The brief
The E200 had gone bouncy at the back and was vibrating through the cabin, two related complaints, so the team looked at both. The bounce traced to worn rear shock absorbers, and the vibration to sagged engine and transmission mounts. He had it all done in the one visit. The rear shocks damp the springs, and as they wear the back end floats and bounces and the ride goes choppy. The engine and gearbox sit on rubber mounts that hold their weight and soak up the shake, and as the rubber ages it sags so the drivetrain moves around and the vibration comes straight through. Both are wear sets, both had reached the point, and doing them together while the car's up is the efficient way, so it was the rear shock pair plus the engine and transmission mount set.
The diagnosis
On the lift each rear shock got a bounce-and-inspect, both past it, weak damping and weeping, the back end carrying on after a push, and each mount got a pry-test, the engine and transmission mounts sunk with cracked rubber and play under load. The front shocks were still doing their job. When they've gone like that, you do them as sets, the rear shocks together and the drivetrain mounts together, so it was the rear shock pair plus the mount set.
The work
Both rear shock absorbers were unbolted and removed, and a new genuine Mercedes-spec pair fitted, the top mounts checked. Then the engine and gearbox were taken onto transmission jacks, the worn mounts removed, and new genuine Mercedes-spec mounts fitted across the set, the drivetrain checked sitting square. Every fastener torqued to the manual figures. A road test confirmed the bounce was gone and the ride had settled, the vibration gone, the car composed and smooth.
The outcome
A composed ride that settles in one motion, no bounce at the rear, smooth at idle, no vibration through the cabin, and the engine note back to normal. The E200 went home with the rear suspension and the drivetrain both sorted. Shocks and mounts wear as sets, so doing them together in one visit reset the lot rather than chasing the next worn one a few months later.
