W210 queries

[Guest bringit]

Alright mate! Thanks for your help!

[g8crasher]

Hmm some bad news for you. Apparently the entire instrument cluster has to be changed and the quote you got is pretty much market rate. :'(

[Guest bringit]

Oh well, at least we all know that its definitely a instrument cluster issue and there's no other way around it. Better than changing the things and still having the same problem. Maybe will try our luck in Malaysia, since we will be changing the ball joints soon.

Might not be changing it if that's the case as the COE will be expiring in a few years time and we are unsure if we should renew it due to the rising costs of upkeep for a car.

[Guest bringit]

Anyway, forgot to ask. For a 7 year old car, what parts (suspension?) needs to be changed?

[g8crasher]

It depends. If maintenance has been done regularly then there really isn't much to change. If you have not changed your suspension in the last 7 years, now is a good time to get it done.

You will probably need new absorbers and possibly absorber mounts. I find W210 stock suspension parts a little too soft for my liking.. abit too much roll as well. Swapping them out for a set of Bilstein Sport absorbers and springs will definitely help in improving the ride in terms of handling but your family may not like the slightly stiffer ride.

Hmm, swap out your bushings perhaps ?

[Guest bringit]

I seriously doubt that my dad has changed the suspension at all.

The mechanic in Malaysia that my dad went to last week reccommended changing ball joints.

Other than that I have no idea because I wasn't there. Went there to change tires due to a nail embedded in there, possibly due to my fishing trip at Punggol the day before.

So right now, I should be looking at new absorbers, absorber mounts, bushings and springs right?

How long would these last typically?

Actually I have no idea what all these parts does and will be reccomending it to my dad for consideration but I am unsure if he knows about such parts.

[Guest CBlack]

can try propel. check with bro me milk whether they have the parts.

[g8crasher]

Absorbers in general, have a life expectancy of 100,000kms. You don't have to change the springs if you want to retain stock ride height. A set of normal Bilstein absorbers shouldn't set you back by too much $$. I think somewhere in the region of $300+ to 400+ for 4 pcs should be sufficient.

This wikipedia entry will help you to understand more about shock absorption technology - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_absorber

Bushings are used to connect the various suspension bits to chassis ie, arms, swaybars and other pivoting points. They are usually made of rubber and will disintegrate over time. Replacing them with new rubber or polyurethane bushings is part of preventive maintenance.

[Guest bringit]

Just an update.

Last night on the way back to Singapore, the right tail lights, particularly, the brake and the light that goes on when you switch on the headlights, just seemed to stop working. We got back home and swapped the bulbs around and the bulbs and holders were working.

Today, my dad went down to a workshop at our office and got the lights checked out. Turns out something was burnt. I wasn't there so I cannot tell what exactly wrong was it. Got them to check the suspension and they said nothing was wrong, no need to change anything.

So my dad went out to buy a new tail light for the burnt one, new headlights, foglights and a wiper blade. Learnt that aftermarket projector headlights weren't legal and the performance wasn't as good as the stock ones so he didn't change to those.

Now, the car just looks like a different car altogether. Very happy to look at it! Will post some photos once I can get a chance to do so! If we do renew the COE in 3 years time, I guess it would be a great treat to give it a new paintjob, and to spray some on the leather, which my dad was told, could be done to eliminate the black marks as shown earlier.