be too much.
Actually if You have the fitting for filling the transmission pan, You can use it to fill the front diff. Add a little extra, plug the fill hose then as you remove the fitting quickly put Your thumb over hole. Then just as quickly move thumb and screw in plug. I hardly lost any fluid during thumb swaps at all.
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
Originally Posted by BDC90
Actually if You have the fitting for filling the transmission pan, You can use it to fill the front diff. Add a little extra, plug the fill hose then as you remove the fitting quickly put Your thumb over hole. Then just as quickly move thumb and screw in plug. I hardly lost any fluid during thumb swaps at all.
Good to know. That seems similar to changing the Haldex coupler fluid on certain Audi AWD systems, only there is a required change interval on those devices. (Who the hell designs these things and forget to include how to maintain them?)
Actually if You have the fitting for filling the transmission pan, You can use it to fill the front diff. Add a little extra, plug the fill hose then as you remove the fitting quickly put Your thumb over hole. Then just as quickly move thumb and screw in plug. I hardly lost any fluid during thumb swaps at all.
yep, that’s the trick. (My point was only that a std mechanic does not know this) I’ve wondered if a fumoto type valve could be used on some of the systems. Fill them up, close valve and done.
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