For some reason this part number for the rear didn't come up the first time I checked the Sachs catalog:

11SACHS170 451
Shock Absorber
Super Touring

• Fitting Position : Rear Axle
• Suspension : for vehicles with sports suspension
• Labour [h] : 0,90

• Shock Absorber Mounting Type: Top pin, Bottom eye
• Shock Absorber Type: Gas Pressure
• Shock Absorber System: Monotube

I think you will probably be satisfied with the result.

So I've driven the car for a day. Initially, I was underwhelmed maybe because I was thinking the car was going to be transformed into something it wasn't. I was thinking the ride wasn't much better and didn't immediately feel sportier. This was after seeing that the original shocks were all leaking with the front/left really bad. So I was anticipating a major improvement, i.e., night and day. So anyways, I've driven it a little more and the ride is definitely tighter (in a good way) and the handling is definitely better. It's more of a subtle thing that, however, but becomes obvious (?) when you take certain turns you take everyday but where you would normally let off, the chassis now seems much more planted so you don't let off. Car is more enjoyable. So, overall, it is a nice fix. By the way, I found out the front shims were #4's as I had guessed and am assuming the backs are #3's (didn't get a chance to actually see the rears), the highest #'s. I am now convinced if I were to change the shims to #1 there would be a definite improvement to the planted feeling with probably only a slight decrease in ride. BMW-esque, possibly (but MB steering is still numb). Maybe in the future the shims will be changed out. Shims are inexpensive. Labor about $120 and would probably need an alignment. Can't imagine ever needing to change the springs. Now if I can get back the famous inline I-6 engine smoothness and get rid of the cause of the sluggishness......I'll be keeping this car for a long time.

Thanks everyone and klehver

When I replaced plugs distributor rotor, plug wires, motor mounts and drive shaft couplings at around 160K the difference was huge.

I change oil every 3K and use Penzoil High Mileage. The car generally uses less than a quart between oil changes. Before I started using the high mileage oil it was using 1/2 qt every other tank of gas so it has made a difference. Before I start using the high mileage oil I was planning to get a top end rebuild. Now, since the car doesn't use as much oil, the plugs don't foul and the car runs beautifully. I'm not planning on the top end rebuild any time soon.

Overall I've put between ~$3500 in repairs in the past 18 months and driven the car 24K miles. That's only about 15 cents a mile, but more importantly it's waaaaaay less than a monthly car payment and it's reliable.

The 300e loaner car that I get from the mechanic has 385K on the odo (the odo doesn't work). It rides good but it has HD shocks which are definately not as sweet as the sportlines. The engine in still strong too. But, the car is just butt ugly. If I get half that mileage I'll be really happy.

You might try some of those things. The new plug wires probably had the most effect on the engine performance and the motor mounts probably had the biggest effect on the smoothness. Both of those are cheap repirs and pretty easy to do yourself if your inclined.

So I've had the shocks for a couple thousand miles or so and I've been experiencing some slight pulling to the right and a somewhat choppy ride. The 2 front tires I've noticed are "feathering" (? I think that's the term) on the outer parts of the tire tread. Kind of looks like as if that part was riding over some abrasive surfaces? The tires were balanced at Costco about 1,000 miles ago. I sometimes wonder about Costco as I've had tires go "out" of balance after having them rotate and "balance" them. They (Costco) would then rebalance. I'm wondering if this is an indication that I need an alignment and should have gotten one when I got the new shocks? I will try to post pics when I can.

96C280, suggest having your local MB dealer balance your tires (using genuine MB balance weights) and align your wheels. I would never consider taking one of our MB automobiles to Costco.

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Fred Hoelzle