alynch

I have a pair of these clamps from Lisle. The U-bolt prevents the clamp from slipping off the spring:




I have used them on a couple of vehicles, but, to be honest, I never really felt comfortable removing the compressed spring and having it sit on the ground "fully loaded." The last time I replaced strut inserts, I just took the complete strut assemblies and the new inserts, strut bearings, and miscellaneous parts to the local tire store and had them swapped out for $25 per strut.

MojoDP

I think i found my issue its the metal on metal contact from the top mount and the body of the car rubbing, I did notice this is the only car ive worked on where there was not a paper gasket on the top mount, is there anything available to stop this from squeaking

TimC300

Are the bolts torqued down to 33nm/24ftlbs?

I dont remember any type of gasket. Looks like they rest right on the 3 areas where the bolts are on the top of the struts.

MojoDP

Yes they were, the reason i think it was the metal on metal contact was because the moment i loosened the top mount bolts it stopped to click, I am getting a warranty replacement. ive seen a few videos where they blast copper grease over the top mount which i didn't do. I made sure to torque them down to 33nm

EuroDriverSD

I had a similar issue when I had the struts replaced on my W204. Turned out that the mechanic installed the swabar links backwards.

As far as compressing the springs, it's practically impossible (and very dangerous) with generic spring compressor tools - these springs are very unusual. If you don't have the right tools, take them to an independent Mercedes shop and have them do it for you. That's what I ended up doing. For under $100 they saved me a lot of headaches and it only took them a few minutes.
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