I own a 1984 300 SD with 131,000 miles. I am NOT a performance driver. Is there any reason to purchase Bilstein shocks for $90 instead of KYB shocks for $40? Both appear to have an indentical warranty.

__________________
Jacob Wissler Jr., Houston, Texas, 1984 300 SD

What has the warrantee got to do with it. In the auto parts game as with most of life the worst junk hides behind the longest warrantees.

Personally I would rather have a set of original shocks with 140k than a set of low priced aftermarket ones.

__________________
Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician

hello jacob

i too would be interested in that question. i will be putting shocks on both of my 420sel's next week and i'm wondering the same thing. does price equal quality???

tks
craig

__________________
Thanks Much!
Craig

1972 350sl Red/Blk 117k
1988 420sel charcoal/Blk 140k
1987 420sel gold/tan 128k
See My Cars at:http://mysite.verizon.net/res0aytj/index.html

Pound it to fit then Paint it to match!

There is only First Place and Varying degrees of last!

Old age and deceit will overcome Youth and Enthusiasm every time!

Putting the square peg in the round hole is not hard... IF you do it fast enough!

Old enough to know better but stupid enough to do it anyway!

In this case, yes. The Bilsteins are so much better than the KYB's, it's startling.

That said, are you keeping the car? If so, go for the Bilsteins. If it's just to sell it, but the cheapest things you can find.

__________________
John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

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

I just watched motorweek the other day and they showed the cut away difference between a premium shock and a regular shock. Both shocks came from the same manufacturer and the difference was startling. First thing that was pointed out was the size an quality of the seals and pistons, the ones on the regular shocks were scary. The regular shock also had poorer welds and a weld seam that ran down the length of the outer piston No such imperfections were found on the premium shock.
If you want shocks that last and are not prone to failure stick with the more expensive shock. In this case money DOES = quality.

Here is the article describing the show....

http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/goss/22010.shtml

there has been a lot posted regarding the Bilstein vs KYB shocks.

I had a set of KYBs on a 240D. After several thousand miles I thought there was something wrong with them. I checked the model numbers and then even replaced them all (4) under warranty. Still they felt loose and inadequate. The car would wallow and wouldn't handle rough rutted road surfaces, especially in hot weather.

Finally I bit the bullet and took the KYBs off and installed Bilstein HDs. WOW ... smooth, just right, loved them.

Keep us posted.

Haasman

__________________
'03 E320 Wagon-Sold
'95 E320 Wagon-Went to Ex
'93 190E 2.6-Wrecked
'91 300E-Went to Ex
'65 911 Coupe (#302580)

Yes, there is a reason to buy the Bilsteins. The reason is that the KYB's are JUNK!!!!!!

I made this mistake once. I will never waste my money on KYB's again.

Good luck,

KYB is crap. Get bilstein!

__________________
2003 E55 AMG
2007 FJ Cruiser

Just remember what KYB actually stands for:

Keep Your Bilsteins.

LOL! Good one!

you may have a warranty but that usually does not include labor for installing the replacements!

__________________
joE
1993 300e-2.8 - gone now <sigh>
"Do not adjust your mind, it's reality that's malfunctioning"
http://banners.wunderground.com/bann...L/Key_West.gif

like my koni shocks ..........

I'm looking at the Bilsteins for my 84 SD. What is the difference between the Comfort and the Heavy Duty? Is the HD for people that ride on rougher roads, or for those that like a firmer ride?

Thanks
Jerry

Here in Fort Worth a respected independent only uses KYB for replacement unless another brand is specified by the customer.
This shop claims to have had extremely few KYB warranty issues vs. Billstein. The shop also claims that the KYB shocks moderate the jarring feel when going over bumps and potholes somewhat as compared to billsteins (esp. HD). I have KYBs in my wagon and OEM Billsteins in my 95. I would say that the wagon has a slightly
softer ride, but that may be due to the extra weight and the self-leveling suspension in the wagon. Also all the bushings in the wagon are likely to be a bit softer due to age. The 95E300 has 143,000 on the original shocks and the ride is about the same as when the car was new. There is a set of 25 year old KYBs in my 3.0cs that still work perfectly.
So which is a better part? Hard to say from my experience. I'd say
that if your interest is in performance, go Billstein. If cost and a smooth ride is of more importance to you and you don't drive at the limits, KYBs will probably work just fine.
In either case, they are both easy to install, at least in the W124.
Steve

check out adsit at www.adsit.com for bilstein's. for your car
both front and rear are $59 each. (apologies to fastlane. buy
everything else from fastlane .)


correction to address for adsit as noted by haasman:

www.adsitco.com

__________________
rayroyw
_______
'85 380SE (238,300) my "new" old car!
'84 300D (303,000+)
'72 250/8 (mercy heaven)