Mercedes-Benz W211 E-Class Rear Shock Absorber Replacement

The W211 chassis by Mercedes Benz uses a multiple link rear suspension. Mercedes Benz engineers felt this is the best way to control the angle of the spindle to the road during cornering and going over bumps. If the angle of the spindle changes as the suspension compresses the driver may feel that the car is not stable while cornering. The suspension links are not load bearing members of the suspension. Only the larger lower control arm carries the weight of the car. The rear coil spring is mounted in between the lower control arm and the spring perch on the body. As the spring goes over bumps it compresses as it absorbs the shock. A spring that is under tension wants to return to it original position as soon as it can. When the rear coil spring expands it can slam the wheel back into the ground. This alternating between the rear coil spring absorbing the shock and expanding can lead to the car bouncing up and down and a poor ride. The main job of the rear shock absorber is to slow down the rate of return of the rear coil spring so it does not slam back into the road. This is known as rebound dampening. The rear shock absorber does contribute a small amount to compression dampening but it is not the main job. As a shock absorber wears out it loses the ability to control the rate of the spring return and the wheel will slam into the ground causing bouncing in the rear end. If as you&driving your car you feel the rear end continue to bounce up and down after a few bumps, you...