W210: Can you hear it before it fails?

[anghrist]

I've had my '99 E300TD for about 6 years now, and I have to ask.

How many folks here have actually heard the sounds your car is making? When driving of the rough roads here in th AV, I don't notice about 80% of the sounds that the car makes. With the windows up, the A/C on and the radio playing, I really can't hear anything mechanical.

So this makes me wonder, how many people here have experienced some sort of mechanical failure that gave no audible warning?

Today, I was driving into work and at low speed, with the window down, I heard the faintest of creaks when turning the steering wheel in the parking lot. And these creaks were only during small deflections in the steering. Larger (more cornering) maneuvers and things were quiet.

I'm thinking that the ball joints are creaking just a little bit. Maybe just a bit worn after their 223k mile life.

How many other noises am I missing?

[Jeremy5848]

As Yogi Berra supposedly said, "You can hear a lot by listening." Unfortunately, most of us have the sound system too loud to hear anything, or we're too busy talking on our cellphone to listen to the car. We should take time and pay more attention to what the car is trying to tell us.

Jeremy

[300D85]

Originally Posted by anghrist

So this makes me wonder, how many people here have experienced some sort of mechanical failure that gave no audible warning?

even with a warning, major damage may already have set in,

many failures set in slowly but others are quick, or too late to do anything about it

depends

[KarTek]

With the windows down, while driving near a barrier of some sort, I can hear various sounds of the car reflecting back. The engine clatters a little and I can hear it then but with the windows up, forget it.

The only real failure I've had that made a noise was the rubber boot around the driveshaft coupling that tore. The noise was such a contrast to the normal quiet that I thought the driveshaft was coming apart!

[torsionbar]

Originally Posted by anghrist

I'm thinking that the ball joints are creaking just a little bit. Maybe just a bit worn after their 223k mile life.

no way your ball joints are original 223k miles. if ball joints are that old, then control arm bushings are that old too, and your steering wheel will have a severe death shimmy on the freeway. if you pull the arms to replace them or do bushings, it's a given that you'd replace ball joints at the same time.

[TMAllison]

Your creak could also be sway bar links.

After learning what turn situation consistiently causes the creak you can then spray silicone on one bushing at a time until the creak disappears.

[pimpernell]

[QUOTE=anghrist;3023197]I've had my '99 E300TD for about 6 years now, and I have to ask.

How many folks here have actually heard the sounds your car is making? When driving of the rough roads here in th AV, I don't notice about 80% of the sounds that the car makes. With the windows up, the A/C on and the radio playing, I really can't hear anything mechanical.

So this makes me wonder, how many people here have experienced some sort of mechanical failure that gave no audible warning?

Today, I was driving into work and at low speed, with the window down, I heard the faintest of creaks when turning the steering wheel in the parking lot. And these creaks were only during small deflections in the steering. Larger (more cornering) maneuvers and things were quiet.

My 96 E300D was as quiet as a mouse except for the a little noise I heard when I made a slight left turn. It had rained hard the night before, with high winds, and a lot of small tree branches on the road. It sounded like a small branch had stuck to the tire, and had flipped off into the wheel well. Thought nothing of it, parked the car, and the next morning got in and started to move when I heard a loud rubbing sound from the right passenger side front tire. Thought I had a flat, but it turned out to be the front passenger side spring perch had failed. I was totally bent out of shape, but then realized that I could have been doing 70 MPH and that would not have been good. Perfectly fantastic car, with one Achilles heel. I had the car on a lift the week before, and there were no tell tale signs of any problems with the spring perches.

[anghrist]

Originally Posted by torsionbar

no way your ball joints are original 223k miles. if ball joints are that old, then control arm bushings are that old too, and your steering wheel will have a severe death shimmy on the freeway. if you pull the arms to replace them or do bushings, it's a given that you'd replace ball joints at the same time.

Well, I did the LCAs, but not the UCAs. The ball joints were still servicable on the UCAa and I was on day 10 of the full suspension rebuild. Would have taken me another day and more tools to do the UCAs at that time.

[anghrist]

Originally Posted by TMAllison

Your creak could also be sway bar links.

After learning what turn situation consistiently causes the creak you can then spray silicone on one bushing at a time until the creak disappears.

I thought about that, and it makes sense. The steering is still tight, and I do remember the sounds that the links made being very similar to what I'm hearing. It comes and goes with temerature and such too.

[anghrist]

Originally Posted by KarTek

With the windows down, while driving near a barrier of some sort, I can hear various sounds of the car reflecting back. The engine clatters a little and I can hear it then but with the windows up, forget it.

Yep, I have to cringe when I roll down the windows sometimes. I've got rattles and screechy-rattles that sound like heat-sheilding or exhaust/trap, the squeaky urethane bushings on the LCAs that creak/groan over bigger bumps and dips, and now, this 'new' rubbery squeak/creaking with turning and getting in and out of the car...

I think that I'll just keep the windows rolled up from now on.