Rubbing/grinding noise when turning left

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mic1981

New Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2021
Messages
27
Location
Cheshire
Car
2008 C220 CDI Sport
Hello.

I've recently bought my first Mercedes; a 2008 C220 CDI Sport, 107k miles + full dealer service history. The car is in fantastic condition for its age, and drives really well... apart from a single, intermittent issue — there is a rubbing or grinding noise when turning left. It's not there when turning right, or when driving straight, and because it's intermittent the local garage is having a tough time pinpointing the cause.

Here are some videos that demonstrate the noise...

With the driver's side window down, the noise appears to be coming from the driver's side front wheel. With all windows up, the noise is much more subtle (as you'd expect) but it feels more central. The garage have inspected both fronts wheels and their suspension, brakes, joints, bushes etc. and have said there isn't anything obvious at fault. However, now I've been able to capture the noise on video and the mechanic has heard it, I've left the car with them again today and they're going to have a look at the back wheels.

Any ideas as to what this could be?
 
Is there any abnormal feedback from the steering when you turn left and hear this sound?
 
No, not at all. The steering feels as smooth as when pointing in any other direction.
Apologies, my only guess would be the engine/tranny mount at the said location.
@suty455 Any suggestions?

I may be completely incorrect, but I had a similar experience on an old Buick with the engine hydraulic mount, which would make a similar sound as you described. And it only happened on inclines at below 20 MPH speed, with the steering slightly tilted to the right.
 
Thanks @Aidroos. I'll mention the mounts to the mechanic.

The noise is circular; almost like two metal plates rubbing together, a chuf-chuf-chuf sound. It's most clear in the 3rd video above. It only happens when the car is in motion and turning left. There is no feedback in the steering column, and there aren't vibrations of any kind in the cabin.

The car has had 1 owner from new, an older chap, and has been used infrequently over the past couple of years, so I'm guessing it's possible something could have seized or become a little sticky. I was wondering, now that the front end has been checked, if it could be something to do with the parking brake? Perhaps not always disengaging fully on one of the wheels, enough that it's not always rubbing, but not enough that when the load shifts, two items come together and rub.
 
Thanks @Aidroos. I'll mention the mounts to the mechanic.

The noise is circular; almost like two metal plates rubbing together, a chuf-chuf-chuf sound. It's most clear in the 3rd video above. It only happens when the car is in motion and turning left. There is no feedback in the steering column, and there aren't vibrations of any kind in the cabin.

The car has had 1 owner from new, an older chap, and has been used infrequently over the past couple of years, so I'm guessing it's possible something could have seized or become a little sticky. I was wondering, now that the front end has been checked, if it could be something to do with the parking brake? Perhaps not always disengaging fully on one of the wheels, enough that it's not always rubbing, but not enough that when the load shifts, two items come together and rub.
You're welcome.
If such were the case then the parking brake indicator would illuminate on the dash. More over you would feel the wheel locking and the car would show other symptoms.
 
Bear with me on this , it is a “thing” . I had this years ago on the CLK . The handbrake/foot brake cable snaps one of its plastic tabs in the underneath center of the car above a heat shield . This drops onto the prop shaft to make that noise , and weirdly it occurs at slow speed left turns .
The MB independents know about it .
The fix is a new plastic clip and a big zip tie
 
Bear with me on this , it is a “thing” . I had this years ago on the CLK . The handbrake/foot brake cable snaps one of its plastic tabs in the underneath center of the car above a heat shield . This drops onto the prop shaft to make that noise , and weirdly it occurs at slow speed left turns .
The MB independents know about it .
The fix is a new plastic clip and a big zip tie
Super response.
 
Bear with me on this , it is a “thing” . I had this years ago on the CLK . The handbrake/foot brake cable snaps one of its plastic tabs in the underneath center of the car above a heat shield . This drops onto the prop shaft to make that noise , and weirdly it occurs at slow speed left turns .
The MB independents know about it .
The fix is a new plastic clip and a big zip tie
Quite a common one, had the same issue on a W203.
 
Spoke to the garage this morning. The mechanic said the brake shield on the driver's side rear was a little bent, and although he's been unable to replicate the noise he stated he was pretty confident that was the issue. However, I still asked that they checked the clips on the brake cable as per the above. Not sure it was particularly well received though. 🤨

I'm not convinced by the brake shield explanation; surely if it was bent, it would make the noise consistently when turning, rather than intermittently? I've found some videos of this and the noise sounds different as well.

However, I then found this video...

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...about the brake cable issue and the noise sounds almost identical to what I'm hearing. It also explains why the noise is intermittent; when the parking brake is applied, the cable moves because the clip is no longer holding it in place, which means its position changes each time I engage and disengage the parking brake.

The car is booked in with the local German specialists next Thursday for a transmission service, so I'm going to mention this to them as well when I drop the car off.
 
Spoke to the garage this morning. The mechanic said the brake shield on the driver's side rear was a little bent, and although he's been unable to replicate the noise he stated he was pretty confident that was the issue. However, I still asked that they checked the clips on the brake cable as per the above. Not sure it was particularly well received though. 🤨

I'm not convinced by the brake shield explanation; surely if it was bent, it would make the noise consistently when turning, rather than intermittently? I've found some videos of this and the noise sounds different as well.

However, I then found this video...

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

...about the brake cable issue and the noise sounds almost identical to what I'm hearing. It also explains why the noise is intermittent; when the parking brake is applied, the cable moves because the clip is no longer holding it in place, which means its position changes each time I engage and disengage the parking brake.

The car is booked in with the local German specialists next Thursday for a transmission service, so I'm going to mention this to them as well when I drop the car off.
Perfect. The shield is corrected now. Just replace the clips as well, it's aged, and doesn't hurt to get in clips. For any situation when you know a part is going to wear out, discard and replace with new. Peace of mind is better than waiting a year or a few thousand miles.
 
Thanks, @Aidroos. 👍

I have the car back now. The mechanic checked the clips and found them to be all in good order and securely holding the cable, so that can be ruled out definitively. He took several photos to show and reassure me. They've not been replaced (yet) as he'd already reassembled the car when he called to confirm it was ready to collect.

He said the brake shield was bent out of shape, and much closer to the rotor than the one on the opposite wheel, both of which have now been corrected. Will drive the car for the next few days to see if the noise reoccurs (🤞 it doesn't!) and if it does, I'll ask the specialists to investigate when it's with them next Thursday.
 
This noise also happens when the front wheel bearing on the noisy side needs adjusting as it causes the disc to slightly rub the pads?
 

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