Ben'z

Hi,

I have read many people replace the suspension around 100,000 miles.
They feel the handle is much better after the job.
My control arm bushing is not good now. I am thinking about replacing the suspension, also upgrade to E55 sway bar together to save some labor.

The questions are:

A. what should I replace?

1. control arm bushing bushing, of course.
2. Sway bar, bushing
3. Upper control arm?
4. Lower control arm? expensive! is it necessary?
5. Ball joint?
6. Tie rod, inner?
7. Tie rod end?
8. Sway bar link?
9. ?

B. Is it necessary to replace the rear suspension?

C. I found many brands, Lemfoerder, Meyle, Febi... on different websites. Which company is good to choose?

Thanks in advance for your opinion!

Ben

ohlord

www.autohausa.com up grade the sway bar to the e55 unit if you want to flatten it out in the turns.
ohlord

dsmith

All of those parts can be individually verified to be good or bad, though at 100k, they are all suspect. Lower ball joints only last 50k-60k, so they are shot, if not recent.

If you want the car to drive like new, then replace it all. If you drive like grandma, then replace what's verifiably bad.

Lemfoerder is my favorite. High quality parts, and OEM for lots of Euro manufacturers.

Get it aligned after replacing these parts.

Ben'z

Yes, www.autohausa.com. They provide Febi, Meyle, and Lemfoerder for suspension parts. However, they don't have sway bar.

Ben'z

I was told Lemfoerder makes good quality OEM part; but, from autohausaz.com, Lemfoerder is "alternate brand", and much more expensive. It makes me confused.

How about the lower control arm? Is it easy to be bad?

Thanks!

dsmith

Yes, Lemfoerder is good, and hold up better than other brands. Luckily, I have trade accounts that allow me to buy the best for the cost of the worst.

It's the bushings that go bad, and all rubber suspension bushings deteriorate in 8-10yrs and 100k miles.

michakaveli

Don't forget a decent spring compressor as springs will have to be removed if you replace the lower control arms... Don't skimp on the spring compressor, it will make the job easier and safer.

ZDmak.com http://www.zdmakrepairtools.com/wbst...CTMP=1&LowCt=0 has a decent unit

I was solid and easy to use when I replaced the front suspension on my E.

michakaveli

It's easier to replace the entire lower control arm as they have a new bushing already installed. Shop around as you can find decent prices on the entire arm.

Ben'z

Wow! It is really good deal, $220!




The cheapest Lemforder lower control arm I found is still costy, $185.95!

michakaveli

Although the complete arms are expensive, it's a pain to remove the old bushings, buy a bushing removal tool, etc... When that's all said and done you're fast approaching the cost of new complete arms.

But's it's only a suggestion. Replacing the arms complete makes the entire job much easier, plug and play. Make sure you install the updated eccentric bolts while you're at it...

01BlackE320

I have 90k and my mercedes repair shop gave me a list of suspension parts that he claims I need. Ball joints, control arm bushings, valve cover gaskets, plugs, Alignment, Transmission line, etc. All totalling $1200. The car drives like new, tracks straight, tires wear evenly. Never a drop of any fluid on the garage floor. I think I'll do nothing for now and keep the $1200. I did have him change the Transmission fluid, filter and electrical connector for $200 as that was leaking a drop and the fluid looked dark.

michakaveli

Ok....

Ben'z

The list,

1. Lower control arm, comes with the bushing, L/R
2. Ball joint, 2 sets
3. Control arm bolt, 4 sets
4. Upper control arm, L/R
5. Tie rod, inner, 2 sets
6. Tie rod end, L/R

7. Sway bar
8. Sway bar bushing
9. Sway bar link, L/R

Anything else?

michakaveli

I'm assuming that you are going to do all the work yourself? If so, just an FYI on the upper control arm on the passenger side. Installation will be challenging. There is a grommet that can be removed from the wheel well, you'll have to cut it out as it is covered by under-coating. you can use a long open ended 17mm or so wrench to hold the bolt still while dis-assembling. Re-assembly was the tricky part.

Ben'z

I found the spring compressor on ebay, the price are lower.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...MEWA:IT&ih=015

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...MEWA:IT&ih=002

The second one looks identical as ZDmak

I don't know should I try it.

Ben'z

Any suggestion for where to buy Lemforder/OEM part in good price?

I appreciate any input!

michakaveli

It's all you!