W211 E280CDI front wheel bearings - & animals are us adjustment

Botus

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2014
Messages
6,287
Reaction score
2,475
Location
UK
Your Mercedes
S500/2010/500
Father's car started making droning noises that sounded like all 4 corners, then the rear, then the left front. It was bad at 60mph ok elsewhere. Didn't sound like a wheel bearing to me - not much else other than faulty tyres - which were are worn out, old and decrepit and needed swapping.

A later drive and it was sounding like the front left. I noticed that tyre was in a really bad way, so put 4 new mk3 cross climate2s on the car (cleverly called 2's) - I had wanted to try goodyear vector 4 (but no one seems to stock them), then mk3 cross climate's came out and I as I've lots of experience having used both the original, then the climate + and the fact they are as good as a normal tyre, but work in the cold and snow. Might as well try these.

Left the garage with 4 new tyres and they seem really noisy like double either of the earlier iterations (that were no different to a std tyre) and had a high frequency zing on the front !!!, it went quieter within 5 miles but these tyre's seem loud and noisy.

Brother does a 200 mile run in the car and complains the tyres are really noisy (mostly from the back)... Next time I drive it, massive drone clearly something wheel rotation related at the front and terrible after 30 mph, hard cornering or braking makes no difference at all just a constant drone that seems to be left front. Expert kick of both fronts shows no signs of bearing related slop. Went home and parked it

Yesterday took off the left front and the disc is hard to spin, pushed back the pads and the disc is still much firmer to turn than it should be, like some idiot graunched up the bearings... undid the silly clamp and backed off the wheel bearing nut 1/4 of a turn, till just nipped home and the wheel spins correctly ! Undid it and popped off the outer bearing - clear signs of not much grease and the rollers getting too hot and bothered. Needs changing, but no sign it should be making the racket.

Pulled off the right front, even stiffer to turn, but seemed smooth, backed of the nut slightly and span the disc... massive rattle. Pulled the bearing and its covered in metal fillings and some rollers starting to break up.

So the point of the post - the stupid idea to adjust using a DTI is supposed to do what ?

1) take out all slop till the bearing is under preload - leaving it to over heat and fall apart - because the cretins at the garage deflect the DTI to get the correct reading using massive force
2) the DTI should give EXACTLY the right amount of slop and the training / documentation is inadequate. The idea being x needle movement on DTI with sensible movement of the disc
3) they over tighten on purpose to get more work
4) ignore the DTI and do it like a grown up, nipping it home and backing off a smidge ?

the reason I ask is my w221 and his w211 front wheel bearings have clearly been attacked (aka significantly overtightened) by idiots from recommended merc specialists
 
Last edited:

alexanderfoti

MBO Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
15,091
Reaction score
6,247
Location
Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
We do 4

Nobody comes back, or complains, but maybe their hubs fell off and they couldn't......
 


Mercedes-Benz Servicing, repairs, engine and diagnostics
Wayne Gates - Mercedes-Benz, Unit F3, Phoenix Industrial Estate, Rosslyn Crescent, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 2SP
Tel: 020 8863 9233
Established for 20 years all vehicles washed and vacuumed.
Top Bottom