youngMBlover

Hey suspension and ride quality experts,

My w204 has been my best friend, but the ride quality has been deteriorating. I sadly feel every slight bump, holes, and uneven roads which I wonder why its gotten this worse. I need suggestions on what actions to take in order for my saloon to get back its comfort. She has 75k km or 46k miles on the clock.

Any help will be much appreciated for a young Benz lover.

Thanks!

Xzero

Check your struts/shocks and your engine mounts. All will give the car a ride quality you’re describing.

Here is a test to check your engine mounts:
http://www.mercedesmedic.com/check_engine_mounts/

youngMBlover

Thanks for your swift reply.

I went through your detailed thread and I must say you are the man!
Will replacing the struts and shocks drastically improve ride comfort? I still have the stock suspension but pretty much replaced the bushings and crankshaft as far as i recall but I still have a really bumpy ride.

Also, since you are clearly meticulous and skilled, would you know any first actions to take or look with a high RPM shift? I observed that my car shifts at 2,500-3000rpm from a cold start but it continuous on despite reaching optimal temp @ 80 degrees celsius. Any idea?

Thank you so much!

Moto_Guzzi

What you describe would feel like when my car is in "sport" mode. Does it feel stiff-?
Do you have a choice between Sport & Comfort modes or similar modes, and how does the difference feel.

Funkwagen

Worn shocks will do it, but so will worn control arm bushings. Have the front control arm bushings inspected, there shouldn't be any signs of leaks around them or cracking in the rubber. When they wear out, the ride becomes really rough in my experience. Some formerly mild bumps in the road can become jarring

Xzero

Thanks for the compliments, I’ll be honest, I haven’t turned a wrench professionally for about 10 years now but I am pretty capable of tackling anything that doesn’t involve lifting/removing engine/trans or in depth diagnostics as I have no lift in the garage and no STAR or equivalent at the moment.

Struts & shocks can really improve the ride quality but as noted above, you should check your bushings as well, I missed noting that in my first post.

Engine mounts can also greatly affect ride quality. If the mounts are toast, you have a 400lbs hunk of metal bouncing up and down with every bump and that will in turn wear out your front struts. Then it feels like the roughest ride and you can feel the smallest crack in the road.

As for your RPM issue, I would just be guessing so I don’t have any input on that, hopefully a more knowledgeable member will be able to help with that. If I can think of something or find something out, I’ll be sure to post it here.

youngMBlover

Mine does have the comfort/sport modes. I keep it at comfort yet the ride feels extra bumpy, even when running on a low speed (30kph) my body sways to the feel of the road. I wonder what the fault is or what should be replaced.

youngMBlover

So what shocks are best replacement for comfort? Im tired of a sporty road feel, I need a more smooth ride through daily traffic.

Will do check on the bushings and rubbers. Thanks for that!

youngMBlover

I truly appreciate your inputs! I will also check on the engine mounts.

Any suggestions to shocks replacement? More on the comfy side for daily ride.

Thank you!

Xzero

My recommendation is Bilstein as that’s what I’ve used on my cars for a few years now.

If you want OE ride quality, get Bilstein B4 struts/shocks.

If you’re going to replace your struts/shocks, you may as well change out the sway bar end-links as well.

RockAuto usually has some great prices for these.

Tom in Austin

I put Koni FSDs on my car and think they're a nice upgrade for improved comfort with good performance ... a bit pricey, but I like them.

Now that I look, it appears these are superceded with their "special active" model ... http://www.koni.com/en-US/Cars/Produ...pecial-Active/