Just when should you replace the shocks on a 275K 300D?
I got itchy hands and was out working on my car the other night trying to change my shocks on my 275,000 mile 300D. When I got the old ones of, I found out to my surprise that hey were still gas charged.
The fact that they were still gas charged and the fact hat the car rides smooth tolme to leave them in.
My other benz, a 240D with 225,000 miles has good shocks, too

How do I know hwn the shocks are bad?

Credentials:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/rtc9/BENZ.html

I changed mine out when i got my 300d with 237000. It drove ok but I really noticed the improvement. Now it drives nice and flat. You may want to consider the heavy duty shocks if you want it to be really firm but I would say that OEM bllstiens are fairly firm enough.

One word of caution. Those shocks have been on there for some time. Lube them up real good before taking them off (bolts)

You dont want to brake or strip one. It is too close to christmas to ruin a perfectly good mood.

I might change mine again after 125000 of use. For 250 bucks in parts you get alot of value in the ride quality department.


good luck

bob c

The typical "used-car test" is to bounce the bumper a few times, then let go and see how long it takes to settle down. My experience, however, has been that you can always tell by driving. If the car pitches like a boat on the water, or heaves up significantly when you do a rapid lane-change maneuver, it's time for new shocks. Unfortunately, by the time you notice these symptoms, it's no longer safe to drive. All that uncontrolled motion can leave you with no tire traction at the time you need it most, plus the car's direction of travel is always a fraction of a second behind the driver's input. (Then when it does respond, the stored energy in the suspension springs is released suddenly, and you're sideways in the road!)

I suspect that shocks, like all wearing parts, can have wildly varying times to failure, and that the "recommended" service intervals you read are just averages of the entire field. The only absolute is that the longer they go, the closer they are to failure.

I changed mine on my 1977 300D at around 182,000 miles. They were the original shocks and were in great condition.

I just changed them "for fun". The ride is nicer and tighter, I replaced the originals with Bilstein HD's, so I am glad that I did. However, if I had not, I am sure that I would still have a good ride, good shocks and be about $250 richer.

JCD