urmatulin

Hi Mercedes enthusiasts,

I'm not a mechanic, but I try to fix my car by watching youtube videos. I recently purchased my dream car, and after driving it for a week I felt that it doesn't drive smooth like my W211 E350, so decided to check the shocks and found out some metal objects have been inserted in the middle of both front springs. I don't know what are those and have no idea why would previous owner insert them. Please see the pictures below. Please help figure it out, appreciate any info.

Thanks.


2001 MB E55 W210

BlownV8

Those are spring boosters intended to fix sagging springs.

urmatulin

Thank you BlownV8. I'll replace the front springs and shocks, hope that will make my ride smoother.

mbwillgrubs

The second picture also shows a leaking damper. How many miles on the car? The car will not ride like an E320. Different tires, springs and shocks. My father has a 2002 E55 and the shocks are gone and it affects ride quality.
I would replace the shocks and just remove and recycle (meaning, dispose of) the metal inserts. See how you like it then. It will be firm but good riding car. I like this model a lot, light (ish) and powerful. Enjoy.

urmatulin

Thank you mbwillgrubs. The car has 206K miles but inside and out still looks great. Engine and Transmission are still strong, when I did diagnostics didn't show any error codes.
Yeah, I'll definitely get rid of spring boosters (metal insert) while replacing the shocks.
I'm looking at Bilstein shocks but they do not manufacture the original A210.323.56.00 shocks anymore, so I'm having a hard time deciding between Bilstein B4, B6, and B8 shocks. From the treads that I read people say to go with Bilstein HD if I want the best choice for maintaining the original ride quality of the vehicle while meeting OE standards. But I can't find Bilstein HD shocks for W210 E55. Any suggestions on which shock to pick for a smoother ride? Thank you.

mbwillgrubs

Not sure of the differences. You will get a smoother ride just by removing the inserts. With an older vehicle one has to be happy to find the parts, even if not the preferred ones. Good luck, it will work out.

v8sonly

RockAuto lists the B8 part numbers, looks like fronts are currently available:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...+absorber,7556
You can also cross the rear PN to find elsewhere.

I have the B8 on my car and it rides fantastic. I bet someone installed those goofy things just to make the car ride stiffer, I'd yank and toss in the trash.