rough suspension

[mr. gatsbury]

hey guys,

I have a 98 C280 Sport with about 67,000 miles. Recently I feel like the ride quality has drasticly declined. The shocks and springs should still be good right? Could the tires be making this roughness? I also feel like there is a bit of klunking when going over bumps and pulling out the driveway. I don't know what to check first but when I got the car 6 months ago it drove like a dream....what gives?

Thanks in advance

[kameraguy]

When my car hit 70K, I felt a definite decrease in ride comfort. The suspension was much harsher, and I also heard the random clunks here and there.

For me, I found a few problems:

1) clunking was due to a worn suspension bushing, in my case my front right. I had it replaced and the clunking stopped.

2) My rear OEM shocks were leaking. Replaced those and ride comfort was better than before.

3) Tires were worn! I replaced them and all is well again.

I found it is not uncommon to have the shocks go out before 100K. It has happenned to a lot of members on bnzsport.com.

I heard clunking also might be due to a worn springpad too.

Maybe some of these items are what you might be experiencing too?

[mr. gatsbury]

Kameraguy, that was a damn good response. Did you do the work yourself? I'm still within my warranty. Do you think they will replace the bushings or the rear shocks? Are you dropped or on a regular sus.? It seems like when you take a car to a mechanic anymore for something that's not completely broken or disabled they "can't seem to find anything wrong".....hmmmm....

[kameraguy]

Unfortunately i'm all left hands when it comes to automotive repair. I got a lot of tips of what to check from this forum as well as our other site bnzsport.com. Everyone was helpful in troubleshooting. Then with the help of my mechanic we confirmed the issues I described. Luckily he is pretty honest and was willing to show me everything he found wrong.

Regarding the suspension bushing, I found that to be a problem immediately after buying my car (I bought my 1997 C36 used at 63K miles). The clunking was random, but I found it to be most noticeable if I backed up slowly and tapped the brakes. A control arm bushing was found to be cracked and dry. I had it replaced and the clunking was gone. Not sure if this is what is happening to your car as i'm sure there's gotta so many thikngs that could cause noise, but maybe this would be something to check for you.

As for the suspension, it was stock when I had the bushing replaced. At about 66K miles I had the springs changed to H&R sports but kepts the OEM Bilstein shocks. I also upgraded to 18" wheels. At about 72K miles, I started to notice my suspension was becoming harsh. It was gradual, so i didn't notice it right away. When I had it checked out, my mechanic found one of my rear shocks was leaking bad. I eventually replaced them with Konis and the ride drastically improved from even when i first took ownership of the car. So either the Bilsteins were already on their way out when I bought the car, or the Konis are that good.

Shortly after I found the front tires were wearing unevenly, causing inconsistent steering. I had the tires replaced and suspension re-aligned and now the car runs great.

Yeah, it's tough to find a good mechanic. So if you are weary, try and find someone on the forum who is knowledgeable to give you some advice. Maybe there's someone in your area who can help.

I pretty much lucked out since nokia8860 was basically my neighbor. So he has helped me big time.

[mr. gatsbury]

kameraguy, thanks once again. Your responses are always deatailed and informative. I'll check out as much as I can with the knowledge I have.

Is there anyone in the south jersey area that could possibly help me out here???

[kameraguy]

No problem. To be honest I don't know jack about car repair, but since I sort of went through what you might be experiencing I am finally able to offer some help :p

Oh, I almost forgot. Another GREAT place to troubleshoot your car is on mercedesshop.com. It's a forum geared specifically to troubleshooting Mercedes problems. The people on the forum are also very helpful. Try a search as there are probably people who have documented similar symptoms.

edit: I was curious so i did a search on mercedesshop for "clunking sound". It came up with a lot of threads so check em out:

http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/search.php3?searchid=52083

[mr. gatsbury]

nice, I'll register....

[mr. gatsbury]

had one of the mechanics check it out. he didn't test the integrity of the struts but he assured me they were not leaking. I saw all the bushings and for the most part seemed to be all intact, no cracks or anything. He did say that my right upper ball joint was bad. So that may have to do with the slight shaking at 80 mph and above. I don't think this would have anything to do with the overall ride quality...!?! Whay do ya think? I'm thinking the struts are maybe just old and worn and should probably be replaced, otherwise I don't know what the hell it is....

edit* Oh, how much were the koni's and the h&r's maybe i'll just do that.. Don't wanna f**k the warranty yet though...Ahhhhggg

[BenzMeister]

Originally posted by mr. gatsbury
hey guys,

I have a 98 C280 Sport with about 67,000 miles. Recently I feel like the ride quality has drasticly declined. The shocks and springs should still be good right? Could the tires be making this roughness? I also feel like there is a bit of klunking when going over bumps and pulling out the driveway. I don't know what to check first but when I got the car 6 months ago it drove like a dream....what gives?

Thanks in advance

I have a 99 C280, and have noticed the ride seems a bit rougher, I got some new tires back in July, a bit of an improvement. I did some checking, the front lower control arm bushings are a problem area in these cars, also the wheel bearings, In fact a independent shop told me my right front bearings were shot, I am have Mercedes check them and the bushings this coming Tuesday, My car is also under warranty until 7/05, so there would no cost to replace these items. So far the suspension is quiet except if you hit some bad bumps the rear end is noisey, having the rear suspension checked also.

[mr. gatsbury]

my rigt control arm comes in monday, install it on tuesday. Don't think it will make the ride quality any better but should take out the shaking at 60mph and the clunk. As for the ride, i may have to go H&R with Koni's. I'll keep you guys updated....

[mr. gatsbury]

ok, so the upper ball joint is fixed, had to replace the whole upper control arm. I still need to freshen up the suspension. Will probably have to go aftermarket. Oh, well back to the drawing board....

[mr. gatsbury]

ok, the clunking didn't stop, why are most mechanics such cockbags. If they don't know what the problem is tell me you don't know and you need to check it out don't just say it's what you think it could be and replace it, geeze. Don't mean to rant. Anyways, do any of you know about sway bars links. I heard that maybe it's the sway bar links...hmmmm.... Someone in an old thread said he had a boinking noise and he fixed the sway bars. I don't think my shit "boinks" but I figure maybe that's my prob. Are the sway bar links in the front and the rear cause I only clunk in the front.....????

[coolcarlskic43]

Originally posted by mr. gatsbury
ok, the clunking didn't stop, why are most mechanics such cockbags. If they don't know what the problem is tell me you don't know and you need to check it out don't just say it's what you think it could be and replace it, geeze. Don't mean to rant. Anyways, do any of you know about sway bars links. I heard that maybe it's the sway bar links...hmmmm.... Someone in an old thread said he had a boinking noise and he fixed the sway bars. I don't think my shit "boinks" but I figure maybe that's my prob. Are the sway bar links in the front and the rear cause I only clunk in the front.....???? Yes they are in the front and rear.I had this problem with my M3 .The clunking sound came from the rear sway bar being loose.That was the mechanics fault.Tightened her up and was good to go again!

[mr. gatsbury]

hey, thanks cool carl.... thought everyone forgot about me...:D

[bobcat]

About a year ago, my MB dealer replaced the following items
after my continuos complains about rough ride.

1) front L & R springs and pads
2) front L & R shocks
3) front L & R lower control arms.
4) front sway bar and bushings
5) rear L & R springs and pads
6) rear L & R shocks

All were replaced with original MB parts and under
warranty.

In additional, I paid them $280 for a set of new Goodyear LS
205/60/15 tires. (identical to the ones that came with the car)

The ride improved, or was back to new condition... unfortunately,
that lasted only less than a year. I have now noticed the ride
getting rougher again. This was confirmed by two MB service
advisors who drove my car for several miles. Also unfortunate is
that they can't do anything about it, as everything was already
replaced once as a "courtesy from MBUSA"(their words)...

I can't image all the springs/shocks going back in only one year...
there must be something else... :(

[mr. gatsbury]

Originally posted by bobcat
About a year ago, my MB dealer replaced the following items
after my continuos complains about rough ride.

1) front L & R springs and pads
2) front L & R shocks
3) front L & R lower control arms.
4) front sway bar and bushings
5) rear L & R springs and pads
6) rear L & R shocks

All were replaced with original MB parts and under
warranty.

In additional, I paid them $280 for a set of new Goodyear LS
205/60/15 tires. (identical to the ones that came with the car)

The ride improved, or was back to new condition... unfortunately,
that lasted only less than a year. I have now noticed the ride
getting rougher again. This was confirmed by two MB service
advisors who drove my car for several miles. Also unfortunate is
that they can't do anything about it, as everything was already
replaced once as a "courtesy from MBUSA"(their words)...

I can't image all the springs/shocks going back in only one year...
there must be something else... :(

:eek: now that just makes me mad....

i'm guessing aftermarket is the way to go then...