ammoun

Hi,

Please bear with me as I'm learning the names of suspension parts as I go and I find practice the best way to do it.

So my 2007 C230 Sport 120k has quite serious problems and the symptoms are these:

- Above 40, 50mph the steering wheel starts shaking bad
- 90% of the time, braking brings the clacking/clunking noises
- The same noise comes when taking turns at high speed or at curves on highways.

I circled few spots on the image below, could you please let me know where would you start looking and whether it's possible to replace whole arms as opposed to just bushings?

Which replacement should happen first for safety, assuming the car had never had any suspension work done. The image is not of my car.
.

Thank you!

RedGray

Here's a good article on how to replace the front control arms on a W203 chassis.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...ntrol_Arms.htm

It'll also help show/explain what each part is.
I suggest replacing the both the upper and lower arms (verses just the bushings - unless you have your own press).



However, I'll still quickly go over what each part is, and if it's likely to cause the problems your car is having.

Orange: Front Upper Control arm.
Yes, a high probability of wear, and can cause the issues that your car has.

Red (& white?): Front Lower Control arm.
Yes, a high probability of wear, and can cause the issues that your car has.

Yellow: Bushing/Bracket for the front sway bar.
No, not a wear item. Unlikely causing the issues that your car has.

Green: Sway Bar Link.
A moderate wear item. Still, unlikely causing the issues that your car has.


Also, it could be the strut mount(s):
http://www.pelicanparts.com/More_Inf...69&SVSVSI=3528




They go on the top of the strut assembly.
From:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...ont_Struts.htm





You need a special tool/machine to do strut assemblies.

JoeBlobs

I'll be replacing these soon. I get the same clunk/knock and wobble during braking.

I looked under the car and the ball joint boots were ripped and the outter tie rods had play in them.

I bought both control arms (with bushings and ball joints), outter tie rods, and sway bar endlinks for $150 on ebay.

C230 Sport Coup

I need to do this.
Post the ebay link. Is it OEM or some chinese garbage?

insame1

These are not OE or even OEM at that price. If they are ill buy 3 sets and eat my hat.

VVF

RME currently lists Lemfoerder upper and lower control arms for $92 and $75, so a full set for about 330. Pretty good pricing IMO.

JoeBlobs

Certinly not OEM, but it seems like its decent quality.
My suspension is practically falling apart so it'll suffice for now.

I just searched "w203 control arm" and found a kit.

I'll be working on it today so I'll let you know how it goes.

EDIT: This is the link
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191822106986?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

d396

I recently replaced mine with the Ebay knockoffs. Quality definitely doesn't seem OEM, but it removed almost all of the steering wheel wobble (still have some knocking but I'm betting that was improper installation or tightening or something). Only time will tell how long they last but no regrets right now and much better than worn stock parts.

RedGray

Imho, please keep those cars with the ebay cr*p off public roads. Also, I guess that your lives are not worth much?

Using cheap ball joints is a great way to die. If you don't care about your life, then how about the possible other lives that you may screw up by using cheap parts and causing an accident and possible death of others.

Imho, you don't screw around with safety related stuff like ball joints.

Also, you should get the car aligned after that install. If you don't, again that's a saftey hazard and you'll be wearing down your tires.

When you have to replace the POS parts again soon, that's more money and another alignment. So, no real savings - just a waste of money, time, and risk to saftey.

Imho, unless you're planning on driving the car for only a month and then junking it, imho, the cheap ebay cr*p is a very bad and foolish choice.


Hmm, $$$$$ cell phone plan per month, $$$ cable bill per month, add-in other non-essential for living $$$ monthly costs, but use cheap cr*p automotive parts. Imho, people need to look better at priorities.

JoeBlobs

Welp, we'll see what happens. It would be even more unsafe to keep driving with the condition they're in right now and if I took you for a ride, you would agree.

If you're worried about aftermarket, then just buy OEM.

VVF

From a BMW forum:
I put karlyn front control arms on and rear upper control arms on my 540 - HUGE mistake - they look just like the lemforder, there made in germany but they lasted me about 10k miles and 1 year and by the end had more play than the original arms with 150K. they may be 20% of the price but they last 7% of the time lemforders will. STAY AWAY! Ive learned my lesson with budget parts. I've gone thru URO rear ball joints in less than a year and 3 URO PCVs that lasted about a month each before I demanded a refund rather than exchange. dont waste your time.

ammoun

Just a quick question then, is Lemforder the company that makes the Genuine Mercedes branded ones?

samaritrey

Yes they are and they are the only brand I would buy. I previously bought TRW, Moog, and Karlyn parts and all failed within about a year. Do it right the first as your future wallet will thank you.

ammoun

Thanks for all your help. I don't see any problems with the current arms that I have, would you recommend that I just change the bushings? I don't have the tool but I can definitely rent it.

evannguyen

If you live near an automotive parts store such as AutoZone or Oreilly you can rent the bushing press tool for free. I've borrowed many specialized tools from these places in the past.