nd-photo.nl

Keep doing what you do, perseverance !

kevm14

Not trying to start a war but if you are that picky about making it feel 100% new I don't think Arnott front struts are going to accomplish that. I haven't been satisfied that their product is as good as a Bilstein and honestly it is not that much more expensive to go Bilstein (i.e. Rockauto), and you still get a lifetime warranty from Bilstein.

Baltistyle

Agree and since the subframe is down, no reason to use arnott in the rear, or time to replace with oem.

Yuille36

I have Arnott's in the front and rear. Some may agree and some disagree. But honestly, I am not trying to spend $10K on a refresh. The car will ride just fine without Bilstein.

Yuille36

Progress Report: As of yesterday, the shop was waiting for the rear torque arms to arrive from Mercedes. The parts that I purchased online didn't fit, which is odd since they were labeled as E63 parts. I believe that these parts were mislabeled, and were probably for an E350, and weren't as beefy as an E63 part should be. We also discovered that one of the lower spring control arms had a stress crack in it, so we ordered new left and right pieces. Also, they're awaiting a new sunroof motor, as a pin in the motor broke, rendering the sunroof unable to close, and stuck open about 6 inches. One other thing we discovered, is that the fuel filler neck hose runs under the rear subframe, so we would have to empty a full 21 gallons of gas in order to drop the subframe. Which definitely complicates things. But now that Eddie is back, the goal is for Emile and Eddie to double team the issue and complete it by Wednesday. That is the goal. But the rear upper control arm forward is a pain in the ***, it is the only one you can't get at without dropping the subframe or cutting a hole in you floor to attract that bolt.

nd-photo.nl

This was posted last week and they also state that dropping the subframe is they way to go

Yuille36

nd-photo.nl

Thank you for this. My techs, Emile and Eddie are certified MB mechanics who have worked at my local MB dealership for years then decided to start their own business about 14 years ago.
I have complete faith in their work, as I have utilized them for all my work for the last 11 years. They will get my E63 all sorted out. Hopefully, I get it back tomorrow or at the latest Thursday.
If anyone in Northern VA needs service for their Mercedes, reach out to Benz Elite Automotive.

bbirdwell

Similar situation here. I always use AutoHaus in San Antonio for the work I do not feel comfortable in performing. I have learned a lot from them. Fortunately, they have a good sense of humor and we've had a few laughs at my expense but they are teaching me. They are former MB techs doing a great job at a significantly lower cost. Please keep us informed of the progress on your car as I am very interested to know what you think when you have the refreshed suspension on it.
I am getting ready to roll 220,000 miles in my car and will be taking it into AutoHaus for the next work I need performed.

Yuille36

But, in my opinion this is the best thing that I could have done for the car. If you own a W211 E55 or E63, then I would highly consider budgeting for a suspension refresh, lord knows these cars could use it.

I would say that your E55 is well driven with 220,000 on it. These cars are great once everything is sorted with the engine, but some of the suspension components are tired and worn out. So, instead of replacing individual bushings, which is more labor intensive, I'm replacing the entire component.
So far, we have replaced everything in the front suspension except for inner tie rods, steering knuckle, sway bar bushings and wheel hub. And for the rear, everything except for the wheel hub assembly, sway bar bushings, rear shocks. The shocks surprised me, as they still had their rebound and compression.
So, no need to replace them at this time. We did discover a stress crack in the lower spring control arm, so we replaced both of them, not cheap from Mercedes. So today, I will give the shop a call and see where they are at.

nd-photo.nl

Amen!

I'm busy with the front on my car but the special tool I bought for inner tie rods does not have the correct size for the Mercedes (go figure). So I skipped this part as well for now. I do added new grease on the ball joint area and new boots.

machild

What size do you need that you don't have? Can you get additional sizes for your tool? Seems like I have been able to get additional indiviudal sizes for my tool.

nd-photo.nl

I didnt measure it, but the one on the right is the biggest in the toolbox and needs a couple of mm extra. I will start my search, thanks for the tip!

machild

Maybe 41mm. Let us know what you confirm/find out.

nd-photo.nl

I will measure it later!

Yuille36

Update: I talked to the shop today, they were currently buttoning up the rear end, and will do a 4-wheel alignment and bleed the brakes after installing the braided brake lines and also torque all the bolts.
They couldn't find an alternative and ended up dropping the rear subframe anyway, just giving them enough clearance, to gain access to the top bolts on the upper forward control arms.
This is the one control arm, that most people don't replace, and I see why. They were still whoever waiting on the sunroof motor to arrive from the dealership. Hopefully it arrived sometime this morning.
Doing a suspension refresh hasn't been cheap, I probably spent about $3500 in parts alone, don't quite know what labor will be at this point. I can't wait until its finished.

nd-photo.nl

The end is near

100% confirmed, its 41mm

Yuille36

Let me just explain the issue with the rear subframe, the intent was always to drop it. But they didn't know if lowering it would give them enough clearance to access to the forward control arm bolts.
And the hose for the fuel filler neck runs down and up under the rear subframe, and I have a full tank of gas some 21 gallons or so.
So, the dilemma was how far could they lower it, to gain enough clearance that they needed, to get at the bolts without having to drain the entire tank and drop the subframe lower.
I guess they watched the video from FCP Euro Just kidding, these guys are bright, and quick to come up with solutions to issues.
But, I will say this issue had us up under the car scratching our heads looking for a solution.

nd-photo.nl

Glad they could solve it for you without any drastic measures

Yuille36

Latest Update: I called the shop today to get an update, and was told that Eddie was on a test drive with my E63. Some other good news, they received the new sunroof motor and installed it yesterday. So, I should be getting a call soon, to tell me to come pick her up today.
Now the bad news, how much money did the shop actually spend in parts and labor? And how hard is this going to hit me in my wallet? We shall find out later today.

nd-photo.nl

I am pretty sure you will forget that as soon as you make the first turn with your "new" car

Yuille36

I disagree, I think the sting to my financials will be felt for quite awhile. On the bright side, I will not have to do this for another 10 years or more.

Faast

or how much would you get if you were to ever sell it

Yuille36

Forget selling it, I have too much money wrapped up in this car, to ever get it back. Besides Mercedes don't build cars like the W211 anymore.
Nowadays, multiple platforms share the same components, switch gear etc.

nd-photo.nl

Exactly, look at the build quality and the materials being used in the interior. Compare it to a contemporary saloon and find a lot of hard plastics etc

Yuille36

Mercedes used to manufacture every part for each model of their cars. I said used to.
Now multiple platforms share the same parts, as the company saves money.
Nowadays, even your standard E-Class feels cheap compared to an 07-09 W211 E350 thru E550.