Are the front suspension arms or just the bushes to be replaced on S204?

[CyberNinja]

Greetings everyone,

The front suspension arms on my 2010 S204 need replacing because the hydrobushes are clearly cracked and certain bumps and potholes are extremely painful to ride over.

You can either buy a repair kit and replace all four arms, or you can just install the hydrobushes, the latter of which is significantly less expensive. On the whole, it appears that the arms, ball joints, etc. are in fine shape.

Really, isn't anyone just going to swap out the hydrobushes? Is it really worth it to deal with the additional trouble of presses and the like? Thanks for reading 😉

[TDudette]

In retrospect, I should have just replaced the hydrobushes on my W204; I should have gotten a new arm altogether. In addition to the cost of the bush itself, the additional labour required to replace it was nearly equal to the total cost of the control arm. It was laborious and needed tools like a press, blowtorch, and angle grinder. Tony Bones was the one who did it back then.

[jimmy47785]

Additionally, the balljoints will most certainly show signs of wear, even though they may be in good condition at the moment. It is possible that you will need to replace the entire arm soon. Simply replacing Bush is, in my view, a waste of money.

[Darrellll]

Cracks in the suspension arms are an ever-present possibility. It seems like the front arms are aluminium and the control arm is cast iron.

[Rojoires]

I have replaced all eight arms on my S203 twice. The first time, I had access to a full engineering workshop, but I still decided to replace the whole arm. Only with the right press tool can you change the main bushings while the car is still on the ground; otherwise, you'll have to remove the arm(s) from the vehicle.

'The juice aint' worth the squeeze, in my opinion. Invest in high-quality products; I recommend Lemforder because I had to redo this work on my car because I couldn't get my hands on it in time the first time. Perhaps this video will be of assistance.

[Rojoires]

 

[CyberNinja]

I appreciate all of the feedback. Performing all of the arms seems to be the most practical choice.

Despite the fact that the man using his "speciality tool" makes it appear so easy in the video up top — enticing.