before you opt for a new box - ask the mechanic to test the friction of the box, your mechanic would have a beam style in lb torque wrench which is needed to test. This can be improvised with a fish scale to read 0.7 or 0.8 lb when pulling at the edge of the steering wheel of the later W124 with pitman disconnected

With the car raised on a lift - the pitman arm is disconnected from the shaft, at this point the steering should be dead straight ahead, remove the airbag and mount a 10mm allen socket and adapter to the steering bolt - attempt to turn the wheel, it should be less 100 ncm - which is about 7 lb/ft of force - if its less than this there is a nut and captive allen grub screw on the box, it is adjusted counter clockwise to tighten the slop - only adjust in 1/4 turns and test.

If you cannot eliminate the slop and are exceeding the friction values then your box is shot, There is a independant firm called C&M Hydraulics that remakes MB steering boxes in Nevada - they are very good in their work.

before all of the above - it is assumed that the rag joint has been tested and the freeplay you are describing is actually "dead freewheel type free play" - what MB describes as freeplay is the actual play in the box which is not limp like a freewheel for 10 degrees movement situation.

The freeplay is sometimes also caused by the steering not being centred in the straight ahead position. These boxes have a bullet shaped spring loaded piston type part that eliminates free play when the wheel is straight.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)