Rattling Calipers....

[Tiny072]

Whats up 300's. I have a 2006 300C with 35200 miles. I took my car in for service at the local dealer for some rattling noise from the front suspension.

The Dealership had the car for 4 days and replaced the rack and pinion and left side strut. The rattling continued but I needed my car back so they told me to bring it back later.

I dropped it off again and they had it for 2 more days. They concluded that the rattling was from the front calipers that rattle on the caliper bolt. They said that all the 300c have that rattle and there is no fix from Chrysler.

I am in the middle of contacting Chrysler directly before my warrenty expires. All feedback is appriciated. Thanks.

[Rambit]

That's a new one here! Never heard of anyone complaining of that before. I think your dealer is using some lame excuse. I'd suggest going to another one. If anything I'm thinking it's uneven brake pad deposits on your rotors and it sounds to me it's brake judder. Try bedding your brakes first - http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm.

Bernie

[Tiny072]

Thanks for the quick reply.

[DZeckhausen]

Originally Posted by Tiny072

They concluded that the rattling was from the front calipers that rattle on the caliper bolt. They said that all the 300c have that rattle and there is no fix from Chrysler.

I am in the middle of contacting Chrysler directly before my warrenty expires. All feedback is appriciated. Thanks.

Before I traded it in for an SRT8, I had a 300C 5.7 with the same calipers as yours. They did not rattle. I took them apart to install a big brake upgrade and noticed nothing about the design that should make them prone to rattle. This is not normal and should be fixed under warranty.

If it helps to visualize the components, here are several views of a 300C front caliper:



When you push the brake pedal, the two pistons on the inboard side of the caliper push against the inner brake pad, which in turn pushes against the inboard side of the rotor. The caliper then slides toward the car on two steel guide pins, pulling the outer pad against the outboard side of the rotor.

The guide pins are affixed to the caliper and slide back and forth inside steel sleeves on the carrier, which is in turn bolted to the steering knuckle. The fit between the pins and the sleeves is tight and there is thick grease in between, all of which is protected by rubber dust boots to keep out moisture and grit.

You can troubleshoot the rattling and confirm or rule out the brakes as the culprit. Find a bumpy road where you can reliably get the car to rattle. Gently apply the brakes. If the rattling immediately stops, then it is indeed a problem with the brakes - probably a broken piston clip on an inboard pad. If the rattling continues, then the source is most likely something else entirely.

[Dove dkla]

Originally Posted by Tiny072

Whats up 300's. I have a 2006 300C with 35200 miles. I took my car in for service at the local dealer for some rattling noise from the front suspension.

The Dealership had the car for 4 days and replaced the rack and pinion and left side strut. The rattling continued but I needed my car back so they told me to bring it back later.

I dropped it off again and they had it for 2 more days. They concluded that the rattling was from the front calipers that rattle on the caliper bolt. They said that all the 300c have that rattle and there is no fix from Chrysler.

I am in the middle of contacting Chrysler directly before my warrenty expires. All feedback is appriciated. Thanks.

Mine rattle everytime i drive over a pot hole or bump you hear it, unless i am pressing the brake and then i dont hear them. But mine are not the calipers, they are the pads and the metal spring like thing in between them. a good way to test this is to pull your wheel off, take the brake pad off and bend the metal a little bit to hug the pads a little better. if you drive around and notice the noise is gone you can save some cash and know its not the calipers... Dont be fooled though after a while the noise comes back because the spring in the metal goes flat again...

[joey]

Another possible source of rattles is the dust shield.

There are 3 bolts securing the shield.
One of my bolts was missing and I could here rattling driving over rough surfaces. I doubt this is the cause of your rattle. But if 2 bolts were missing or loose the shield might rattle a lot worse.
The dealer replaced the missing bolt under my extended warranty.

It is easy to check the shield. Just lay on the ground and slide under the car and grab the shield and bend it back and forth. It will clang if it is loose.