I thought it was a motor issue, but several other people have told me it’s more like a drive shaft issue. I don’t know enough about cars to do anything about it, all I know is it needs towed, because it vibrates too badly at highway speeds to be safe. I’ve only had it two months! It’s a 2004 Mercedes ML-350 SUV, got about 69,000 miles on it, now. This all just started last night, it had been running pretty good, then I put new low beam headlamps in it, added a little bit of power steeering fluid, an oil additive (risoline, I believe), windshield washer fluid, and a new air filter, and ten miles later it was vibrating all through the cab of the vehicle, and nothing I could do would make it stop, I checked the cover on the motor multiple times, every hose connection I could get to, looked all over for any loose tools that might have inadvertently fallen into the engine compartment while we were messing around with the headlamps, checked my tire pressure multiple times. How can a drive shaft just go bad in 10 miles? That’s a pretty big deal, isn’t it? It must be, because there is only one auto shop within towing distance of me (which I figure to be about 200 miles) willing to work on a drive shaft issue, they’re willing to do minor repairs, but when I said it was maybe the drive shaft, they all said that was too big a job for them to do. My boyfriend says I should just crawl under there, unhook it, throw it in the back, and drive home without it, which, personally, is rather silly, I’m not even real sure exactly which one it is, really! But is it possible that he could coach me thru doing something similar? I took a little video, so you can hear the sound it’s making, I can post some pics of you want, also, just let me know….thanks, in advance!
OK, so I have no clue how to post pictures or video to this particular website, I just discovered…..just let me know if you want to see them, I guess, and I’ll change my settings so you can im me…..
As a matter of fact, I had a tire repaired yesterday, it had a screw and a piece of shrapnel in it, but it felt just fine after they got done working on it. The problem is more with the front, between the drivers side front tire and whatever is directly underneath the center console inside the car. It clicks very quickly and pretty loudly at slow speeds, at high speeds the clicking turns into the vibration (which is particularly rough when the tranny switches from 2nd to 3rd, it intensifies for just a second, then almost stops, then starts again). At 70 or 75, literally, the vibration is so bad it hums, and not a good hum, more like fingernails on a blackboard hum.
I’m certain I put all the fluids in the right spots, I doubted the additive, too, I didn’t pour much of it in there cause I didn’t like the looks of it, and I checked the level of the power steering fluid to make sure I didn’t overfill it.
Drivetrain or that tire, but the tire is on the rear, not the front….
Nope, didn’t hit anything, no big bumps, I climbed a pretty big set of mountains called The Sisters just east of Evanston, WY, it was about 3/4 of the way up them that I first noticed the vibration, but that Mercedes used to eat up those mountains no problem, never even had to help the cruise control keep up. It’s AWD, I have put it into low range only once in the 2 months I’ve owned it. It has a tiptronic transmission, it’s automatic, but if I want to I can shift down from Drive into 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st gears just by pushing on the shifter to the left or right, it’s pretty cool, actually, I really like that aspect of this car. Kind of like the J Gate transmission on my friend’s Jag, just a lot easier to use, personally.
It’s only the driver’s side front that the clicking seems to be coming from….The video I took shows that….I wish I knew how to upload it onto this site, anybody know how to do that?
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April 4th, 2011 at 8:17 pm
you say it vibrates while your driving it?it very well could be a tire that the belt is busted. if your boyfriend knows anything about cars, have him to check the front end. you might have a bad ball joint or tie rod.
April 4th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
OK. I have about as much of a clue about cars as you do, but I was thinking that it might be something to do with the oil additive. First, are you sure you put it in the right place…and not where the transmission fluid goes by any chance? What if you tried to drain all the oil out and replace it with new oil? Also, be sure that your air filter is on correctly. It’s worth a shot before paying for an expensive tow.
April 4th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
I would take it to a dealer. It DOES sound like the drive shaft. There are shops out there that can balance them, but again, those are hard to find too. If you are not mechanically inclined, DO NOT attempt to take it out yourself. At least have someone there who is to help, or at least walk you through it.
Good luck!!!
April 4th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
If you unhook the drive shaft, the car cannot move. It sounds more like the universal joint on the drive shaft has gone bad. The drive shaft itself doesn’t go bad unless you hit something.
April 4th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
bad tire a good bet or a bent wheel or loose wheel before drive shaft but thats is one of the things it could be how to check one is bad first drive put car in drive and dont give gas what it do feel it shake any if so then bad tire or wheel now slowly start adding speed what you feel if ti dont do any thing til it reaches a like 45 speed then its a tire balance problem if it comes and goes balance if not then id say bad tire or wheel.. you coul djack it up and get under it and hold the shaft in both hand and twist it back and forth if you feel a lot of slack or hear it clicking the that is bad.. not likley drive shaft but a bad tire drive shaft or tire can go bad anytime but most liely a tire drive shafts hardy ever go bad while tires go bad every day some wheres check your tires and i dont mean the air by driving real slow and giving no gas if a tire is bad it should show up if you feel it more in you r hands replace one with spare tire and drive again if that didnt do it remove and try other side with spare and so on til you have move all the tires once
April 4th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
the best thing you can do is call the tow truck. you will not be able to drive the car with out the drive shaft and if you keep driving with the shaking it could be come dangerous and it could do more damage. the shaking could be a number of problems including brake or tire issues
April 4th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
Tire belts, universal joints, wheel balance, you name it vibrations can come from everything. Get a pro to drive it.
April 5th, 2011 at 12:47 am
while you where driving those 10 miles did you hit any RR tracks or pot holes could have bent a rim or your belt on your tire has broken look for unusual tread patteren on your tire tread around the tire if looks out of line you broke the belts in that tire will need to replace that tire.or your universal joint is going out in the drive shaft is not hard to replace these…if the rear drive shaft is bad you can not remove this because the trans fluid will leak out of the rear seal,,can check if bad drive shaft with your hands jack up the back end and place jack stands under drive axles so it doesnt fall on you when you crawl under to turn drive shaft back and forth by hand and see if the universal joints have any play in them if any play they need replaced,and also can check if the drive shaft balance is out with a nail hold against the under neith of the car by the drive shaft and have the piont just touching one spot of the drive shaft while holding the long nail against the body and drive shaft so it doesnt move .rotate the drive shaft to see if it is out of round in the middle and at both ends so you should do this in 3 places on the drive shaft..if not this than you have a wheel bearing in the front end or other front end pieces going bad to get a bad vibration..
April 5th, 2011 at 1:45 am
69,000, “All-Wheel-Drive or 4X4?” :)) is he playing games or what, You can’t drive without a Drive-Shaft. “AWD or 4X4″ there are ‘Two” Drive-Shafts, Long shaft to the Rear Axel you need to Drive, Short Shaft in front running from the “Transfer Case to the Front Drive Axel” that one you can remove for a short time to get it to a repair shop. Could be the transfer case or Front Drive Axel that is going bad? Have you noticed any differences in the way the Truck Steers? Try Having (NOT by the BF) the Short Drive-Shaft to the Front-Drive-Axel pulled and see if the changes things, if it does put that one in the back of the Truck and (Dealer Might Be Best) Drive to the Shop. If it is a Drive-Shaft Problem “Which it may be” it should be Moved (Towed) on a Flat Bed! Vibration will still happen with a Conventional Tow.
April 5th, 2011 at 2:26 am
It could be a bad tire, however since you said it all started happening after you added various fluids are you sure you put them in the correct places. Also most of the newer cars do not need oil additives if something is wrong with the oil just have the oil changed. Also when you take in to a repair shop just ask them to do a diagnostic test, and don’t tell them what you believe to be wrong with, just tell them what the car is doing and let them figure it out.