DamienLBC

Hi...im New to Mercedes and this forum. Owned a few bimmer's and some antiques/classics so not new to DIY's. So I picked up an 05 C55 last week from up north.

Bought it from a guy off autotrader. The car needs some TLC but thats no big deal and most of the paint and body stuff will be handled by a pro. The suspension is tired and i'm getting front end chatter while braking and on long sweeping turns. Im sure the control arms and ball joints and end links are shot as the brakes are new and no steering wobble.

I've only ever used Lemforder for suspension replacements on my bimmer's...so anyone here want to chime in and give me your opinion on replacements parts for the C55?

I also have a very mild vibration in park or drive when stopped...does this sound like motor mounts and a transmission mount are needed to be replaced?

Thanks!

Saaboteur

Lemfoerder is the bomb. I dunno if you'd want to use anything else, unless you were doing the repairs on the cheap so as to flip the car again. The front suspension doesn't appear to last as long as the previous design from the 202 body cars, unfortunately. Dunno why that is the case. The 203 has McPherson strut, the 202 a separate spring and shock set up.

Your mild vibration symptoms definitely sounds like engine mounts. I had the same issue last summer, and it was cured immediately with new mounts. It was also very mild in my case, but I noticed it immediately one day last summer when waiting at a light. By the time I managed to find time to get at the job, one of the mounts was clearly leaking.

The job on the engine mounts is a bit of a pain. My buddy and I did it at his work, on a hoist, and it was much easier with the car in the air, as the driver's side downpipe had to come out to get enough room to get at the engine mount.

DamienLBC

Thanks for your input!

I have yet to physically inspect the front but if im going to keep the car I would rather replace it all. Looking at different struts...Sachs, bilstien, Koni and KYB. I have billy sports on my
Bimmer's. Anyone use the touring struts (sedan) from bilstein?
Planning on doing front upper and lower controls arm and end links. Any thing else im missing for the front? The car has 145k. Thanks!

Saaboteur

I think you're on the right path with the replacement parts on the front end, suspension wise. The other common replacement items would be the crank position sensor and the transmission electrical connector thingie (very technical term I know).

I'm always amazed at the mileage some Benzes have on them. My car is just about 120,000km only, and it seems to be a baby, but it's quite telling that the rubber on the front suspension bits on my car are showing signs of tearing. I'm quite happy with my stock suspension, but perhaps others can chime in with their thoughts on alternatives.

Viper98912

Yea, I've got the same. Running on new lower control arms, so I need to see what else is wobbly there...

ez53436

front sway bar bushings are definitely easy and relatively cheap. they can cause all sorts of annoying noises.

DamienLBC

Thanks guys!

So I just got off the phone with Bilstein and the rep says only the sport strut is recommended #35053453 for the C55. The touring strut is recommended for an OE applications and will not work on the C55 due to the factory sport spring.

So my list for the front goes like this:
Upper & lower control arms pair of ea. (Lemforder)
Both end links
Struts ...still looking
strut mounts
Sway bar bushings
Am I missing anything that I didn't mention? Has any body done this job and ended up with having to replace more? This is just the front..the rear will be next.

DamienLBC

Finally got around to checking out the control arms etc...all of the connections have slop...the wheels have a lot of play when jacked up. I will be ordering the Lemforder parts now and hopefully by Saturday Get an alignment.

Shocks and mounts look and feel ok as there is no bouncing when leaned on and on hard braking. So i will hold off on the struts for a couple weeks...just need to get her back tight.

Here is a pic of my 2 girls

DFac Boy

Thanks for starting this thread, DamienLBC, I will be starting my suspension refresh soon so I am interested in your findings. I was thinking about the Bilstein B4s but based on your talk with Bilstein, I 'll be thinking about the Sports.

My C55 only has 53,000 miles but rides poorly, particularly over smaller hard edged bumps. There are no unusual noises from the suspension but it feels crashy so I am pretty sure the struts/shocks are done. The handling is kind of meh too - the steering response feels dull and I have nice new PS2s on the rims.

DamienLBC

no prob...my parts arrived today! I got them from Paertsgeek. Both upper and lower control arms, sway bar end links and outer tie rods all for $540...all Lemforder. Going to install them all tomorrow...looking forward to having control of the beast...right now it's just straight ahead thats bearable.

Rahulio1975280C

Hey guys, I also purchased the parts for my C55's suspension and steering system rebuild, but I lost my father and that threw a wrench into just about everything in my life.

If you look at my signature, I have complied the part numbers for the various parts that you need for the C55. Please, as you are rebuilding your suspensions, let me know if there are items I can add to help others in the future.

Thank you,
Rahul

DamienLBC

Thanks for the info on the part numbers! Sorry for your loss.

I got around to installing the parts on Friday and the suspension is a lot better! I will either need new front tires or a good balance to get rid of the very slight wobble probably caused by the PO(S) continuing to drive on the tires with the wrecked front suspension. But overall the car is tight and responsive, but not as tight as my E39 on Billy sports.

I will be installing the Bilstein sports in the next few months and probably dealing with the rear components too..

DFac Boy

Rahul, I send condolences. Thanks for your work with the part numbers. I will keep notes from my suspension DIY and share.