I would say that at 140k on the odometer and the front shocks needing to be replaced now for most cars be a miracle but I’m not sure how long front shocks last or for that matter shocks in general.

i’d like to stick with the original equipment on the ML 550 it has the P2 package and does not have the air Matic suspension option.

I would say I have a little time before they really need to be replaced but they are making some noise or a bit of noise when going over speed bumps so I was wondering along with the little time and the options available to me either original equipment or if the aftermarket might be a better place to start looking.

Has anyone had success with one particular brand is there a better brand to go with if I go aftermarket or which is the original equipment brand so I can use that as a baseline or benchmark to decide really just looking for some general advice and where to start and how much I can expect to spend to get a really good set for the front thanks in advance guys and gals

 

My front shocks needed replacing @105k miles for the same reason you are stating. They made noise while going over bumps. Also replaced control arm bushings, car rides again as it should.

Most say shocks last about 100k miles, but of course depends on driving conditions.

I went with BILSTEIN, a brand I was very happy with on other vehicles in the past,, and so far they are doing what they are suppossed to on the ML.

 

Did the Bilstein would you say bolster your ride again idk if yours has airmatic or not, but once I find out which model you have tried in that brand, I would love to hear your feedback on their quality? Wise choice from what I hear and glad they are as they should and that’s what we expect in our MB’s!

all the best- Steve

 

No Airmatic.

Yes, it made the ride much better again, more stiff and as you would say, it "bolstered" the ride again.

Unfortunately, I do not know which part number was used, as my mechanic did all the work.

 

Not sure where your located, I am in the northwest burbs of Chicago, area, and should try and find a mechanic who might be a good fit. But thanks for the reply, and for letting me know. That’s too bad because I’m seeing some really cheap options v expensive ones and hard to tell which one is right for the non Airmatic as in my case.

mkderafor ** maybe place this in a new thread non- airmatic shock replacement options?

Tia- Steve

 

You have struts up front, not shocks. This means the spring is part of the assembly and you'll need the proper tools to safely compress the spring to replace the strut cartridge (or shock portion as you call it) I also went with Bilstein.... Saved a few hundred dollars over the MB parts. At first the ride seemed overly stiff, but now it's ok. Either I simply got used to it or the shocks had to break-in a little, or because it was so bad before (one shock was leaking oil) You're in the rust belt so take a good look at your springs also. Rockauto.com has good prices on parts, or Ebay.

 

And if anyone knows what's best, ........ E55Greasemonkey does!!!!!

 

Yeah anyone with the name grease monkey I’ll take your word for it thanks for the tips. So I would prefer a stiffer ride up front actually I tend to be a heavier breaker in a later breaker so anything to save money as well you’re saying Bill Steen is the best over MB prices but I actually haven’t even looked into MVOE replacement yet so aftermarket is where I was heading first.

What can I expect to pay for the struts as they’re called I thought there were’s shocks in the front and struts in the rear maybe I was mistaken???

tia - Steve

 

so it’s essentially a coil over and this is also an independent front and rear suspension so yeah it’s a miracle they’ve lasted 140,000 miles I babied it.

somebody had mentioned while I was inside there or the mechanic or whoever’s going to do it that I should change some other bushings or any other recommendations what to look at/consider replacing, I guess?

tia - Steve

 

Check the control arms, control arm bushings and swaybar links.

 

Noise isn’t so much the indicator that a shock has failed as is the fact that the hydraulic fluid has leaked out. Proper action of a shock is dependent on internal flow of hydraulic fluid. You discover failure by observing the leakage. Of course no wonder there is noise once the fluid is gone.