My E200 is going well but I can hear a tiny rattle from somewhere underneath the car when I have the drivers window open. The timing chain was changed just before I bought the car and it has been fully serviced. It actually sounds like a chain being dragged but the timing chain has been checked. Does anyone have any ideas about what this little rattle could be? I would also love to know what MPG I can expect from an E200 estate petrol car, can't find it in the handbook. I had a BMW before this and the handbook said I should get 35 MPG, it was exactly right. It would be nice if MB could do the same.
Rattle noise when driving
- Thread starter JamesNeil
- Start date
Could it be the catalytic converter has broken down and is now rattling ?
Ref. mpg. Do these articles help ?
http://www.parkers.co.uk/choosing/carreviews/model_list.aspx?manu_id=5509&x=19&y=17
After selecting your model mpg is usually given in the last page of the review.
or
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2003/03/14/emfmerc15.xml
Ref. mpg. Do these articles help ?
http://www.parkers.co.uk/choosing/carreviews/model_list.aspx?manu_id=5509&x=19&y=17
After selecting your model mpg is usually given in the last page of the review.
or
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2003/03/14/emfmerc15.xml
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eyelight
Senior Member
Rattle noise when driving - The Cat
Had a similar rattle on our 1994 E220 Coupe which in the past 2 weeks has got much louder. Looked underneath and gave the cat a bit of kick last weekend and confirmed that it was rattling internally. Got it looked over today at the local tyre and exhaust place and yes we need a new cat.
So the Mercedes dealer just quoted me £802.01+VAT, (got to love that extra penny)but GSF have one on their catalogue for £198+VAT so obviously that's the one to go for.
Searching through the forum here I found the link to these guys
http://www.carsandcats.co.uk/cataly...pageNum_Recordset1=4&totalRows_Recordset1=185
who have one for £223.87 not sure if that includes VAT or not.
interestingly, Cars and Cats have 2 different parts numbers listed for the E200 and the E220, whereas GSF just have the one part number for both cars. Hmmm....
Our car has the twin downpipe so got to make sure we match that.
Is a act the kind of thing I could buy from a breaker like Mercman, or is always better to get new ?
Also looking through the forum, it seems the non Mercedes Cats and downpipes could be more difficult to fit. Can anyone give me advice on that end of things ? Is it an easy enough job for average DIY mechanic, or should I pay local exhaust guys to do it ?
One final question. This is my girlfriend's car and lately she's been saying that she's not getting the mileage she used to. Could this rattling cat be increasing the fuel consumption by partially blocking the pipe ?
Thanks,
Larry
Had a similar rattle on our 1994 E220 Coupe which in the past 2 weeks has got much louder. Looked underneath and gave the cat a bit of kick last weekend and confirmed that it was rattling internally. Got it looked over today at the local tyre and exhaust place and yes we need a new cat.
So the Mercedes dealer just quoted me £802.01+VAT, (got to love that extra penny)but GSF have one on their catalogue for £198+VAT so obviously that's the one to go for.
Searching through the forum here I found the link to these guys
http://www.carsandcats.co.uk/cataly...pageNum_Recordset1=4&totalRows_Recordset1=185
who have one for £223.87 not sure if that includes VAT or not.
interestingly, Cars and Cats have 2 different parts numbers listed for the E200 and the E220, whereas GSF just have the one part number for both cars. Hmmm....
Our car has the twin downpipe so got to make sure we match that.
Is a act the kind of thing I could buy from a breaker like Mercman, or is always better to get new ?
Also looking through the forum, it seems the non Mercedes Cats and downpipes could be more difficult to fit. Can anyone give me advice on that end of things ? Is it an easy enough job for average DIY mechanic, or should I pay local exhaust guys to do it ?
One final question. This is my girlfriend's car and lately she's been saying that she's not getting the mileage she used to. Could this rattling cat be increasing the fuel consumption by partially blocking the pipe ?
Thanks,
Larry
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MondeoMan
Senior Member
My C has the same motor, and I have a tinkly metallic noise which I initially thought was cat but turned out to be the heat shield on the frontpipe. It's made of thin metal and has rotted at both ends, so it rattles at certain engine speeds. I occasionally attack it with pliers to quieten it down for a while, but a big jubilee clip would be a better solution.
tom7035
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James, being optimistic, it could well be the heat shield as Mondeoman suggests. Happened on mine.
As far as fuel consumption is concerned, I have the earlier 200E saloon but with the 111 16-valve engine, and over the last twelve months over all driving conditions has averaged 34 m.p.g. (and we don't have motorways where I live!)
As far as fuel consumption is concerned, I have the earlier 200E saloon but with the 111 16-valve engine, and over the last twelve months over all driving conditions has averaged 34 m.p.g. (and we don't have motorways where I live!)
Further to my reply above, here is my 'Cat' story (my car is a 2001 S Class 500L with a mileage of 20,500):
Last May I got an advisory (after a service) from my Mercedes Main Dealer that both cats were rattling and needed replacing at a cost of approximately £1,680 !
Well I turned the volume up on the radio and the noise went away !
Gradually though I couldn't stand the volume being so loud and thought I better bite the bullet and have the job done...we are now in early October, three weeks ago.
Having read lots of info. on this website about Cats breaking up I decided to contact Mercedes Customer Services before booking the car into my dealer. I sent them an e-mail and within 48 hours received a reply saying they were investigating my complaint. (Interestingly UK Customer Services seems to be based in Holland...well that's where my reply came from ?).
Within 24 hours of receiving this e-mail reply I got a phone call from my local dealer. They asked me a few questions and said they would get back to me. Within a couple of hours I got another phone call advising me that Mercedes would pay 50% of the total cost and would I like to book the car in.
Well the car went in and 6 days from sending the original e-mail the car was fixed....it turned out that only the left Cat was rattling and my part of the bill was £420. Obviously from contemplating having to pay nearly £1,700 and then only paying £420 I am very happy.
So my conclusions are this:
Should the Cat have needed replacing in the first place. Obviously NO.
Service from Mercedes....very fast and efficient and I am very happy. Have e-mailed them telling them this.
Service from my local dealer....again I'm very happy, although hanging over this story is that in May I was told both Cats needed replacing and then in October I'm told it's just the left one. On the day though I cannot fault them and their service was impeccable and without hesitation I will continue to use them. They appeared to be genuinely on my side and were very professional throughout.
Your comments please.
Edited to say that without this website I would probably have had to pay a bill of £1,700...a saving of £1,280 !!!
Quite happy to name the dealer who did the repair..not sure if that is allowed on this website though ?
Last May I got an advisory (after a service) from my Mercedes Main Dealer that both cats were rattling and needed replacing at a cost of approximately £1,680 !
Well I turned the volume up on the radio and the noise went away !
Gradually though I couldn't stand the volume being so loud and thought I better bite the bullet and have the job done...we are now in early October, three weeks ago.
Having read lots of info. on this website about Cats breaking up I decided to contact Mercedes Customer Services before booking the car into my dealer. I sent them an e-mail and within 48 hours received a reply saying they were investigating my complaint. (Interestingly UK Customer Services seems to be based in Holland...well that's where my reply came from ?).
Within 24 hours of receiving this e-mail reply I got a phone call from my local dealer. They asked me a few questions and said they would get back to me. Within a couple of hours I got another phone call advising me that Mercedes would pay 50% of the total cost and would I like to book the car in.
Well the car went in and 6 days from sending the original e-mail the car was fixed....it turned out that only the left Cat was rattling and my part of the bill was £420. Obviously from contemplating having to pay nearly £1,700 and then only paying £420 I am very happy.
So my conclusions are this:
Should the Cat have needed replacing in the first place. Obviously NO.
Service from Mercedes....very fast and efficient and I am very happy. Have e-mailed them telling them this.
Service from my local dealer....again I'm very happy, although hanging over this story is that in May I was told both Cats needed replacing and then in October I'm told it's just the left one. On the day though I cannot fault them and their service was impeccable and without hesitation I will continue to use them. They appeared to be genuinely on my side and were very professional throughout.
Your comments please.
Edited to say that without this website I would probably have had to pay a bill of £1,700...a saving of £1,280 !!!
Quite happy to name the dealer who did the repair..not sure if that is allowed on this website though ?
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You were luckier than me Doug. My cats first went on my SLK320 after 18K miles (2 years). They were replaced under warranty. I asked the mechanic why they had gone (as I know they're expensive and I didn't want them going again if there was an engine problem that had damaged them). He said that they had had a bad batch and there were no problems with the engine.
18 months later I hear the same noise. I took it down to the dealer and they confirmed that the cats had gone again and quoted £1287 (including discount for 3 year old car). I asked why they had gone again (car has now done 24k miles). Answer "don't know". I asked for a goodwill payment. They ran it through their computer and said "No". I asked why they had rejected the request. Answer "don't know". The computer apparently takes a lot of things into account. Like what? "Don't know".
I complained the the customer "services" department and got given the run around for a few weeks before again being told there would be no goodwill payment.
At this point I was so annoyed by the treatment (it would take too long to describe all the nonsense that I got from Mercedes) I decided there was no way I'd get a nother Merc catalyst. So I bought an aftermarket catalyst and had it fitted by an independent (who confirmed that there were no engine problems and that in his opinion the only cause for the catalytic break up was that it was defective). The cost was £460 for the cats and £100 for the fitting - not unreasonable.
All was OK for about 200 miles when the "Check engine light" came on. The code readout was that the "nearside cat is of insufficient efficiency". I contact the aftermarket company about this and they say that it could be the sensors being faulty. I have to return the cat to them and THEY'll determine if it's faulty.
Where to now? No idea.
I know one thing. When I get this sorted I'm selling it before it goes again - or something else goes - and I will never, never, never buy a Mercedes again.
PS. On the topic of the cost of these Merc cats. It's an obvious rip-off and everyone knows it. When they offer to give you one half price they're still making a fat profit.
18 months later I hear the same noise. I took it down to the dealer and they confirmed that the cats had gone again and quoted £1287 (including discount for 3 year old car). I asked why they had gone again (car has now done 24k miles). Answer "don't know". I asked for a goodwill payment. They ran it through their computer and said "No". I asked why they had rejected the request. Answer "don't know". The computer apparently takes a lot of things into account. Like what? "Don't know".
I complained the the customer "services" department and got given the run around for a few weeks before again being told there would be no goodwill payment.
At this point I was so annoyed by the treatment (it would take too long to describe all the nonsense that I got from Mercedes) I decided there was no way I'd get a nother Merc catalyst. So I bought an aftermarket catalyst and had it fitted by an independent (who confirmed that there were no engine problems and that in his opinion the only cause for the catalytic break up was that it was defective). The cost was £460 for the cats and £100 for the fitting - not unreasonable.
All was OK for about 200 miles when the "Check engine light" came on. The code readout was that the "nearside cat is of insufficient efficiency". I contact the aftermarket company about this and they say that it could be the sensors being faulty. I have to return the cat to them and THEY'll determine if it's faulty.
Where to now? No idea.
I know one thing. When I get this sorted I'm selling it before it goes again - or something else goes - and I will never, never, never buy a Mercedes again.
PS. On the topic of the cost of these Merc cats. It's an obvious rip-off and everyone knows it. When they offer to give you one half price they're still making a fat profit.
- Thread Starter
- Thread starter
- #9
Rattle noise
Thank you so much to Tony, Dougtsc, Tom7035, MondeoMan and Eyelight for their kind and valuable advice. It seems that I am going to have to get this noise checked out after all, wish me luck please!
Thank you so much to Tony, Dougtsc, Tom7035, MondeoMan and Eyelight for their kind and valuable advice. It seems that I am going to have to get this noise checked out after all, wish me luck please!
mike65
Senior Member
eyelight said:
Careful, the Merc exhaust is a very study beast whereas the replacement item will proberly be much less so, so won't last very long and will be noisier
Mike.
eyelight
Senior Member
Ok Mike, there obviously is a trade off here, but on a car we paid £2700 for, £942 incl Vat is a lot to pay for a Cat. What I want to know is where can I buy an Ebersbacher cat retail in Britain, or anywhere. Supposed to be the same as Mercedes, and what george Fraser fits. Can't find anything about them online.
Besides, as a freelancer, this year hasn't been the best financially, so the OEM option is out of our price range for the moment. If we have the car in two years and it happens again, could be a different story.
Thankfully my own BMW is a 1990, with no cat to worry about. Needs new front shocks soon though.
Larry
Besides, as a freelancer, this year hasn't been the best financially, so the OEM option is out of our price range for the moment. If we have the car in two years and it happens again, could be a different story.
Thankfully my own BMW is a 1990, with no cat to worry about. Needs new front shocks soon though.
Larry
mike65
Senior Member
True enough, the price of cat-exhausts is such that I'l proberly end up finding a pre-93 model the next time!
Mike.
Mike.
tom7035
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No problem James, but be very aware of course that fuel economy over long periods is governed very much by driving style, much more than by traffic/road conditions.
Good luck and enjoy your MB.
Good luck and enjoy your MB.
neilairman
Active Member
c-tech 3000
if its of any intrest to any body there is a device on th market called c-tech 3000.
they have there own web site so you can look it up and read how it works.
i bought one for my wifes e200 and one for my e230.
my friend bought one for his volvo estate, and my brothers just bought one for his 200te estate.
when combusting not all of the fuel in the cylinder is burnt.
so what ever fuel is left goes down the exhaust pipe where it is burnt by the cat.
c-tech 3000 is a small easy to fit device that feds small amounts of platinum directly into the cylinder.
this burns all of the fuel giving increased perfomance, more mpg less emisions.
my wifes car went for its mot, emisions for the car max are 0,3.
on the day it came out as 0.01.
my car was averaging 31 mpg. now it does 38 mpg.
have a look on there web site and see what you think.
if its of any intrest to any body there is a device on th market called c-tech 3000.
they have there own web site so you can look it up and read how it works.
i bought one for my wifes e200 and one for my e230.
my friend bought one for his volvo estate, and my brothers just bought one for his 200te estate.
when combusting not all of the fuel in the cylinder is burnt.
so what ever fuel is left goes down the exhaust pipe where it is burnt by the cat.
c-tech 3000 is a small easy to fit device that feds small amounts of platinum directly into the cylinder.
this burns all of the fuel giving increased perfomance, more mpg less emisions.
my wifes car went for its mot, emisions for the car max are 0,3.
on the day it came out as 0.01.
my car was averaging 31 mpg. now it does 38 mpg.
have a look on there web site and see what you think.
tom7035
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I'm sorry to see so many intelligent people taken in by these gimmicks. Why aren't manufacturers fitting them? An increase from 31 to 38 m.p.g with a bolt-on 'goodie'? No offence meant but IMHO that's a fairy tale!
See this site; http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/non_broadcast/Adjudication+Details.htm?Adjudication_id=40036
'Tested' in Iran on a Hillman Hunter! I ask you!
See this site; http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/non_broadcast/Adjudication+Details.htm?Adjudication_id=40036
'Tested' in Iran on a Hillman Hunter! I ask you!
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