Dear All,

I'm slowly getting my front suspension back on my 1981 W123 300D. But before I reassemble the bits I wanted to check to see if anyone had ever heard of lower control arm (LCA) failures? I'm guessing with a heavier diesel engine these components suffer the most...

The existing parts were covered in surface rust that fell off with a vigorous brush from a wire brush. It was a bit like removing welding slag. The rust was probably at worst about 1mm thick.



They seem to be fine as they ring nicely when tapped - so there is no obvious sign of cracking. I'm 99% sure they are fine but I thought I'd check.

Here's a picture of them now during their rust treatment phase



Thanks in advance for any tips and advice you can give.