Hey Guys, Maybe someone can give some insight on the problem im having. Bought a W204 C200 09 plate, car drives beautifully besides a clunking/knocking noise when i go over a speed bump or rough patches of road. Had the car at the workshop, checked the suspension and was told theres some play in the Anti Roll bar links, had that replaced and noise still there, then checked again and was told the Lower control arms have slight play as well - changed that too and noise is still there(but slightly less):fail Now ive been told its the shcoks as this is a common problem on the W204 models - the shocks tend to "rattle" with age. Could the shocks be causing this noise? for me it sounds like the shocks as its coming from both sides, when we press the fenders to apply pressure we cant hear anything. Thanks
Assuming you have had the ARB links and the lower control arms changed at the front Maybe its the torque arms- they are a known weak spot on the w203 and w204 Mercedes-Benz W204 Torque Strut and Bearing Replacement - (2008-2014) C250, C300, C350 | Pelican Parts DIY Maintenance Article https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w204/303710-torque-arm-bearings-popping-again.html If these are the "lowercontrol arms" you referred to already then ignore this suggestion---[terminology can be misleading and I may have misunderstood ]
Thanks Grober, i havent had the torque arms replaced as you mentioned. There doesnt seem to be any play on them compared to the lower control arm. Im not sure if this is the next step as it really sounds as if its coming from the shock mounting area. @StarDelta had the drop links replaced that was the first point of call but no luck.
There are strut mounts or "bearings" as they are sometimes referred to, that mount the top of the strut to the inner wing. They can go bad. Not sure if they can be replaced except by removing the entire strut??
The Guy i bought the car from is offering to replace the front shocks, do you think it will be worthwhile to replace these bearings when replacing the shocks?
The Sachs bearings come in around £35 each. I hesitate to advocate this because so far you have replaced quite a few suspension components without solving your problem. If the struts are to be replaced its certainly an opportunity to replace the strut mounts at the same time.
Thanks grober, Will it be best to replace this section of the mounting? or the entire mounting? Cause i can only find the first image mounting on ECP
Without knowing which part, if any, of that top mount "assembly" is faulty its difficult to say. There's possibly a small bearing in there also and its not always clear from adverts whether this is included in any part. Normal practice would be to remove the strut and examine the top mounting for damage- sorry I can give a more definitive answer.
had the same problem on mine. change upper and lower suspension arms. problem no longer exists. around 1 hour per side. i'm not a mechanic.
I had a clunk on my 2009 W204 and it was the shock absorber. Here's a service bulletin on suspension noise that pointed me in the right direction: Front Strut / Shock Tower: By Symptom Technical Service Bulletin # LI32-25_P-048381 Date: 091208 Suspension - Front Axle Dull Thumping Noise On Bumps NOISES FROM VICINITY OF FRONT AXLE ON UNEVEN ROAD SURFACE Topic number LI32.25-P-048381 Version 1 Design group 32.25 Shock absorbers/damper struts/spring struts Date 12-08-2009 Validity Model 204 without code 483 (Vehicle dynamics package), without AMG; Model 204.0## #A 185017 up to * 195993 with head bearing Reason for change Topic extended to FA shock absorber / torsion bar linkage. / Supersedes DTB P-B-32.25/67 Reason for block Complaint: Dull thumping noises or metallic rattling from vicinity of front axle on slightly uneven road surface and/or repaired road surface. Note: Noises occur in lower speed range (20...approx. 70km/h). Cause: Several causes are possible: 1. Head bearings on front axle suspension struts are too stiff (Shore hardness). Note: Noises from the head bearing occur on more uneven surfaces and sound relatively dull. This cause affects only a small, limited production batch! Pay attention to the VIN restriction for head bearings (EPC: "Bearing, suspension strut to body") in Validity section! On vehicles outside the restriction range, the head bearing is not the cause of the noise and may therefore not be replaced. 2. Shock absorber Note: Noises from the shock absorber are audible on slightly uneven surfaces and sound rather more metallic. 3. Torsion bar linkage Note: Noises caused by a torsion bar linkage only occur in a very small number of cases on this model series.
Watching with interest. My 2009 W204 C250. with 96000 miles does the same. Passed MOT no problem. Very irritating.
Same scenario with me. They could find no play anywhere in the suspension so it would pass an MOT and did. I was trying to get mine fixed under warranty which was hard work when repeated inspections found nothing worn. I only got them to replace the shock by providing the service bulletin. What you need and I could have done with is someone like BlackC55 who knows from experience that the shocks can fail. I don't know the reason they fail but they are not simple shocks. There is some internal mechanism that changes the damping rate and may be that causes the problem.
Its passive inertial valved damping afaik Mercedes call it AGILITY CONTROL SUSPENSION not be confused with the more complex electronic ADVANCED AGILITY PACKAGE explained here. Cclass Advanced Agility Package- the low down. - MBClub UK - Bringing together Mercedes Enthusiasts Heres a video of the basic system in action presumably its the little inertial valve inside that goes wrong?? https://youtu.be/fDL9V8562Yk [YOUTUBE HD]fDL9V8562Yk[/YOUTUBE HD]
