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I come across quite a few posts where someone's car is broken down and they don't have much money to fix it, especially if they have to bring it to the dealer. Figured i'd post a little of my experience with saving some money.
My 2010 C300 4matic Sport has a little over 150,000 miles and im slowly going through the car addressing certain things, id call it maintaining it. The goal is to keep the car in great running condition so it lasts as long as possible. I have done quite a lot to the car but ill limit this post to front and rear suspension, the struts, shocks and springs. Its how I spent $356 instead of over $1,400. I do all the work myself so I don't have to spend any money for installation. I find the C300 fairly easy to work on.
First issue I ran in to was the drivers side spring broke in the middle of the night while the car was parked. I actually heard it snap from inside the house but didnt know what the sound was originally. I could have just replaced the spring but that would involve me removing the strut and bringing it to a shop for them to swap out the new spring since I do not feel comfortable doing it. The easiest thing for me to do was replace the entire strut. So i went on ebay and found a listing for a used 4matic Sport strut for $140 shipped, unfortunately it was one of those listings that just showed the crashed car and not the actual part and I took a chance, but what arrived was a strut for a luxury. I learned my lesson to not do that again. So I returned that and stumbled up 2 4matic Sport struts for $85 each that had 1/3rd the mileage of my original springs. Id only buy used parts now that have the vin #s and mileage of the cars listed.
So the set of front struts with around 40,000 miles cost $170 shipped. They looked great, no rust and just needed to be cleaned. Plus I sold my other still good strut on ebay for a few bucks, think I posted it for $20 + shipping and a lady from Texas bought it.
After having a front spring break I got paranoid about the rear springs. I looked under the car and sure enough the bottoms of the springs looked rusted, some parts of the covering was worn away and the bottom shims looked disintegrated. I went on eBay and found a set of used Mercedes springs that looked in great condition and the mileage was again around 40,000 miles for $58.44 shipped. They also came with 13mm upper shims that I did not need since my car has the 9mm upper shims. I sold the 13mm shims for something like $10 + shipping. The original springs were junk so i just threw them away, I wouldn't feel comfortable trying to sell them to someone.
The hub I bought for $36.13 has an interesting story ill tell another time.
Also with the springs I did buy a new set of lower shims for $22.57. I'm thinking always use new shims since they are so thin and wear down easy.
Replacing the rear springs is simple. I placed a floor jack underneath the spring control arm where it bolts to the subframe and put a little pressure on it, remove the nut and bolt then slowly lower the jack all the way until the spring is fully decompressed and yank it out. The bolt doesn't slide out easy and instead used my impact wrench to back it all the way out. Hres a photo I took with the spring out, can see where I had the floor jack placed. Can also see the rust and why I bought replacement spring arms.
Now with the rear shocks I read a recent post where someone was asking about replacing shocks while the cars at the shop having new springs installed so it got me thinking. I looked under the car and decided its a good time to replace. Im thinking they are the original shocks with 150,000 + miles on them. I dont notice any bouncing in the rear, but it does seem like its bottoming out. Its not banging, but more like the spring is being fully compressed. I dont have any photos of the struts or springs since i did the work previously, but im in the middle of dealing with the shocks so i took photos.
Can see the rusty original shock and the new-ish spring.
This photo you can see the worn bushing at the bottom of the shock.
I ended up finding a nice set of shocks with around 42,000 miles for $105 shipped. I got them from Labur-Parts again. I really like this seller, they are in California and the parts usually look to be in great condition no rust. And they post the vin #s and the cars mileage. I just ordered them and hopefully they will be here in a day or two.
I might as well add that the spring control arms look rusted so I picked up a used set. Im not sure the mileage on the single spring control arm listing but the one that came with the other control arms are around 40,000 miles also. I got that set of left side control arms from Labur-Parts also. The bushings look in really good condition.
When I get the shocks and install them ill try to add more photos.
Ill tell why I got that complete rear hub. When I was replacing the rear brake pads and rotors the dust shields were so rusted I had a hard time re-installing the parking brake hold down springs, the dust shields was just disintegrating. I managed to get everything back together unfortunately a few days later while driving I heard a noise like I ran over a full soda can and then just loud scraping. Thankfully I was close to home and made it back. I removed the wheel and rotor and noticed the springs had popped out and the pads were left to grind against the rotor. I was able to remove the pads but the expander was so rusted it wouldnt move to be able to knock the parking brake cable pin out. I couldnt leave it in to just flop around so I cut the parking brake cable instead.
So I needed two dust shields, a parking brake cable and all the parking brake parts. Cheapest cable I was finding was around $26, then the dust shields I found at the dealer for around $18 each. Parking brake pad kit was around $60.
That's when I stumbled upon that rear hub for $34. It was in great condition, no rust at all. I don't have photos of it since I got it so long ago but here's what it basically looked like.
I used the parking brake cable, the dust shield and transferred all the parking brake stuff over. It also came with the wheel speed sensor which I resold on ebay for something like $10. I did buy new parking brake hold down springs at the dealer since they were less than $1 each. Then all I had to buy was the dust shield for the other side.
Replacing the parking brake cable was a major pain. the parking brake pads were a pain at first but after doing one side learning the tricks how to pop the springs in the second side went quick. I did see an idea online for the hold down springs which looked good, but instead I just used needle nose pliers and jamed them in while rotating.
The dust shields were easy to do. At first I thought the axles will need to be disconnected but came across a great idea online so I cant take credit for it. I used a hack saw and just cut them in half so they fit around the hubs. Cut them down the middle so there's two bolts holding each section on. I sprayed the cut edges with some epoxy spray paint to keep from rusting. To remove the old dust shields I just used some metal snips and cut them away.
And now I still have the wheel carrier and hub. I figure if I ever need to replace the wheel bearing I can prep that one and have it ready.
Another time I was getting the check engine light with a code P2422. Car ran fine except after filling up at the gas station the car wouldn't start unless I pressed the accelerator to the floor. After searching around I was thinking it had to do with a faulty purge valve. I found a used one for $14 and tried it out. Worked perfectly and still working a year and a half later. its the same part# but looks like an earlier version from a Mercedes older than mine. Its pretty loud when its operating, can hear it from the drivers seat. least I know its working that way. I looked for a seller that had tons of positive reviews and had a return policy if it did not work.
I found the listing for the strut I bought that turned out to not be the right one. I wouldn't buy anymore parts without seeing the actual part, here they only showed the car it supposedly came from. Thankfully it didnt cost me anything and got all my money back.
I received the struts today. I have to say they look to be in great condition. I read its best to compress them a few times by hand after they have been shipped to get the oil flowing right again, they came laying down in a box. I looked them over really good trying to find anything wrong and I cant. Ill have to put them side by side with the old struts to see if I can tell a difference with how they compress and bounce back.
I was looking around for info on how to tell if shocks are bad and came across a few people saying that there old shocks either wouldn't rebound back up on there own or they were very easy to compress, one even said the shock wouldn't stay up and would compress down on its own. I did some very unscientific tests on these shocks just to see. Wonder if anyone has better ways.
I compressed each one fully by hand against the floor then lifted it up and tried to time how long it took to fully extend back. I was getting under 4 seconds each time. I also did them side by side and they seemed to extend the same, so one isn't quicker than the other. At least that I can notice. I have nothing to compare this with for these specific Mercedes shocks. I came across an article for Monroe where it says anything under 45 seconds is good? Thats interesting.
I wanted to see how much force it takes to compress the shocks. Figured I would use my bathroom scale. I put the shock on the scale and put my body weight on the top of the shock, I wasn't pushing it down using force, I was just leaning slow putting more body weight on until it started moving. It looks like at around 60lbs is when the shock starts compressing and keeps compressing all the way down. I'll do this with the old shocks just to see if there's a difference. My theory is if the valving in the shock is worn it should take less weight to compress it.
I came across the torque specs for the upper and lower nuts. I think the top nuts that mount the shock to the mount and the mount to the car are all 35nm. The lower nut is 60nm. And the lower nut has to be torqued with the car resting on the ground.
It was easier than expected unbolting the shock but it was alot more frustrating getting the shock out of the wheel well. I started around 3:30 and I got one done and just buttoning everything up and its 5:50. The issue was the hub didn't drop down as much as I thought it would. I took some photos i thought would be helpful.
To get to the bolts in the trunk I only had to undo 3 fasteners and pulled the carpet down. The two near the trunk lid hinge I just pulled out with pliers. The clip with the hook theres a little cover that pulls away then the clip pulls out.
The covering in the wheel well i removed all the fasteners on the right side ( I was doing the drivers side) and pulled it to the left to get at the top of the shock. I used a pry bar to wedge between the shock mount and the car and pulled down as hard as I could to compress the shock. Then it was standing up to be able to compress the shock down all the way and then work it out quickly before it bounces back. This was time consuming figuring out how to do it quickly so it doesnt damage the fender.
To get the new shock in I compressed it down and tied it with string. That way I wasn't wrestling with it. I simply fit it in, put the bolt in the bottom then as I lined up the holes at the top i cut the string and it went into place.
I ended up ruining one of the trunk liner fasteners and cant put it back so I ordered a few. While I was at it I ordered the two different types of fasteners for the wheel well liner. One is a push in type and the other is a plastic nut that I've seen used elsewhere.
I think these are the correct part #s. Double check.
- Trunk fastener- 0009914794
- Wheel well nut- 2019900050
- Wheel well push in 1249900492
Found them cheap on AliExpress on sale.
The old shock isnt as bad as I thought it would be, still hard to compress, actually harder. Doing the bathroom scale thing I was getting to around 70lbs when it started to compress down. But when fully compressed and letting go it was taking almost 6 seconds to fully extend. Doesn't seem like a lot but side by side with the newer shock its noticeable difference. It has alot of rust but doesn't seem to be leaking. The bushing is pretty bad. the mount looks ok. Bump stop looks ok. I washed it so I can have a good look at everything.
I still have the passenger side to do. Im thinking it may be easier to unbolt the inner side of the spring control arm and lower it. Shock should just drop out that way plus i have the newer rust free spring control arms to install. I backed the rear end up on a set of wooden ramps I made out of scaffold planks and then jacked up the drivers side jacking point. I cant fit my floor jack under the car without doing it. And with it on the ramps I'm able to crawl under and torque the bolts after lowering the car. When the shock wouldn't come out easy I thought maybe the sway bar had something to do with it so I jacked up the passenger side also so both sides are hanging down but the hub still wouldnt come down any more. Wonder if anyone has any tricks to get it lower so the shock is easier to get out. I even put my foot on the top of the rotor pressing down and it wouldn't budge. When I removed the bottom bolt the shock actually expanded more ,I was expecting everything to drop.
While under there I sprayed all the bushings with some silicone lubricant and cleaned the pads and caliper with brake cleaner. Gave everything a check for rust.
I came across a good deal on the Mercedes 0004708893 Purge Valve so got one. The used one I have is still working great though it is an earlier version and probably older than my car. And it ticks very loud. I saw it for $39.99 and couldn't pass it up. There's two left if someone's looking for one. I usually see them for $65-$82.
I couldnt do the other shock today due to some flooding. The tides have been pretty high here the past few days. The ocean bay in in my backyard. My neighbors weren't paying attention and there cars are flooded now. This is why I'm always washing and working on my car, the salt air isn't kind to it.
Came across some photos I took while installing the rear springs awhile back. This is when I found out about triple square sockets. The inside bolt that holds the spring control arm to the subframe is an M12 triple square. I forget what size the nut is, 16mm maybe. I ended up using the impact wrench to spin the bolts out, they wouldn't simply pull out easily since I had some tension of it from the floor jack.
In the photos I was just holding the bolt from spinning while zipping the nut off. Afterwards I used my long 10" extension on my impact wrench to spin the bolt out. Extension was needed since the exhaust pipe was in the way. Then slowly lower the floor jack underneath until the spring is fully decompressed and it pulls right out. Scrap piece of wood used between the control arm and jack.
And if you dont have an impact wrench I can recommend the Dewalt DCF901. I use it almost every time working on the car especially for suspension work. Zips the lug nuts off no problem. Saves so much time. Its small so it fits in tight spots. I got the 3 amp battery and it seems to last forever I hardly have to charge it. I never owned one before and bought it when I was about to do the front struts, the lock nuts plus the thread locker Mercedes seems to love using are a pain to spin off with just a ratchet. Bought it new on ebay for $75 then had to buy the battery and charger separate. Then my Harbor freight torque wrenches were something like $11 each during a sale.
I was playing around and was able to remove the shock mount nut with just my impact wrench. My 1/2" drive 17mm socket would not fit but my 3/8" drive socket did, thinner walls to fit between the nut and the rubber. I just wanted to check out the condition of the top of the shcok.
I figure since I have the spare spring control arms to install i would like to replace the bushing it fits to in the wheel carrier. Im just trying to find the bushing tool for a good price. Its a common bushing used in many cars so there must be a cheap way to do it. And I have the spare wheel carrier to practice on.
One of the arms had some scratches when i got it so I sprayed on a few coats of black epoxy paint. odd that one of the arms has 3 different part 3s on it then the black one I painted has no numbers, just what looks like dates. It did have the sticker on the bottom I removed with goo gone to paint it. The ones on the car now have the 2043502908 stickers on them. These same spring arms are used on the C250, C300, C350, GLK250, GLK350, C63, E63, E250, E350, E400 and E550. maybe even more models. The current Mercedes part# is 2043503506.
It looks like theres some type of clear coat or sealant sprayed on them. Ive seen this on many photos of used parts.
heres the bushing tools im finding. The least expensive one seems to be missing a cup, one that would stop the bushing from being installed to far over when putting the new bushing in.
I came across another seller on eBay who seems to have good clean used parts for Mercedes. Not too many people have the bracket I was looking for. Mercedes dealer wants $70 for it which is insane for what it is. Its the bracket that holds the O2 sensor wires. My transmission pan is rusted so I bought a new one and figure why not replace the bracket while its off.
Odd how it says its not for my car yet its installed on my car. 272 159 6640
The seller is Land Auto Dismantling. I noticed the part has been listed for quite awhile so I offered $7 and got it. Its stamped with part# 2721599140 but its the same part. I think they may be different part #s because they come with certain smaller brackets preinstalled on them? It also has the heat cover on the side for the transmission and has the clamp for the transmission pan. The smaller brackets the connectors clip in to are two different kinds, I can either reuse them or i have found at least one type for less than $2 at FCP and still have to track the other down.
Received the bracket and its in great condition especially for a part installed under the car. Happy with that ebay seller so I would definitely use them again. It's thicker than I had imagined so I guess I can see why it normally costs so much. Too cold out to be working on the car so I'm just double checking everything. I'm a little disappointed with the new transmission pan, appears they painted it with the drain bolt installed and I cant get the washer off the bolt. I even tried spinning it while pulling and nothing. I don't know if it was meant to be used like this or if a new washer is needed, I asked FCP and didn't really get an answer. Think the best thing is to buy another drain bolt and use a new washer. The Mercedes washer is 12x16x1.5 and I happen to have some 12x17x1.5 so that should be fine.
Last time I used string to hold the shock down and compressed but it was a pain. This time I used a bunch of zip ties and it was much much easier. Mondays supposed to be warmer so hopefully I can get this one in. Still trying to figure out the bushings so the control arms will wait for now.
I'll probably just reuse the small brackets and wire clips on the old O2 sensor bracket but if not I found them fairly cheap at the local Mercedes dealer. They also have the hose clamps for the purge valve for a decent price. The hoses are two different sizes. The in side hose clamp 0049972090 is 14.5mm-15.5mm and the out side hose clamp 0059971990 is 15.5mm-17.5mm.
I'll share my review of the inexpensive Mercedes sway bar link clones I bought before. Came across a set for $39.99 on Amazon so figured why not. They looked very similar to Mercedes links even stamped like them. The first set I received the boot would open up when the threaded part was moved around. I figured no way would these last, water would wash all the grease out so returned them for being defective.
So I bought another set of them hoping they would be better. Those actually seemed to seal right, the boots stayed on and they looked ok to me. I got them installed but shortly after I was hearing a loud clunking again. jacked the car up and removed the links and sure enough it looked like the metal collar part was pressed in further than it should be. I could be wrong but I think the Mercedes links and the Febi links I got afterwards are made of one piece, the threaded part and collar are machined from one piece. These links looked like the collar is pressed onto the threaded part. Also the threads looked messed up near the collar. Thankfully I was able to return them. I went with Febi links from FCP for the lifetime warranty and they have been holding up well since.
Replaced the passenger shock yesterday, it was pretty uneventful. Went much faster since I knew was I was doing, it was also much easier to compress the shock down by hand and remove it. I used my bathroom scale and it takes around 40lbs of pressure to compress it down and it takes over 6 seconds to extend back to full height, so it seems weaker than the drivers side was. Haven't driven it much to be able to tell if there is a noticeable difference. After taking the wheel off I can see why the car rusts out, the amount of salt they put on the roads around here is crazy.
I used a pry bar to push the shock down.
I have no idea how to remove the fasteners for the trunk carpet without ruining them. Good thing I ordered new ones because I cannot reuse them.
Received the new fasteners in the mail today, 13 days from overseas isn't bad at all. They look just like the original ones in the car. The ones for the wheel well liner even have a Mercedes symbol on them, not sure the originals had this or not. I only really needed the ones for the trunk liner and they fit in perfectly. ive seen these fasteners in other places like the engine bay and front wheel wells.
Cant say I notice a difference with how the car rides since replacing the rear shocks. I don't think the old ones were bad, maybe just worn. I do have records of previous work done to the car and don't see anything about shocks or struts so they could have been the originals. At least now I probably don't have to worry about them ever again for how much longer I have the car.
I was looking at the rear sway bar links wondering if they should be replaced. Im not sure it would make a difference, I don't see how they can go bad unless the rubber bushings are so worn they are falling apart.
One thing I really want to do is replace the rear passenger side brake line due to rusting. I have an idea about it so it should be fairly simple to do. I'll update if it works out.
Now I can say I do notice a difference in the suspension since swapping out the rear shocks. Going over bumps it is smoother. Previously if felt like the bumps were hard and can feel it in the seat. Describing it I would say it felt like the springs were bottoming out fully compressed down. Im not saying thats what was happening but this is what I picture in my head it feeling like.
The car is sitting great I think. I went around and measured just to see if everything was even. Its on my gravel driveway so not very accurate. Both front wheels look the same and both rears look the same. The front seems to be sitting a little lower compared to the rears. Wonder if this is where the sports suspension should be sitting at. Front tires are 225/45R17 and rear 245/40R17.
I swapped out the purge valve with the new one I bought. For only $39.99 I was wondering if it would be a knock off but no, its a real Mercedes purge valve. No idea how that seller has them so cheap. I knew I had installed an earlier version purge valve but forgot how big it is compared to the new version, its almost half as small. the used one I got is a 1404700093, I think its from a 94-99 Mercedes. The thing is still working fine, ticking away but very loud. I can hear it from the drivers seat. The new one is much quieter. Installation was simple with just a pair of pliers to unhook the clamps and flat head screw driver to push the hoses off. I was going to buy new clamps but the old ones are still holding fine.
The part #s for the clamps are 0049972090 and 0059971990 and less than $5 each at the dealer, at least the Mercedes dealer near me.
No difference in how the car runs but it was running fine anyways. With the used purge valve being so old I figured why not, the new one was a great price. Preventative maintenance I guess, never have to worry about it again. Still saving the used one in case.
I just bought another sensor today on eBay. I plan on getting new tires soon so i'm getting everything ready. The rear passenger sensor is old and the stem isnt in the best condition. i had previously replaced the other 3 sensors but one of those is just a generic sensor that i want to replace also.
Around 2yrs ago a warning popped up on the dash saying front left sensor is missing, i figured the battery in the sensor was dead. I looked around for an inexpensive replacement and bought a "Geartronics" brand for something like $12. Went to a local tire shop and the guy charged me $20 to swap it out which I think is a great price. I made an appointment so it went quick, 10 minutes. I told him don't worry about programming and that it should link up on its own. Picked it up and within 2 miles it started working perfectly. It still seems to be working fine. The only issue i had, which had nothing to do with the actual sensor, was a week later when I tried to take that wheel off to work on the car I could not get 3 of the lug nuts off they were on so tight. I have never in my life seen lug nuts on so tight. I could not budge them with my breaker bar. I ended up using a a 3' piece of pipe over the breaker bar handle to move them, it was insane. I will never go to that shop again after that. I was thinking if I were to get a flat tire on the road somewhere id be screwed, I would never be able to put the spare on.
Heres the exact one I bought below. like I said it linked up fine, seems to be working great still. except the only thing that worries me now after looking at it is the plastic washer between the gasket and the nut on the stem. I can see that weathering and cracking at some point causing it to leak. Im just assuming.
While at that shop he must have scanned the other sensors because he told me the rear drivers side battery was low. I also had him save me the old sensor so I could look at it, turns out it was a no name universal type sensor. I was looking around on eBay and came across Mercedes sensors listed as "new take-offs" for a good price so I bought one to replace that rear sensor. It looked in very good condition but was missing the valve stem. At the time I bought the Schrader 20016 kit at Autozone for around $2, that has since been discontinued and Schrader 20013 is the correct kit. The stem is Schrader 20020 and costs around $3 locally.
i've since replaced the rear drivers side and the front passenger side myself. I went on youtube and got some ideas on how to do it. I did it in my basement using my big 3 ton floor jack. Used the jack, big block of wood and some plywood to make a table, put the tire on it and used a long 2x4 to press down on the side of the tire while its wedged up against the ceiling beam. It took some trial and error, placing the wood block on the tire in just the right spot so I can stick my hand down in and unscrew the sensor. Once the new sensor was in I used a small pancake type air compressor to seat the tire back, spread some hand soap along the bead to make it easier. Once I did the first tire the second was very easy. But now the tires have some cracking I don't feel comfortable messing with them, ill wait for the new tires to have the last one done. I already have an extra Mercedes sensor, the one I just bought is to replace that Geartronics one I had that shop install.
Its also important to torque the sensors down. When I first replaced them I didn't have a 1/4 torque wrench so just snugged the nuts by hand. I was filling the tires once a month they seemed to all go down. I finally checked them after getting my cheap harbor freight torque wrench and they needed tightening, even the one the shop did. Since tightening I haven't need to fill them up. These sensors say 8nm / 70 in lbs.
Im not the best at drawing but should give an idea what I did.
I received the sensor and its in great condition, took it apart and cleaned it since I have to clean everything. Doesnt even really need a rebuild kit since it does look new, needed just the valve core and cap. I also like to torque everything to spec so I picked up a valve core tool for less than $5 on Amazon. Seems to work great, I checked all my other valve cores and they all could use a little tightening.
Previously I was hearing a noise under the car that seemed like it was something with the drivers side front suspension. I jacked the car up and everything seemed tight and then I noticed missing screws for the undertray. The clips also appear missing or damaged so I ordered new ones. These clips are different from the other clips ive seen under there. While waiting for the parts I shoved some foam weather striping between the ends of the panels and the noise completely went away. Just to double check I removed the foam and the noise came back, so it is due to the panels slapping together over bumps. I had removed that panel in the fall when I was inspecting the transmission pan and I know I put the screws back, must have fallen out somehow probably due to them being rusty. Just another thing to inspect if you hear noise under the car.
Part #s for clip and screw:
Since I have to work under the car I figured id bleed the brakes since its been almost 2yrs. Bought a 1ltr tin of the Mercedes Dot4 + for $15 on ebay. Same seller I bought from before. Listing shows an old and a new tin, hopefully ill get a new one. last one I received it was recently manufactured.
I have the ABN pressure bleeder, got it from Walmart.com on sale for $30.99. Works well.
Yes its the European kit and came with one adaptor. I bought it 2yrs ago, I was looking around at pressure bleeders and one day I get a notification from Walmart about a price drop on this kit so couldn't pass it up. It was $30.99 then Walmart has free shipping over $35 so I bought a pack of microfiber towels also. I just looked and the price is raised and out of stock. I wrote a 5 star review for it but someone else left a 1 star claiming it was missing the adaptor, who knows.
01-09-2024, 12:50 AM
