Suspension refresh for a European Road Trip

[louisv6]

Am planning a European road trip this year, and the thought of doing it in either of my cars fills me with dread.

The merc pulls to the left, tramlines all over the place, and generally doesn't feel stable at high speed.

A trip to WIM mostly fixed the pulling to the left, but at almost 60K miles, I suspect all my bushes (and all the other bits and bobs that wear on W203s) are taking their toll on the driveability of the car (it has only ever been used for short journeys from what I can tell).

My Octavia VRS on the other hand would be great for the European twisty roads (it always surprises me how fun this car is), if it weren't for the fact the seats turn me into a total cripple on long journeys.

So I've decided to just spend a small fortune replacing all my worn suspension parts on the merc. I also plan on giving it beefier anti roll bars in a quest for slightly sportier cornering (it's already a Sport, but the built-in roll is laughable really).

Having been through this exercise before with a number of my cars, I think replacing everything at once has got to be better than trying to track down which particular part is causing undesirable behaviour, replacing it, and then finding something else needs doing.

So, I suppose the question is: "Which parts wear, and thus which should I consider replacing in my quest for an as-new driving experience?" (I know, that's an almost stupidly expensive question ).

Also: if anyone has any favourite driving road recommendations in and around France, they'd be gratefully received

[st13phil]

Originally Posted by louisv6

Also: if anyone has any favourite driving road recommendations in and around France, they'd be gratefully received

Lots of suggestions available if you can give me a clue as to favoured / not favoured locations and preferred time of year?

[Chrishazle]

I used the same logic on my S203 last year. Replaced entire ARB and retainers instead of just the bushes - new complete ARB was not expensive, came with bushes bonded to it. Also replaced lower links and the big rubber bushes - bought parts from MB Manchester so bushes were not pre-installed, but I believe you can buy the lower links elsewhere with the bushes pre-fitted. Also replaced the connecting arm - the one with the rose joints each end, don't know the proper name for it. Total parts cost about £270, fitted by a local garage for £115 (not the first W203 front end they'd done, they still had the parts from the previous one in the bin!). Transformed the ride from lumpy to magic carpet - also cured the earache from the passenger seat (SWMBO!).

[louisv6]

Originally Posted by st13phil

Lots of suggestions available if you can give me a clue as to favoured / not favoured locations and preferred time of year?

We're heading to Montpellier for a wedding toward the end of a two week trip.

Mostly driving through and around France, Nice, Monaco, and any great driving roads we can find really. Happy to stray into Italy, Spain...

Will be July this year, so hot!

Thanks for any suggestions

[louisv6]

Originally Posted by Chrishazle

I used the same logic on my S203 last year. Replaced entire ARB and retainers instead of just the bushes - new complete ARB was not expensive, came with bushes bonded to it. Also replaced lower links and the big rubber bushes - bought parts from MB Manchester so bushes were not pre-installed, but I believe you can buy the lower links elsewhere with the bushes pre-fitted. Also replaced the connecting arm - the one with the rose joints each end, don't know the proper name for it. Total parts cost about £270, fitted by a local garage for £115 (not the first W203 front end they'd done, they still had the parts from the previous one in the bin!). Transformed the ride from lumpy to magic carpet - also cured the earache from the passenger seat (SWMBO!).

Thanks Chrishazle - anyone know the 'proper' name for the connecting arm so I can go and bother my local supplier?

Also anything anyone else would consider replacing at the same time? On my old VWs it would always be the strut top mounts which would perish over time, but don't know if the same is true of a C Class. Probably showing my lack of knowledge here

[st13phil]

Originally Posted by louisv6

We're heading to Montpellier for a wedding toward the end of a two week trip.

Hmmm… Montpellier towards the end of a two week trip. I guess it depends upon how much driving and how much staying put you want to do, but if you’re looking for some interesting driving roads then my advice would be to head for areas with mountains, e.g. the Alsace / Vosges, Jura, Ardeche and the Haute Alpes & Alpes Maritimes if north/east of Montpellier, or the Pyrenees & Catalunya if south/west of Montpellier. If you fancy Italy, then I’d suggest the Sud-Tyrol or the Dolomites as it's much more interesting to drive in than (say) Toscana, and it's not so full of Brit tourists

Particular roads I enjoy include:

Vosges / Alsace

• Col du Bonhomme (N415) from Fraize to Kaysersberg which is fast, flowing, wide and forgiving
• Col de la Schlucht (D417) from Gerardmer to Munster
• Col du Ballon (D465) from Saint-Maurice-sur-Moselle to Giromagny
• Route des Cretes (D430) from its junction with the Col de la Schlucht to Le Markstein, then the D431 over the Grand Ballon to Cernay
• Plus a multitude of other roads in that area

The Jura

• Virtually every road radiating from St-Claude, most of which are pretty quiet and have some stunning views

The Ardeche

• The Gorge d’Ardeche (D290) from Vallon-Pont-d’Arc to Saint-Martin-d’Ardeche. Stunning views over the gorge, but can be a bit busy depending upon the season. There are some interesting prehistoric caves just off the route that are worth a look, too
• Lots of other great roads to the north of Aubenas

Alpes

• The Route Napoleon (N85) from Grenoble to Grasse
• The D1075 (formerly N75) from Grenoble to Sisteron over the Col de la Croix Haute. There’s some fast, open, flowing sections of this road that also have some great scenery. It’s hard to enjoy both at the same time, though!
• The Grand Canyon du Verdon (D71) from Moustiers-Ste-Marie to Comps-sur-Artuby. It’s actually worth doing both sides of the canyon (D952 on the north side) as the views are fantastic
• The D N8 from Ollioules, through Le Beausset up to the Paul Ricard circuit. Not too long, but a great climb and lots of fun. You’ll probably want to do it more than once
• The Corniche des Cretes & Cap Canaille (D141) from Cassis to La Ciotat. Not a great driving road – in fact, it’s quite slow and demanding in places – but the views (both inland and out to sea) make it worthwhile

Pyrenees / Catalunya

• Lots of great roads to choose from around Bagnères-de-Luchon, and if you fancy something a little different, the Parador at Cardona is a very relaxing place to stay for a couple of nights (there's a good scenic route from Bagneres to Cardona if you want more details)

Sud-Tyrol / Dolomites

• The Timmelsjoch Pass (B186 in Austria, S44 in Italy) heading south from Oetz to Merano is very scenic, especially the descent into Italy
• If you’re feeling brave, do the famous Passo dello Stelvio (S38) from west to east, i.e. from Spondigna to Bormio. This is the most difficult direction and a drive you’ll never forget!
• The Val di Fassa (SP238) has some good hotels and is ideally situated to explore the passes east of Canazei, e.g. Pordoi, Gardena, Sella, Campolongo, Giau, etc.

Lots of options in that lot!

[louisv6]

Originally Posted by st13phil

Hmmm… Montpellier ... <SNIP> ... Lots of options in that lot!

Wow - thank you - very much appreciated as we've been scratching our heads a little bit, this being our first European road trip.

All the best...

[carnut]

I can only add that the Milliau Bridge is worth a visit en route to montpellier

Millau Viaduct - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Chrishazle]

Originally Posted by louisv6

Thanks Chrishazle - anyone know the 'proper' name for the connecting arm so I can go and bother my local supplier?

Invoice from MB Manchester shows :
MA204 330 43 11 30060260 Arm 1
MA204 330 44 11 30060261 Strut 1 (?same as above but other side?)
MA204 333 10 14 30100430 Bearing 2
MA203 323 27 40 Retaining Strap 2
MA203 320 28 89 Rod 2
MA203 323 43 65 Torsion Bar 1

I think the first 2 items are the lower arms, with the 3rd item being the big rubber bushing that has to be fitted into the end. Mine were £74 each (inc VAT), the bearings £9.30 each.
Item 4 is the 2 aluminium retainers that hold the centre of the ARB in place - fitted over the rubber bushes that come attached to the new ARB. MB initially priced 4 x MA203 327 00 90 Manschette at £1.25 each - but these are the rubber ARB bushes on their own, I did not need them.
By elimination, MA203 320 28 89 Rod is the bit with the rose joints each end! £20.30 each (ARB was £46.70).

These part numbers are for a July 2001 S023 (W203 estate) C270CDI. You might want to check the russian site to confirm they're also the correct part numbers for your car.

I had this lot fitted by my local garage - they told me it took them 4 hours, they charged me £115 - but found in the process that I needed new front pads and discs (and thus brake sensor), another £123.18 from MB Manchester and £50 to fit.

Once you confirm the part numbers, have a look on eBay - I've seen some arms recently for about £50, not sure if they're MB or aftermarket. Also check partsreunited.co.uk and the indies before seeing how exorbitant or competative your local MB stealer is!

Interestingly, from the VIN, MB Manchester said I only had a wear sensor on one side, but in fact there were sensors on both sides - the sensor is only about £5, so if you order parts, get 2 just in case!!

Hope this helps.

[st13phil]

Originally Posted by louisv6

Wow - thank you - very much appreciated as we've been scratching our heads a little bit, this being our first European road trip.

You're very welcome.

As it's your first road trip in continental Europe, I'd be tempted to keep things (relatively!) simple and stay in France. I know it sounds daft, but one thing that nearly always surprises people about France when they drive there for the first time is how big the place is, and how easy it is to set ambitious daily distances that mean you end up driving all day. So, unless you want to spend long periods on the Autoroutes, plan to do not much more than 250-300 miles in any one day and to stick to N- and D-roads where you get a chance to see France rather than just a ribbon of tarmac and some service stations. If you follow that advice you'll get a chance to stop and look at things that take your eye, have lunch without rushing, and generally enjoy the trip rather than feeling as though you're under pressure all the time.

July can be a nice time to go to France as it's before the French really get into the swing of their own holidays (August) and before the hottest of the summer weather. Unless you have a particular desire to rush down to the south, my suggestion would be to spend a leisurely few days getting down there followed by (say) three or four days on the south coast - perhaps somewhere like Bandol or Sanary-sur-Mer which are both pleasant without being stupidly expensive - then head over to Montpellier. On the way back, take a look at the Millau Bridge (Carnut's right: it's spectacular) before heading back north. To give you an idea of driving time, you can do Millau to Calais in about a day-and-a-half on a mix of Autoroute and N-/D-roads without stressing out.

My other tip is to get yourself some Michelin maps of France. You'll need the red (national) one for "big-navving", and then use the orange (regional) ones for areas that you're interested in exploring. Roads marked with a green edge on the Michelin maps are classified as scenic and you can do much worse than just plan routes that take in as many of those as possible. Michelin also publish their cartography on the web, including a good route planner at the ViaMichelin site.

Enjoy your planning, and even more, enjoy your trip

[Gridlock]

(I'm going too.. )