E270CDI serious problems

[Paul Spokes]

E270CDI seriuos problems

I took delivery of a new E270CDI at the beginning of July. The noise level from the engine under even modest acceleration is a deep, rough roar whcih can be heard over the air con and stereo. It has become worse over time and at idle can be felt through the steering column. It sounds more like a Landrover than an MB, It is worse at 1500-2000 rpm and oddly gets less as the revs get towards maximum. When cruising at speed the car is generally quite but as soon as the accelerator is pressed the noise comes back. Has anyone else experienced this?

At times when either stationary or on the move a whirring can be heard from under the bonnet on the offside and lasts for 3-5 seconds. The garage tell me this is normal and is to do with the braking system. Can this be correct?

On fairly steep inclines,such as multi storey car parks the car rolls backwards when in drive. The dealer tells me this is normal for this gear box and to put into w and it will hold. Again, have MB really developed a gear box that does this?

The head lamps on dipped give very liitle forward vision and on very dark roads this is dangerous. Anyone also experienced this?

The rear shock absorbers are in need of replacement as they have knocked from new and the car picks up every bump or undulation more like a sports car than a luxury saloon.

After my last E series the steering feels heavy.

I tried a brand new 270cdi at another dealers to see whether I was imaging these things and even when cold, was quiet. When warmed up, with the air con on 3 I could hardly hear anything. This is what I had expected.

Car has gone back to dealer today to try and sort out this mess which seems to be a Friday afternoon car.

Anyone else had these experiences? What are noise levels like in your E270cdi?

 

[RichardM]

Re: E270CDI seriuos problems

Have a look at this thread, it seems you are not alone with noise/vibration problems. I haven't noticed any vibration issues, but the engine is quite noisy when accelerating from 10-30mph. This would be my one complaint about the engine. At higher speeds it has a deaper, quieter growl and at motorway speeds it is silent. I was reading a review of the new Audi A8 V8 diesel last week and they reported a similar issue of noise at low speeds around town, but much quieter at higher revs.

Originally posted by Paul Spokes
At times when either stationary or on the move a whirring can be heard from under the bonnet on the offside and lasts for 3-5 seconds. The garage tell me this is normal and is to do with the braking system. Can this be correct?

This is normal and is the SBC, Sensotronic brake pump.

Originally posted by Paul Spokes On fairly steep inclines,such as multi storey car parks the car rolls backwards when in drive. The dealer tells me this is normal for this gear box and to put into w and it will hold. Again, have MB really developed a gear box that does this?

Reading other MB forums this is a common issue across models, and the answer is normally to put it in 'W'. I've never been on a steep enough incline for this to happen.

Originally posted by Paul Spokes
The head lamps on dipped give very liitle forward vision and on very dark roads this is dangerous. Anyone also experienced this?

What model do you have? I have the Avantgarde which has Bi-Xenon lights and are wonderfull. The brightest lights of any car I've ever had. Do you have the side lights or main lights on?

Originally posted by Paul Spokes After my last E series the steering feels heavy.

That is probably to give better road handling, rather than having very light steering which has no feel. I haven't noticed mine being heavy, but I guess this is why Speed-sensitive steering is an option and standard on upper models.

Originally posted by Paul Spokes I tried a brand new 270cdi at another dealers to see whether I was imaging these things and even when cold, was quiet. When warmed up, with the air con on 3 I could hardly hear anything. This is what I had expected.

Mine is quite noisy accelerating from low speeds, but at other times it is very quiet.

Originally posted by Paul Spokes Car has gone back to dealer today to try and sort out this mess which seems to be a Friday afternoon car.

I've had many other problems and I've often thought the same thing about mine!

Richard.

 

[Brian WH]

Paul

I have spoken to Richard before about engine noise on his E270CDI and it is because it is only 5 cylinders and universally difficult to get a 100% balance. My 6 cylinder is totally different, as Richard will confirm.

However the other problems that you mention MUST be referred to the dealer and sorted for you. The Bi-Xenon lights on mine are excellent, and it sounds like yours need adjusting upwards as they do have avery flat topped beam on dip. Are they OK on full beam as you will then get full Xenon beams and headlights together.

 

[RichardM]

Although mine can be noisy at low speeds (unlike Brian's which wasn't at all!) I never notice any vibration.

 

[Paul Spokes]

Thanks Richard for your information. As far as the over dipped headlights are concerned, they were on dipped and yes, the cut off is very severe. They just don't project far enough forward and its almost like trying to drive on the side lights.

I too have been told by MB to put gearbox in W and it won't roll back, but never had the problem with other MB auto boxes.

MB have lent me a C200 Komp for 4 days whilst they try and sort the mess out, but only after much pressure.

When you talk about more noise in the 0-30 range, can this be heard over say the aircon at a lowish setting?

 

[RichardM]

Hi Paul,

Do you have the Bi-Xenon lights? or the standard headlights? If the standard lights is the leveling control on 0?

Yes at 0-30 the engine is audible over the aircon and the stereo if both are on a low setting. There is no vibration but at that speed the engine is quite noisy.

 

[RichardM]

There is a club meeting at Duxford on sunday morning. If you can make it we could compare engines, lights etc!

 

[Andy Stanton]

Paul,

For what it's worth I currently drive a 1999 Vectra SRI and I had the Xexons fitted to it from new. I have exactly the same problem as you in that the light is brilliant white but only projects 30 or 40 feet and then stops dead. Beyond that I can't see a damned thing and driving on unfamiliar roads at night is scary!

I questioned this with the garage a couple of times and they measured it in the MOT bay and said it was fine. I've had to live with it ever since and I really don't like them

However, I test drove an E200 a couple of months back with Bi-Xenons and they were completely different. The same bright white light obviously but the illuminated distance was at least double that of my motor and what I had expected from my own Xenons. It was something of a revelation to be honest. I've gone from being hacked off with the rip off prices of Xenons to a complete convert again.

Interestingly I'm going to place my order for an E220CDI in October and will spec the Bi Xenons with Active Headlamps (the ones that shine round corners to show where you're going). If the range is limited the Active feature would be pointless!

No solution to this, but you're not alone with the problem. The Xenons should project a fair distance and ours obviously don't for some reason. Keep the pressure up with the garage and get em sorted.