wow how noisy are these diesel engines !

marmitethecat

New Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2021
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Your Mercedes
C CLASS 250 AMG SPORT ( FACELIFT) 2011
Just got my c250 cdi sport w204 dropped off at my work , got in it and drove it home
was so disappointed, they sound like tractors ! thought these cars were meant to be refined !
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,574
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Refined and diesel don't belong in the same sentence unless it has at least 6 cylinders (and then it acceptable if not up to petrol standards).
Six or eight cylinder petrol is the way to refinement.
 

Gazwould

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
2,583
Reaction score
1,770
Your Mercedes
C250 CDI
W205 2.0 4 pot derv OM654 ment to be much better .

Personally I can't justify any V6 or V8 having averaged 21 mph over the last 10 K .
 

A.J.

Senior Member
Joined
May 31, 2015
Messages
21,258
Reaction score
9,581
Location
Norwich. UK
Your Mercedes
UnMerc - 2020 VW Polo 2.0t GTi Plus, DSG. Flash Red, Traditional VW GTi Tartan seat trim.
Just got my c250 cdi sport w204 dropped off at my work , got in it and drove it home
was so disappointed, they sound like tractors ! thought these cars were meant to be refined !
Stick with it, it is still a very good power unit
 

onefortheroad

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2015
Messages
3,410
Reaction score
2,028
Location
uk.
Your Mercedes
Me -2019 GLC 350 coupe AMG line. Mrs- ford kuga 65 plate awd powershift .
W205 2.0 4 pot derv OM654 ment to be much better .

Personally I can't justify any V6 or V8 having averaged 21 mph over the last 10 K .
It must of taken you ages to get anywhere.
 

onefortheroad

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2015
Messages
3,410
Reaction score
2,028
Location
uk.
Your Mercedes
Me -2019 GLC 350 coupe AMG line. Mrs- ford kuga 65 plate awd powershift .
Just got my c250 cdi sport w204 dropped off at my work , got in it and drove it home
was so disappointed, they sound like tractors ! thought these cars were meant to be refined !
Try adding cetane booster to the fuel , it'll help a little bit with the noise. Its on ebay £36 for 5 litres.
 

onefortheroad

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2015
Messages
3,410
Reaction score
2,028
Location
uk.
Your Mercedes
Me -2019 GLC 350 coupe AMG line. Mrs- ford kuga 65 plate awd powershift .
Refined and diesel don't belong in the same sentence unless it has at least 6 cylinders (and then it acceptable if not up to petrol standards).
Six or eight cylinder petrol is the way to refinement.
I agree having had both. My merc v6 runs silent standing next to my father's audi a7 .
 

Gazwould

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
2,583
Reaction score
1,770
Your Mercedes
C250 CDI
It must of taken you ages to get anywhere.

I was shocked when I looked at the trip , OK I don't use the motorway much but I don't live in a built up area either.

I've been saying it for years , driving isn't like it used to be , too many cars and too much queuing.

Made worse by old 60 mph limits to 40 mph or less .
 
Last edited:

grahamcol

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2009
Messages
1,855
Reaction score
631
Location
West Midlands
Your Mercedes
2001 SLK230, 2007 CLK220 CDI
Welcome. I've come from a 202 v6 to a 209 220cdi and there is definately a vast difference. However the diesel is much better once warmed up and the economy very good indeed. Horses for courses.
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,574
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
I agree having had both. My merc v6 runs silent standing next to my father's audi a7 .
I went from a 210 with the m112 V6 petrol to a w251 with om642 V6 diseasel. The 642 is ok on the motorway but nowhere near the refinement of the petrol V6 when accelerating.
And compared to the m119 and m113 V8s in the SLs the 642 isn't even in the same ballpark.

Don't get me wrong the om642 is a nice engine but as a diesel it doesn't compare to petrol for refinement.
 

Nigel Hewitt

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2018
Messages
172
Reaction score
201
Location
Brighton, Sussex
Website
www.nigelhewitt.co.uk
Your Mercedes
E300/W212/2014/2L Diesel Hybrid (Also a Honda CBR1000RA Fireblade)
<shrug> My diesel is quiet and refined. Edging out of a car park on the electric you barely notice when it decides to join the party.
Certainly none of the clonkieness of busses/trucks I've driven.
 

mioba

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2006
Messages
7,898
Reaction score
4,656
Location
Nottingham and Köln
Your Mercedes
W124/E200, W220/S320CDI, W205/C200, W251/R350CDI 4Matic
C class and below diesels are rather noisy IMO.
I dont thing its the diesel per se but the actual car is less of a car compared to models above which have more material and things to dampen noise.
I think my w205 petrol is horrendous for noise compared to my W251 or W220 diesels.
 

M80

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
5,931
Reaction score
2,735
Location
Derbyshire
Your Mercedes
2014 639 Viano- 651, 5sp Auto. 2009 S211- 646, 5sp Auto.
C class and below diesels are rather noisy IMO.
I dont thing its the diesel per se but the actual car is less of a car compared to models above which have more material and things to dampen noise.
I think my w205 petrol is horrendous for noise compared to my W251 or W220 diesels.
Agreed.
Our 211 with the older 646 is more refined than our 639 with the 651.
A surprise to me though was that driving the 211there is less noise than as a passenger, and honestly there wasn't a continual oratory from the lady.
 

Noddy 99

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2021
Messages
410
Reaction score
395
Location
Telford, Shropshire
Your Mercedes
2009 W211 E-Class E280 Sport Estate (OM642 3-litre diesel V6), 3x remapped, now returned to stock
I sympathise with the OP because I hate any form of noise intrusion. My V6 OM642 sounds like an old double-decker bus when accelerating from cold. Even when warm, it sounds laboured when pulling away from junctions. Once it's up and running on a decent road, though, it's virtually silent...
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,574
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Diesels will always be inherently noisier than petrols all other things being equal for several reasons.

1. Higher compression.
2. Much higher fill of the cylinders due to nature of diesel induction system
3. Higher compression pressures requiring higher injection pressures hence more injector noise.
4. They tend to run at lower RPM so vibrations are emphasized.
 

A.J.

Senior Member
Joined
May 31, 2015
Messages
21,258
Reaction score
9,581
Location
Norwich. UK
Your Mercedes
UnMerc - 2020 VW Polo 2.0t GTi Plus, DSG. Flash Red, Traditional VW GTi Tartan seat trim.
C class and below diesels are rather noisy IMO.
I dont thing its the diesel per se but the actual car is less of a car compared to models above which have more material and things to dampen noise.
I think my w205 petrol is horrendous for noise compared to my W251 or W220 diesels.

I was beginning to wonder whether it was just mine. The car has only don 16,000 miles but is noisy on tick-over and under hard acceleration. I now feel more relaxed in my mind about it :rolleyes::)
 

Gazwould

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
2,583
Reaction score
1,770
Your Mercedes
C250 CDI
The 2.1 4 pot gets twin Lanchester balancer shafts which make a big difference at idle Vs two other 4 pot diesels in the family that haven't .
 

Droverunner

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2017
Messages
1,013
Reaction score
768
Location
West Cambridgeshire
Your Mercedes
2007 CLK 220 CDi Sport. 2014 S-Max 2.0TDCi.
>>>My V6 OM642 sounds like an old double-decker bus when accelerating from cold. Even when warm, it sounds laboured when pulling away from junctions.

Hmmm... not trying to be aggravating but the OM642 at 58k mls in my Viano makes me smile every time I start it due to the lack of noise and at all revs when pulling strongly it just makes a muted whoosh noise.
 

Downlands

Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2021
Messages
11
Reaction score
3
Age
73
Location
Margate kent
Your Mercedes
C220 cdi blue efficiency AMG sport
Just got my c250 cdi sport w204 dropped off at my work , got in it and drove it home
was so disappointed, they sound like tractors ! thought these cars were meant to be refined !
I had a w203 c class 220cdi and the engine was very quite! Then I bought a w204 c220 sport and the engine was definitely noisy compared to the w203.
 

Rory

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2005
Messages
5,016
Reaction score
233
Location
Cheshire, UK
Your Mercedes
2005 C270CDi Avantgarde Estate. Bought 2005, sold 2022.
I had a w203 c class 220cdi and the engine was very quite! Then I bought a w204 c220 sport and the engine was definitely noisy compared to the w203.

I was going to say the same - I'd say mine's quiet inside the cabin. It is noisy if standing in front of it when the engine is idling - I try to avoid that!

A while ago I was given a brand-new E350CDi courtesy car, which I read on the loan form as 250 - I'd read the 250 engines where quite harsh and, while I recognised some coarseness, I thought it wasn't too bad. Was gobsmacked when I got home and saw the 350 badge on the back - had to open the bonnet to check the engine and sure enough it was a V6.
 


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