clk mot fail

[CLKBOY]

my w208clk has just been into the dealer for its first mot
it failed on the steering damper leaking , when asked ,the service manager said they have had a few leaking has anyone else had thier merc fail its first test ?
ps repaired under warranty with 3 days to go

 

[R2D2]

My car is 5 years old and has had 2 steering damper changes

 

[CLKBOY]

r2d2 how many miles has yours done ?
mine has 24k
i will be keepng the car for a very long time so i expect to replace it frequently then !!
i am guessing the damper may be the same across the models that have recirculating ball steering .

 

[Shude]

Mine's having the steering damper done right now

 

[mrbon]

What problems does a worn steering damper cause?

Think mine may be on its way out as my steering is all over the place sometimes?

 

[R2D2]

r2d2 how many miles has yours done ?
mine has 24k
i will be keepng the car for a very long time so i expect to replace it frequently then !!
i am guessing the damper may be the same across the models that have recirculating ball steering .

My first one went at 20,077 miles, the next one was changed at 53,687 miles!

 

[C240Sport97]

the CLK I have just got had its steering damper replaced at 20977 miles

My first one went at 20,077 miles, the next one was changed at 53,687 miles!

 

[mrbon]

Maybe ill just change mine anyway, as i have no evidence of it being replaced previously and the car has done 55,000miles so far...

 

[Shude]

Mine's being changed at 113k miles, but I don't know if it's been done previously. It's only a £25 part anyway.

 

[andy_k]

it's a quick DIY job - simply undoing and re tightening 2 bolts. Takes about 10 minutes and the "expected life" of the part is approx 25k miles

Andy

 

[mrbon]

is it easily accessable or do i need to remove the plastic shield etc under the engine etc?

anything else woth changing whilst im at it?

cheers

 

[andy_k]

it was located well behind the plastic undertray on my W124 (it's actually dead centre on the car just behind the front wheels) and no, there's nothing else to change quickly and easily whilst you are doing that little job

HTH

Andy

 

[esox]

My coupe is 3 years old at the end of the month-so i`ll get it MOT`d a couple of weeks before the warrantee runs out,if it fails on anything they can sort it out....
Only done 12,000M so at least my steering damper shuold be OK!
What`s the fourth year "goodwill" warantee?

 

[guydewdney]

sorry - must have missed somthing here - a steering damper afaik isnt part of the MOT - unless its leaking 'significant' oil....

<stands to be corrected>

 

[BenzComander]

Can anybody elaborate on the symptoms of a worn steering damper, and the change to the feel of the steering after it is replaced?

Cheers,

 

[Shude]

Can anybody elaborate on the symptoms of a worn steering damper, and the change to the feel of the steering after it is replaced?

Mine was replaced yesterday and I can't tell the difference.

 

[guydewdney]

i had mine done - the improvement was slight - but the most obvious thing was less 'tramlining' along the M4 where the trucks have worn grooves in the slow lane.. generally a bit more stable over rough roads...

 

[BenzComander]

Thanks Shude & guydewdney. The reason I ask is that there was a very noticable increase in tramlining when I put my 17" rims on. The car seemed to want to steer itself over rough roads!! Another job to take a look at

 

[Shude]

If anything the steering feels a little tighter. This could be due to me driving a w203 loaner with small wheels and soft suspension the day before though

 

[andy_k]

the signs that it's worn are likely to show more when you fit larger (wider) wheels with a more pronounced "sway" from the front end - a bit like a wheel out of balance. Under normal use you probably won't notice it as the power steering reduces a lot of the direct feel from the steering.

Easiest way to check is have a quick look underneath - if there's anyoil on the outside of the damper it's reached the end of it's useful life.

As to improvments when you've fitted it, well don't expect any revelations in the way the car handles, it will just feel a little tighter and less prone to wandering when you hit a bump.

HTH

Andy