2012 W166 front strut assembly and rear shock absorbers
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Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 24
Likes: 2
2012 ML350
2012 W166 front strut assembly and rear shock absorbers
Hello everyone,
so I had my family car, a 2012 ML350 4Matic for transmission fluid change at 70K+ miles and the mechanic noticed that one of the rear coil spring was broken. I just bought the part, a Bilstein coil spring from FCP Euro. I decided to browse for the shocks/struts as well. Now I am worried if the front struts and rear shocks may be nearing their shelf life. I live in Minneapolis and the weather is really harsh each year with the snow and the salted roads. Assuming the worst case scenario of having to get the front and the back replaced I would like to know the below from experts please.
1. Can the front struts’ brand be different than the back? I plan to go with Sachs (Kit-166320) in the front and Bilstein B4 (BIL-24271011 x 2) on the back.
2. What exactly is Bilstein B6 (BIL-24273671) and how is it compared to the B4? Is B6 really worth more dollars?
3. Now that I have already bought the Bilstein rear coil springs, should I buy only Bilstein rear shocks or can I opt for Sachs rear if I change my mind?
4. Is there a vendor/website other than FCP whom you would like to recommend considering the expenses now that I may run into on parts and labor?
5. Lastly, how many hours do you guys think would take getting all 4, the front and back struts/shocks replaced? I plan to start calling the mechanics around and negotiate on the labor. What is a nominal per hour rate?
Please note that I hardly put a maximum of 6000 miles per year on the vehicle since this is not for every day use. At the same time I want to make it safe for wife and kids considering the weather here. Please suggest your thoughts.
so I had my family car, a 2012 ML350 4Matic for transmission fluid change at 70K+ miles and the mechanic noticed that one of the rear coil spring was broken. I just bought the part, a Bilstein coil spring from FCP Euro. I decided to browse for the shocks/struts as well. Now I am worried if the front struts and rear shocks may be nearing their shelf life. I live in Minneapolis and the weather is really harsh each year with the snow and the salted roads. Assuming the worst case scenario of having to get the front and the back replaced I would like to know the below from experts please.
1. Can the front struts’ brand be different than the back? I plan to go with Sachs (Kit-166320) in the front and Bilstein B4 (BIL-24271011 x 2) on the back.
2. What exactly is Bilstein B6 (BIL-24273671) and how is it compared to the B4? Is B6 really worth more dollars?
3. Now that I have already bought the Bilstein rear coil springs, should I buy only Bilstein rear shocks or can I opt for Sachs rear if I change my mind?
4. Is there a vendor/website other than FCP whom you would like to recommend considering the expenses now that I may run into on parts and labor?
5. Lastly, how many hours do you guys think would take getting all 4, the front and back struts/shocks replaced? I plan to start calling the mechanics around and negotiate on the labor. What is a nominal per hour rate?
Please note that I hardly put a maximum of 6000 miles per year on the vehicle since this is not for every day use. At the same time I want to make it safe for wife and kids considering the weather here. Please suggest your thoughts.
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Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 889
Likes: 148
From: Southern Illinois
, 2023 BMW X4, 1991 190E
can't answer all your questions but I would not worry about having a Bilstein spring and not Bilstein shock As long as the shock manufacturer says it fits it should work. As far as Sack vs Bilstein and B4 vs B6, there have been numerous post on this site about these B6. Most seem to like it . So so a search on it. Good luck .
If it was me, I have a 2015 ML 350 with 70,000 miles. I would replace both rears coils but match them and then decide if the rear shocks needed replacing. It would probably be cheaper in the long run to do it all at one time.
https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...8&goto=newpost
If it was me, I have a 2015 ML 350 with 70,000 miles. I would replace both rears coils but match them and then decide if the rear shocks needed replacing. It would probably be cheaper in the long run to do it all at one time.
https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...8&goto=newpost
Last edited by Isawelvis; Nov 30, 2020 at 10:34 AM. Reason: additional information
