W126 - Need Help! Guide Rod Bushes
 

Hi all

New to MB World. Just bought a lovely w126 420 SEL - drives wonderful and is in great condition . HOWEVER quite clunky and rough over speed bumps/ bumps. Mechanic believes everything appears fine however doing a bit of research it appears as though the Guide Rod bushes is a common issue for these vehicles. There is quite a bit of info available on how to replace the bushes but I am struggling to actually locate a reliable source for them.
Has anyone purchased these online and have a source they can share ?

Thank you

moved to W126 forum...

I have an 87 420SEL with 20,000 miles. It also has a mild "clunk" in the steering when going over moderate bumps in the road. As a first phase, I replaced the steering damper. It's a $40 part made by Bilstein, and removal of two nuts to replace. It eliminated a lot of the clunk, but not all of it. I'm having my mechanic look at the Guide Rod Bushings next, and will most likely end up replacing them as well. As it was explained to me, there is a small bit of forwards/backwards suspension movement when going over road imperfections and with dry or worn bushings, this results in a clunk felt through the steering column. If you haven't already, do check out AutohausAZ. They do have these for the W126. They are $55 each, and made by Lemfoerder. Not sure of the quality here. Also you may be able to still get these from Mercedes.

My 420 will be in the shop this week and I'll inquire more about price and sourcing.