E320 Wagon Suspension
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E320 Wagon Suspension
I recently inherited my Mom's old car - a 1995 E320 Wagon.
It's in perfect condition, always lives in a garage, 180K miles.
There is one problem. The rear suspension is completely blown. The wagon makes the loudest squeaking noise, even if you drive over a pebble.
After doing some research, I learned that the rear suspension on the wagon is different from a typical car (self-leveling?). Someone else told me that it was the same as the S-Class.
My question is this: What aftemarket options are there to replace the suspension? The dealer wants an obscenely large amount of money. I know a great independent shop that does work on a lot of VWs, Audis, Porsche, MB, BMW, etc. and I'm sure it would be cheaper to go that route.
It's in perfect condition, always lives in a garage, 180K miles.
There is one problem. The rear suspension is completely blown. The wagon makes the loudest squeaking noise, even if you drive over a pebble.
After doing some research, I learned that the rear suspension on the wagon is different from a typical car (self-leveling?). Someone else told me that it was the same as the S-Class.
My question is this: What aftemarket options are there to replace the suspension? The dealer wants an obscenely large amount of money. I know a great independent shop that does work on a lot of VWs, Audis, Porsche, MB, BMW, etc. and I'm sure it would be cheaper to go that route.
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1994 E320 Wagon
I wouldn't make changes to the suspension on a wagon. It's a really good system and is usually extremely reliable. I also wouldn't assume that the dealer quote is legit. I think dealers like to throw parts at the problem.
These systems need yearly maintenance (flush and fill the hydro fluid, change the filter) and then are very reliable. If the maintenance doesn't get done, typically it's the valve that controls the fluid that goes bad. These valves can be rebuilt economically. We did this with w123 wagon's suspension. What I expected to be a couple thousand dollars turned out to be a couple hundred dollars.
These systems control ride height under heavy loads and provide the ride MB is known for. If the car's worth keeping, I'd repair the system.
Neal
These systems need yearly maintenance (flush and fill the hydro fluid, change the filter) and then are very reliable. If the maintenance doesn't get done, typically it's the valve that controls the fluid that goes bad. These valves can be rebuilt economically. We did this with w123 wagon's suspension. What I expected to be a couple thousand dollars turned out to be a couple hundred dollars.
These systems control ride height under heavy loads and provide the ride MB is known for. If the car's worth keeping, I'd repair the system.
Neal
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Joined: Nov 2002
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From: San Jose
300TE / 300E / 300CE
Are the struts leaking? The typical problem is the failed accumulators about $200/pair, replace those first. The high dollar items are the struts and level switch. Shop AutohausAZ for competitive pricing.
SLS is a good system and most people aren't open to change. I have worked on a shock replacement but haven't prototyped it yet. There is a replacement for the early W123 SLS but not the W124 yet. I believe there was a European shock but no one has identified it yet...
SLS is a good system and most people aren't open to change. I have worked on a shock replacement but haven't prototyped it yet. There is a replacement for the early W123 SLS but not the W124 yet. I believe there was a European shock but no one has identified it yet...
