bought a TE a year and half ago....it's OK and my first MB after many BMWs so it's not that different, although it is...anyway. How difficult to replace and how expensive are the parts for the front end? It appears to me as though there aren't struts on the front end..seperate spring shock positioning...is that right? Reason I ask is, it seems the front end is a little looser than when we first bought it 11K miles ago with 125K on the clock already...the front end isn't bad, however, I just don't have anything to compare it against, no point of reference. Thanks for any info...

The TE has basic gas struts in the front, and special hydraulic struts and accumulators as part of the SLS in the rear.

This board's sponsor sells MB parts- why don't you just take a look at part prices here?

They are struts, not MacPherson struts, they still replace the upper control arm. MacPherson struts are more common and have the strut inside the coil spring.

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thanks, that makes sense...not a mcpherson strut....yeah...that's right,
My guess was that replacing that kind of stut is alot easier/cheaper than the mcpherson assembly... thanks...i'll look at it more carefully tomorrow...

There is an article in the DIY section on how to replace the front struts on a W124 or similar W201.

Simple job - done the right way. The first side may take an hour the second 15 minutes.

It takes me longer to jack the car up and brace every thing than it does to actually change the strut.

Outstanding! Thank you