Help needed on rear wheel clicking noise - Anyone had this? - Benzworld.org

cja · 12-02-2005, 06:59 AM

http://www.badongo.com/vid.php?file=R171+Problem__2005-12-02_SLKR171Noise.mpg

http://www.badongo.com/vid.php?file=R171+Problem__2005-12-02_SLKR171Noise.mpg&s=black

With this video to share, I hope some of you could shed some light on this. Anyone anywhere in the world had had this phenomenon?

Dealer and factory had spent 3 months on it to no avail. My car is in the shop. They called me in monday to explain this in addition to the first explanation of rusting due to car washing.

I just received my call today confirming my meeting and apparently they briefed me on the meeting's agenda.

I will see if other forum people have experienced this if at all. No TSB ever issued.

Apparently, I was INFORMED today that this problem (despite repeated fixing) was a state of art and they were able to REPLICATE this problem on a few other R171s. Monday's meeting is to demo to me this so called Phenomenon. I wait to hear.

Now I am even more apprehensive that my new R171 will also have this feature.

To be specific, this phenomenon stems from the brake system and it was absent in R170. It supposedly can be replicated (at least for my R171) under the following conditions:

1. When the car is cold started
2. When the wheels, rear ones, are wet
3. When you put the car in reverse gear
4. When the car's disc has a small amount of rust or unsmooth surface

I wait to hear and stay positive. At this point, I have nothing to lose and rather be informed. If anyone had ever had this problem and knew of this, please let me know. I suspect that I maybe the only one so far and find it a bit surprising that they will demo to me this problem on a few vehicles next week.

Apparently, they will tell me why. Also, they will also tell me what I am getting back for compromising by living with this noise. It sounds amazing. Nonetheless, I feel uncomfortable.

RonJeffries · 12-02-2005, 07:11 AM

are you saying that the problem is that sometimes when it is cold and wet and the discs are rusted, and the car is in reverse, you hear a noise?

if so, that doesn't sound terribly devastating to me.

Cyclobob · 12-02-2005, 08:32 AM

That sounds bad. Are you sure the handbrake was off....

Although it could also sound like the pads sticking as the wheel rotates.

Not had anything like it myself and I always revers first and my wheels are (at the moment) pretty wet plus after a day standing still my disks get wet.

What model do you have?

Bob

cja · 12-02-2005, 10:39 AM

cyclo, no man, this is bad. The clip was what I had done to show MB. They didn't believe me at first.

How cold could it be everyday when it's 25-30 degree celsius? No when it's cold started. Let's say if you wash your car and water got onto the rims, you put it in reverse (handbrake absolutely OFF, otherwise, there's the alarm right?), you will hear it.

Mine was a brand new R171 SLK 350. Nothing aftermarket put in and stock. It had 6000 KM on it when this started happening and out of service for 3 months by now. They could NOT explain this and they could NOT fix it and they never got rid of it. They replaced the whole rear axle, hub and the discs.

Apparently, on Dec 5th, the head technical engineer from MB will demo to me "something." I was informed by my dealer that it was nothing to do with safety. They also said that they were able to replicate this noise to a few other R171s under certain conditions:

Namely, when the wheels are wet going in reverse...

Now if this is the case, I think it is a design FLAW and not a FEATURE and it warrants a RECALL because of a flaw in the design of the braking system.

I hope they won't give me any more BS about my washing the car causing rusting cos this is not the case here. The noises are terrible and now I am more apprehensive if they were to tell me that my new delivery in 7 weeks time will also have this. I can't take it.