What is the telltale sign of a bad ball joint or joints? When I purchased the car in Oct/09 the dealer replaced the psgr side ball joints and I have put on 3k miles since owning the car. If I push down on the driver side front end it results in a dry squeaking noise. In fact when I get out of the car the same noise happens when I raise out of the driver's seat. Of course the noise is not as load. My E320 currently has 55k on it. Can someone help me on this one. The research that I did before purchasing it revealed the problem with premature wearing of ball joints. To me this noise doesn't sound like joints nor is there any indication of front end wear when driving it.

tarheel75

Ball joint noises from the W211 chassis (like yours) is common, the joint seems to be undersized for the load!

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I think one test is spray some WD-40 in it and if it quiets then that is the problem. Mine sqeaked from the sway bar bushing but that was only when I went over a bump. And MB DOC us usually correct...

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If I am not mistaken, isn't there both an upper and lower ball joint? If so which would be the culprit most likely to be causing the squeaking?

tarheel75

This weekend I removed the left front wheel and sprayed all the joints with silicone. The noise went away for a few short miles and now its back. After looking at the lower ball joint I may tackle the job myself with the help of my local AutoZone shop. Thanks for your help full comments. Last but not least what manufacturer makes the best replacement ball joints?

tarheel75

A2113300435 Just change it and be on your way, this has been a problem in the W211 from day one. And did not get any better with so called OEM junk. I changed this link in a E220CDI last wednesday evening and it had free play 9 hours later. This piece of sh** joint was manufactured by First Line www.firstline.co.uk/

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The most complex systems can fail in the simplest way.
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i hear the same noise on my 2004 S430... embarrassing when you pull up to valet!