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Most likely the bolt will rip out the housing that is welded to the "frame" of the car. It's what happened to me.
What you want to do is buy a front suspension bolt.
If you look at the pic, the bolt on the left is the current rear sub frame bolt. The one on the right is the front suspension bolt. It's a sledgehammer compared to the rear sub frame one. **The fix is that it comes with a washer and nut, you are "sandwiching" the sub frame to the frame of the car. I don't know why it wasn't done like this to begin with.
Also, this happens like you guys mentioned, from hard driving but most of all from launching the beast!
** R&D credit goes to my hero Shardul.
Does anyone have a part number for this "front suspension bolt"?
I just left a certified shop and I have this same problem on drivers side and during acceleration I get the creaking sound very annoying. ..anyways they said for parts and labor I would be at 1200 bucks including replacement of the front bushing that has been damaged during to this problem.
Am I being over charged? Lol they're saying it's time consuming and it'll be a couple days before it's done. But it's and hour job???
Also I have the cls63 model and they said this could have come from a pot hole or previous owner drive it hard which I highly doubt when everything is in excellent condition besides this one problem.
Ok so this all starts with a rear differential that was repaired by a very known shop in West Los Angeles. They did a Mickey Mouse job in that a couple days after picking up my car, my diff was leaking again. I had to take it back for a second time to get it sealed. Some 3-4 days pass after the second seal and I start getting this awful noise coming from the rear right of the car. It sounds like it's coming from the back seats and so I take her in to the dealer. My buddie calls me and tells me that it does not look good and I have a broken sub frame bolt.
My warranty denies the claim on the basis that they do not cover bolts. Fine, its right there in the contract. They do however add that I should take it back to the shop that serviced the diff. They said that they most likely did not put the sub frame back together properly and the improper install lead to the bolt failure. They of course could not prove it but the tech said he is almost 100% sure as it is not the first time he has seen a broken sub frame shortly after rear end was dropped.
I took the car back to the shop that did the diff. Not only did I spend $35 on a new bolt from the dealer, I bought the tech the MOST expensive authentic German beer I could find in hopes they would have a soul and just help me assemble the new bolt. Boy was I wrong. After a week of finger pointing and complete BS, I just picked up my bolt (unfortunately they drank the beer) and started to look for a shop that would do the work.
I found a local shop down the street from Disneyland that did my diff and caused the bolt to break. The mechanic was absolutely a stand up guy and it took him all of 35 minutes to get the old bolt out and install the new one. He used vice grips and a wrench to pry the old bolt out and we did have to cut a small hole in the frame of the car to fit a washer and nut. They welded the hole back and took a grinder to it after. A+++ work and again it took him all of 35 minutes to do. The best part? He charged me $120!! I paid him and tipped his guy $30. I was thinking it would cost closer to $250 anyway. Which brings me back to the shop that butchered the install to begin with. Instead of just putting the car on a lift and attempting to tackle the problem, the owner just fed me a bunch of BS about who's to blame, how he doesn't have time, bla bla bla. This all knowing mechanic had no clue how simple of a job he was turning away. What could have taken 35 minutes of his time to right a wrong has instead earned him a disgruntled customer.
Also, big huge thanks to Shardul. I don't know where I'd be if he wasn't ready to troubleshoot problems any time day or night. Oh yeah, we live 1500 miles apart and I've never met the guy. That folks is a gentleman and a TRUE enthusiast.
Can you post the name of the shop that you repaired? Phone number and the mechanic's name if possible. My car had the same problem 2 days after the dealer did a fuel tank recall. I dont know if it was related, but was told by the indy shop that he 95% sure that the dealer didnt installed the bolt back properly.
I just left a certified shop and I have this same problem on drivers side and during acceleration I get the creaking sound very annoying. ..anyways they said for parts and labor I would be at 1200 bucks including replacement of the front bushing that has been damaged during to this problem.
Am I being over charged? Lol they're saying it's time consuming and it'll be a couple days before it's done. But it's and hour job???
Also I have the cls63 model and they said this could have come from a pot hole or previous owner drive it hard which I highly doubt when everything is in excellent condition besides this one problem.
AAAAAH....Yes you are. Parts,bolts and nuts , cost me $12.00 from the Nutty Company and spent about 2.5 hours labor doing it in my garage.
My driver's side bolt snapped the other day. Luckily, I was able to get the broken piece out without damaging the threads. I sprayed some PB Blaster on it and let it sit overnight. There isn't any room to get an easy out in there, but it came out fairly easily using a 3/8" Left Handed drill bit. I chased the threads using a hardened 12mm 1.5 bolt and then installed a new OEM bolt (part # 0029907422)
I just left a certified shop and I have this same problem on drivers side and during acceleration I get the creaking sound very annoying. ..anyways they said for parts and labor I would be at 1200 bucks including replacement of the front bushing that has been damaged during to this problem.
Am I being over charged? Lol they're saying it's time consuming and it'll be a couple days before it's done. But it's and hour job???
Also I have the cls63 model and they said this could have come from a pot hole or previous owner drive it hard which I highly doubt when everything is in excellent condition besides this one problem.
It depends on exactly what they do to fix it. Once the boss with the threads is ripped off the body you can repair it with a through-bolt and nut that only takes an hour, but that is not a complete repair. The $1200 price would come into play if they actually replace the threaded portion on the body and re-install a factory bolt. As a professional shop, that's the only way I would do it. If you don't, then the "nub" with the threads isn't there to keep the subframe positioned accurately.
I'm not saying the through-bolt and nut isn't "good enough", just pointing out the difference between the two approaches and why the cost is so much different.
I did the fuel tank recall from the local dealer and am wondering if these bolts were replaced when they had to drop the rear subframe to replace the fuel tank. I don't see these bolts identified in the warranty invoice and am curious if anyone who had the fuel tank replacement shows that these bolts were replaced on their car? I got a feeling the old ones were reused?
Anyone have the problem of there subframe out of line since this has happened? I am guessing since the holes are bigger there is now play, I am lowered on coilovers and my driver side rear wheel is sitting way closer to the front of the quarter panel, scoring the tire, How can I Align the subframe??
I had the same problem happen to me where the passenger rear subframe bolt ripped out of the frame. My symptoms were a repetitive sound in the rear upon acceleration and the driver side rear wheel sitting lower than the passenger rear wheel.
It was a real pain to drill out the bolt, I used a Dremel tool to help cut it free. Thanks for the advice on this forum to help me fix this problem as I used the larger bolt recommended that is normally a front camber adjustment bolt. After I fixed this problem the noise I originally was having never went away and upon further inspection it appears that other parts of the subframe are having issues such as the front bushings being loose.
I have posted some pictures which look similar to other members picture but just wanted to add them for other people to look at who may be having the same problem. I always had problems getting the car to align correctly as well which could be partially responsible for the rear subframe being shifted out of correct possition.
Hi, for me it was only a small amount difference, about 1/2" lower on left. When lifted car up it only made a small difference in the sag of the subframe. I think my case was more mild then other people's documented on this form. It sound that my axles may have also became damaged during this process and may need to be replaced as there seem to be a sound at highways speeds on acceleration and there is axle grease leaking from both inner CV joints.
@ TheVazha..How much did you pay to have the broken bolt removed and new one installed? Mine just snapped ( rear driver side) and trying to find a place that would fix it for a reasonable price.
The problem is that "by the book" repair actually allowed them to tax the hell out of you. The actual job is a joke. Paid $150 including a $30 tip to the mechanic. Just get the parts I mentioned in my post and you'll be good.
In my other E63, I had bad subframe bushing that caused the rear end to move around over bumps at highway speeds, causing rear tire wear. Had everything replaced under warranty, but this require the exhaust, rear diff and subframe to be removed and wasn't cheap to say the least.
The problem is that "by the book" repair actually allowed them to tax the hell out of you. The actual job is a joke. Paid $150 including a $30 tip to the mechanic. Just get the parts I mentioned in my post and you'll be good.
Ok so this all starts with a rear differential that was repaired by a very known shop in West Los Angeles. They did a Mickey Mouse job in that a couple days after picking up my car, my diff was leaking again. I had to take it back for a second time to get it sealed. Some 3-4 days pass after the second seal and I start getting this awful noise coming from the rear right of the car. It sounds like it's coming from the back seats and so I take her in to the dealer. My buddie calls me and tells me that it does not look good and I have a broken sub frame bolt.
My warranty denies the claim on the basis that they do not cover bolts. Fine, its right there in the contract. They do however add that I should take it back to the shop that serviced the diff. They said that they most likely did not put the sub frame back together properly and the improper install lead to the bolt failure. They of course could not prove it but the tech said he is almost 100% sure as it is not the first time he has seen a broken sub frame shortly after rear end was dropped.
I took the car back to the shop that did the diff. Not only did I spend $35 on a new bolt from the dealer, I bought the tech the MOST expensive authentic German beer I could find in hopes they would have a soul and just help me assemble the new bolt. Boy was I wrong. After a week of finger pointing and complete BS, I just picked up my bolt (unfortunately they drank the beer) and started to look for a shop that would do the work.
I found a local shop down the street from Disneyland that did my diff and caused the bolt to break. The mechanic was absolutely a stand up guy and it took him all of 35 minutes to get the old bolt out and install the new one. He used vice grips and a wrench to pry the old bolt out and we did have to cut a small hole in the frame of the car to fit a washer and nut. They welded the hole back and took a grinder to it after. A+++ work and again it took him all of 35 minutes to do. The best part? He charged me $120!! I paid him and tipped his guy $30. I was thinking it would cost closer to $250 anyway. Which brings me back to the shop that butchered the install to begin with. Instead of just putting the car on a lift and attempting to tackle the problem, the owner just fed me a bunch of BS about who's to blame, how he doesn't have time, bla bla bla. This all knowing mechanic had no clue how simple of a job he was turning away. What could have taken 35 minutes of his time to right a wrong has instead earned him a disgruntled customer.
Also, big huge thanks to Shardul. I don't know where I'd be if he wasn't ready to troubleshoot problems any time day or night. Oh yeah, we live 1500 miles apart and I've never met the guy. That folks is a gentleman and a TRUE enthusiast.
So last night I managed to fix the rear left side subframe bolt myself... then like a idiot I took it back out because I forgot to put Loctite and as soon as i took it out the rear right bolt snapped.Not sure why,maybe because of the weight distribution or what, but now both left and right side of the subframe are so far from the body i can't even put the one i fixed back in.Im not sure why , but it seems like the air shocks are trying to recalculate the distance or something but even when i put a jack under the subframe to push it up so i can put the bolt in the air shocks are pumping more air.My question is how do i turn them off so I can at least screw in the left side and start working on the right???
So last night I managed to fix the rear left side subframe bolt myself... then like a idiot I took it back out because I forgot to put Loctite and as soon as i took it out the rear right bolt snapped.Not sure why,maybe because of the weight distribution or what, but now both left and right side of the subframe are so far from the body i can't even put the one i fixed back in.Im not sure why , but it seems like the air shocks are trying to recalculate the distance or something but even when i put a jack under the subframe to push it up so i can put the bolt in the air shocks are pumping more air.My question is how do i turn them off so I can at least screw in the left side and start working on the right???
There is a bleed procedure in STAR. Outside of that, you can apply voltage to a couple of the pins on the shock if they are like the fronts, which will open a solenoid and allow the air out.
There is a bleed procedure in STAR. Outside of that, you can apply voltage to a couple of the pins on the shock if they are like the fronts, which will open a solenoid and allow the air out.
Damn!!..well since I don't have a STAR machine I guess it's messing with the pins....can you point me to the right area,plug,and or pins? Why do they put such weak bolts in a car with so much torque? You'd figure all of those engineers building this car would've noticed such a flaw...!!!
So after doing what seemed like an unusually large amount of work on my 2005 W211 E320 CDI including most ball joints, control arms, brakes, flex disk, struts, and more. Shortly after a new alignment I moderately accelerate from my driveway and hear a huge bang. The car went a bit low in the rear but could still drive without bad noises so I'm back in the driveway now. It looks to me based on this thread my subframe bolts both sheared off at the same time. It looks like I need to jack the car up, drill and use extractors to get the old pieces out and put new bolts in. Luckily it looks like my frame is intact. Car only has 100k mi. Any constructive input would be appreciated. Thanks for the thread! Is it part # 0029907422?
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