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  #16  
Old 12-09-2009, 09:46 PM
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Stick with Bilstein or Sachs/Boge.....all the others fail right away. The cheapskate previous owner of one of my dad's 300SD's put "CarQuest" shocks on it....they are all completely shot already.....one of them leaked all its oil out on the ground and clunks now.

I replaced all of mine with Bilstein 4 years ago, they still work perfectly.

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  #17  
Old 12-09-2009, 10:08 PM
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Don't be a cheapskate...stick with the Bilsteins...everything else is CRAP!!!
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  #18  
Old 12-09-2009, 10:28 PM
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Location: Lafayette Indiana
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Hey, leave him alone guys. I can remember not having two nickles to rub together and driving my 1960 simca in college with a bad generator for a year or so putting it on the battery charger every night, buying used tires, and other things equally chintzy.

This guy is buying new Gabriels....he's rich compared to me when in college!

When he is in a different position he can make different decisions.
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  #19  
Old 12-10-2009, 09:34 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by t walgamuth View Post
Hey, leave him alone guys. I can remember not having two nickles to rub together and driving my 1960 simca in college with a bad generator for a year or so putting it on the battery charger every night, buying used tires, and other things equally chintzy. This guy is buying new Gabriels....he's rich compared to me when in college! When he is in a different position he can make different decisions.
I can understand that completely! But it would have helped if he explained this in the original post. If money is that tight, I would have suggested hitting the local Pick & Pull (he's in San Diego, there must be tons of 'em) and finding a 201 with good used Bilsteins for probably twenty bucks out the door. Or simply not replacing the shocks at all, if they haven't failed catastrophically.

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  #20  
Old 12-10-2009, 10:15 AM
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Is there a monroe sensatrack for this model? Those shocks seem to do ok.

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  #21  
Old 12-10-2009, 12:43 PM
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I am a cheapskate but that is not a crime.

Autozone is solid company with good stock performance ( compare AZO with the DOW index for the last 5 years or since inception ) and they must be doing something RIGHT, or they rip us off with something cheesy. They offered me limited life time warranty and I can have refund or replacement if the shocks are faulty. This is a good deal and the only down side is my sweat labor if it does go wrong. The Gabiel shock must be good for it intended purposes, albeit not as good as percieved by some forum members. The issue is I can live with 30K miles and if I keep the car then I can have them replaced in infinitum.

I paid a total of $54 for a pair of rear shock, about 1/2 to 1/3 of bilsteins. I can pull then from a JY for $20+ but it will cause me time and risk my life under a junk car. Also the condition of them is unknown. I think it is a win-win for me.

I appreciate your guys knowledge and comments.
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  #22  
Old 12-10-2009, 12:55 PM
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I have to say I agree with the original poster. Something like shocks are, relatively, easy to replace. $25 a shock is worth a shot, even if they only last 30K. Keep in mind though, 30K is for many people 3 to 4 years. If they ride like total crap, then thats another story.

I recently installed KYB shocks. Not cheap by any stretch, but not Bilsteins either. They will likely be just fine for a good long while, and the car rides great with them. Many of these cars a runabouts and mile eaters for their owners, not concours cars or ultra luxo-barges.

Mine is 26 years old. I love it, but at the end of the day it isn't worth any cost. It just isn't. There are always compromises, at least for me. One of the challeges with these cars is that there were no compromises made by Mercedes when they were designed and built, so anything other than what they did seems to diminish the product. But, then again, this is the real world and I'm not building the space shuttle here.
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  #23  
Old 12-10-2009, 12:56 PM
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Whenever I feel a part is overpriced I first shop around. The next avenue is as mentioned the pick and pull or salvage yards. If there are a substantial amount of vehicles of your type in the yard. You stand a chance of finding original type shocks reciently replaced.

Old habits die hard. Now that things are much easier than our very earlier years I still manipulate things for cars and car parts new or otherwise.

Last week I purchased a four year old loaded up spotless car at the auto auction for 2900. I knew it was going to have some issues.As there was no valid safety sticker. I took it to the same label dealer for a safety check and told them to give me a list of any and all deficiencies.

Dealer parts and installation were quoted about 1500 dollars. Mostly all brakes and a couple of suspension pieces and a heater motor. Love those 150.00 each rear rotors. And 200.00+ heater blower motors.

By not being in a hurry or needing the car I sourced everything for about three hundred dollars. Plus got a guy a good job in exchange for him changing out all the parts. A cost free trade off. He was very happy as well. That benifits all involved. Almost my favorite type of transaction.

Now if I was younger I might have taken this much further. There is one in a local wrecking yard with 22 thousand kilometers or about 12 thousand miles on it. All my parts I needed are on that car and I suspect in very good condition.

I have nor got the needed sheet metal for the other car I purchased back from the insurance company yet either. The wife totalled it in a hospital parking lot. There is no hurry and I have not figured the most economical way yet. I only know that if I locate a black one it will not need any paint work. As I stated old habits die hard.

There was a substantial payout for that car that far exceeded my cost of the car from the auction two months before the accident. The excess easily purchased the kia spectra and reconditioned it. A free car basically as we still own the black one and have more than I paid for it left from the insurance company plus the damaged car.

Five hundred in used parts and a days time restores it. So two free cars in reality the offsett being the probable increased insurance premiums. It all boils down to the persons visualization and perspective of things in my opinion. You have to be aware of what you are doing and possible options on a continuious basis. Developing the vision to enable it and comprehend it may be the hard part. Most people do not adaquatly develop or learn it in my opinion.

I am trying to teach this methology to my youngest son in law currently at the wifes specifc request. He is disabled with a real bad back. We are about nine months into the project and not much upside with him to report so far.
He thought it meaningless initially so paid little intention. What was really going to be accomplished with ten dollars anyways? The teaching model I had designed was to start a project with ten dollars capitalization. So no risk, no pain. Plus results must come from mental effort and application. He sees it all happening and is now involved.

I might be a lousy teacher in this area. Or it is far more complex than I originally imagined. I set an end financial objective four to five years out. We have passed that point as of yesterday. A national building supply company approached . They want substantial product yesterday. Before that we could not touch demand regionally. I did not want or need this pandoras box.

He operates in a condition of just watching the cash flow into reinvestment and asking me where the project is going. It seems to be taking on a life of it's own now so I am not certain I told him. Too much depends also on what I do now.

Up to this point the project was basically just to teach him the ropes with some financial gain. A basic part time thing. Plus there is a visable recession out there. In a way the project has failed by not meeting it's principal objective. I seem the one getting the lesson instead.

We moved from the first stage of making capital somewhat conventionally to letting it finance a new development that is a market force in that it sells itself and we are the only people with it. Plus some prepaid incoming inventory. A recent change in the building code has occured that is being enforced and really benifits us as well.

Last edited by barry123400; 12-10-2009 at 02:18 PM.
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  #24  
Old 12-10-2009, 02:11 PM
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If the gabriels ride ok for you, what the heck, and they do have a lifetime warranty..my earlier comment about them is based on my experience...my old Zuki had a crappy ride, the oem shocks had gone 170K+ and were leaking some. I didn't want to spend a fortune (sorta like your car, it's a beater) so got the gabriels at AZ for about the same price you paid, but the zuki needed struts in the front rather than shocks, so they cost a bit more....the ride has gone from crappy to downright awful and the suspension is making all kinds of moans and groans it didn't make before that I can't figure out and am unwilling to spend any time or money on, as the car is basically a stump puller and animal hauler. I got cheap shocks, but I'd been better off leaving well enough alone. I just paid 55 dollars for OEM bilsteins for the Euro including shipping. In total, a hundred bucks more than the gabriels. Worth every penny, but this car's not a beater and we're trying to keep it as cherry as we can while still driving it every day. I have to cut corners sometimes too, but find that it pays off maybe half the time if I'm lucky. I do figure there is some wisdom in sticking with parts that were originally specified by the company that made the vehicle whenever possible in spite of the increased cost. Not so much for any purist ideal, but because of compatibility.
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  #25  
Old 12-10-2009, 05:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by barry123400 View Post
Plus got a guy a good job in exchange for him changing out all the parts. A cost free trade off. He was very happy as well. That benifits all involved. Almost my favorite type of transaction.
I have had an ethical training in my company last week. This bordorlines on 'quid pro quo' to me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by barry123400 View Post
I am trying to teach this methology to my youngest son in law currently at the wifes specifc request. He is disabled with a real bad back. We are about nine months into the project and not much upside with him to report so far.
He thought it meaningless initially so paid little intention. What was really going to be accomplished with ten dollars anyways? The teaching model I had designed was to start a project with ten dollars capitalization. So no risk, no pain. Plus results must come from mental effort and application. He sees it all happening and is now involved.

I might be a lousy teacher in this area. Or it is far more complex than I originally imagined. I set an end financial objective four to five years out. We have passed that point as of yesterday. A national building supply company approached . They want substantial product yesterday. Before that we could not touch demand regionally. I did not want or need this pandoras box.

He operates in a condition of just watching the cash flow into reinvestment and asking me where the project is going. It seems to be taking on a life of it's own now so I am not certain I told him. Too much depends also on what I do now.

Up to this point the project was basically just to teach him the ropes with some financial gain. A basic part time thing. Plus there is a visable recession out there. In a way the project has failed by not meeting it's principal objective. I seem the one getting the lesson instead.

We moved from the first stage of making capital somewhat conventionally to letting it finance a new development that is a market force in that it sells itself and we are the only people with it. Plus some prepaid incoming inventory. A recent change in the building code has occured that is being enforced and really benifits us as well.
Am I missing something here?
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Not MBZ nor A/C trained professional but a die-hard DIY and green engineer. Use the info at your own peril. Picked up 2 Infractions because of disagreements. NOW reversed.

W124 Keyless remote, PM for details. http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-used-parts-sale-wanted/334620-fs-w124-chasis-keyless-remote-%2450-shipped.html

1 X 2006 CDI
1 x 87 300SDL
1 x 87 300D
1 x 87 300TDT wagon
1 x 83 300D
1 x 84 190D ( 5 sp ) - All R134 converted + keyless entry.
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  #26  
Old 01-20-2010, 02:30 PM
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Gabriels?

Update?
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  #27  
Old 01-20-2010, 04:52 PM
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I have them installed on my 190D a while back and they are good. You cannot beat them on price and the Limited Life Time warranty. This is not a race car and is never intended to be as such so something cheap and cheerful is good for me.
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Not MBZ nor A/C trained professional but a die-hard DIY and green engineer. Use the info at your own peril. Picked up 2 Infractions because of disagreements. NOW reversed.

W124 Keyless remote, PM for details. http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-used-parts-sale-wanted/334620-fs-w124-chasis-keyless-remote-%2450-shipped.html

1 X 2006 CDI
1 x 87 300SDL
1 x 87 300D
1 x 87 300TDT wagon
1 x 83 300D
1 x 84 190D ( 5 sp ) - All R134 converted + keyless entry.
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  #28  
Old 01-20-2010, 04:57 PM
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The important thing is that they work for you, fit your circumstances, and meet your budget.
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  #29  
Old 01-20-2010, 11:20 PM
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WHile you have them...

The other thing, aside from the cost, is how do they perform? I need to get new shocks/struts for mine, and everyone told me to stick with Bilsteins. I looked around at other brands, and for the $50- $100 or so I might save on a set of all 4, it's just not worth the savings.

My next question was, how would the ride be? I asked one mechanic, and he said some might be ok "until you really need them". You get into a bad driving situation, and the cheap ones might not allow your car to handle as it's supposed to.

When I sell my car, I can point out that it has OEM shocks on it, not cheap ones, so I can justify a higher price for a car well taken care of, not one that 'just got by' with the cheaper parts.

Aside from that, people have said the Bilsteins provide a nice ride, so, it's just not worth it for me to experiment.
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  #30  
Old 01-21-2010, 12:40 AM
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AUTO ZONE FOR THE WIN!

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