i took my 190e-1993-1.8 litre car for a m.o.t. test which is basically a roadworthiness test done once a year and a certificate is issued if it is.

the mot station tech said the front lower suspension ball joints are worn and need replacement.-i believe him as the car has 114k miles on the clock.

he also advised a steering idler arm kit renewal.

i bought the parts from the dealer for about 52 british pounds=85 us dollars.the labour will cost roughly 160 pounds=$256

my question is will this stop the knocking noise and reduce the vague steering symptoms.

Could provide more details on the knock?

Do you hear it all the time, or only upon braking?

hi azhari,

as i stated ,the knock comes on only at slow speed on rough ground and appears to be coming from the front passenger wheel area.

it is not loud but noticeable while driving slowly

more like a thump.

any ideas?

sunil

Worn idler arm bushes are known "thumpers" from experience.

So are worn ball joints.

You could raise the front left side of the car, hold and shake the wheel at 3 o'clock/9 o'clock as well as 6 o'clock/12 o'clock and check for excessive play.

Then you would know whether to look at steering/suspension/ball joints etc.

I would at the same time look at the steering damper, drag link and tie rod ends as these are really cheap stuff!

The sway bar bushings are also really cheap.

A couple of days ago, I jacked up the car and removed the front left wheel to check the pads/rotors.It's amazing at the number of other things you can check like the struts, ball joints, steering stuff, etc.

Picked up a lot of tips from this forum which helped me in my checks.I did the same checks for the right side as well.

Do a check yourself before you get your balljoints/idler bushes done.If you can pick up any other faults, you will probably save quite a bit on the labor by clearing them at one go.

Cheers.

thanks, azhari for your useful tips

Most likely the old worn components are causing the thump. And most likely your inspector found the old worn components!



Ken300D

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1982 300D at 351K miles
1984 300SD at 217K miles
1987 300D at 370K miles