W124 suspension renewal - should have used stiffer shocks
 

I just got my car (1992 300D 2.5 turbo) back from having the suspension almost completely rebuilt. Aaron Greenburg of MB Classic here in Cincinnati did the work for me - I am very satisfied with the quality of the job and the price that I was charged (shameless plug).

The event that precipitated having all the work done was a broken front left spring, down near where the spring rests in the control arm.

The parts that were replaced:

Front struts (Bilstein Comfort), with new bellows and bump stops.
Strut mounts
Front springs and spring pads
Ball joints
Front sway bar bushings

Rear shocks (Bilstein Comfort)
Rear thrust arms
Rear camber struts
Rear sway bar bushings and links

The car rides so much better now that so many parts were replaced and it
finally got a very competent full-MB-spec alignment. Now I know how they drove when new.

I am almost regretting not getting a slightly firmer strut/shock combination -
maybe the Bilstein Sport or HD would have worked even better. I think I was
hesitant because my experience with _stiff_ shocks has been negative - probably due to the fact that so many other suspension parts on those cars were worn out.

If all the parts are renewed at the same time, I believe you easily live with
much stiffer shocks than you might otherwise think.

I am so pleased with how the car has been transformed. Not cheap, but an
unbelievable improvement.

This one's a keeper. Here's hoping that the cold flaring 2-3 upshift doesn't
turn into something ugly.

Chris Blanchard
1992 300D 2.5 Turbo 173k
1994 E420 132k <= for sale $8800