I am losing my mind over this. I bought a 2013 c63 in May and the last few months it has been making this clunking noise. I have taken it to the dealership 3 times so far and each time the noise goes away for about a week only to return worse than it was. It used to only make noises when I turned right on incline changes at low speeds. Now it makes the noise going over any bump at any speed.
The first time I took it in they replaced the front left strut. The second time they replaced the front right strut. The third time they replaced the lower control arm.
I am posting 2 videos of the noise. This video is between the first and second visits and the noise can be heard around the 24 second mark.
This second video was taken today, 2 weeks after my third visit. You can hear the noise continuously throughout the video on any slight bump.
Any and all advice as to what this is would be greatly appreciated.
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It’s an exceptionally pricey, performance-oriented Mercedes that comes with a 4 yr/50k mile warranty.
If the odometer hasn’t yet reached 50k, I would suggest that the OP “kick things up a notch” by contacting Mercedes at the corporate level. Contact info can be found in the Owner’s Manual. When a dealership (for any make of car) seems to be either incapable or reluctant to resolve a customer’s mechanical issues, the corporate folks can frequently “motivate” them to provide the needed help.
It may even be possible to have the car checked by Mercedes’ regional repair supervisor (the actual title varies by manufacturer). These people frequently have much greater expertise than the dealership’s mechanics, and can sometimes supervise repairs at the dealership.
When a friend of mine had electronic issues with his Toyota that were beyond the ability of the dealership’s mechanics, Toyota’s regional rep came to the dealership, along with a Japanese engineer, and in less than 2 hours, they were able to resolve a problem that had eluded the dealership’s mechanics during two prior all-day repair attempts.
When you consider the price of cars–such as the OP’s vehicle–surely the Mercedes corporate folks should be able to provide the same type of assistance that Toyota can provide for their much less expensive vehicles.
Thanks for the reply VDCdriver. From another forum there seemed to be a consensus that it was one or both of the strut bearings. I have an expedited appointment set for tomorrow after I called the dealership and expressed my displeasure with the experience so far. I will bring this up to them and hope it resolves the issue. If not your route definitely seems like the best approach. The odometer is at 13,000 miles so well below the 50,000 warranty cutoff.
I have a 99 Toyota Camry that did this. Upper strut bushing was the cause. If they replace the whole strut assembly, it will fix it. Keep all paper work concerning this probllem. That way even if it’s not fixed during the warranty period, they will have to fix it no matter what.
I had a similar bump sound occurring w/my Corolla one time, and after many frustrating attempts to solve it, it turned out to be a golf ball in a wheel-well recess in the trunk area was rolling around. Suggest before spending any more $$ in replacing parts, to remove everything possible from the passenger compartment and trunk, including jacks, spare tires, etc, and see if the problem remains. You’ll probably have to temporarily remove the carpeting in the trunk area to make sure you have found all the stuff that can get lost in the various corners and recesses back there. Check the engine compartment too, particularly that the battery is secure.
Thanks for the replies. I have kept all of the paperwork regarding this situation and just dropped my car off with them for the fourth time. I am really hoping that this gets resolved. I told my advisor to look at the strut bearing and he told me he thought it was already replaced. I showed him the work order from the right strut replacement and told him the part number was not listed on it. So they will be looking at it along with the rest of the strut assembly.
Not Only Should The Dealership Service Manager/Director Be Personally Involved In This On-Going Problem, But The Regional Service Manger From Mercedes Should Be Brought In, Attending And Over-Seeing The Repairs. These Folks Can Be In Direct Contact With People Who Can Get It Resolved Once And For All.
I’d look up the/a dealership owner/principal and explain what’s going on and get them involved, too.
I also had a hidden golf ball in a used car, in my case a Miata. Drove me nuts. I responded to speeding up and slowing down, not so much to bumps.
Yours sounds a bit different, and I’d be looking over the entire exhaust system for a bent or disconnected hanger.
If it clunks when you bounce the front end of the car, that’s different and the suspension is the right place to look. Can you make it happen when the car is stopped and not running?
I am thinking its a suspension problem since it makes the noise going over bumpy roads, speed bumps and when the right side hits a small pot hole in the road. If the left side hits the bump or pot hole without the right side also hitting it, it rarely makes the noise.