Does your Mercedes have any squeaks and/or rattles? (Structural integrity)
 

Does your Mercedes have any interior squeaks or rattles? If so, how numerous are they and what type of road surfaces or bumps do they tend to occur on?

Also- it may help others if you rate your cars integrity on a scale of 1-10.
EXAMPLE:
10= NO squeaks or rattles
1= EXCESSIVE squeaks and rattles.

You may also mention your other cars integrity if you would like.

I thought that this would be a interesting topic- to see which Mercedes seem to rate best in this area.

Remember- this is for interior squeaks, rattles or a sound of something loose in your interior.

9 - one squeek - the passenger door is missing 1 clip thingy so it rubs the dash.

occasionally bodged wuith a bit of paper.

thats it.

I do not yet have a Mercedes- so I cannot rate a Mercedes yet- so I will rate my other cars.

90 LS400 is 100% squeak and rattle free. Rating: 10
92 Park Avenue has very few rattles. Rating: 8
98 Taurus has some rattles. Rating: 6
89 Safari wagon has some rattles. Rating: 6.5

One bit of occasional rattle, coming from the passenger's window when lowered; I need to get into there and deal with the regulator. Otherwise silent when the hardtop's on; the soft top frame rattles a bit.

The question should be how to fix.....
 

I would rate mine an 8. I have two squeaks/rattles. Both from the driver´s and passenger doors. But, this only occurs on roads that have alot of pot hole patches. Here in Guatemala, pot holes are VERY common. The government´s fix is to fill with anything and then top it off with asphalt. Makes for very bumpy roads!!!! There are literally roads that are just pot holes patches from one side to the other and the entire length of the road! Patch upon patch!!!

On the few roads that are acceptable (very few pot hole patches) there is no sound coming from the interior.

But, since I am here and lots of people will read this. How to diagnose the problem and fix it? Should I change the door seals? The car is 15 years old and has 150,000 miles on it.

Iggy

When -20C or colder, rate a 7. Some minor dash squeaks until the interior is warmed. Then a 9.5. Not a 10 as there is one very occasional plastic-on-plastic noise over the largest heaves.

Except!!

If the rear cup holder is open and not in use, it makes a rattle that drives me NUTS. My daughter hops out and leaves the cup holder out all the time. Good for her she's so darned good otherwise...

I'll list my 3 cars:
93 300E 2.8: No rattles at all: 10
92 400E: One intermittant rattle in dashboard where I had a cell phone mount installed: 9
83 300SD: Lots of rattles. It seems to me the map pockets in the doors rattle -- plastic against plastic. I keep thinking I'll try seeling them up with something, but haven't tried anything yet. I'd rate this a 6, since the rattles are pretty low in volume. Further, I've driven several 300SD's from the mid 80's and found they generally have the same noises as mine.

1989 300CE with 93k miles - rate a 10. No squeaks or rattles at all. A little wind noise through the driver's window at the rear, but being a coupe without a window channel, it is to be expected. But . . . one thing that drives me nuts is the sound of the fan behind the climate controls. It is always turning and at a stop light, is way too loud for my taste. It can be turned off with the right most button, but the manual says to not use that position for any period of time. With the back of the sunroof popped open, I turn it off anyway.

my now-totalled 420SEL-8, a litte rattle or squeak from time to time
mom's 380SL-7, not including natural convertible rattles.

'86 300E, 172k mi. Narry a rattle. A groan from drivers side rear from time to time over deep and hard dips (I like to see if I can make it bottom sometimes -- never have. This is on known roads through deep dips. My 5 yr old loves it. Keeps newbie rear seat passengers quiet.) 10

'92 300TE, 120K MI. Narry a rattle. An occasional squeak in the rear hatch latch began earlier in 2003. Have not diaged or lubed it yet. 9.8

Yes, Nissan has really went down in this area. One of my dads vehicles is a 1988 Nissan truck, with 250K and the interior is still 100% squeak and rattle free. Its really unbelievable. Not to mention it is a 4WD. My aunts 01' Nissan Altima also has some rattles and it only has 30K.

1983 w123 200 - 10. No squeak or rattle.

1983 w126 280se - 9. Minor squeak from the door trim on rough roads. Initially had a lot of squeaking from where the door trim rubbed against the sill-plate, but resolved with padding. No rattles.

I am paranoid about squeaks and rattles. I have various small "fixes" that I use to stop them annoying me!

After a little work, my wife's 99ML320 (40k) is a 10.

My 2000 Toyota Landcuiser (55k) is also now a 10.

I find that a roll of weather stripping tape, some foam rubber, a can of sliocone spray and a small screwdriver can fix just about anything.

Plastic rubbing on plastic is really easy fixed with a squirt of silicone spray.

squeaky feeling
 

84 toyota cressida 7 plastic squeak noise from steering wheel
88 300e 9.5 minor seat noise when cold
88 190e 10.5 no squeak at all(but only sits in driveway,never driven, for sale 4 600.00 needs motor. very clean black car
98 gmc sonoma 7 cab flex
me when i have to spend money -5 or worse squeaks really bad
all the lube in the world will not work. maybe mobil 1???

94 E320 I would give it an 8. Slight rattle from the drivers door, on uneven roads, the entire body not as rock solid as expected. Road noise from the rear wheel wells and noisy air conditioner blower.

2000 Nissan Maxima 8.5, noise from AC blower at low fan speed, excessive road noise, otherwise no rattles or squeaks.

1999 Pontiac Montana 3, the whole body rattles and shakes, sliding doors flex on rough roads. Wind and road noise is equal to or slightly better than the E320 on smooth roads.

squeaks & rattles
 

I'll rate my cars:
91 CE rates a 9: slight noice drivers seat or armrest when I lean on armrest, no big deal

97 cougar v-8 rates a 7, plastic ashtray rattles(for sale 40,000miles like new) want to but another MB Trade????

97 dodge 3500 4+4 rates a 10 no rattles

71 Mark 111 continental, rates a 8 occasional rattle under dash when cold. (best car I have ever owned)

Thanks, great web site, thanks to everyone who makes this work!!

2004 Honda S2000 is a 10, no squeaks even over rought road with the top down.
2000 MB E430 is a low 2, squeaks on the driver side from the very first month, dealer could not fix it after several attempts.
1994 Lexus LS400 is a 10, no squeaks after 10 years and 130k miles.

1997 E420 - I give it a 8.5, there is a minor clicking at the rear passenger door that can be annoying, I think I may have it fixed though.

1997 Sable - 9.5, really no rattle or squeeks.

2003 Explorer - 10, too new to make any noise.

just rating my most used cars:

MB 9.5 - the driver's seat squicks sometimes
Mustang 6 - right now maybe even 5 - the handbrake button has been driving me up the wall lately-no big bumps needed, the little map light sometimes and then just dash etc..plastic here and there.

2000 C 230 K. rate: 10, no squeaks or rattles anywhere.
Used to have this annoying noise coming from the passenger seat, but resolved the issue when I divorced her. :D

Since everyone is giving a little more detail- I will post more details on my cars:

90 Lexus LS400 - is still 100% squeak and rattle free, even over large bumps and railroad tracks. Occasional "ticking" sounds from the leather seats when I hit a sharp bump- such as a gap in the pavement- such as a bridge when both front tires hit the bump at the same time if I am at lower speeds. Rear seat was removed for strut installation and perhaps it was not properly re-installed. Pretty impressive considering the car is 14 years old and has 226,000 miles. Rating = 10

98 Ford Taurus - has occasional rattles. Mostly from the front passenger door panel when braking. I have bad brake rotors and something there is shaking. It may be the door lock rattling in the panel. Occasionally a "pop" from the dash on some bumps. Some suspension "thumps" and occasional rattles from other door panels. Good I guess, considering it has 246,000 miles. Rating = 6

92 Buick Park Avenue - mostly rattle and squeak free. There is sometimes a rattle on the top of the dash from the black cover toward the windshield. Sometimes a rattle around the cluster area on certain bumps, but this may be the same one I am hearing near the top of the dash toward the windshield. I will have to investigate it. This car has 153,000 miles. Rating = 8

89 Pontiac Safari wagon - has occasional rattles over some bumps. Recently an annoying squeak from the top right area of the instrument cluster area- like two pieces of plastic making contact. Some other interior areas making rattling noises- not uncommon for a 80s GM car. This car has 165,000 miles. Rating = 6.5

I guess the rattling on older cars is common- considering they have typically been exposed to the sun for many years. The heating and cooling of the interior probably cause panels to loosen, or no longer fit tightly as they once did. I would also guess that some of the interior materials shrinken on a older car- therefore causing more rattles and is not necessarily directed to the actual build quality of a car.

I have however- heard NEW cars rattling. I test drove a 2003 Toyota Corolla, with 10,000 miles- and it had some interior "pops" over larger bumps. This is totally unacceptable for a new car- especially a Toyota. Japanese car quality car has really went down over the past few years.

I will now rate my parents cars:
Moms: 1997 Oldsmobile Acheiva - 123K miles. Occasional rattles/pops from the instrument panel and door panels over sharp bumps. Rating = 5

Dads: 1988 Nissan 4WD truck - 250K miles. NO squeaks or rattles from the instrument panel. Occasional rattle from the driverside door lock/window mechanism- due to bad door hinge and slamming of the door. Rating = 9
1963 VW Beetle (sunroof model) - unknown, as I have never ridden in it. :D

My '88 190E 2.6 developed a weird "creak" in the right C-pillar back in about 1991/2 while it was still under the warranty. After some discussion with the dealer they said they could fix it. I know they removed the headliner, but they were coy about the actual fix. In any event, it was fixed and has never reoccured.

Anyone else ever experience this on a 201?

At this point with only about 73K miles I would have to rate it a 9. It would probably be a 10, but I am running 205/55ZR-15 Dunlop Sport 8000s on 6.5" 300E wheels, and they are definitely thumpier than the OE 185/65s, but the improvment in grip and steering response is worth it.

I once had a rattle that sounded like it was originating somewhere behind the LH dash air outlet, so I did some disassembly and didn't find anything obvious. I later determined that it was the damned garage door opener that was rattling against the hard plastic on the door map pocket.

That was worth a big DUHHHHHHHHH!!!

Duke

rattles....
 

Boy, seems like every car rattles here and there, I'll add my own.

85 190E, more or less rattle free, but there are a few noise issues, however not consistent, other then the wheel bearing thump, but that's exterior. Interior has a lot of hooks broken off, and used to make alot of noise, some good glue and lube fixed all that up, the seat makes some noise once in a blue moon and on sharp turns sometimes I hear something flex, other then that, I would rate it as an 8.

My dads 94 Plymouth Acclim: If you can find something in it that does not rattle squeak, creak or tick, you are good :) As for me, I want my parents to ger rid of this thing and get a 300E.

xp

The front seats in my 300E sometimes squeak a bit. I think it's the plastic seat frames themselves.

Other than that she's as quiet as a churchmouse.

My Dad's old POS Ford Taurus wagon squeaked and squealed like a stuck pig. I hated that car. What a piece of utter crap. When you went over 100 Km/h with the windows up, it sounded like you were in a wind tunnel. The Benz is utterly quiet, even at 180 km/h...;)

'93 W140 S500 - a buzz /zizz from the roof area - possibly the sunroof? Apart from that - 130k miles and its silent.

Squeeeks
 

'97 E320.....no squeaks @ all.....10

'96 Saab 9000 CS....no squeaks @ all (really!!)....10

'96 Saab 900 SE...squeaks and rattles nastily (more GM influence than in the 9000)...prolly about a 6

I will give a rating on the cars I have had over the past couple of years- all of which are now sold:

1993 Toyota Camry LE V6 4dr- 100% rattle and squeak free. Interior 100% quiet and it had 212K miles. Very impressive. However, this was a 1-owner, ALL highway, well-cared for miles. Rating = 10

1991 Honda Accord LX 4dr- mostly rattle free, no squeaks. I had an occasional "pop" from the radio trim over some sharp bumps. Otherwise very quiet, aside from some road noise. This car had about 185K miles. Rating = 9

*as a side note- my aunt had a 91 Accord LX she bought new. When she traded it in- when it was 4 years old (90K) it was still 100% rattle and squeak free*. Rating = 10

1989 Honda Accord DX 2dr coupe - mostly rattle and squeak free. Rating = 8.5

1994 Chevrolet Lumina 4dr- had some rattles/squeaks here and there. Mostly from a door panel if I recall. Although exterior- this car had some rattling from the rear struts, due to bad mounts, until I had them replaced. This car had 164K miles. Rating = 7.5

1995 Chrysler Concorde 4dr - this car also had a few rattles/pops over sharp bumps- nothing major, but was some noise there. As far as road/wind noise went- this car was quiet. It only had 93K when I sold it. Rating = 8

1972 Buick Electra 225 Custom 4dr- this car was mostly rattle free. This was a "pillarless" (no B-pillar) hardtop sedan, so it had some rattles at the doors latches, but nothing that new door seals would not have fixed. Dash was still rattle and squeak free. I wish I had of kept this car. Rating = 8.5

OK, I can now post now that I've stopped laughing at Manny's....1985 380SE, EVERY DOOR has a squeeking, crackling coming from the wood trim rubbing against the panel vinyl. For this, the interior gets a 5/10. What's the fix here? Silicone spray? Remove panel and tighten/replace clips? Furniture polish?

The rest of our cars:

Subaru: 9/10. When very cold outside it's got some creaks and squeaks, but goes away when the interior warms. The passenger sunvisor was some sort of slight squeak over expansion joints.

190E 2.6: 8.5/10. Also best when warm inside. Front seats have a few squeaks, otherwise amazingly tight for a 13-14 year old car.

Mazda: 0.00000000000000000000000000001/10 The car was pretty tight until about a year ago, then it just started to develop one rattle after another. Now the squeaks threaten to drown out the radio!

I was only kidding of course.
Been very happy with my marriage for the last 34 years. ;)

My SDL would be an eight.

The only thing I hear is the leather stretching.....:)

OK.. I'll jump on board..


89 300 SEL I'll give it an 8, something about the front doors squeaks on rough roads, but on most roads, it's pretty quiet.

92 Park Ave Ultra W/ 200K still gets a 10.. Solid as a rock, a little wind noise above 80, but not bad..

88 Jeep Wagoneer (Cherokee) well it's a Jeep.. It's noisy, it rattles, and squeeks, it's lifted SOME.. But at highway speed, the tires, and stereo drown out all other noises. :D And since it's been totaled once, and I have no money in it, and it's WAY dependable, I'll give it a 5...

I wanna play too!
 

84 SD: Squeaks from doors where wood has delaminated from aluminum substrate; squeaks from front seats; don't feel road bumps, but do hear them.
83 SD: Only hear road bumps and some wind noise.
88 Lincoln: Lots of wind noise, nothing else.

Jerry

squeaks
 

My 1994 C180 has a door rattle recently possibly due to loose locking cable from a door panel repair work done last November. May open up to sort this out soon. The other noise is the squeak from the seatbelt retracting assembly in the door pillar when I move around in my seat. Recent squeaks coming from the rear sus. possibly due to shocks reaching expiry date(some liquid looking leak visible on the pistons). This squeak comes only when I run over the road speed bumps, otherwise they are silent.

'98 E320 - 10 (with one exception). The front passenger used to squeak when it rubbed against the seat. I placed a discreet piece of velcro (the fuzzy side) on the seat belt recepticle and problem solved.

'01 Ranger w/ quad doors - 5. The quad doors squeak with every irregularity in the road! Otherwise, it is quite good.

'94 Ranger - 8. Suprisingly squeak free.

'98 Civic - 8. Lots of small squeaks that my wife never noticed. Remarkably well-built car for the money.

My 190e which is 14 years and nearly 200,000 miles old
has a rattly passenger door lock, a squeeking
ventilation blower bearing and ocassional rattly from door trims BUT the door rattle is only over bumps, the bearing is usually quiet and the trim is'nt secured at the moment as the rear door windows don't work (a job on hold!) So its not bad at all really....7/10

Mike.

Duke,

My wife 87 16V has that groan in the C piilar. Drives me crazy. Other than that, its pretty tight for a 17 year old car with 150k. Although it rides like a truck, but handles great. I would rate it about a 7.

Tinker

Well, other than that rare rattle, my 92 Buick really does not have any other rattles, but rather some "ticking" sounds from some of the plastic interior trim- if the interior is cold. Its pretty impressive for a 11 year old American car with 152K. The strong, southern sunshine seems to have hardened a lot of the interior vinyl in this old car. The padded panels are no longer very soft, when the interior is cold, like they were when it was new.

'87 300E #8 - minimal rattles/squeeks
'92 400E #9.5 - solid as a rock and quiet as a church mouse

I have driven several 126 body cars 420 SEL 560 SEL and I noticed something with all of them..."creeking" I wouldn't categorize it as rattles or squeeks but more the sound of the various leather surfaces and other upholstry fabrics rubbing as the big ship turned or accelerated.

1984 380SE. 147,000 miles. No rattles or squeaks. No squeeks or creeks, either. The other day, I had to give a neighbor lady a ride to the doctor, and she commented on how nice the car was. I thanked her ... and didn't charge her for the taxi service.

I like the "BIG SHIP" part.. AKA "land yacht".. Floating down the road..:D

I'll jump in, and restrict my comments to the Benzes I've owned or driven in:

1. (currently) '77 450 SEL (W116-Euro)....10.5
Best overall car for structural integrity I've had. Honestly. Although only 69K on clock and only 2nd owner, all life in Southern climes, NO interior sqeeks at all. Also, car quieter when closed up than with windows and roof poppped open. Any road noise quite muffled. The best, hands down.

2. W126 cars...I've owned 300SD, 560 SEC, 420 SEL..all with varying mileages when purchased. All had the plastic noises and upholstery issues previously mentioned........7.0
Also noticed cars accentuated road noises and translated them when closed up; chassis less balanced than on W116. Clearly, vs. W116, a tradeoff between classy styling (126s) vs. total quality but utilitarian styling.(W116). I'm convinced that the 126's, unfortunately, were the early harbingers of MB moving to too much hard plastic on interiors and cheaper laminated wood trim.

3. W123 (230; 240D; 300D-TD sedan). Great cars; good integrity; few if any interior noises. '83 240D with manual gearbox was best. 9.0

4. R107 cars ('85 380 SL; '84 380 SL). Solid, with no real interior noises. But with tops on or up, lots of noise. But overall good.

8.0

5. '98 E420. Owned by a former boss. Rough riding; translated more road irregularities through structure than I would consider consistent with the true MB 'feel'. Lots of panel plastic noises.
Sorry folks, the new ones aren't Benzes in the old tradition.

6.0

My car get noisy in the cold. Plastic on plastic squeaks from the doors, leather squeaks from the rear seats and the wind noise is not acceptable. I have cars that are three times it's age and they're much quiter all around. Other than that, can't complain too much. So I'd give it a 6.

First off, never had a car as quiet as my last, a 90 Lexus. All I could hear was a slight ticking from the mechanical dash mounted odometer, the rest of the car was so quiet that this ticking sound almost drove me nuts! Lexus gets a 10!

As far as the Mercedes I've owned,

The loudest was the 450SL with the top down of course! With the hardtop mounted it wasn't much quieter though but I did get rid of a lot of noise by resealing the side windows, a common problem it seems. BTW, it was one of the loosest handling cars I've ever had, downright scary at times. 450 gets a 5

My 380 SEL had numerous creaks inside, mostly plastic trim and petrified leather sounds. 380 gets a 6

The current 420 has been the quietest so far mostly at highway speeds, but at low speeds in town on rough roads it has a bit of creaking at the front doors, probably the sill plates and door panels. It is one thing I need to address, other than the Lexus being sooo quiet I really don't miss it, the Benz is by far much classier. Besides, the Lexus kinda bored me as nothing ever went wrong with it. Sounds crazy, huh?? 420 gets a 8

Chas

I agree 100%. I currently have a 90 Lexus LS400 and despite 226,500 miles- it is still 100% rattle and squeak free. About the only real noise heard is where the leather seats will sometimes make a "tick" sound from time to time when I go over sharp pavement expansion gaps. This may be in part that the car is 14 years old and the weather (heat/sun) can really shrinken the interior (leather seats and vinyl trim and dash pads), despite the fact that the interior still looks like new and the leather is still soft. The only other interior sound I hear is something in my frot suspension clunking occasionally over some bumps. Maybe time for new struts on the front or some bushings. Luckily I do not have the odometer "ticking" sound nor have heard of any other LS400 owners on the Lexus forums mention this, so it must be rare. As far as wind and road noise- these LS400s are extremely quiet- even at 80+ mph. Someone on the Lexus site said that they have had their LS400 to 145 mph and you could still hear a whisper.

The last 84 300SD test I drove had 336K and it was virtually rattle and squeak free on wavy pavement.

I am a fanatic when it comes to rattles and squeaks or any other unusual interior sounds, which is why I posted this topic. I am trying to find out which Mercedes has the quietest interior, so I will have a better chance of buying a rattle-free Mercedes and have good chance of it staying that way.

Thanks again for all of the replies. It has really gotten a lot of responses.

No rattles if I have the sunroof tilted up; or when it rattles, I'd tilt the roof up & close it down and it would stop it.
Some creaking sound from rear right door as the weather changes.
Don't know how to remove the head liner so I guess I'm stuck with this rattling roof.

Frank.

Updates......
 

Since this post/thread is old, I have a lot of updates and I am sure others do as well. :anxious:

Well, finally now that I have a Mercedes, *I* can report about my car. :happy: My 85' 380SE is 100% squeak and rattle free, but it does have some creaking from the trim on some of the door panels, when the interior is cold, which seems to be extremely common on the W126 models, so nothing out of the ordinary. Not sure if it the actual plastic parts that hold the panels on that is causing the noises or not. Also, the dash cover that the PO had installed will creak from time to time. Not bad at all for a 20 year old car, with 264K. :thinking:

My Lexus LS400, and Buick Park Avenue that I posted before are all gone. I sold them all a while back.

Unfortunately, the Lexus had developed a lot of interior "pops", from the door panels and dash board panels, but I think it was my fault. Upon someones recommendations, I used "Lexol" leather conditioner on my dash and door panels. I was told it was good for them. Was I fooled. :angry: Only a few days later, the "ticking" and "popping" began. The Lexol had hardened the panels severely, hence the popping and ticking when I would hit bumps. I sold the car and the girl that bought it, crashed it a month later. She had it repaired, then blew the engine a few weeks later- as she told me last time she saw me.

I have added two cars to my fleet since then, as well as the Mercedes, which I have commented on.

I like old cars and last year I bought two old cars- a 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville Custom 4dr and a 1969 Chevrolet Caprice 4dr, both of which I will comment on.

The 1969 Caprice is totally amazing. Even over big bumps, it is still 100%+ squeak and rattle free - inside and out. It has 119K. Pretty amazing for an old American car to be this solid.

The 1973 Grand Ville is also pretty solid, but it has a squeak or two from one window and a rattle when the interior is cold.

Anyone else have any updates? Another Mercedes purchase or any other interior rattles/squeaks developed?

after raving about my Lexus being 100% squeak and rattle free, a few months before I sold it, it had developed several interior "pops", especially from the dash. I think it was my fault though, because I used "Lexol" on the dash and interior panels, as recommended to me by another LS400 owner. It made my dash pad and door panels very unpliable. It had developed NUMEROUS dash and door panel "ticks" and "pops", as I mentioned above- I do not know why I mentioned this again. :rolleyes: :D

86560SEL try putting a couple of rags or something like that on the plastic door sills and see if that quites them down. I keep mine clean with 303 and that eliminates a lot or the squeaking.

The SDL has one squeak that is very annoying, on very hot days the passangers side piller must come in contact with the dash and makes a little noise. if I shoot some 303 at it it stops for awhile. Other then that not bad for a 19 year old car.

My moms 96 Olds sounds like it is coming apart on rough roads. What panal doesn't make noise in that pos.

Thanks I will try that "303" as soon as I can find some. I have looked EVERYWHERE locally, but cannot find any at all. I was looking for some for my older cars, as it was recommended to me by some folks on the BCA forums (Buick Club of America - from when I had my old Electra). I had one auto parts store clerk (O'Reilly) say that he had never heard of the "303". :confused:

Ditto on the Oldsmobile. Ironically, my mom has a 97' Oldsmobile as well. It has 145K and has a LOT of interior rattles. Not so bad about 4 years ago when she first got it, but I remember driving my grandpa and uncle in it shortly after she got it on a long and rough country road. My uncle was going to look at a truck for his business. Seems like after that is when the car had the excessive rattles. We have gotten used to them. :silly: Whats ironic is that the interior still looks like new.

Where can this stuff be bought?

I put strips of surgical tape along the bottom edges of the doors where they hit the sill. It holds well and the squeaks stopped.