what are symptoms of a bad....

what are symptoms of have a bad steering shock/dampner? i was told by the mecedes tech that my car needs a new steering shock because i had complained of steering vibrations. they told me i had a bent rim and both tires in the front needed replacement. i got new tires and had the rim fixed the problems fine. but when i go over bumps or uneven roads the wheels seem to wander off in the direction of anything thats not normal on the street.. can this be due to the dampner? i have a clk320 2000 with the extended starmark warranty still active.