500E Duration of Shocks
 

How many miles is it reasonable to expect the original shocks on a 500E to last before replacements are needed?

My cousin has a 92 500E and at about 230,000kms she did a ton of suspension work on the car. She replaced the shocks on all four corners and most of the bushings. The car drove/handled very well before, and I was sceptical about her spending on those items. Was I WRONG! The car felt way more crisp and controlled afterward. It was a major improvement. I suspect by 230-250,000km's that the shocks are still working, but are not nearly as effective as when new. (struts...I know...)

de Carbon type shocks are very long lived - up to the life of the car. They usually maintain their damping characteristics until end of life, then fail completely, and this is usually evidenced by major oil loss.

I've replaced one on my car that lost all its oil about ten years ago.

Duke

I would say that perhaps 150,000 miles is a good starting point -- rule of thumb.

Cheers,
Gerry

Are shocks replaced mainly basing on mileage, with little effect from the time factor?

You replace deCarbon shocks when they fail, which is usually pretty obvious because of leakage or they seize up, but they are very long lived - may last well over 100K miles and over 20 years.

Duke

Thanks Duke. Your advice on deCarbon shocks applies to W124 E320s too?

[QUOTE=blackmercedes]at about 230,000kms she did a ton of suspension work on the car. She replaced the shocks on all four corners and most of the bushings.


I would be greatly interested in a detailed breakdown of the done / parts replaced and cost if the information still available.

I am presuming that steering components i.e. tie rods and track rods wear out much earlier than suspension components?

Thanks
89 300CE
152k kms

[QUOTE=blackmercedes]at about 230,000kms she did a ton of suspension work on the car. She replaced the shocks on all four corners and most of the bushings.


I would be greatly interested in a detailed breakdown of the work done / parts replaced and cost if the information still available.

I am presuming that steering components i.e. tie rods and track rods wear out much earlier than suspension components?

Thanks
89 300CE
152k kms

As far as I know virtually all Mercedes models built since probably the seventies if not before, use deCarbon type shocks. Unless the shocks develop a major oil leak or seize, they are okay to use and don't need to be replaced at any arbitrary time or mileage interval. They can also be replaced singly rather than pairs as is normal practice for conventional hydraulic shocks.

I've experienced both types of failures. The RF strut on my 190 lost all it's oil about ten years ago, so I replaced it with a Bistein "comfort" type, which is the OE replacement.

A Bilstein on the front of my Cosworth Vega seized, and this was evidenced by unequal front suspension movement when hitting a two wheel bump - the RF would not compress. BTW, eventhough that shock was over 20 years old, I still had the original purchase receipt and Bilstein rebuilt all four shocks under their lifetime warranty for replacement shocks.

If a shock fails you should notice some type of body motion control problem, so if the ride or handling degrades, it's time for a shock inspection, and anytime you do an undercar inspection, you should look at the shocks to see if there is any signficant oil leakage.

Duke

Also note a 500E has conventional shocks (struts, really - it is a 124) up front but uses SLS in the rear. So the nitrogen accumulators get replaced in the rear suspension, but the "shock" need only be replaced if it fails - typically an external fluid leak. The nitrogen accumulators are generally good for ~10 years. Same deal as the wagons with SLS.

I haven't managed to wear out the front struts on a 124, so I don't know how long they last. My record is 17 years and about 150K miles, and they were fine.

- JimY

If you autocross or track your 500E, my OE front struts lasted no more than 2-years before developing a leak.

:-( neil

Thanks again Duke. I've got a 95 E320 low miles, so hopefully the shocks still have another 10 years to go at least. :)

Not quite right...the front struts of the 500E500 are unique because they have internal "helper" springs in addition to the main coils to handle the rebound caused by the increased weight out front.