B180 CDI lower ball joint replacement
 

Hello fellow MB enthusiasts!

I have a 2006 B180 CDI with a little over 104,000km (almost 65,000 miles) on it.

Over the past few months it's developed a clunking (metal on metal) type sound from around the wheel bay on the front passenger side (left, as I'm in Australia). Initially it was most noticeable at relatively low speeds (60km/h or 40mph) when driving over roads with lots of small undulations/bumps, but has progressed to clunking even on smooth surfaces when the weight of the car shifts suddenly, such as when coming off the brakes or taking off quickly.

Having inspected the wheel assembly I found quite a bit of play in the lower ball joint, which I did not find when I checked the RHS, which makes me think that this is likely the problem. I couldn't find any significant play (if any) in any of the other suspension or steering components either.

This ball joint looks a lot easier to remove and install than others I've seen due to it apparently relying only on bolts for fixing, so I was thinking of replacing it myself. Can anyone confirm this and/or has anyone had any experience with replacing this joint that could offer any advice?

One of the local workshops has quoted an hour and a half to replace the ball joint, which seemed a little long for something that looks relatively simple to do - or am I kidding myself? I like to get my hands dirty, but not broken!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Ball joint replacement.
 

Hi Seems you did not get an answer and I think your post was 2014. I have replaced my left hand ball joint and about to do the right. Not a hard job but if you have a spring compressor it is made a lot easier than trying to do it without.


Kind regards,
Jock

Lower Ball joint replacement.
 

Hi - I changed my lower ball joint some time ago and noticed that two of the three holes for locating the bolts that hold it on are not round and allow for movement. This has resulted in my steering geometry being wrong and the tyres wearing. The steering wheel is now off to the right when driving straight. How do I know which way to align the bottom ball joint holes so the bolts hold it in the right place. I didn't realise the holes were " adjustable " when removing the original one so just undid the joint and removed it.

Kind regards

Ken