The brief
The CLA180 had gone choppy, a rough and bumpy ride over bumps, the body floating and bouncing, and not feeling as planted as it used to. He brought it in, and a check found the shock absorbers showing signs of wear. The shock damps the spring, it stops the car carrying on bouncing after a bump and keeps the tyres pressed on the road through corners, over rough surfaces, and under braking. As the shocks wear the damping fades, so the body floats and bounces, the ride goes rough, the car gets less stable, and the tyres skip along instead of staying planted. Shocks fade gradually so you get used to it, but it's a real comfort, grip and safety issue, so worn ones need changing.
The diagnosis
On the lift each shock got a bounce-and-inspect. The fronts and rears were past it, weak damping, weeping, the body carrying on after a push, and the front top mounts tired. The shocks had all done their miles. When they've gone like that, you do them as axle sets with fresh top mounts, so it was the front pair and the rear pair, fresh shocks and mounts all round.
The work
Both front struts and both rear shocks were unbolted and removed, and new genuine Mercedes-spec shocks fitted front and rear with fresh top mounts and bearings, every fastener torqued to the manual figures. With everything back together the front geometry was checked and set so the new shocks weren't fighting a misaligned corner. A road test confirmed the ride had settled, no float, the car planted again over bumps and through corners.
The outcome
A composed, comfortable ride that settles in one motion, flat and stable through corners, and the tyres back to wearing evenly. The CLA180 went home riding properly again. Worn shocks only get softer and they take ride quality, handling, braking and tyre life down with them, so doing the lot as axle sets reset the car rather than chasing the next worn one a few months later.
