Merc C240 (2002) 4Dr , 43000 Miles

When I am at stop (say red light). And car is on D gear. and I release just a little bit of brake and let the car start moving. The car is shaking and vibrating. It was not like that before. I was smoother before and used to start moving slowly. Now it is moving slowly but shaking and vibrating a lot. I can feel tremours holding the wheel.

On Service menu of car it says Service A due in 2300 Miles.

Any ideas what might be the issue ?


regards

 

Not likely a tire problem at such a slow roll after a stop. Check engine mounts, etc.
I wouldn't wait for a service on this one. Hope this helps.

 

Does the ESP light (Usually an orange triangle with an !) Flash? If Im reading your problem right, I have the same in my 2002 ML500. Still looking for solutions.

 

No nothing unusual is happening. No ESP light is on. Infact I was browsing through net and saw this , dont know how true it is but may be someone here can verify it.



"Actually I get this question a lot and it seems to bring on more questions than answers, so let me try to explain what is going on with the help of some illustrations. The steering wheel is vibrating because the front brake rotors are warped (we call this vibration "shimmy"). Ok, this is where I usually lose people…rotors? Warped? What does this have to do with the vibration in the steering wheel? So let me explain it this way.

Let's say the disc brake rotor is like the white center part of an Oreo cookie, and here is a picture of a brake rotor. This disc brake rotor is what the brake pads grab to stop the car. Let's also say the brake pads are like the two dark outer pieces of the same Oreo cookie (I am starting to get hungry), and the brake caliper holds the brake pads, one on either side of the brake rotor. Here is a picture of the disc brake rotor and the disc brake caliper that holds the brake pads. When you step on the brake pedal inside the car, brake fluid is sent to the brake calipers causing hydraulic pressure to squeeze the brake rotor in between the brake pads.



So what causes the rotor to warp? The brake rotor can become "warped" or have an uneven or high spot on the surface due to normal wear and tear. It can also warp because of expansion and contraction of the metal disc rotor due to driving through a puddle of water on the exit ramp after a long trip on the freeway then applying the brakes, or due to severely worn out brake pads that have been grinding metal to metal on the brake rotor, thus cutting grooves in the rotor surface.

So what can be done to correct this problem? The brake rotor can be removed from the car and "trued" where the mechanic uses a special piece of equipment to shave off a small layer of the brake rotor to make the surface smooth and "true" or even again. Here is an illustration of the truing process . The brake rotor will have a limit to how much of the material can be removed or shaved off, and this minimum thickness is stamped on the rotor for the mechanic to see. If the rotor is below minimum thickness specifications, it will have to be replaced.

How does this rotor warp cause the vibration in the steering wheel? When the brakes are applied, the caliper and the brake pads squeeze the rotor which causes the car to stop. Remember the brake rotor is turning the same speed as the wheel. If the rotor surface is warped, the brake pads will pulsate inside the caliper as they come in contact with this high spot. The pulsating will cause the wheel to shimmy or vibrate, and this vibration can be felt inside the car in the steering wheel if the warped rotor is on the front of the car. The vibration is usually felt when applying the brakes in a panic type situation at freeway speeds, and can also be noticed when coming to a final stop like at a stop light.


Does rotor warp cause damage to my brake system? It can cause some damage or premature wear to the brake system, but most importantly it can cause a safety issue due to loss of control and full stopping power at freeway speeds, and can cause the anti-lock braking system to not work correctly. Your mechanic should inspect the condition of the brake rotors when he inspects the brakes, but if you are experiencing rotor warp be sure to tell him specifically that the problem exists. A visual inspection might not always determine a brake rotor is warped and in need of truing.
"

 

I have the exact same thing... i dont know what it is. But usually mine does it after i fill it up with gas... and i wait at the stop light.. what i usually do is switch to neutral and give it gas... it just seems like ur fuel pump is about to go... like the first signs.... sooner or later ull have problems turning it on and then after that... it'll b a nice repair job a new fuel pump

 

This sounds like a damaged brake rotor or contaminated brake pads. I would have your brakes inspected by two different shops to see what they have to say. If you have had your brake pads replaced previously, they may have used inferior pads which will give you weird symptoms also. You also may have a brake caliper that is damaged. Don't wait too long to have this inspected. IMHO.

 

A sticking piston in the caliper caused me a problem like that before. The pressure pushes the piston against the rotor but it doesn't retract when you let off the brake. This happened on a Dodge van, I had to replace the calipers.

 

I just dropped off my car to stealership. Lets c what they have to say. Would update the comments here once I find the real cause from stealership.

[:@]

 

i suspect it will have to do with the engine mounts

 

After car shakes ... my pocket was shaking
Stealership charged me 650 $ for fixing it.

They said it was something to do some fried Coils and wires over the spark plug unit.
They put two ignition cabs and one ignition coil.

Hope it helps someone else to save big bucks ...

Check out for your current I would say, it may not exactly same issue. Coz it looks like it has something to do with insufficient amount of current.