W211 top front ball joint

[Welby]

I seem to be having a rough time with my W211 E320 CDI Sport 2007, 78000 mile car. A knocking has started from the osf going over small bumps and when locking the wheels. Grabbing the front wheel and a pull/push movement on the top of the tyre with the tyre on the ground I feel movement and I can just feel the play and knock on the top ball joint over the tyre when I pull/push.

I presume these are common failures for this sort of miles?

Does anyone have any comments or recommendations on the replacement, I see Eurocarparts have the Lemforder which seems to be at the top end of the replacement cost, I've ordered one in anyway, but still surprised ball joints wear out this quick. The last car was a 2000 Audi A4, from a suspension point of view a snapped spring in 10 years and 140K on the clock - period.

What next on the W211? The swoosh value motor failure last year at 68000 miles due to the turbo intake seal leaking oil over the motor, thought these cars were bulletproof...

 

[davidjpowell]

Mercedes ball joints are made out of spaghetti. View as a consumable - they are not expensive.

The Port Inlet Shutoff motor is an annoying fault that many of us with the 3.0 V6 have seen.

 

[cd1974uk]

I don't mess around with aftermarket parts. Go to the dealer for stuff like suspension parts. They are better quality, more likely to fit straight on and often not that much more expensive.

 

[Auto-mobile]

Lemforder are excellent, it's also an easy replacement, t40 bolt with a 13mm nut, a 16mm nut an a hammer is all you will need.

 

[Welby]

davidjpowell - yes the inlet port shutoff motor, couldn't remember the name. I have mine on the 4K7 resistor workaround, is this what you have too or did you go the whole hog and replace the motor and turbo seals?

Auto-mobile - I'll stick with the Lemforder I have on order then. I did see a ball joint on fastparts for £12, that really has to be mush for that money.

cd1974uk - I would go dealer for parts usually but I'm running this one on a budget, gone are the days of throwing money on my daily driver like I used to!

Thanks and cheers!

 

[Gareth]

Mine has had both front lower ball joints done before 50k, it also needed new rear springs and a new shutoff motor as well, the seals on the turbo are rubbish and just work themselves loose over time, I periodically check mine, last time I checked the side one was hanging half way out practically. Mine needs a lot of work at the moment, but I think its worth investing in, both new batteries, I think new front springs, pads all around, tyres all around and a service.

 

[Welby]

Yes I read about the bottom ball joints also being a weak spot. It does surprise me. Every airport I've travelled to has E classes by the bucketful as taxi's, my assumption was durability and reliability, a major reason for buying one. I see the ball joint tool is readily available to press the bottom ones out and refit new ones, I guess they will appear on mine in time and it seems within my capabilities to replace them, so we'll see.

I also have the AirMatic on mine, finger crossed reliability applies to this system as £500 a pair of shocks I saw online is a tad salty, let alone the effort to replace them. In fact not far from me is an 03 plate E class that looks like it is literally buried in the road, I presume this is AirMatic in its broken state.

 

[Dryce]

It does surprise me. Every airport I've travelled to has E classes by the bucketful as taxi's, my assumption was durability and reliability, a major reason for buying one.

ISTR previous comments that MB supplied a heavier duty suspension setup for W211 taxis.

 

[Gareth]

Also, don't forget yours is a sport like mine, bigger wheels (stiffer setup) which I doubt helps.

 

[jaymanek]

The top ball joint isnt expensive and easy to fix...

 

[davidjpowell]

davidjpowell - yes the inlet port shutoff motor, couldn't remember the name. I have mine on the 4K7 resistor workaround, is this what you have too or did you go the whole hog and replace the motor and turbo seals?

Auto-mobile - I'll stick with the Lemforder I have on order then. I did see a ball joint on fastparts for £12, that really has to be mush for that money.

cd1974uk - I would go dealer for parts usually but I'm running this one on a budget, gone are the days of throwing money on my daily driver like I used to!

Thanks and cheers!

We had ours fixed. About £600 at an indie. There's a revised seal that is not supposed to leak.

Ours added insult to injury with a failed oil cooler a few weeks later. Hard to diagnose, in the V, with labour cost was over £1k. Car was sold shortly after.