I have a 2012 Mercedes Benz E350, sedan. It has 53700 miles.
From about 40 mph, I hear a roaring, grumbling noise from the engine. And I feel vibration. The vibration is felt worst on the floor of the front passenger. Additionally, I feel a grating sensation when slowing down- with the foot off the accelerator, and also when braking. The front 2 tires have feathering- I can’t remember whether it was on the inside or outside for the tires.
I replaced the existing tires with new tires-- the Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06. The mechanic told me he found a stripping of the front right wheel. He checked the shocks, and found them a little discolored, but otherwise in good shape. I got the bearings tightened in the front wheel, and got an alignment.
I don’t feel the grating sensation when slowing down Good! But the vibration and growling is still there- albeit not as much as before the new tires, but yes, still apparent!
The dealership told me it was a bad motor mount, but the independent shop did not see this to be the problem.
There must be something coming in contact with the wheel in the front right side, to have caused the roughness of the metal. What can this be? Is the problem also the cause of the roaring sounds, accompanied by the vibration? Do you have any idea what’s going on??
Click and Clack have retired. Posters here are interested folks trying to help people with their car problems.
To that end, what you describe sounds like a bad wheel bearing, differential bearings or transmission bearings. Based on the tire feathering, I’d guess a right front wheel bearing. Did you tell this to either of the mechanics you took the car to?
And what does this mean? [quote=“Smk001, post:1, topic:102284”]
a stripping of the front right wheel
[/quote]
Motor or transmission mounts usually don’t fail that early, but I wouldn’t be too quick to dismiss a bad mount diagnosis. A faulty mount that allows metal-to-metal contact (as opposed to isolation with rubber or fluid) and therefore conduction of vibration would fit with the symptoms you describe.
I would have asked to see the evidence of this problem and an explanation.
Is this vehicle in-warranty or out of warranty?
Out of warranty? I’d offer to pay the Mercedes shop to replace the defective mount with the understanding that it will definitely solve the problem. CSA
Any mechanic that can identify these items as problems, certainly should be able to ascertain the cause. I’m thinking there is may be more to the story…
Even if you have little to no understanding of car repairs, you need to get out in the shop, under the car, with the mechanic(s), and get a better grasp of what they are looking at. If a shop’s personnel isn’t willing to do this then you need a different shop. CSA
It sort of sounds like a wheel or tire problem to me. Do you notice the noise/vibration get worse when turning in a certain direction? It could be a bad wheel bearing or a host of other things, but I’m guessing a wheel/tire problem. Ask your shop to make sure the wheels are all properly balanced and check for out of roundness. Either of those can cause a stripe pattern to appear on the tread surface. Wheels not properly set to the hub (b/c of debris/rust) or just the lug nuts uneven tightened could be another cause. Ask you shop to remove all the wheels then install them using only a hand held torque wrench, not an air impact wrench, & tightening the lug nuts in the proper sequence, over 3 rounds of equal torque increments.
Again, why was this dismissed and the car taken to an independent mechanic?
I have seen situations where a “Growling Roaring Vibrating” complaint was caused by bad or misaligned mounts. There is not enough information to determine why this wasn’t acted on, or was it? CSA
You need a front end shop for a second opinion. If new tires were mounted then the wheel must be fine except for cosmetic damage. Still don’t understand the tighten wheel bearing part.
Hey! Can anybody see this? Hello? Hello? Helloooo!
I could almost swear this was a discussion format where folks came for help and people asked additional questions to help focus in on a solution and then offered advice.
However, I’ve posted a few times over a couple of days, (did a little thinking and a little research) asked some thoughtful questions to help drill down a bit, and nothing, no response!
There does exist procedures (I have a 12 step procedure list) for adjusting (tightening or loosening) the front wheel bearings (tapered bearings) on this vehicle. CSA
Can you feel the vibration “in the seat of your pants” . . . ?
If so, it might be driveline related
This Benz is a few years newer than the ones I was working on, but I have to say the motor mounts used were high tech, but didn’t have a long life span. They’ve been hydraulic fluid filled for a long time now, and when they collapse or lose their fluid, strange vibrations and noises often occur. But this is nothing unique to Benz. FWIW . . . I replaced many shot motor mounts and trans mounts before 57K. I consider them a regular wear and tear item. The trans mounts were always pretty low tech, though, but they didn’t last all that long, either, before slowly collapsing
When in doubt, I would put a screw jack and a block of wood under the engine oil pan or trans pan, and slowly raise the engine/trans, while carefully watching the mount(s) for total movement, cracks opening up, liquid spilling out, etc. A mirror often helped a great deal. Many mounts which initially looked pretty good didn’t look so pristine anymore . . .
