W212 e350 rattle

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Frankw88

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2021
Messages
59
Location
Northampton
Car
W212 e350
Hi all
Currently have a w212 e class e350 65 plate
When ever I go over a bump or hole in the road there’s a rattle coming from the drivers side rear
Sounds like a bag of bolts
Had it into a garage and there’s nothing to see
And the brake pads are not lose in the cradle
Any ideas?
Thanks for any advice
 
Loose heat shield?
 
Loose parking brake?
If going down a bumpy road and it's causing the bag of spanners rattle, you could try applying a SMALL amount of brake application on the parking brake. If this stops it, you know that it has tightened it up enough to stop the jungle.

Could also try finding somewhere with e.g. a lump or bump in the road that consistently does it, and try the same trick?

At least it's a free check you can do yourself.

Do not jump on the parking brake whilst driving. Do be aware of other motorists. Don't drive dangerously. As part of my weasel disclaimer, probably best to only do this on your nearest available private road test track.
 
It may be a long shot, but what about the rear subframe? Some times it can be very hard to identify what is causing noises in a car, mainly because its hard to recreate the same conditions while the car is on a lift.
 
Ok I’ll give these a go tomorrow
It does go once the door brake is applied I think!!!
I’ll make sure tomorrow
Thanks again
 
I had exactly the same ‘bag of spanners’ noise in my W213, when driving over uneven road (although mine didn’t stop when braking). At first, I thought it was stuff rattling around (child car seat, wheel well area, boot etc) but after eliminating all that I realised there was a problem.

Spent weeks trying to track it down without success, until it started to get worse. Out of frustration I decided to climb into the boot and get my son to drive over some uneven road while listened carefully. This horrified me as the noise was unbelievably loud whilst listening in the boot. This helped me to discover that it was actually coming from BOTH sides at the rear (whereas I had thought it was just the passenger side).

Couldn’t recreate the noise by bouncing the corners, all suspension bushes looked good, exhaust mounts & heat shields all ok etc. Took it to MB dealers and they sent their ‘Master Tech’ out with me. He knew a road near to the dealership that was quite uneven and thankfully he was able to witness the noise.

Immediately diagnosed (by ear) as coming from ‘inside’ of the shock absorbers. Apparently a common fault and something that a visual inspection won’t reveal.

Both rear shocks replaced under warranty and it’s as quiet as a mouse again.

From what you say I wouldn’t be surprised if you have the same problem.
 
Only just seen this. Glad it’s reolved.

Reinforcing MancRick’s point, the right thing to do is to get someone to clamber into the back and listen as you drive along.

I had a similar problem with a BMW E39 a couple of decades ago, and that too came down to the innards of one shock. (Replaced both, of course)

Just putting this out there for anyone who looks at this thread in the future.

.
 
Only just seen this. Glad it’s reolved.

Reinforcing MancRick’s point, the right thing to do is to get someone to clamber into the back and listen as you drive along.

I had a similar problem with a BMW E39 a couple of decades ago, and that too came down to the innards of one shock. (Replaced both, of course)

Just putting this out there for anyone who looks at this thread in the future.

.
I’m glad you said that as I did feel rather eccentric clambering into the boot of my saloon :oops:, however it did pay off, as it was only by doing this that I was able to ascertain that the problem was on both sides.

I believe MB warranty repairs only cover the problem shock (they won’t replace in pairs just because it is good practice). Had I not been certain this was ‘both’ sides (believe me, there was no doubt after my ride in the boot) I think the dealer would have only replaced the passenger side.

@Frankw88 - glad you got to the bottom of this. I’ve never heard of this particular fault and imagine it would be difficult to pinpoint?
 
I believe MB warranty repairs only cover the problem shock (they won’t replace in pairs just because it is good practice). Had I not been certain this was ‘both’ sides (believe me, there was no doubt after my ride in the boot) I think the dealer would have only replaced the passenger side.
Can understand their ..."parsimony" in only wanting to replace one side but, again, the right solution is to replace both - partly to even their performance, partly because the "good one" has probably been compromised by the issue on the one that needed replacement.

It's a bit like replacing tyres in pairs - it has to be the right thing to do if one is compromised and needs early replacement - but not everyone does it.

If you think you look a bit daft in the back of a car like that, just get yourself a length of rubber pipe or a stethoscope to listen for the noise. Then you'll look properly "daft" - but it really does work in tracking down noises.
 

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