I am fairly certain I have a rear bearing going out on my 2004 E55. I was considering replacing the links at the same time, but I saw the pics at the end of this post:

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...ely-stuck.html

and I think that's going to be a bit of work without a proper lift, so I'm considering just doing the bearing only. Brake pads were changed about 10K miles ago, so those are still good.
While I have it apart, is there anything else I should do?

If you have star so you can relieve pressure in the bag, just remove the arm and press the bushing out. But if it's good I would leave the bushing til you do rear suspension refresh changing everything.

Btw, what milage are you at? If your car have high mileage or lots of rust, new abs rings and brake shields could be good to stock up.

About 125K miles. Rust isn't bad at all, from when I did the pads.
What all would be included in this suspension refresh you speak of? It looks like all of the rear links would be less than $150 per side. How hard is the top side to get to? That's my main concern. If I'm into it that far, and it's only three more bolts, then it seems like a good idea. I just don't know if this is something that needs to be replaced, and I'd rather save the $$$.

I've read the front links are a lot easier. The front snaps and cracks when I turn on my gravel driveway, so I'm sure those bushings are shot. I plan on replacing bearings, bushings, etc. for sure there.

Does someone have a suggested parts list for this refresh?

Oh, and I do have Star DAS.

150 per side, which brand are you looking at? I'm thinking all the links, and the separate bushings. 150 sound cheap. Get a good brand like lemförder. The top is not hard, you remove or spin the brake shield and you get access to the front. Follow wis instructions for deflate and inflate the bags. Alignment afterwards.

The front is pretty straightforward, you need a good balljoint separator and a handpress for the lower balljoint if you don't remove the entire assembly and use a stationary press.

Pressing in the lower front balljoints is a pain. I used a large pipe to hold the assembly in place while using the hand press.

Search w211 balljoint press and you find the tool.
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Okay, so I replaced the bearing yesterday. I checked both wheels, and the passenger side seemed slightly loose, with maybe a couple thousandths of barely detectable play. I pulled the old bearing to discover that the outer race was cracked. Getting the inner race out was very difficult. I tried using a chisel as a wedge to work it away from the flange. I welded a ring on it to try to use my hydraulic puller, and the welds just cracked off portions of the race. I eventually ground down one side, and used a chisel to crack it. It's obvious to me that I was never going to get it off non destructive, because it took a lot of force on the hydraulic press to press on the new bearing. If you don't have a press, I think your only option for an in-house repair is to buy the axle flange with the bearing. I'm not sure that's even an option though.

One other thing. The CV joint is just a little too big to get a wrench on the bearing bolts. If they would have moved the bolts out a little, this would be a simple repair that wouldn't require removal of the spindle plate.

So, now it's almost back together. I am stuck at needing to relax the parking brake cable. I've found posts, but no videos, or good pictures/explanation of the process. Should I do it from the bottom, or go at it from the top, removing the rear seat?

Are you talking about the bearing race which sit on the hub shaft once the bearing is separated? If yes there are special tool for that but i always just grind an hit with chisel like you said.

For the inner, press is best.

I have not relaxed handbrake e55 but the older Mercedes I have done it on had a point above the driveshaft with a bolt turned to relax. Follow the cables. Also, buy wis on eBay. It will help you a lot.

I removed the shield farthest aft, and the cables continue forward of that. The next shield forward has nutplates on the bottom, so it needs to be removed from the top side. This is a 2004 E55 AMG. Is this part different than stock E55?

I managed to get the rotor back on, and got everything put back together, hoping some automatic adjustment takes place. I reversed and forwarded on the concrete a couple of feet, and the brake seemed to release some, so I went for a mile down the road and back. No smell of burning pad, and I did touch the rotor. I'd estimate maybe 150F. The opposite side was maybe 110F. I can't tell if its still dragging. I guess I'll have to jack it up again and see if it spins.