I have had my C230 for a little while now and for the last couple of weeks I have been hearing what sounds like pinging. Unfortunately I have had the car a short enough time that I can't say for sure that it hasn't been doing that the whole time. I use 92 octane all the time and the manual says to use 91 so that should be plenty good. Those of you familiar with pinging know that it can take on many forms. What I have is definitely not loud knocking. It is a light raspy sound that is definitely proportional to engine load but unlike other pinging I have experienced in other cars, it starts even at very low engine load. I suppose it could just be inherent in the engine but it really sounds like pinging to me. I will likely take it to the dealer for a test drive and get their opinion but I am interested to hear if anyone has had this experience with theirs or any input on this. If not pinging, is it just an exhaust noise? I have checked underneath the car and everything seems very tight and in good shape.

Thanks,
Mike

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra