Hey all. My SA is telling me I need to replace my bushing, torque strut on my 2013 c350 sport. Is this the lower control arm or something else. Need to know if it can wait or not.

 

Was the car in for routine maintenance or a steering problem?

When that bushing is worn, it can cause rapid tire wear before it causes noticeable steering problems. If the car can be aligned or is within specs, and there are no front end noises, it should be okay. But a badly worn bushing can cause dangerous steering problems.

I would suggest having this checked at an independent MB shop. This is basic wrench work and the dealer charges a lot higher labor rate because their techs are all FQP.

 

ive noticed a shake in my seat/steering wheel at the same time at 70mph+ but thats all ive noticed.

I had a free check on the car at a MB service center. They also said the transmount too but i had that checked and its ok so i assume that was just due to its age. had 104k miles on it.

 

That’s exactly the symptom of that bushing being bad. But that can come from other steering components, too. Other places to look are tie rod ends, upper control arm bushings, wheel balance, out of round or bent wheel rims. If the dealer has inspected your steering for that vibration and come up with that as a solution, they’re probably not lying. There is a bushing repair kit available, so the arm might not need replacement unless the bushing is so bad the arm is damaged.

You need to get that fixed. That shake in the steering can become uncontrollable oscillation in the steering.

 

Yeah the vibration happens for 2 seconds then stops for one then happens for 2 seconds then stops for one. Just an endless cycle of it. I had all my wheels road force and they tested all good then I had my tire balance done.

Does that sound like the issue? I attached a photo. Both arms look like this on driver and passenger.

 

Hard to tell much from a photo. You’ve got to be under there observing while putting stress on the parts. On a pickup truck there’s a vibration damper to absorb road shocks and stop vibration. On a W204 suspension there’s nothing like that - all those parts need to be in top shape to provide a safe ride.

On my C250 (105k miles), I just had a similar vibration. Everything looked fine. Tires balanced fine on the wheels. But found that one wheel was out of round only on the inner circumference by checking run out. Changed that wheel and 0-105 MPH is smooth as silk. BUT YOUR TIRES AND WHEEL ARE OKAY!

I have to go with the experts on this one.

 

That residue and your shimmy do tell me it’s shot. 104k miles seems early though. Lots of potholes in the area or regularly fly through speed bumps?

 

Lots of bad roads around me. But I bought the car at 77000 miles from Texas and now it's in Kentucky. Not sure how they drove the car but I definitely don't fly over speed bumps haha!

 

Pothole-ridden roads will do it for sure. Easy enough, and dont forget the alignment.

 

Waiting on the parts but getting my frontward. Rearward. Control arms. Outer tie rod. Swaybar link and wheel bearing replaced on both sides. Then alignment figured might as well get it all done now then a piece here and a piece there.

 

That should do it. Slap some Michelin PSAS 4s on and you’ll have handling AND ride. Ulrike has rewarded me generously since I made that change.

 

So I replaced all those suspension components as previously described and I still get the same shake but now it feels more dampened. I'm beging to think my continental tires are the issue. Do you think that the Michelin cross climate 2 would be a good tire on a 2013 c350 sport?

 

Are the wheels still round and balanced? When was the last time it was at a tire shop?

 

Yes. I had all the tires balanced and road forced. All ok.

 

Hmmm. You have said the wheels and tires balanced okay a couple of times.
But before you invest around $1000 in tires and get the same result, let me suggest this based on my experience:
Find a tire shop that has the equipment to measure both vertical and horizontal runout on your wheels. A wheel that is out of runout specs will balance perfectly.
One that is out vertically (also known as eccentricity) will want to bounce as it rolls. If the operator is careful, the road force equipment may catch this. It can sometimes be offset by mounting the tire’s low point at the wheel’s high point, but this is a bandaid if the wheel is too far out.
One that is out horizontally will want to wobble as it rolls. This is completely impossible to catch without measuring runout. That’s what was wrong with mine and it took me months to find it.
Also with the wheels off, check that there’s no rust on the hubs and check the mounting points of the wheels for damage. They shop that did the balancing should have done this, but double check to be sure.
As I mentioned, I took it up to 105 immediately after mounting the new wheel and it was smooth. My daughter had it out the other day around 100 and said it’s the smoothest thing she’s ever driven. So vibrations are not normal.
For tires, I recommend Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4. They’re Y speed rated so good for however you want to push them. The choice to go with the Cross Climate depends on the weather. PSAS 4 is okay in snow but Cross Climate is 3 peak mountain snowflake rated. That might avoid needing winter tires in some places. If you’ll need a winter set anyway, you might consider the Pilot Sport 4 (without the AS) in summer months. Even then, though, the PSAS 4 is the least likely of the three to hydroplane in standing water.