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I am planning to replace motor and transmission mounts on my SL550. The debate I have is the following: I am considering to put front mounts of S550 and rear mounts of SL55 AMG. The reason for this is that motor on S class runs much more smoother than on SL. The rear AMG mount has mor rubber suppor in it so I think it should last longer. The front mounts are visually identical between SL550 and 55. The rear one is identical size wise but has more rubber inside.
Considering that the old motor mounts lasted for 11 years, do you really think it matters?)) Unless you're a pedal to the metal type of driver- then I'd consider some more reinforced mounts
Ghostty, thank you. The mounts lasted only 3 years and just below 30K miles - I had all three of them replaced. I don’t do heavy driving, just regular usage.
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Considering that the old motor mounts lasted for 11 years, do you really think it matters?)) Unless you're a pedal to the metal type of driver- then I'd consider some more reinforced mounts
My friend mechanic was replacing all three mounts in my presence 3 years ago. Today, the mounts are about 50% collapsed — they have some life in them but will go bad soon. Could it be some wear out in the engine that contributes to an extra vibration? I used stethoscope and the right bank is a bit noisier than the left bank. Could be the hydraulic lifters or chain stretching? Engine performance is very strong though...
QUOTE=Ghostty;7594054]That is weird - only 3 years on new mounts... Were you the one replacing them 3 years ago? They aren't meant to go bad that fast....[/QUOTE]
And i assume you used OEM mounts? There is a chance that the mounts were factory defective, but that's rare. Also the only thing that i can think of that could influence the engine mounts life would be a car accident when the geometry of the car is not restored correctly so the mounts have extra strain on them. If the engine runs smooth - then that root cause is excluded. If you do not put the car under higher acceleration - that is out of equation too... I can't think of anything else right now
Yes, i was using the mounts from the dealer. Yes, the car was in the accident and I acquired it with no bumper and restored it from there. The good news is that it drives very straight that I may move my hands off the steering wheel and it goes straight for a long time, no extra wears on wheels either. But you might be right about overall geometry being jeopardized.
Originally Posted by Ghostty
And i assume you used OEM mounts? There is a chance that the mounts were factory defective, but that's rare. Also the only thing that i can think of that could influence the engine mounts life would be a car accident when the geometry of the car is not restored correctly so the mounts have extra strain on them. If the engine runs smooth - then that root cause is excluded. If you do not put the car under higher acceleration - that is out of equation too... I can't think of anything else right now
Well when it drives straight i'd relate that to a good suspension - alignment and that kind of stuff. If it was hit in the front it could have messed up only the engine frame area... To check that you'd have to take it to a specialist for them to measure - might be pricey because they'd have to strip down the whole front end. Might be hard to find a specialist who would actually do it too... So if it's cheaper to replace them with some reinforced mounts that fit - give it a shot and see what happens. Can't say 3 years is that much time but not that bad to otherwise throw $$$$ at it to find out.
MBZ's fluid-filled motor mounts on the larger, more powerful engine usually don't last long. The original set on my CLK550 were shot at 35K miles, and when I traded it (about 80K miles) that second set was in need of replacement. Of course a lot of the "feel" is subjective, and I did not mind feeling a bit of the V8 rumble.
MBZ's fluid-filled motor mounts on the larger, more powerful engine usually don't last long. The original set on my CLK550 were shot at 35K miles, and when I traded it (about 80K miles) that second set was in need of replacement. Of course a lot of the "feel" is subjective, and I did not mind feeling a bit of the V8 rumble.
Hey Rodney,
It unfortunately seems that I have fallen victim to the motor mount issues.. Dangit, and I just received my '11 SL550 a couple of months ago! Is it normal that it happens to a vehicle that 'new', with 'only' 80k miles? (I realize the vehicle is not new nor with low mileage, but compared to many other vehicles, and to me, it is...)
I noticed it for the first time this morning, when I went to start the car from 2-3 days of rest in my uninsulated garage. It was about 50 degrees F (10 degrees C). As soon as I started the car, it just began vibrating from the front end and making a subtle weird noise. It had never done this before. I felt it extremely well in the steering wheel. But I thought it perhaps had something to do with my 'resonator delete' that I had done a week or so ago. So I drove it for 20-30 mins and the vibration and shakes came and went. I was pretty certain it had nothing to do with the exhaust. It sounded and acted just like the car does when you turn the steering wheel all the way to one side and the power steering starts acting up a little. Just more magnified, and it had nothing to do with the steering.
We noticed that it had nothing to do with the RPMs either, but it vibrated more after we drove over speed bumps. We thought that perhaps it was an ABC issue, but then we realized that the engine itself moves just as much when the car is driving over a bump, so it may just as well be the engine (or transmission) mounts.
) that says what to look for with bad engine mounts, and my engine does that exact thing he talks about. We were unable to physically rock it back and forth like he does, but when I put it in D, held the brake down and pushed the gas, the whole engine moved up and down about an inch. At least.
What other ways do I have to check the mounts? And exactly how many are there?
Do you guys have any advice for me, what else to check for, what to do next? My dad is a good ole' mechanic (although no particular Mercedes expert), so we will surely solve this DIY, but it would be nice to know which mounts are recommended, where to purchase the mounts, if there are DIY-guides, etc etc. BTW, I nowadays live in Sweden, but I have no problem with purchasing items from the US or wherever.
Thanks in advance to everyone on this lovely forum on how to proceed!
(P.S. Just curious.. Is it 'dangerous' to drive it like this?)
My CLK550 had collapsed mounts at 4 years, 30K miles. It's just the way it is. One thing I have noticed is that the rear mount (which is much less expensive and much easier to replace) can make more of a difference in vibrations being felt. On our dearly departed C240, I went to drive it one day and when I put it in reverse, I thought I was going to crack some teeth from the vibration. i replaced the rear mount and it was much better.
Crazy, I had never read about this engine mount issue prior to now. Is there a recommended mount to purchase? I read something about Lemfoerder ("Lemförder")?
Lemfoerder is the OEM, so they make the mounts for MBZ and are a bit less expensive. There are plenty of aftermarket mounts with various claims of being better or cheaper. I'd avoid the Chinese crap and be careful buying from eBay and Amazon as there are plenty of fake parts being sold there. Only buy from reputable sellers like dealers and dedicated European parts stores.
Some people have been using alternate mounts. For example, some will use the SL55 AMG mounts, claiming they are more substantial. Others use mounts from the S-Class claiming they are softer and last longer.
Lemfoerder is the OEM, so they make the mounts for MBZ and are a bit less expensive. There are plenty of aftermarket mounts with various claims of being better or cheaper. I'd avoid the Chinese crap and be careful buying from eBay and Amazon as there are plenty of fake parts being sold there. Only buy from reputable sellers like dealers and dedicated European parts stores.
Some people have been using alternate mounts. For example, some will use the SL55 AMG mounts, claiming they are more substantial. Others use mounts from the S-Class claiming they are softer and last longer.
Thanks Rodney!! Always helpful as usual. It is getting colder here in Sweden, we've already seen our first snow (although it didn't stick), so I am thinking about just garaging the SL550 until winter has left the building. That gives me time to fix this and all of the other mods that I want to do.
I purchased two Lemfoerder engine mounts from Germany (it was on eBay, but it was OEM!). However, local reputable shops have unfortunately been very reluctant with giving me a quote for switching them out. I haven't even checked with my authorised Mercedes dealership.
I went by another local Mercedes mechanic today who said it was a 60 minute job to switch them out, but it could possibly be a little bit difficult unscrewing the bolts due to thread lock from the factory. He also said "Do you know how many of these they sell? Almost none. These never need to be replaced; I've only replaced them on wrecked vehicles."
I feel like he may be wrong on this one?! I'm going to let him switch mine out next Tuesday anyways, so I'll keep you guys posted on how it helped with my vibrations.
Another quick update.. Just wanted to say that my engine mounts were indeed shot to hell and I have a brand new car now! (At least compared to how it felt before...)
All thanks to you guys and the great companionship and knowledge you willingly trade with faceless unknowns. It's incredible how kind and helpful people can be.
Another quick update.. Just wanted to say that my engine mounts were indeed shot to hell and I have a brand new car now! (At least compared to how it felt before...)
All thanks to you guys and the great companionship and knowledge you willingly trade with faceless unknowns. It's incredible how kind and helpful people can be.
would you mind sharing what you ended up buying (part number,..) ?
There are reference numbers listed at the bottom, other than that I do not know any other part numbers. I just messaged the seller to be sure that they really fit the R230, which they did.
@Dhunch22 , not sure where you are located, but I have a 2008 SL550 and I bought the front motor mounts (Lemforder) from Rock Auto US$ 70 each (they didn't list them for SL550, but I searched by the LEMFÖRDER part number: 2975601):
LEMFÖRDER 2975601 (alternate part numbers 2032402117, 2302400317, 2302400417)
I purchased the rear transmission mount (genuine MB) from Amazon for about US$ 100
Genuine MB 2302400818
I had a local indy shop do the labor. I think they did the job the most labor intensive way (they said they dropped the sub frame), and I paid too much. However, it is really the only shop in town I would use and I do trust them to do things right even if it is more expensive (plus they have helped me out in other situations with little to no charge).
Others have said that it is not to hard to DIY (there is some info here, and probably more info on this forum), but it was more than I wanted to get into.
2007 SL550 26k miles. Owned for 1 year, felt vibrations in steering wheel and body. Replaced 2 Motor mounts and tranny mount. See pic of new mount next to old mounts Oil leak and rubber breakdown
2007 SL550 26k miles. Owned for 1 year, felt vibrations in steering wheel and body. Replaced 2 Motor mounts and tranny mount. See pic of new mount next to old mounts
How did you get to the upper bolts? I see easily how to get to the lower ones, but did not see a good way to get to the upper ones. WIS directs to remove the exhaust, but I would like to avoid doing it, if possible. Thanks.
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