W204 C220CDI Noisy Lifter(s)?

[st13phil]

Just booked my eight-week and 3,000 mile old W204 in to the dealer's to be looked at

Noticed last week what sounded like one or two noisy lifters after startup as I drove up the carpark at work on my way home. Since then I've been paying attention to it at each start and it only does it if the car has been stood either overnight or all day in the carpark at work and always shuts up after a short while. It's worse first thing in the morning (i.e. when the oil's coldest) and this morning when I pulled off the drive it was loud enough to hear over the radio and sounded like more than just one or two of the lifters It gradually quietened and shut up completely after approx 3/10ths of a mile (probably 2 to 3 mins running) and I suspect it will be nothing more than a faint clatter that shuts up after 30-60 seconds of running when I start it up tonight. Oil level is smack between the upper and lower marks on the dipstick as it was when I first picked the car up.

My experience tells me that it's most likely an oil supply problem to the top end of the engine. Any history of that on these motors?

 

[BlackC55]

I have just checked the latest information and found nothing.

Let us all know the outcome.

 

[st13phil]

Thanks, Olly. Will do.

 

[st13phil]

OK, an update...

Took the car in to Mercedes-Benz Oxford on Tuesday evening so that they could leave it out in the cold all night. They loaned me an almost new W211 E220CDI Elegance which it has been interesting to compare with my C-Class.

Took a phone call from them late yesterday afternoon and they said that they hadn't heard the noise when they started it up that morning but they'd carried out some diagnostics and were suspicious of one of the injectors. They'd also done a software update (just a routine "bring everything up to latest release" sort of update from what I understand) but wanted to keep the car another night so that they could attempt to hear the noise I'd described when they started it up from stone cold again. I was surprised that they hadn't heard the noise, but in fairness to them the Team Leader who I'd dealt with on Tuesday evening and thoroughly briefed about what rpm it was most obvious at was off sick yesterday and that info hadn't reached the guy who had taken on responsibility for the car or the technician.

I've just taken another call from them and they managed to reproduce the noise this morning when they started it up. Having heard it they were certain that it was the injector they were suspicious of yesterday, so they've now replaced it and have pronounced the car fully sorted.

So, at this stage a qualified thumb's up to MB Oxford. I'll post again in this thread once I collect my car later today, leave it on my drive overnight and confirm that the noise has indeed gone when I start it up tomorrow morning.

 

[Rory]

They loaned me an almost new W211 C220CDI Elegance which it has been interesting to compare with my C-Class.

Good news that they did something - frankly I'm astonished a) they heard it b) they didn't say "Oh they all do that, sir".

I presume you had an E220 loaner - what did you think, in comparison?

 

[vijilants]

Good news that they did something - frankly I'm astonished a) they heard it b) they didn't say "Oh they all do that, sir".

Seems to be in the training manual eh

 

[st13phil]

I presume you had an E220 loaner - what did you think, in comparison?

Sorry, my bad typing (now corrected in my post above), it was indeed an E220 not a C220. Interior-wise the E loaner has leather, drivers memory seat and front heated seats but other than that looks to be pretty standard "Elegance" trim to me. My C has (heated) Artico and the standard semi-powered seats.

Observations:

• Engine noise on the E is marginally better supressed when you use all the rev range than it is in my C, but under most circumstances there's no real difference
• The E is also very slightly quieter from a road noise perspective
• The E's standard audio system is significantly more extended at the frequency extremes than the Audio 20 in the C-Class, sounding richer and having better high-frequency definition too
• The E's seats are softer than my C's but give significantly better lateral support. Ultimately they aren't any more or any less comfortable
• My C's centre console control layout is much simpler, more tactile and more intuitive than that on the E. Some of the E's audio controls are quite a stretch unless you have arms like a gibbon
• I missed the standard Bluetooth that I have on my C (the E loaner has phone pre-wire, but no cradle)
• My C's multi-function steering wheel controls combined with the instrument cluster display are much more intuitive than those on the E
• Straightline performance seems pretty much identical
• The E feels noticably heavier to drive (perhaps because I have Parameter Steering on my C?) and more "ponderous"
• There's surprisingly little difference in the cabin size for front seat occupants (the E is only slightly wider), but there's a good deal more legroom in the back of the E
• The boot looks wider on the E but with less height than that of the C

Overall the E feels very good but somehow of a different generation to the W204 C - which, of course, it is.

 

[st13phil]

Good news that they did something - frankly I'm astonished a) they heard it b) they didn't say "Oh they all do that, sir".

I can be very persistent and very persuasive when I have to be, but all I had to do was describe in detail to the second Team Leader what I'd described to the first and they did the rest. Maybe they'd formed the opinion that I wouldn't be fobbed off? I don't know.

Incidentally, I did overhear another of the Team Leaders going through a bill with a customer when I took my car in on Tuesday. He told the customer that his front brake pads were 75%-80% worn but that it wasn't worth changing them yet and that he should wait until the pad wear warning light came on - which may be before the next service was due - or budget to have them changed at the next service. After some of the tales I've read on here I thought that was quite commendable.

 

[kevin747]

did this cure the noise problem,

 

[st13phil]

After leaving the car on my drive on Thursday night, started it up on Friday morning and... still the same noise

Phoned Mercedes-Benz Oxford to give them the bad news and after consulting with MB Technical they asked if I could leave the car with them for 3 days for further diagnosis. So they're having it from Tuesday evening and I get another loan car. At this stage I sympathise with them to a large extent because a noise that only happens for 60-90 seconds after startup when the car's been left for several hours doesn't give them much opportunity for diagnosis, and they are genuinely making efforts to get it resolved.

As far as the suspect injector is concerned, they actually replaced all four and I do think that the idle is smoother now so that does seem to indicate that there was some sort of issue with at least one of them.

Next installment at the end of the week!

 

[st13phil]

They’ve cracked it!

:bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :bannana:

It was an injector after all…

It turns out that on the previous repair attempt the dealer replaced not all four injectors but two of the four as none were “officially” out of spec and Mercedes-Benz, quite understandably, wouldn’t authorise a speculative warranty claim for all four injectors. They have now replaced the other two injectors and the engine is as quiet as the proverbial church mouse.

I took my car in on Tuesday evening as arranged and picked up a W204 C200K loaner (I'll post a brief comparison review in another thread). On Wednesday afternoon I took a call from their Service Manager who told me that they’d replaced the other two injectors and asked if I would be prepared to go over first thing on Thursday morning to meet with the technician so that when the car was first started up we could verify together that the noise I’d reported had gone.

I duly turned up at 8am on Thursday, and was introduced to the technician who had done the work and also their senior Diagnostic Technician. We all got in the car, I started it up and voila! The clack-clack knocking noise had gone. The Diagnostic Technician gave me his e-mail address and asked that I keep in contact with him to let him know whether the car was still OK once I’d had the opportunity to start it up after a really cold night (the noise was more pronounced in very cold conditions) and I left a very happy camper.

So, a big thank you to the Service team at Mercedes-Benz of Oxford who put a good deal of effort into fixing the problem and were willing to go the extra mile to make sure that it was sorted and that I was happy with the result

 

[st4]

It sounds from your last post that you got a really good service from them.

 

[st13phil]

You're right, I'm really pleased with the standard of service I received. Hopefully it wasn't a one-off and everyone gets such good after-sales care from them. Based on my experience I have no hesitation in recommending them.

 

[Rory]

Glad it working out.

I admire your positive comments about the dealership especially after they lied by telling you they'd replaced all 4 injectors the first time. If they had done that, then you wouldn't have been further inconvenienced.

Of course they tell you they've replaced them all to stop you arguing about it - I had a coil pack fail on my daughters car and the dealer just point blank refused to change them all, which then resulted in a big argument. If he'd just said, "sure, we'll change them all", I'd never have been any the wiser.

 

[st13phil]

I admire your positive comments about the dealership especially after they lied by telling you they'd replaced all 4 injectors the first time. If they had done that, then you wouldn't have been further inconvenienced.

They didn't tell me they'd replaced all four - I was guilty of that assumption And I've now had sight of both the job sheets which confirms two changed first time and two changed this time.

 

[Rory]

They didn't tell me they'd replaced all four - I was guilty of that assumption

Ah - Fairy Nuff.