I have been quoted 4 hours labor by the indy to change the subframe bushings.
Before I said yes, I wanted to find out if that is correct. This shop has been known to overcharge.
it's for a 87 260E.
thnx.

__________________
Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

4 hours isnt too bad, I think it usually takes more.

__________________
Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.

Exactly which bushings are you talking about? If you are indeed talking about the rear subframe bushings, that would be a pretty quick job, much less than four hours. The differential to subframe bushings, however, is a tougher job requiring a specific puller.

Have a great day,

Well the shop wasn't honest enough with me on this one. Last time it was in the shop they mentioned that the differential bushings were worn and one arm link on each side need to be replaced.
But after I picked up the car the symptoms of fishtailing came back. So i went back and complained. now they are saying that the cross link bushings (from what I recall) are worn. The guy at the shop mentioned that these are bushings where all the cross members/control arms join and then attach to the body.
I asked them why they never found this to be faulty when they initially charged me the $650 to do the differential bushings, and he said they didnt "notice" it then. That is why I am questioning their labor rate now. More over the owner mentioned that once they change these bushings, they will call me to let me know what else needs to be replaced. That to me doesnt sound right from the beginning....

__________________
Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

650 for the differential bushings +labor sounds a little high.

But when you do suspension stuff, replace it all at the same time and just get it over with. Thats the best advice, then you dont have to keep getting the car aligned.

__________________
Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.

The diff bushings will have nothing to do with handling. When they go out you will have a clunking on acceleration and deceleration.

I don't agree with replacing everything. Simply raise the car safely with the wheels suspended and use the 4 P's; Push, Pull, Pry and Prod on all the suspension members and replace the loose ones, then do a four wheel alignment. Replacing dogbones that are still tight is money wasted.

Good luck,

Get a second opinion. why keep beating your head against a wall?
Chris

__________________
94 E320 with:
18" ///AMG Monoblock II's,AMG Gen II front bumper, H&R spings,500E sway bar, Bilstein sports, Eisemann Exhst, K&N,E500 Headlamps, Crystal Clear Corners, Avantgard Grill ...and more stuff to come! oh yeah 241k miles!!


My Car WOO HOO...... Now SOLD
New car.... 2001 Jaguar XJR!!!!

If you are talking about the rear subframe bushings, I was in the process of doing mine tonight. It would have been an hour job except that the hole for one of the bolts stripped. Now I am going to have to figure out a way to have it re tapped.
If you dont hit any crazy snags like this you can do it yourself in an hour.
Youll need for a 126 300sd the bushings are part 126 350 01 75 from fastlane for $115
Jackstands ($20) , a jack, a 24mm socket and a 17mm socket, and two screwdrivers to pry out the old bushing.

If you are talking about the front subframe bushings I have the parts on the way. For virtually all the rubber parts in the front it was $208 from fastlane and PepBoys said that they would do all of the labor including an alignment for $260.

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84 300SD 274K
38K miles on flatplate heat exchanger and various diesel/veg blends. prior to that 4K miles on unheated veggie blends with kero and DinoD.

I am dealing with this issue on my 1985 300D turbo. The car is in excellent shape, except for the rear suspension bushings, spring bushings, and the diff bushings, which are all 20 yrs old and shot. If I wanted to DIY this, does anyone have a guide or tips documents? What parts are needed, how to do it, etc. I have searched all the usual places. I don't want to ge into the middle of the job and end up with an undrivable car because I can't complete it. I have the service manual, but the vies are limited. Any help, tips, suggestions especially pictures, would be greatly appreciated. Anyone having economical parts suppliers for these items is also appreciated.

well this saga is related to another post I had posted earlier. The shop basically had done the diff mounts and then retightened the rear suspension without any load on the back wheels. I made the car sit higher in the back and handling was a bit wierd.
So I took the advice of our fellow members here on the forum and asked the shop to retighten it with the load on the wheels. After they did that the car now basically fishtails. Another shop I took it to mentioned that it was a sign of bad arm links in the rear. funny thing however is that I just paid them to replace one arm link on each side a month ago while the diff bushings were being replaced.
The shop owner just refuses that this has anything to do with him tightening the suspension without having load on the rear wheels... I think otherwise based upon all the threads I have read here.
So yes, I will now be taking my business elsewhere. because I definitely feel cheated and also a bit ripped off.

__________________
Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

I don't think the fishtailing is due to having tightened the rear suspension links with no load on them, but a shop that didn't know that you have to do this with the full weight of the vehicle loading the suspension should not be getting anywhere near your car!

If by fishtailing you mean that the back of the car seems to shift to one side under acceleration, and to the other side when you back off, or when going over bumps, I think that's almost assuredly rear subframe bushings. However, worn bushings in the suspension links can contribute to this problem to varying degrees. Here's a link to a post on just how bad they can get. And another one here . I've got the same problem with my 86 300E and I'm in the process of completely rebuilding the front and rear suspension and steering components and converting to Sportline parts. The front upper link (the "thrust arm", I believe) seems to wear out first at the inboard bushing. This allows the position of the rear wheel to change considerably relative to the thrust line of the car and allowing a certain degree of rear wheel steering. You can test it thusly: jack up one of the rear wheels and have a helper sit in the car and apply the rear brake. Use a long breaker bar and socket to apply torque to the wheel in both directions. If the bushings are significantly worn the whole wheel will shift forward and back in an arc. You can easily locate the source of the excessively worn link. Here's a movie file that graphically demonstrates this, and another one showing the bad link

Gary