Steering Fluid Change 2000 E320

mj,
You got it right! I'm impressed - You've been following my threads I see. The steering wheel noise is the last thing I need to fix before I ship it! Here is what I have done to it so far:

1. Added a CD Changer
2. Replaced leather with a wood shifter
3. Replaced leather with a wood/leather wheel
4. Replaced car mats
5. Painted intake manifold
6. Painted drums and brake calipers (green)
7. Installed a new set of michelin's
8. Installed chrome headlight rings
9. Replaced head lights with white lights
10. Detailed it (mostly paint touch-ups and wax)

It looks and feels like new now. It even smells new. I JUST NEED TO FIX THE STEERING NOISE!!!!!!!!!!!!
[V]

Spine911,
Thanks for the reply. I will try the screwdriver trick today. What do you mean by checking the steering column as well? Do you mean the part between the brake and gas pedals? And again, why do I get the noise only after the car has been driven for a while?

Mr. Pie,
I used a high-temp engine spray paint (1200 C) from Autozone. I was told that the brake caliper paint is just a marketing term to command a higher price. The key to a successful brake caliper paint job, in my experience, is PATIENCE! On the W210 (and most cars really), the front brake calipers are bigger than the back ones and subsequently show better through the wheels. Take your time cleaning them well. I used WD40 first, followed by a wheel cleaner, and finished by another generic degreaser. I then rinsed well and waited until fully dried. Next I really masked the area well using newspaper and plastic grocery bags. Make sure you cover the brake pads as well. Finally, I sprayed a few quick sprays. In case of overspray, you can use a nail polish remover.

I have the stock drums and mine looked rusty through the wheels so I also masked and sprayed them black on all 4 wheels. The back drums are much wider and show rust really bad.

I still have the steering squeaky noise... I managed to siphon out only 300 ml of the steering fluid so I replaced it with new fluid. The spec calls for over a quart so somehow I was not able to siphon out most of the oil. I used a regular, manual pump from Autozone. So today, I took the car to an independent Mercedes shop. The mechanic told me ahead of time that if he gets into the wheel he might not be able to fix the problem anyway. I was so desperate so I gambled, and lost... It cost me an hour of labor and the problem is still there. The mechanic was able to determine that it is not the steering pump or the boot needing lubrication. He isolated the noise to the black plastic part that attaches to the steering wheel. It's attached to the car by two screws. He took it out and showed it to me. It has one moving part and one stationary part. As he manually rotated the moving part, I could hear grinding noise but not squeaking. He said it might sound different once the wheel is on. And so he air sprayed it and lubricated it. In the end, I was out $77, 1 hour of down time, and the same problem [!] I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!!!!! I'm not the type to give up so I'm going to continue to research this thing. Once again, any help here is appreciated.