I was wondering if anybody can provide information about the life of shocks on this car ('97 E320). I know it is probably affected by type of roads traveled and perhaps driving style. My car is coming up on 60K miles and it seems that on previous shock-equipped cars, I replaced them with fewer miles. Any suggestion about OEM vs good aftermarket types? Is there a simple test that can be done to determine their condition. I remember the old "push down on the corner and see how many oscillations you get" test. Is that valid here? Thanks.

Shock absorber life is dependant on way too many conditions to put any mileage figure down. Have seen cars with 150K miles that had ORIGINAL shocks that were still in good condition. The quality OR lack of quality highways will cause the most wear on shocks.

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MERCEDES Benz Master Guild Technician (6 TIMES)
ASE Master Technician
Mercedes Benz Star Technician (2 times)
44 years foreign automotive repair
27 Years M.B. Shop foreman (dealer)
MB technical information Specialist (15 years)
190E 2.3 16V ITS SCCA race car (sold)
1986 190E 2.3 16V 2.5 (sold)
Retired Moderator

i don't know what your warranty is like but mine was good for 100,000 kms(62000 miles).of course when my troubles arose my odo was at 107,000 kms.go figure!doh!

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'95 s500 (bought for wife but can't bear to share!!!) 125kms
'92 legend 180kms
'88 tbirdturbo(fantastic car-only regular maint.)120kms
'87 mustang gt(gone)
'86 tbirdturbo(gone)
'85 mustang gt(gone-but not forgotten)

I had a shock failure at 73K. It didn't wear out it actually failed. I bought the car at 63K so I don't know how the car was driven but it looked in good shape when I bought it.

Our 1990 190E 2.6 has 339,000 kilometers (211,000 miles), and sits on the original shocks. They are starting to get soft, and will need replacing this winter sometime.

Our 1998 C230 has 129,000 kilometers, and the shocks feel tight.

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John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

We haven't had shock wear problems, but the front right shock on our 2000 C230K broke after about 23,000 miles. I'm not sure if it was a pothole or if was defective, but either way the dealer replaced it under warranty.

Check your shocks for the manufacturer name stamped on the tube- (ie:Sachs, Bilstein.)

If they are Bilstein, no matter how old they are -they have a lifetime replacement warranty (with Bilstein- not Mercedes)

If they show signs of significant leaking, pull them out and send them to Bilstein requesting replacement under their warranty. Keep in mind that a small oily buildup on the shock tube is normal, and that is NOT covered.

You'll also have to find other transportation for the 1.5 week turn around time to get the replacements. I've done this a couple times on 2 Mercedes over the last 10 years with no problems.

Do you think you could post pics before and after?

I hear the 190E sits a lot higher after shock replacement


thanks!

Russ

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190E's:
2.5-16v 1990 90,000m Astral Silver
2.0E 8v 1986 107,000m Black 2nd owner
http://www.maylane.demon.co.uk/190esmall.jpghttp://www.maylane.demon.co.uk/190esmall2.jpg

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If they are Bilstein, no matter how old they are -they have a lifetime replacement warranty (with Bilstein- not Mercedes)
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Does this apply to OEM shocks?

Nope.

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John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif