Heard of "V5" brand shock absorbers? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Jeremy5848 · #1 11-11-2007, 08:59 PM

Our new-to-us 1996 E300D (W210) came with rather stiff shocks -- my wife would rather have something a little softer, so I'll probably install a set of Bilstein comforts. In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out what kind of shocks the car has now, so I can compare to Bilsteins. The current shocks are black with orange lettering "V5." A search of this forum and the Internet did not bring up a match. I suspect that these are some auto shop's house brand, but which one? Anyone care to venture a guess?

Jeremy

TMAllison · #2 11-11-2007, 09:07 PM

That may well be an OEM Sachs Boge shock with the black housing, although mine didnt have the red V5 on them. Mine lasted 185-190K miles.

Clean up the bottom 1" of it and look for the stamped name and number.

Jeremy5848 · #3 11-11-2007, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMAllison

That may well be an OEM Sachs Boge shock with the black housing, although mine didnt have the red V5 on them. Mine lasted 185-190K miles.

Clean up the bottom 1" of it and look for the stamped name and number.

Yes, they have stamped into the metal along the bottom "SACHS-BOGE / Made in Germany." They might have been installed as replacements by the first owner, who went to the dealer (Rasmussen in Portland) for everything, or they could still be the originals. My collection of receipts doesn't include anything for shock absorber replacement. I'll contact the previous owners.

Interesting that they are still on the car after 248,000 miles. Of course I don't know what they were like new.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Jeremy

greasybenz · #4 11-11-2007, 09:44 PM

Yeah sachs/boge came with the car from factory. Get bilstein comforts for a smoother ride, sachs/boge do ride a bit stiffer then billy's.

Jeremy5848 · #5 11-11-2007, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greasybenz

Yeah sachs/boge came with the car from factory. Get bilstein comforts for a smoother ride, sachs/boge do ride a bit stiffer then billy's.

Thanks, Ruben (missed you Saturday). Bilsteins don't come in "comfort" for the W210 cars -- the choice is "heavy duty" or "sport," about $100 each.

I took off the wheel so I could read the stamped lettering better: "Sachs-Boge 210 323 22 00 Made in Germany 54 1700 124 254 [Mercedes star]." Well, it smells OEM to me.

The number (210 323 22 00) doesn't show up in the EPC, it's probably obsolete. The current Sachs-Boge listings have a "standard" and a "sport" version; I don't know which version I have. It sure feels stiff enough to be "sport." It would be great in the twisties but on the rougher sections of I-80 in the Fairfield area (you know it) the car bounced around so much the CD player in the trunk was skipping tracks. That's too stiff, IMHO.

Jeremy

TMAllison · #6 11-11-2007, 10:54 PM

From memory (whihc is often suspect) the bilistien HD's are comparable to the OEM shock for stiffness.

Thats what I put on the front of mine and I like them but I also like to feel the road and dont like the slooshy feeling of "freeway bounce". If your wife drives yours more, you have to cater to her tastes to keep the peace.

For reference I have Bilistiens Sports on the rear. Too stiff for my tastes. Need to take them off and get the HD's cause the sports make the rear feel like a lowered tuner car.

*edit* The V5 may mean something. Could be a stiffer than OEM shock? Dealer may know.

Hatterasguy · #7 11-12-2007, 12:27 AM

They could be just shot original shocks, they do get kind of stiff as they die.

It wouldn't surprise me if they were original, MB OE shocks last a long, long time. Bilstein, or Sach's make an excellent product.