1991 300CE RIP, 1999 C280, 2000 C280, 2000 C230K RIP, 2011 C300
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722 Posts
So I finally assembled all the tools and parts needed to do most of the front end on my 2000 C280 at 125m. When we first bought the car at 35m there was a slight clunk at the right front when backing up and on the first tap of the brakes. It was never bothersome. Car drove fine, got great tire wear, never any alignment problems. Car still drove great but you don't notice a slow deterioration of ride quality over many years. Now that I have the new parts in , it feels great, no clunk, steering feels tighter, road noise over bumps much softer.
A couple of my experiences may be helpful if you decide to do this yourself.
It does require some specialty tools but mercifully they are readily available on ebay.
You'll need the spring compressor. It works great. Others have done suspension work without it but I have 3 cars to maintain so I'll get my moneys worth. The bushing press is a must if you want to reuse your LCA. You can pay a bit more and save yourself a lot of work if you just buy a complete new LCA with both bushings already installed. I have found the ball joint kit to be real handy. Again with 3 cars, it pays for itself. You'll need the upper left tool for the lower BJ at the pin end and the lower center tool for the other end of the lower BJ. The BJ is not easy to remove but if you just keep manipulating it, it comes out without having to remove the dust shield.
You can see from the pics, the rear LCA bushing was thrashed. My first attempt at pressing one out failed when the pusher got a little cocked and flared the alum barrel so I did the alternative hacksaw blade method which works fine too. The rear bushing on the other side came out just fine. Of course the real problem is pressing them back in and the tool is essential for that. Note the orientation of the new bushing. The wider part of the "V" points to the LCA.
My front LCA bushings were hell to get out. I kept pounding on them with the drift tool with very little progress. Try to get them started by hitting the lip with a dull chisel to create a gap for some penetrating oil. After I finally got them out they looked pretty much new on the back side. As others have mentioned, you could probably leave them untouched and they will last the life of the car. The bushing kit installs the new ones easily, the tabs correctly oriented to the vertical. Having a helper makes installing the LCA much easier. You'll need to press it in with your jack as the front bushing is tight.
I changed the lower BJs too. They were loose to the touch but still smooth. I had noticed oil slicks on my shocks but never noticed anything adverse with the ride. But again, I was there so 125m on one set is decent wear so I changed those too.
A couple of my experiences may be helpful if you decide to do this yourself.
It does require some specialty tools but mercifully they are readily available on ebay.
You'll need the spring compressor. It works great. Others have done suspension work without it but I have 3 cars to maintain so I'll get my moneys worth. The bushing press is a must if you want to reuse your LCA. You can pay a bit more and save yourself a lot of work if you just buy a complete new LCA with both bushings already installed. I have found the ball joint kit to be real handy. Again with 3 cars, it pays for itself. You'll need the upper left tool for the lower BJ at the pin end and the lower center tool for the other end of the lower BJ. The BJ is not easy to remove but if you just keep manipulating it, it comes out without having to remove the dust shield.
You can see from the pics, the rear LCA bushing was thrashed. My first attempt at pressing one out failed when the pusher got a little cocked and flared the alum barrel so I did the alternative hacksaw blade method which works fine too. The rear bushing on the other side came out just fine. Of course the real problem is pressing them back in and the tool is essential for that. Note the orientation of the new bushing. The wider part of the "V" points to the LCA.
My front LCA bushings were hell to get out. I kept pounding on them with the drift tool with very little progress. Try to get them started by hitting the lip with a dull chisel to create a gap for some penetrating oil. After I finally got them out they looked pretty much new on the back side. As others have mentioned, you could probably leave them untouched and they will last the life of the car. The bushing kit installs the new ones easily, the tabs correctly oriented to the vertical. Having a helper makes installing the LCA much easier. You'll need to press it in with your jack as the front bushing is tight.
I changed the lower BJs too. They were loose to the touch but still smooth. I had noticed oil slicks on my shocks but never noticed anything adverse with the ride. But again, I was there so 125m on one set is decent wear so I changed those too.
