Hi all,

So I have looked more carefully at the rear subframe mounts, and it is now clear to me I will have to address these. The car is from 1989, and rubber just seems to go bad. When I jack up the rear and look carefully at the mounts, the metal plate at the bottom is making contact with the mount widest part all around, and I have read and seen on pictures here on this forum that this means they have collapsed.

Now here is the question: I can find a similar set of mounts in the front, yet when I talked to peach parts here they say there is no such thing as a "front subframe." Though Thomas Pindeslki's site I see the Benz nomenclature "Bearing Carrier", and those same round rubber things with bolts through them "bushings". But obviously they have the same role as what I see in the rear: They hold the entire assembly against the body, and they look work too, just like the rear mounts.

Yet I can find no link, anything whatsoever, on how to renew these. Everybody writes about the rear subframe mounts, but no one talks about the rubber doughnuts in the front. Do people simply not replace them? Unfortunately I suspect they are the source of my noise as go over bumps....

__________________
Henry Bofinger
1989 560 SEL (black/black)
2001 Audi TT Roadster (silver/grey)

What you are facing is the strut carriers that are called many things but most importantly, the thrust bearings. They control and mute the forces applied to the suspension when hitting a bump or when the brakes are applied... pushing the spindle back towards the rear of the car. As this force is absorbed it is transfered thru a strut to a bearing and ultimately to a pair of bushings on an aluminum bracket. The bearing allows movement up and down and a pair of rubber bushes absorb and control shock and harshness. Generally the bushes become soft and/or dry and require renewal and the bearings get fouled with road debris and fail. Not an easy job, but doable DIY with some research and tenacity.
Try a search for "Strut Bearings" and should you be inclined to do the job, replace everything.

Winner answer, thanks! I will research further.

__________________
Henry Bofinger
1989 560 SEL (black/black)
2001 Audi TT Roadster (silver/grey)