chase

2003 sl500 has a rear strut that is covered with a film of oil from about halfway on down, that side of the car also sits 1/4" lower. i am assuming the strut needs to be replaced? can i do this myself or not? are there any special instructions or is it pretty straight forward?

vettdvr

I would agree with replacing. I reco only new MB parts for this job. I own E500 and would change mine and I can't see yours being any more difficult.

AH1W-COBRA

im sure some day ill be faced with the same situation.can you replace just the leaking strut on one side or would you have to replace the other side also to create a matched set?i know the cost dictates only one.

chase

i just need to know if it is simply diconnect the old one and bolt in the new one, or is there much more to it. do i need to bleed the system? reset the computer or what?

tcesario

you can do it yourself ,it may need to be bleed from dealer (rodeo) to get all the air out ,you need to access the top bolts under the trunk side carpet area and electrical connector ,also be careful of level sensor attached to lower control arm ,mark which direction it came off before removing ,it really is not hard to do if you have good tools ,good luck

whoover

Mercedes recommends replacing them in pairs only if the car has more than 50,000 miles. I personally would take it to the dealer. ABC is a pretty complicated system. A fluid and filter change is probably a good idea. Checking the entire system is important too. Any tiny particles that got into the system from a damaged strut can damage a valve block.

chase

got 32k. this has to be a pretty small leak so i doubt there is any contamination that would require a fluid change. that said i can fix just about anything, sometimes need someone to point me in the right direction. as long as there are no mercedes only tools needed or any computer stuff nessessary it sounds like it should be no prob!

chase

ok i've got the new shock, cost me $910. i'm going to do this over the weekend, unless someone tells me why not to.
i could really use some advice from someone who has done this before so that i could be a little better prepared for what i am about to get in the middle of ? i will let everyone know how it ends up otherwise!

chase

didn't get around to it last weekend, but this morning noticed a very small puddle of oil that had come from the shock so figured i'd better do it this evening. it took me 2 1/2 hours and was pretty easy. could do it in much less time if i have to do it again. it would be much easier if you had help with a couple of things. you have to pry the exhaust away from the lower control arm bolt to get it out completely, thats tough by yourself. and then reattaching the upper nuts that hold the shock in would be difficult without help. other than that, its not bad at all!

chase

thankyou for your input, you convinced me to do this on my own

tcesario

i am glad you went for it ,GREAT !

Gnarly Charlie

Not to discourage you, but the last one I did was pretty hard. A lot of the rear suspension has to come apart and it's really hard to get the bolts lined up once the new strut is in place. Also make sure the hydraulic quick disconnect (funny they call it that, it's anything but quick to disconnect) is connected properly, otherwise when you key up the car it will blow off and cause more damage! And yes the system needs to be bled after everything is finished.
Either way I say go for it! (if you have the patience haha). I think it's awesome that you want to tackle this one by yourself; much respect to you! Most MB owners I know don't even know what it means when their tire pressure light comes on haha. Good luck!!

chase

i guess i was expecting it to be much more difficult than it was. only the center section of the trunk had to be removed (very easy)to get to the nuts that hold the shock to the chassis and the electrical connector. the hub side bolts on the two small lower control arms. the shock bolt of course and the (chassis side bolt) on the main lower control arm, the exhaust had to be pushed just a bit to get that bolt out, and the link for the leveling sensor. the quick couple for the hydro line is no different than the type used on most modern equipment, if disconnected and reconnected properly no air should enter the line, i thought that was the easiest part of the whole job. as far as realigning the bolts, a ratchet strap worked just fine for that. by the way i lowered the abc and jacked the entire back end of the car up to do this, not sure what the book says but it worked. cycled the suspension up and down a few times and refilled the hydro res. with the $40 a liter mb hydro fluid.

jmf003

Thanks for sharing that info.

AH1W-COBRA

great troubleshooting/repair.are you using any type of tech pub? or just figuering it out as you go.that truly saved you some $ and you have the satisfaction of knowing it was done with patience and attention to detail.

chase

no problem, thats what these forums are for!

chase

i don't have a service manual of any kind yet, but i will be getting one soon.
my srs light is on so i will be dealing with that next. brought it to an independant mb repair shop and had them run a diagnostic ($30) to make sure it was nothing serious. don't remember the exact code #, but i do know it said something about a voltage irregularity in the passenger front airbag. supposed to be a new connector needed to fix the problem. they reset the error code but it reappeared a couple of days later. can't imagine that will be any harder than the shock was to fix!

AH1W-COBRA

"STAR SERVICE" service manual library.MB part#p-2700-220/215-07.i bought this dvd and believe me it is everything you need to maintain/repair/troubleshoot your S500.i really find it usefull in component/circuit location.i just did a trans/converter flush and filter and the dvd led me through it step by step.whenever i do any service on the car i print out the step by step instructions and attach any receipts for parts/fluids and maintain a perfect service record history that will go with the car when i upgrade "someday"to the v12-biturbo.the dvd was $94.

healer1340

Hi guys,
How does one disconnect that quick disconnect hydraulic line anyway.I can't get mine apart. Is there some trick. The coupling collar wont pull forward or even rotate left or right after letting penetrating oil set for a few days. Help!
Steve

t4turbo

Do you have to depressureize the abc system before the hose can be disconnected?