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Marcelc
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| New Front Suspension Dampers
I fitted new front suspension dampers and just wanted to say it was a relatively easy job which I enjoyed and it also saved me a lot of money.
The front of the ML had begun to wallow a bit so I bought Bilstein B6 Sport dampers which are a direct replacement for the OEM dampers (the old non-sport OEM damper has been superceded by the sport one according to my friendly local parts department).
I paid £250 for both the Bilsteins and that is the price in the UK of just one of the OEM Mercedes dampers!!
The Bilsteins were pretty hard for about the first 300 miles and then softened up a bit although they are still quite firm, the ML now rolls less in corners and the drive is much more controlled, particularly round English country lanes.
Just for information the Bilsteins are BE5-C664 Shock Absorber BILSTEIN - B6 SPORT 1 which are a direct replacement for 163 326 11 00.
You have to remove the front wheel well liners and support the wheel at the ball joint (I used a trolley jack for that) as the wheel will crash down hard when you remove either end of the damper. And you will need a long lever for the lower bolt which is really tight.
I read elsewhere that you should tighten top and bottom nuts when the wheel is supporting the car, not when the frame is jacked off and the damper is under tension.
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wannabfast
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| Re: New Front Suspension Dampers
I recently changed all four oem struts with Bilstein Heavy Duty, not the sport version. I had experienced similar wallowing particularly when traveling on highways with tight turns. Ater about 900 miles, I'm thrilled with the reduction in body roll, improved handling and overall improvement in stability at freeway speeds.
However, I opted to pay for installation given that the rears take more effort to install. I think the dealer wanted $2000 US, whereas the Bilsteins installed by a local shop were $1400. |
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Marcelc
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| Re: New Front Suspension Dampers
Unless I have misunderstood, Bilstein B6 shocks are variously described as Sports or Heavy Duty, or at least I cannot find a different part number applicable to the W163.
And I agree with your comments about the handling and stability. |
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pleubner
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Basel, Switzerland
Vehicle(s): ML270CDI Brabus-W163,SL55 AMG-R230,ML320 CDI-W164
| RE: New Front Suspension Dampers
hey ! where's the pictured DIY writeup ?  I need to do this also ..... wanted to profit from someone else for a change!!!!!  |
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Marcelc
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| RE: New Front Suspension Dampers
pleubner - 2/28/2008 9:18 PM
hey ! where's the pictured DIY writeup ? I need to do this also ..... wanted to profit from someone else for a change!!!!!
You don't need pictures as the job is quite straightforward but there are some links from http://www.whnet.com/4x4/ml_springs.html
The front dampers are really not hard to replace, just remember to support the brake assembly at the balljoint when undoing the damper so the brake assembly doesn't crash to the ground.
I used two axle stands on the chassis for stability and a trolley jack to support the balljoint.
The top nut is easy to reach when the wheel well liner is removed, I found removing the wheel well liner was the worst part of the whole process.
The bottom nut is easy to reach but hard to undo as it is very tight.
The rears look a bit harder except removing the wheel well liner may not be necessary, however, for the moment I don't need to change the rear dampers.
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pleubner
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Basel, Switzerland
Vehicle(s): ML270CDI Brabus-W163,SL55 AMG-R230,ML320 CDI-W164
| RE: New Front Suspension Dampers
OK ... I'll give it a go soom ..... Thanks. |
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rudeney
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| Re: New Front Suspension Dampers
Front shocks (a.k.a. dampers) are super-easy to replace. Marcel is correct that removing the wheel liner as being the “worst” part, but that’s really not hard, either. I did mine, and with the wheel liner removed, I noticed the easy access I had to the spark plugs and other engine components. When it came time for new plugs, I did it the job through the wheel wells and other than one tough plug, it was also super-easy. Here’s pics of my spark plug job, which also show the shocks: http://mercedesml.info/plugs/index.htm |
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