W205 front strut being replaced

[Paradroid]

I've got a C300 Coupe, Jan 2020 with only 13k miles on it. Loving the car but you may have seen me on here complaining about front suspension noise. Well I got it booked in again for another check and they've said the front strut is knocking and is going to be replaced under warranty. Good news

My concern though is replacing one strut without the other the right thing to do? It's not worn out and the car is not that old or high mileage but it is usually recommended they are replaced in pairs. Going to ask if they will, but not sure how much I really need to kick off if they say no!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I've got a C300 Coupe, Jan 2020 with only 13k miles on it. Loving the car but you may have seen me on here complaining about front suspension noise. Well I got it booked in again for another check and they've said the front strut is knocking and is going to be replaced under warranty. Good news

My concern though is replacing one strut without the other the right thing to do? It's not worn out and the car is not that old or high mileage but it is usually recommended they are replaced in pairs. Going to ask if they will, but not sure how much I really need to kick off if they say no!

If replaced due to wear then it’s a good idea to replace in pairs as one will be very worn and the other brand new, so there will potentially be a difference in response and the other side will be close to wearing out assuming that they’re the same age.

However if replaced prematurely then there’s less of a requirement to replace the pair, as there will be plenty of life in the other side and the potential difference in response will be less pronounced.

All of the above is based upon replacing with a known 100% like for like part. If replacing one side with aftermarket parts (even if OEM parts supplier) then there is potential that the spring and damping rates might be completely different, so always best to replace in at least pairs for aftermarket parts.

The main dealer recently replaced the rear (air) struts on my car, and whilst it was a potentially unnecessary expense - as one looked absolutely fine - I decided that after 15 years and 120k miles it was probably due a refresh.

Probably didn’t need to though, as I couldn’t even tell that the leaking damper was behaving in any differently in normal driving conditions anyway despite having a very obvious signs of leakage picked up during an MOT.

 

[Paradroid]

Thanks - yeah sounds like this will probably be ok doesn't it. 2.5 years and 13k miles means the other strut should still be pretty fresh. Did they take care of everything on your car or did you have to pay for alignment afterwards?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Thanks - yeah sounds like this will probably be ok doesn't it. 2.5 years and 13k miles means the other strut should still be pretty fresh. Did they take care of everything on your car or did you have to pay for alignment afterwards?

There was no separate cost for alignment, they provided an all in cost to fit it. It would be best to check with your dealer. If it’s being done under warranty then push for it to be covered as part of the repair, although the warranty company may refuse.

 

[190]

The damper should not be very worn at 13k.

If it's similar to a problem I had, it's the damper adaptive mechanism that has failed and caused the knock. It's a known fault and was the subject of a technical bulletin on the W204. Note this is applies to mechanical adaptive dampers and not the electrically controlled ones. Replacing dampers in pairs is always best practice but If they won't do it, I doubt you will notice the difference at only 13K.

 

[Paradroid]

Thanks. My C300 Coupe definitely doesn't have electrical adaptive. As for mechanical I'm not sure on that. Read somewhere that on coupes, sport mode engages some sort of suspension change but am not sure what that is and it doesn't really feel any different to me.

Had a chat with the dealers today and they are saying it's fine to do a single strut, but a spring or some other components would not be. And alignment would be covered. Sounds good to me

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Thanks. My C300 Coupe definitely doesn't have electrical adaptive. As for mechanical I'm not sure on that. Read somewhere that on coupes, sport mode engages some sort of suspension change but am not sure what that is and it doesn't really feel any different to me.

Had a chat with the dealers today and they are saying it's fine to do a single strut, but a spring or some other components would not be. And alignment would be covered. Sounds good to me

Sounds about right to me too