London Lad

Rattles in your SL55 ?
Hi all,

Any of you guys got any rattles in your SL55 ?

I have a plastic sounding rattle coming from the boot or rear of the cabin area.

It is most noticeable when the cabin is cold first thing in the morning and disappears as you drive. After about 10-15 mins it is gone!

I've looked everywhere but I can't find it.

It’s bumps in the road that cause it. It’s a light plastic sound and I think as the cabin / boot warms up whatever it is expands slightly and stops.

I’ve checked the bins and emptied the boot of tool kit, jack, wheel brace etc etc.

The roll bar makes no difference up or down. I don’t know about the roof because the rattle is only slight and you wouldn’t hear it with the roof down anyway.

I think it’s probably part of the roof mechanism but I’ve tapped everything in sight and still can’t reproduce it.

Any more ideas would be appreciated.


Graham.


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Mustard

Had a similar issue in my BMW.

Ask dealer if it might be either the baffles in the petrol tank, or the straps around the tank. If the tank is plastic, and its part full, the straps become loose. A full tank of fuel solved it. (or the otherway round!)



Just a thought.....

blueSL

Trouble is, it could be anything. Have you tried raising the ride height of the car to see if that changes anything? Is it a knocking noise indicating two things are hitting each other or a creaking, indicating two parts are sliding over each other? Have you checked the exhaust is not fouling with the bodywork or rear-valence? Is it speed related or only road surface?

London Lad

It’s a rattle as opposed to a knock or bang or creak. It sounds like plastics rattling, light weight components. It’s a loose rattle if that makes sense.

I’m pretty sure it’s in the boot or the area between the cabin and boot.

Its not rev or road speed related. It occurs when the road causes the car to ‘shake’ from side to side.

The odd thing is it’s quite noticeable first thing in the morning when the car is cold but diminishes to almost nothing after 10-15 minutes driving. After this time you can only hear it when the road surface is very bad and then at much reduced volume.

The car goes to the dealer in a couple of weeks for the recall and I have asked them to try to find it.

I don’t hold out much hope, last time they said they had fixed it by removing my umbrella from the boot!!!

I was hoping that a dealer’s tech may read this and have encountered the same thing in a customer’s car.

I’ve almost gutted the boot, tools, jack, tyre fit, tyre pump, floor, warning triangle and polystyrene. I’ve wedged the loom and vac pipes with foam and taped up all the hinges on the pull out cover all to no avail.

Ahhhh……

My next move is to pump 2000 gallons of silicon into the car under high pressure and let it set, then…………..!!!!!!

I HATE RATTLES.

London Lad

Blue....

Ride height, roll bar up or down, luggage straps locked, CD stacker cassette in or out, all to no avail.

London Lad

Mustard...

Where exactly is the fuel tank? Do you know how to remove the panel above the storage boxes ?

Thanks Graham.

Mustard

Suspect tank is right under the boxes, just in front of the boot panel, but I don't know how to remove the panel.

Get someone to ride behind the seats and see if they hear it. The tank swells and shrinks quite considerably, apparently, and the loose strap just rattles against it. Did in mine, a known problem. Might even be a loose sensor, which is a problem in C-classes.

Long shot, but looks like you've done just about everything else.

There was a thread on rattles cured by pumping up a low tyre. Bit obscure too...

Bloody frustrating, eh?

AMGBENZ

I had that same rattle on my 03 sl500 sport, I fixed it by spraying silicone on the plastic flaps on each side of the roof. With the hard top up you will find plastic flaps that are spring loaded between the top of the back window and the top of the roof on each side put some silicone on a rag lube these plastic parts.

This should fix your rattle problem, I had to repeat every 3 months.

AMGBENZ

2000 ML430
2003 SL55 AMG (January 03 prodution date)

London Lad

Thanks AMGBENZ,

I think I have located the parts you are referring to:

2 flat black plastic pieces about 1.5" X 2.5" attached to the roof mechanism at the top of the rear screen near to the roof. They are not spring loaded on my car?

I've siliconed these bits but unfortunately it has not helped.
Did I get the right parts?

Thanks for your help.

Graham.