Shocking Question
 

I just bought a 1998 C280 - I've had it aligned, balanced, etc. how dow you know if the shocks are going south? The ride seems good but is a little firm on bumps and stuff. I was told this is typical MB ride - very firm. the car has about 40k on it. Also I posted a question on here earlier about fixing some bubbling in the ceiling liner in the back of the car - the felt is coming unstuck from the backing piece. Thanks for helping!

Geoff

With only 40K on the car, it would be very surprising if the shock absorbers were bad.
YUou said the car was a bit bumpy, certainly not a sign of weak shocks. I would assume the guy who did the alignment checked the suspension/steering components befor doing the job, including the shock absorbers.

jackD

Do you have stock springs or lowered car?
 

Just wild guess!:confused:

Bad shocks do not make the ride firmer. Push down on one corner of the car and release, it should return to its original position without bouncing. I don't see how a shock could possibly be bad at 40k miles.

Welcome to the world of MB...which = firm ride....If you have bad shocks your car will feel as though it is floating and feel like its going to tip over when you take a fast turn. This is called body roll. Kinda like a 70's lincoln :D

As far as the headliner goes you can use 3M spray adhesive.

Hope this helps

Thanks everyone - so I guess firm ride is good. As far as the liner goes, the dealership is fixing it for free - advisor said it has been a problem with C280 and C220s. Bad glue job I guess.

Geoff

Well Geoff, I don't know if you've ever driven many other European cars or at least non-American cars, but I am yet to find many cars that ride better than my 190E.
Some I've driven recently I can remember are worse riding are E46 BMW 318i, '00 Volvo V70, '98 Honda Accord, any VW, any Audi except A8 and possibly new A6. I don't think any Japanese cars do except some Lexus.

Large BMWs tend to ride better, and newer Mercedes including the 300E.

I can't remember the ride on the C-class, but it hopefully isn't much worse than a 190E - you could never describe a 190 or 300 as firm.

So perhaps you have a problem? Try and ride in some other MBs to get an idea.