Gabriel Shock Absorber - very cheap, any good? - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

tammik · #31 01-21-2010, 01:55 PM

[QUOTE=ah-kay;2357423]I am a cheapskate but that is not a crime.

ah-kay · #32 01-21-2010, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tammik

So,just becuase a STOCK is making a profit or growing means they are an HONEST and good company?hmmm CAN YOU SAY ENRON?cheap overseas labor PLUS paying ingnorant american customer EQUALS profit.i remember reading a post about advanced miscarriage or similiar buissness motor oil filters with pieces coming apart or not fitted right and sticks,seed and dirt found in them..

LIMITED LIFETIME warranty means the warranty is not for life,usually like 36 months or less.....and its each clerks call to replace them!its not a bad deal if the shocks last for a year or more....HOw much do they cost?
Sounds like you have talked yourselve into and justified it for your own moral just like a certain G W BUSH 43 justified invading a nation and rebuilding it because a higher power told him personally ,when years earlier he swore he was against such an endeveor.

we have risks everyday,you ride in a car where there are statisticly 100 + times more accidents ,deaths and more crime commited with them than an airliner,YET there are no security guards or checks before you get in your car.
If you look at the car in the jyard merc and can find one with a date or the odometer reads a low milage I would pull those shocks too as backups...think i know what i am going to do very soon

FREAKONOMICS is a BOOK EVERYONE SHOULD READ!but that would require you turning of the meaningless sports games,reality ****e and that show with the not much education in the field they are talking about bi polar obeying only when convient rediculous religion only two hundred years old invented by a pan handling/miner swindler.

Let me tell you why. The shocks are good for its application. Last but not least, the money I saved can be used to contribute to NPR in San Diego. I have been KPBS member for many years.

BTW: There is no need to inject any politic into this kind of discussion, that is uncalled for. A member asked for an update and we get this kind of crap.

gsxr · #33 01-21-2010, 03:03 PM

I buy chemicals at AutoZone (or other McParts stores), such as Valvoline synthetic brake fluid, Mobil-1 fluids, or the little pine tree air fresheners. But never any "real" parts. I'll hit the junkyard and try to locate good used OE/OEM items if I'm on that tight of a budget.

tammik · #34 01-21-2010, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ah-kay

Let me tell you why. The shocks are good for its application. Last but not least, the money I saved can be used to contribute to NPR in San Diego. I have been KPBS member for many years.

BTW: There is no need to inject any politic into this kind of discussion, that is uncalled for. A member asked for an update and we get this kind of crap.

There are politics in everything.

derburger · #35 01-21-2010, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tammik

There are politics in everything.Even this board.Perhaps you felt a sting because I touched on a guntoting,godfearing and one issue voting nerve.

If someone else can inject thier 2000 year old scriptures derived from mythology..............then I can inject a little of Thomas jefferson telling his nephew that Religion is bullSHI and should be avoided or that less than 50 years ago it was ok that a Republican was for abortion and the L word was thought of an ideal way thinking.

READ:The RIGHT NATION

READ: A BOOK ON SPELLING AND GRAMMAR

strelnik · #36 01-21-2010, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

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.

Wow Tom, a Simca! Life must have been bad. Makes me think of my 49 Allstate!

rcounts · #37 01-22-2010, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tammik

There are politics in everything.Even this board.Perhaps you felt a sting because I touched on a guntoting,godfearing and one issue voting nerve.

If someone else can inject thier 2000 year old scriptures derived from mythology..............then I can inject a little of Thomas jefferson telling his nephew that Religion is bullSHI and should be avoided or that less than 50 years ago it was ok that a Republican was for abortion and the L word was thought of an ideal way thinking.

READ:The RIGHT NATION

Look, I don't know (or care) who you are (or think you are) but this kind of off-topic, political rant and religion bashing isn't what this board is about and isn't welcome here. Feel free to keep it up, and we won't have to listen to it for long because you will be banned.

This board is a place to talk about Mercedes Diesel automobiles - not to air your particular predjudices against other people's religion.

gsxr · #38 01-23-2010, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derburger

READ: A BOOK ON SPELLING AND GRAMMAR

now THAT was funny!

vwnate1 · #39 01-23-2010, 10:51 AM

I put stock Bilstiens on my old NA Coupe and it rode nice (a bit soft) but not stiff enough for the high speed rally driving I like to do .

My new(er) turbo Cupe will get a full set of Bilstien HD's on all four corners , they don't ride too stiffly nor" rough " unless you think a fine Euroean automobile shoud wallow like a Caddy .

FWIW , KYB'sd are pretty good , be aware the grey colored KYB's are cheapo shyte , only buy white KYB's and then only if you must .

As a Yankee farmer I certainly understand being thrifty but cheap isn't wise , kind of penny wise and dollar foolish .

Gabriels' are O.K. for lighter vehicles and good pavements .

Hatterasguy · #40 01-23-2010, 03:40 PM

I put a KYB on my old beater SD to replace what I thought was a clunking Bilstein that probably had 100k miles on it. It felt like I put a 2x4 in that corner. I put the old leaking Bilstein back on.

In short anything else is a waste of money on these cars.

piccolovic · #41 01-25-2010, 01:23 AM

In a jam with little money, I did replace the shocks/struts at Pep Boys during a crazy back to school special they were running (one of the reasons the manager at that location started to loathe me). Since what I was replacing were totally shot on my '84 190D, I really didn't notice any downgrade, but didn't notice any improvement either. I will warn however, stay on top of the alignments, especially after replacing the shocks/struts. It is crucial, and the change can throw the alignment way off and tear up your tires. Not good finance for a cheapskate!!! And I purchased a 5-yr alignment policy at the place I bought my tires, so every three months I got rotation, balance and alignment. Everyone was surprised that I didn't have the "usual" front end problems, which I directly attribute to the regular alignments.

What I did notice that made a huge difference, was when I went from MXV Michelins to Pirelli tires. I knew I made a mistake when I turned out of the driveway. Pirellis made a good tried and true tire, but not for the 190D. Hugging the interchange from the 405 to the 710 near Long Beach revealed the mistake again, as I had to drop down a gear that I didn't have to do the day before. Oh happy day when I blew the Pirelli's and Winston tire had to give me an excellent deal on Michelin replacements.

Anther waste of money . . . auto zone batteries. They last about one year before at an inopportune time, you will jump in your car to a dead battery. Yes they replace it under warranty, but you have to do the work, or pay to have it installed and you're still fuming about being late to work or giving up on your plans that day. My mechanic put that in for me, and especially in the cold of Fargo, ND when I took my car up there, and the battery crapped out 1 month into winter. I usually won't buy an unreliable battery, no matter how good the exchange policy is. Rather have the reliability and peace of mind on that count.

However, I have done complete brake jobs, including new rotors at Pep Boys, for the price of one brake at the dealership. Even the mechanics who were OEM addicts, were amazed at how easily the after-market brake parts/rotors went on, and how well the brakes worked.

However, there is one other area I will not scrimp . . . rebuilt AC Compressor for the 190D. It's expensive, but the only one that will work is the one rebuilt by Mercedes, unless you want to be replacing freon along with the compressor, every third time you use the AC, and other rebuilds won't even make a long trip to Las Vegas without blowing up. Learned that one the hard way. Finally had it replaced in Viginia by a mechanic who had lots of experience with it and warned me . . . so, I kept the A/C running til the car was crashed into, some three years later.

BTW, the '84 190D is a great car, especially with the 5-spd. I had one for 6 years with little maintenance (except for the AC). I would love to know where you got yours, how much you paid and how much "project" you have to do on the car. I would gladly give up my 300D for another 190D in good shape. I miss the fuel mileage for sure. Mine got 37 mpg with Michelins.

gsxr · #42 01-25-2010, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piccolovic

BTW, the '84 190D is a great car, especially with the 5-spd. I would gladly give up my 300D for another 190D in good shape. I miss the fuel mileage for sure. Mine got 37 mpg with Michelins.

I had a 190D with 5-speed. Great car, peak MPG was 40 on a long freeway trip, typical was mid-30's. If you don't need extreme MPG, try a W124 300D instead. It's a nicer car overall than the 190D, but has lower MPG (high 20's low 30's, depending on the engine). If you liked the 190D, you'll love the W124. Your '83 300D is, by comparison, a dinosaur (sorry, 123 owners!). I had three different W123's and hope I never have to own one again. MB fixed most of the design flaws of the W123 when they built the W124, while creating very few new/different flaws. Try driving one someday...

piccolovic · #43 01-25-2010, 12:19 PM

I would love to try the upgraded model. I do enjoy the 123, and I average about 26 mpg on long trips. Sometimes I get a little better if I keep it below 65 mph without using the AC. That's the mileage killer on the deisel . . . running the AC. And I usually got 37 mpg per tank on the 190D with the 2.2L engine. I had wider tires than stock, or I probably would have gotten the whole 40 mpg . . . but 37 is nothing to complain about. The 190 I had did have a smaler engine that was definitely powerful and taught me what the term "torque" really means . . . LOL. Yes, I did turn off the AC for onramps, but would turn it back on as soon as I returned to cruising speed. I didn't notice any difference in mileage either from the AC on the 190D.

If you're in Tampa area, would be delighted to test drive your 124. I've been eyeballing them, but knew too many folks with blown head gaskets and almost fainted each time at the repair bill, even if they were DIYers.

piccolovic · #44 01-25-2010, 12:22 PM

I just noticed that you were in Boise . . . where were you when I was in Dillon, MT? I had mine wrecked 190 with new clutch and valve job for sale . . . LOL . . . coulda benefited by knowing there were kindred spirits somewhere in the three state area. What finally happened to your 190D?

Torie

gsxr · #45 01-25-2010, 12:42 PM

LOL! I'd be happy to let you test drive the 300D, but it would be a long trip from FL. I'm actually finishing up a restoration on a second 1987 300D (black / palomino) that should be for sale this spring, but it won't be cheap... most everything is fixed and it runs excellent. I'm keeping my blue '87 though.

The 190D died an untimely death less than a year after I bought it in 1994. I was NOT happy, since it was Cabernet (burgundy) with cream-beige interior and literally looked like nobody ever sat in the back seat. Near flawless. I was planning to keep it a very long time. Anyway, the short version of the story is that I crested a hill on the freeway west of Burley in winter, saw pure white, which turned out to be a half-inch layer of round ball-bearing hail stones. I lifted off the throttle but the car spun slowly and went into the median sideways, where it then flipped over and came down hard on the windsheild. I never touched the brakes. In hindsight, I should have pushed in the clutch and put the tranny in neutral. Live & learn, though. I was unhurt, but the car was totaled. The next day at the salvage yard, the car still started, moved forward & back, all 4 doors opened & closed, and the sunroof still worked. In a lesser car, the A-pillars likely would have collapsed and probably killed me (broken neck / head injuries from the roof smashing on my noggin). That sold me on buying another Mercedes, which turned out to be a 1990 300E. I stuck with W124's after that (and a few W123's) but never did get another W201. Photos before & after are at this link.