Rear bushes

[Trog]

Hi all, some advice please. My 2002 W203 has developed a squeak/squeal from the rear near side suspension, (78k on the clock).
I took it to a local garage and they told me depending on which bush was making the noise would depend on how much it would cost to repair it, and if it was the 'sub frame', (their words) bush then the diff and axle would have to be removed.
Is there a way to find which bush is worn or is it case of replacing all of them? Also is it true that the running gear at the back would have to be dismantled?
Any ideas as to how much the work woud cost?
Any and all advice gratefully received.
Many thanks.

 

[StevenN]

My E220 is suffering a squeaky back end.
All noise points towards the Subframe mounting bush.
It passed it's MOT today as the tester said he couldn't see any excessive play.
I will get it changed anyway. It's quite simple job on the W210 without moving the diff. Just lower each side at a time

 

[Trog]

Thanks

Thanks for the reply. Knew I should've gone for the E class. Not sure whether to sell the car on or get it fixed, it's down to cost cos I don't have the skills to do it myself and as it stands at the moment the car is probably not worth that much, but I do like it though.

 

[StevenN]

I don't think the C220 is too dissimilar.
My MOT garage will be doing mine as I read they can be a pain to remove.
Not a difficult job with the right tools.
If you search the forum you should find the info you need.
I wouldn't go selling a good car for the sake of £50 of rubber

I would also search or post to find a good indy garage.
They should have seen it all before and will be able to show you whats at fault

 

[kth286]

I cannot see a squeak/squeal being subframe bushes for a start.

You are making a mistake taking it to a general garage, they will hardly ever see a mercedes and will not know the intimate details of the typical failure
points of these cars.

Always take mercs to a specialist Indie, who will have the knowledge and the tools to do the job most efficiently - thus ultimately saving you cash and making your car feel much better.

 

[StevenN]

True to say that there are a few joints that could be the cause in my case it is the subframe bush. You don't need to Mercedes trained to find a squeak.
The skill is in how to rectify it. This is where a good Indy should be able to rectify the problem easily. Sometimes special tools are required and your Indy should have and know how to use them.
However the proof of the pudding is how good is the mechanic doing the job.
I am sure someone will be able to point you in the way of a tried and tested garage in your area if we keep putting the post at the top of the pile.

 

[Trog]

Thank you for your replies. My next question is does any one know of a decent indie in the scunny area? The garage I use do a good job and they don't rip you off but they even said that a job like this is was too much for them. I've read lots of posts about squeaky suspension and it appears to be a common problem especially when it's warm, what's the worst that could happen if I don't get it sorted straight away. I'd like to keep my merc cos I've never had one before and after 18 months of ownership the novelty of having one still hasn't worn off.