124 / front end shudder

[davidmash]

I was driving my wifes E300 yesterday and when ever I went over a rough piece of road, the front end shuddered. Seemed like the wheels were 'bouncing'. As far as I know the shocks or original. Is if the shocks, or could something else be causing the shudder? The wheels were balanced recently and there is not vibration n the wheel under normal circumstances. When I try and bounce the front end, it seems the front compresses a bit easy but when I let up, it does not seem to bounce all that much, it comes back up, has a very slight rebound and settles down. I did not see any moisture on the shocks to indicate leakage.

Any idea would be appreciated.

Thanks