Transmission noise
 

I have an 18 month old E class (W211) with only about 10,000 on the clock but getting more transmission noise over past 500 miles, seems to be getting louder to the point where it is bugging me.

Distinct "whoooooo" noise especially when pulling away which then becomes a steady low pitched whine. I know that some transmission noise will always be there in any car but I have a Toyota truck which is now more silent than the Mercedes.

Dealer says nothing wrong with it but I think they just put it on a diagnostic machine and did not do a test drive.

Otherwise drives OK although possible that some shifts are a little more coarse than they were but frankly I cannot tell any more.

Before I go back to the dealer on the warpath, anybody have any experince of this or suggestions?

Is your car a 4Matic? They have already replaced the transfer case on my 2004 4Matic for noise with under 10K miles...maybe that is the same problem. Take it up with MBUSA and have a zone rep meet you at the dealership to test drive it - that should get them moving on fixing it.

Not a 4Matic but I think the actual transmission is much the same but with a transfer box added. Did changing the transfer box resolve your issue?

Anybody else suffered?

Yes, the noise in my car was from the transfer box so it sounds like a different problem, but still, I would not accept the dealer's attempt to say it is normal. Insist on driving several of their demo cars and see if they exhibit the same noise and if not ask them to define normal for you!

Satch, return to the dealer and insist that the Service Director take a ride with you so that he can hear firsthand the noise that concerns you. If you are still dissatisfied then I'd press for a meeting with the zone rep. I don't understand why some dealers' Service Departments attempt to blow off owners thinking that they'll simply accept some lame explanation and go away.

I suspect the "sealed for life" nonsense coupled with "Nothing on the Diagnostic = No Problem" generates a strange attitude when it comes to transmissions.

I suggested that a fluid and filter change would be a simple first step but that felt like I had asked them to decommission a nuclear reactor!

I have arranged a meeting with a more senior life form. I get the overall sense that if they could swing it under warranty they would much prefer to swap a transmission out than even try to fix.

I would not object to a new transmission but the approach seems to be "All OK so go away" or "Broken, change it" and nothing inbetween so you will always have a struggle to get something done.

The low pitched whine could be caused by the transmission filter being blocked or partially obstructed (as was the case with my 722.6 tranny)....new filter and oil is recommended.

The 722.6 tranny WILL make a slight whine when in first gear. Is the noise there for all gears or does it go away when it shifts out of first?

Pretty much all the time. Seems most objectionable between 40- 50mph. Still there at higher speeds, just tends to get masked by other road noise

Yeah, if it is doing that, then I would make the dealer do a test drive and preferably with you in the car to further investigate the noise.

If it is the transmission that is making noise, it would be some sort of mechanical deficiency that will usually make the noise. Just hooking up a scanner and checking data and fault codes without any test drive would not be a thorough diagnostic approach because if it is a mechanical problem, the software of the transmission may not necessarily now about it.

Make them drive it and replicate the noise. Since it is a new car and it is still under warranty they should fix it properly if there is indeed a problem.

all great post from above.

the test drive - done in comparable situations in which you drive the car

also test drive another car just like yours for comparison

also don't limit yourself to transmission

would be cool to put car on a lift and get drivetrain going