M-bENZ

Does anyone knows where I can get that strut/spring compressor from the pics above ? from Sears ?

Andy

TemjinX2

you can get it at autozone. you deposit $50 and they give it to you and they give you back your $50 when you return the tool.

enap66

Hi, I've got the same car and it's time for new front struts. Can you give me some insight please on the DIY? I'd like to know what I need. Is it just the strut assembly? It seems that there is more than that? Thanks!

Glyn M Ruck

Enap - I have posted the methods here where you first asked - good luck!

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ompressor.html

albabenzi

Great DIY! I ran into some problems trying to remove the mount on the strut assembly. I compressed the springs and used a 7mm Allen to hold the rod in place from spinning but was unable to remove the rubber mount.
Is there any tricks to doing this? All the DIY's ive seen do not have (unfortunately) a procedure on how to actually remove the mount.
Any advice would be great help!!!!

fleishman

I am replacing my struts, and strut bearings, and stabilizer links and am getting conflicting part numbers on parts.com. Could anyone point me in the right direction?

The (fantastic) above DIY quotes these parts:
(2) 203 320 02 73 Suspension strut bearing
(2) 203 320 00 56 Strut mounting kit
But parts.com lists it for an 09 CLK as strut mount not bearing: http://www.parts.com/parts/index.cfm...earch&siteid=2

What is troubling is that parts.com has a totally different diagram for a 2002 C32 http://www.parts.com/parts/2002/MERC...iagram=5775245
Than a 2003 C32 http://www.parts.com/parts/2003/MERC...iagram=5775056

I believe the 2003 diagram is the correct one as it seems to actually have the correct parts and is the same diagram used for all c32 and c55 cars on parts.com from '03 up. Only one problem, it lists all parts for c32 and c55 as "w/ 4matic" which neither even had as an option!

I'm pretty sure part 15 is the rubber bearing assembly that should be replaced even though is is labeled on parts.com as "mount" pn 2033200873
AND part 14 is labeled as "bearing" pn 0009812306 even though the picture looks more like the mount!

Yikes.

A little help anyone?

jkowtko

Your top diagram is the correct one for all non-4matic suspensions ... it has the two separate control arms. The bottom diagram with the lower A-arm wishbone suspension is for 4matic only.

The "Strut mounting kit" is a $25 set of nuts and bolts to replace all of the existing mounting hardware for the strut. It is recommended to replace these as the torque settings are pretty high on these items and you do not want one of them snapping on you, ever. The stock Sachs shocks come with the mounting hardware, cheaper struts like the Bilstein TC do not -- you have to purchase the kit separately.

"Strut mount" and "strut bearing" are the same part. Actually, the part is composed of three pieces as evidenced by this photograph of a Meyle strut mount.



This picture (left images are bottom view, right images are top view) shows the three parts which make up the strut mount/bearing. Some people refer to it as a hat ...

1) The "brim" (top images) is the larger base plate that sits on top of the spring.

2) The top of the hat (bottom images) that looks like a bundt cake, sits on top of the brim and wedges up in a socket in the car body, holding up the car.

3) The white ring on the underside of the bundt (bottom left image) is the actual bearing ... donut shaped, maybe 3/8" high, composed of one ring on top of the other with free rotation between the two. The bearing is lightly wedged into the bundt and pops out pretty easily. When the top and brim of the hat are put together, the bearing allows the brim to rotate with the spring, strut and wheel assembly, while the top does not rotate but stays wedged in the car's body socket, and pivots just a bit to accommodate the geometry changes in the suspension during steering. These two little bearings can take the weight of the entire front of the car and still rotate with ease.

I wish there was a diagram explaining this ... the pics of this bearing are very hard to come by. When I replaced my struts I should have but didn't take pictures, so I'm glad I found this pic showing the bearing.

So, when you look for this part, some places will call it a strut mount and some will call it a strut bearing. Some units will include the actual ring bearing, and some won't. The ones which don't include the bearing may be closer to the $40-50 mark, and the ones that include the bearing will be $70-80 and up. As you can see in this photo, I bought the Corteco strut mount from PartsGeek for just over $40 ... it didn't include the bearing.



I hope this clears it up. Some of these parts are very confusing and poorly documented.

The next big question is, what struts are you going to get? The struts and sway bar links are different for sport vs non-sport suspensions. you also have the choice of going stock (Sachs) or sporty (Bilstein). I have the Bilstein TCs ... a very cool ride!

fleishman

Ok, so if diagram 1 is correct then does parts.com not sell the mount/bearing for the c32/c55? All of the diagrams listing a mount/bearing are for 4-matic. Is the pn in the diy correct even though parts.com lists it for an 09 clk?

If I buy it from parts geek http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/200...rut_mount.html do I need to buy the bearing separately?

I am installing slightly used c55 struts, shocks and springs. Keeping my stock c32 sway bars but installing new links.

jkowtko

As for parts.com diagram, yes often these diagrams are incorrect. I suggest go with the part number listed in this thread -- 203 320 02 73. If you are not comfortable with that, give us your VIN and someone will look it up on EPC-net to confirm the part number for sure.

I've never seen the bearing sold separately. One my install I reused the old bearing ... it rotated pretty smoothly, I stood on it and swivelled, etc. Since some mfgs sell the strut mount without the bearing, that implies the rubber part usually goes before the bearing. Since we're talking $50-100 total and you probably won't do this again for several years, you might just want to go to a dealership and pay the higher price. Looking back I probably should have done that, paid $80 each at the local dealership vs. $40+ for the Corteco. Next time I change struts I'm definitely going to get struts with new bearings as well.

Do a froogle.com search on the part number and you will see many places selling it. The Meyle part looks like it has the bearing in it ... I think it's around $70.

fleishman

I confirmed with the local dealership 2033200273 is the right part for the mount with the bearing for all w203, even 4 matic. The c55 had an upgraded bearing over c32 and that is now the only bearing made.

They have it for $84 but not in stock, I'll post what I find shopping around.

phister

mymercedesparts sells them for 64 and they're a MB dealership in atlanta so its an OEM part

http://www.mymercedesparts.com/parts...&siteid=215326

jkowtko

ONE THING TO NOTE -- when you do the replacement, slather some white lithium grease on the top of the bundt and in the body socket, to prevent creaking when you turn the wheels significantly (remember the suspension geometry changes when turning and pivots those strut mounts).

Regarding compressors, here's what I bought:



It did the job, but was far from perfect.

Next time around I would prefer a base that clamps the strut shaft ... this forked base wouldn't hold the strut vertically so I had to fit pieces of wood around to support the different sides of the strut.

Also, the upper arm brackets have too much curvature for the W203 springs, which are a greater diameter than most car springs. If you get one of these you may want to take the hook assembles to a metal shop and have them straightened out a bit.

fleishman

http://fcpeuro.com/

I found parts, and excellent, live, knowledgeable customer service. The mounts were $59 with free shipping.

jkowtko

What did you buy? The only ones I see on that site are Meyle at $76.95 ....

** never mind, found it ... if your search is not model # specific. Do you know if those include the bearing?

VVF

Oh sheet... My left strut mount is knocking over rough road.
Thought it was the sway bar end link, but after installing a new sway + 2 links the knock is still there (although the creaking is gone! yay).

How long would it take to remove the strut from the car?
I am kinda debating whether to DIY and just let a shop swap the springs, or to outsource the job completely...

jkowtko

it's one bolt on top and three bolts below ... if you are a good DIYer it will probably take you 45 minutes or less to pull the strut assembly from the car. If you really know what you are doing you can probably do it in 10 minutes.

If you're talking about the top rubber strut mount, I would suggest replacing both sides.

And ... if your upper control arms are old, now is the time to replace those since you need to remove the strut from the steering knuckle to get the upper control arm ball joint out.

VVF

Yes...
I had new bushings in UCAs ~30k miles ago, so probably not a bad time to replace the arms anyway. The ball joints were not in specifically stellar shape.
Now the boot on the right side ball joint is un-clamped on the bottom (I suspect that was the dealer's fault - went for an alignment there) - so that needs to be taken care of rather soon I guess.

I gather it's impossible to replace the rubber strut mount without compressing the spring and all that good stuff? Do I understand correctly that the knock is because that $50 3-piece mount is worn (from your post #32)?

If I need to remove the spring to get to the mount, might as well install new struts after 140k...

I am getting better DIY-wise Sway bar + 2 links R/R took me about 2 hours (wheels off-on, also took my time aligning the jack..)

jkowtko

You got it ... replace struts, strut mount, and UCAs all at the same time

One way to quickly tell if your strut mounts are going bad is to jack up the front of the car, let the wheels dangle, then look at the top of the strut mounts from inside the engine bay. Use a flashlight so you can see the rubber around the collar that holds the strut shaft. If you see cracks or tears in there, its going bad.

Are you on 140k with the stock Sachs-Boge struts? I would be amazed ... mine went soft after maybe 6 years and 80k.

VVF

I think I am. (See, you replaced your struts at ~90k and didn't have any knock.)
Bought the car at 104k miles, and the control arm bushings were shot.
Also the camshaft solenoids were leaking pretty good.
Then around 110k the sway bar bushings started to creek in winter.

So.. maybe my shocks ARE soft, but I just don't know the difference...

Guess someone was scared of high prices at the dealer and just unloaded it?

VVF

Here is a nice video showing the strut removal and disassembly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2WUTYbZPAQ

jkowtko

I wish I had seen that before doing mine ... it shows everything very clearly -- including the strut mount bearing (the white ring) which has evaded being photographed up until this video.

VVF

They mention that one has to reuse the old parts of the mount/bearing. Are there complete mounts/bearings for sale (Lemfoerder maybe?) that include everything new so I don't have to reuse [potentially] worn-out parts?
Also John, I remember you said something about the new control arm bushings not having indentations for the alignment bolts??

jkowtko

The Lemfoerder upper control arms I bought from partsgeek had non-adjustable round holes in them. Fortunately my suspension doesn't need an adjustment (even though I have fluted bolts due to an early alignment "fix" under warranty by the dealership when I first got the car), but I would have been pissed if I needed the adjustment.

Regarding the comment of reusing parts, I think they just meant that when you replace struts, the strut doesn't come with the mounts so you need to reuse those parts if you are not replacing them.

I bought Corteco strut mounts also from partsgeek for about $45 each .. They have the upper rubber "bundt" and the metal brim that the spring fits into .. But they did not include the bearing. My bearings felt smooth so I was not worried, but for the long time in between part replacement I would suggest paying more to get the strut mounts with the bearings. I think it will be more like $80 each.

Also know that it is recommended to always replace all of the mounting bolts. Most struts don't include the bolts .. I had to buy the "strut mount kits" for $25 each.

VVF

Ok, thanks!
Wow... I hope it's just a f-up of partsgeek. Guess I'd better double-check with the vendor I would be buying the arms from as to which bushings are installed...

I will probably replace the bearing while I'm there anyway. Not much price difference for the peace of mind.
Also the strut mounting bolts. Last time an indy did my control arm bushings he disconnected the steering knuckle from the strut, but then reused the bolts - so I'd better get some fresh ones there.

VVF

Anyone have an opinion about buying Boge struts? Rockauto says they are "for # 203 320 75 30" which is I believe the correct part number for sport suspension.
But it also says that they are "for Europe".
I think there should not be any difference since the part numbers match, right? Or am I missing something?
(BOGE Part # 36C64A or SACHS Part # 300139)