while my car still has plenty of the other usual W124 problems, i think i may have cured one of the most annoying ones- vibration through the steering wheel at around 60mph- not sure if it's as a result of the following but what the hey, it might help you out there if you have the same problem. My car had been in the shop recently for new brake work, so yesterday i loosened and re-tigtened my front lug nuts to the specified torque. I also set my tyre pressures to 29front/32 back. Went out at 60-70mph yesterday- no vibration!:-) anyway, might just be luck, but thought i'd share it anyway...

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1993 320TE M104
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past:

1983 230E W123 M102
1994 E300D S124 OM606 (x2)
1967 250SE W108 M129
1972 280se 3.5 W108 M116
1980 280SE W116 M110
1980 350SE W116 M116
1992 300E W124 M103
1994 E280 W124 M104
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"music and women I cannot but give way to, whatever my business" -Pepys

It's interesting that no-one ever replied to you in almost ten years.

I have just had a terrible time dealing with front-end vibration at 60 mph (and above) after wheel-balancing had been performed. Two different shops assured me the wheels were perfectly balanced (and had extremely good roadforce numbers), yet the car felt worse than it had before the balancing was undertaken. Finally, the front wheels were carefully installed with an even 80 lbs/ft. Problem solved. The front end has never felt this good at supra-legal speeds.

There is only one downside: I'm now afraid to remove my wheels as I won't be able to reinstall them as well. The rear wheels are not really an issue since the parking brake can be used to hold the wheel, but the fronts present more of a challenge. I have been in the practice of lowering the car just enough to stop the wheel from turning as I tighten the lugs, but this has obviously been less than ideal. My tire tech used an air impact gun with a special extension to control the torque, with no part of the wheel touching the ground or being subjected to any other forces.

For anyone chasing a persistent vibration problem, this issue of bolt torque is seldom mentioned but turns out to be absolutely crucial. At least on my 126 cars, the wheels must be attached to the hub very precisely. The difference is simply astonishing.