I've been happy with my shocks until i rode in someones 94 e320 this weekend. What a difference. I assume shocks degrade progressively over time and I might be just getting used to the ride as it degrades. Is there a way to check it other than the "push down the car and wait for the bounce" test?

Are shocks hard to replace? Do I need special tools?

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Jennifer
90 350sdl

You can usually tell if the shocks are bad because the car will be somewhat "floaty" over gentle humps in the road. With new shocks, the car will dip once, maybe one and a half times and then stop.

Another sign that your shocks are bad is cupped wear on your tires which gives them a scalloped appearance around the perimeter.

Most shocks aren't too bad to replace. I took less than an hour to replace each end of my car. Most often you don't need special tools either.

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250