OK. I bought the car in December and I'm trying to understand whats its telling me. its an 87 300 turbo diesel and generally works pretty good. my question is the ride quality. I realize that 325,000 kms is going to cause wear and tear and I can't tell from the records if shocks have been replaced. Ride height seems ok but on rough roads the suspension seems bouncy. On the highway on dips and such it seems fine as also over railroad tracks. It does want to wander on the highway though. My other car is Porsche and I wonder if i'm expecting too much from an old diesel merc. Just how firm and true is this thing supposed to be?

 

Sounds like you probably need a suspension overhaul. If the dipping feels like the car is "Porpoiseing" kinda bounces for a while after a bump you need new shocks. If the car dips too hard like it is not being held at the ride height it is your springs. But you should probably just replace it all and enjoy a nice soft ride.

 

Thanks, it doesn't bounce on alot or porpoise. On rough pavement, pot holes and the like it feels sloppy, and doesn't soak up the bumps, and just sort of bumbles over it all. I had it on my lift and realize the rear suspension is a fantastic bit of engineering. I just don't know what to expect and maybe i'm overly critical but my son's G6, new mind you, handles the bumps much better.

 

Mine was the same way. I could grab my front wheels and move them a bit, but I never cold see what was moving. The tie rods were tight and so were the ball joints. But something else was a little loose. I just accepted it and figured that with that many miles, everything had to have a bit more tolerance than when it was new. You've seen the number of parts- imagine if they all have excess play. That amounts to a less than satisfying ride for sure.

 

I think I'll start with Bilteins HDs all round. At least that'll eliminate shocks from the equation.

 

I dropped into Precision Parts and bought a pair of Sachs Super Touring fronts and a pair of used out of 02 stiff for the rears. Should be interesting, but it's too cold in the garage to go do it now.