MB Medic Mercedes-Benz Repair Guides, Service, How To DIY
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Can a 4Matic Mercedes Be Converted to Rear Wheel Drive?
A member asked us whether a 4Matic Mercedes-Benz can be converted to rear-wheel drive.
First, why would anyone want to do this?
The reason is that a Mercedes-Benz owner often has bad CV joints or a differential on the front. Because those repairs range from $1500 to $5000, one wonders if you can convert an all-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz into a rear-wheel-drive.
Converting a Mercedes-Benz from 4Matic to RWD is not as simple as removing the front propeller shaft. Doing just this is not enough. Putting your Mercedes-Benz in the drive will send all the torque to the removed propeller shaft. The output flange at the transfer case will spin constantly, and the vehicle will not move.
To convert a Mercedes 4Matic to a rear-drive, you must remove the front propeller shaft from the transfer case to the front differential. To convert a 4Matic to RWD, you must also remove the transfer case. Next, connect the output shaft from the transmission directly to the rear differential.
Price the Repair Before You Price the Conversion
Removing the transfer case and the front propeller shaft is not a shortcut around a front differential bill. It is a driveline modification on a car that was engineered around having all four wheels driven, and the three steps above are the summary, not the whole job. Get a firm quote on the actual repair first, because the comparison people assume is obvious often is not once the conversion is priced properly.
Will a Scanner Tell You Which It Is?
Only part of the way, and it is worth being straight about which part. A worn CV joint has no sensor on it and a failed differential bearing does not report to a control unit, so neither of them sets a fault code. Those you find by ear and by hand, with the car in the air.
What a scan does settle, before you spend anything, is whether the car is also storing faults in the 4Matic driveline itself, which is a different and usually cheaper problem than the mechanical wear described here. A full system scanner such as the YOUCANIC UCAN-II Pro reaches the modules a basic code reader cannot. Rule that out first, then decide what the front end is really costing you.
Before you buy parts, scan every control module, not just the engine. It shows the root fault behind the warning lights and tells you whether the problem is still active. See how to do a full health check.
