W124 Front Strut Assembly replacement & tranny adjustment?
09-24-2013 | 03:42 PM
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 26
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From: Ohio
1998 SLK 230 Kompresor, 2013 C300 4matic Sport (W204)
W124 Front Strut Assembly replacement & tranny adjustment?
First of all, the 300E 2.8 has 196k on it, but it looks clean.
How easy is it to replace the front strut assembly on my 300E 2.8? I can read the instructions in the Haynes manual, but is it as easy as just supporting the lower arm and then removing the strut? I've got Bils on it and they have about 90k miles with the car making noises over sharp differences in the road. Car also has about 70k on tie rids, etc., but the rubber appears to be okay. I am not sure about the ball joints. Each have been replaced a couple of times (first time the ball joint on one side went bad very quickly and the mfgr sent a free replacement and covered the installation). I know the struts are old, but could the sharp bumps in the front suspension be more related to the ball joints?
All in all, the 93 is going well. A/C is cold, has plenty of power, gets good mileage (28-30mpg on the road), with the tranny shifting fine, although a little sharp at times (I seem to remember an adjustment on the 300SDL, is there one on the 300E?), and is very comfy. MB-Tex is a great seat material.
Maybe next Fall, the 300E will have a new CLA as its mate in the garage.
How easy is it to replace the front strut assembly on my 300E 2.8? I can read the instructions in the Haynes manual, but is it as easy as just supporting the lower arm and then removing the strut? I've got Bils on it and they have about 90k miles with the car making noises over sharp differences in the road. Car also has about 70k on tie rids, etc., but the rubber appears to be okay. I am not sure about the ball joints. Each have been replaced a couple of times (first time the ball joint on one side went bad very quickly and the mfgr sent a free replacement and covered the installation). I know the struts are old, but could the sharp bumps in the front suspension be more related to the ball joints?
All in all, the 93 is going well. A/C is cold, has plenty of power, gets good mileage (28-30mpg on the road), with the tranny shifting fine, although a little sharp at times (I seem to remember an adjustment on the 300SDL, is there one on the 300E?), and is very comfy. MB-Tex is a great seat material.
Maybe next Fall, the 300E will have a new CLA as its mate in the garage.
