Edinburgh suspension specialist for W124

[ndevlin87]

Hi there, I'm a new member and this is my first post. I bought my first Mercedes, a 1988 300CE, at the start of the year and it's been a great experience so far. I've just moved to Edinburgh, and would like to hear any recommendations regarding where to go for servicing and repairs. Are there any good local garages or specialists that have experience of the W124, particularly the suspension system?

The car has recently started to make squeaking, rattling type noises from the front suspension (passenger side as far as I can tell) over potholes and speedbumps, although only when cold. When the car has warmed up all is silent. I use my car for the daily commute and with the temperature dropping outside, what used to be a minor annoyance for a minute or two has now extended to last for my entire journey into work. I've also noticed that things are worst when the passenger seat is empty, loading that side of the suspension diminishes the noises. I've had the underside looked at by my local garage and visually all is well. The car only has 40k mikes however, so I can imagine the lack of use over the years may be causing the problem.

Anyway, many thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Rob77]

Why not put it into the nearest MB dealer and get a safety check on it, pointing out any areas of concern. Obviously, check their price for doing that first but I doubt it would cost much.

They should tell you what needs doing and give you a price for it. If their price is too high, you at least have a diagnosis to get fixed elsewhere.

 

[bolide]

I wouldn't bother with an MB dealer - use a local specialist

Check the front balljoints first. If they need replacing I'd replace both with MB parts

After balljoints, look for broken springs, loose wheel bearings, worn bushes, broken top mounts, worn track rod ends, knackered shock absorbers - every part of the front suspension

Also see if the engine mounts have collapsed - this is common

Nick Froome

 

[ndevlin87]

Thanks, that's really useful information, good to have a checklist to work through. Can all these items degrade due to age as supposed to mileage, given it's so low on this car? I've had the car inspected by a specialist in Belfast as well as the local garage I mentioned in Edinburgh and was told that everything looks great (exact words were "we see three year old cars in worse condition underneath").

I'm guessing that things can look fine but the bushes have hardened over time and don't do their job correctly anymore.

Will it be case of just working through the list one by one and hoping for the best?

 

[HB]

If you can get it through to Glasgow, my indy is a 124 specialist.