Parts In Need: W-201/124 Rear Bushings

[M. Hinrichs]

HELLO TO ALL,
I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF A R/R OF THE REAR SUBFRAME AND ALL ASSOCIATED WITH THIS. I NEED BUSHINGS FOR CAMBER, PULLING, PUSHING AND TRACK. ANY RECOMENDATIONS TO GET THESE? EVERYWHERE I HAVE LOOKED I FIND ENTIRE UNIT REPLACEMENTS, THANKS..........BUT I REALLY JUST NEED THE BUSHINGS. IS THERE A GOOD SOURCE FOR BUSHINGS?
TIA

[Robert Goodwin]

I notice that you are outside Memphis. You know there are only 3 places outside Memphis. They are Sardis, Covington and West Memphis. You must be at or near one of those because Millington is too close to be considered outside Memphis.

Many subframe parts are available at or through the dealer at not unreasonable prices. There other alternatives available on the internet. A google search should produce about 25 of them very quickly.

[Sokoloff]

Have you tried Tom Hanson or George Murphy? George works out of Knoxville so he's reasonably close.

Len

[Harrison]

I did this same job on both my 1987 300D, basically replacing everything. Tom Hanson had all the parts and sent me a box with everything, as though it were a rebuild kit. I think it was about $700 (retail dealer price would have been a lot more) and made the car ride like a dream, with no rear-end drifting. The absolutely most worn out parts in the whole area were the bushings on the outer trailing arm. To get these in and out you need some all thread and sockets to pull them in and out. Also, you could easily pull the trailing arms and take them to a press since you have most everything disconnected for the rebuild anyway.

Count on a few days and enjoy it. You will like the results.

Bill Harrison

[Harrison]

I got off track in my last post. What I forgot to say was that Mercedes does not make just the bushings, like you have already found. Tom's prices are not way off what you would pay for the bushings alone if Mercedes offered them.

Bill Harrison

[vahan]

I recently replaced the front shocks, springs, and rear accumulators, and suspension height valve on my 1987 300 td wagon. the car has 188K


the car also has all around new tires.


After all these new parts, I am still a bit underwhelmed by the results, and I am wondering if the underlying cause of the continuing harsh ride over medium sized holes/bumps and broken pavement/asphalt is worn suspension bushings.

I have read that ideally, these w124s should have a "riding on clouds" kind of ride/feel. but I am yet to experience this on my car despite the above suspension work. I can feel most mid-sized bumps/cracks come into the cabin... for example a man hole cover that is raised by 2 inches, or 2 inches below grade makes itself felt into the cabin at normal speeds above 30mph

I took it to a local independent mercedes shop and the guy said, " i did not see anything obvious" as far as bushing wear.... I don't think he did any thing else other than just visually inspect the bushings...
so how seriously should I take his opinion?

bottom line, what are the classic symptoms of bushing wear? how do I test/examine/diagnose on my vehicle? and do you think with the symptoms I described that this car is a candidate for all round bushing replacement?
thanks
a. pahari

[Inspector]

Does your car track straight after an alignment. If so it is unlikely you will need new bushes, especially if an MB tech has had a look at them and found them acceptable.

I have a Sportline Cabriolet, I find the ride comfortable & I am fussy about that sort of thing.
I wonder what type of tyres you have had fitted, I had Continental Premium Contact 2 on the car and they were very hard compared to the Continental Comfort Contact. These Comforts go around corners just as sharp ( and I am fussy about these kinds of things) as the Premiums, but they are sooooooooo much more absorbent in the suspension department. Can't hardly hear the cats eyes as I run over them!! Yet, it still goes round corners like it is on rails. Now go figure, how the heck do they do that!! Tyres can make more of a difference than bushes I think in this case.

Also I wonder if the spring and shock settings are correct. (Shops can measure the suspension rates these days, may be get this check done to give you some more info.) Did you notice the harshness before or after the suspension change, was there any change at all after making the changes you made??

Regards, Inspector.:) :)

[Robert Goodwin]

The ride of a Mercedes, especially an older one, is relative.

At one time, we owned both the '87 300SDL and a 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis. Compared to the Mercury, the Mercedes ride was more like that of a dump truck. Now that the Mercury is gone, the 300SDL is a great ride compared to our '95
E300D, which is not bad but not as good as the big car.

The best test is to ride in a couple of other cars like yours and get a true comparison. To do otherwise could result in your throwing money at a non-issue.

[ds190]

So there really is no check to see if the subframe mounts are "bad" other than age or cracks on them? Is there any measurement that can be done (like for the front motor mounts)? Wear of the rear suspension arm bushings should be obvious, I would think. I ask as my TE and E300 are at 150K miles and I'm paying attention to all the rubber. Thanks, Dave

[BuyMBparts]

HELLO TO ALL,
I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF A R/R OF THE REAR SUBFRAME AND ALL ASSOCIATED WITH THIS. I NEED BUSHINGS FOR CAMBER, PULLING, PUSHING AND TRACK. ANY RECOMENDATIONS TO GET THESE? EVERYWHERE I HAVE LOOKED I FIND ENTIRE UNIT REPLACEMENTS, THANKS..........BUT I REALLY JUST NEED THE BUSHINGS. IS THERE A GOOD SOURCE FOR BUSHINGS?
TIA

The bushings alone are not sold by anyone as far as I know. The prices on the complete arms are not that bad. You will also need to replace all the bolts as well since Mercedes has improved the arms and made the bolts larger. The old bolts will not work. If you call me at 1-800-741-5252, I would be happy to quote you on all the parts.

[Robert Goodwin]

For dsl190:

The W124 Service Library contains all of the measurements you should need in Section 40.