Tired suspension? Not on a Merc SL55!

[Marlon]

I have a 2002 SL55 AMG which has covered 28,000 miles. In the two years that I've owned it, a number of creaks and rattles have appeared. This is not unexpected for a 5 year-old car, but SL's are fairly well screwed together. My own opinion was that the suspension bushes / anti roll-bar bushes etc may have become worn, or other suspension components may have become a bit "loose" over time. It's a heavy car, and driving through pot-holes and over drain covers is going to introduce some wear.

So, I popped it into the local dealer and asked what may be the cause, and whether there's an easy solution, i.e. to "tighten up the suspension" and bring it back to new. Apparently, there's nothing likely to become worn or loose, or just need a bit of fettling every few years, on SL55 suspension. The best they could suggest was that I hand the car over to them to conduct a "full and extensive diagnostic" (i.e. wads of cash please) so that they could present me a report of what the problem might be. Knowing the way that MB deal with issues like this, that report would likely come back saying "nothing wrong".

So, what's your opinion? Is it likely that I have "worn bushes", or something else? I just want to get the car back to a smooth, compliant ride with fewer creaks and crashes. Advice appreciated, thanks.

[petermansell]

I experienced similar creeks on my 3 year old 35000 mile CLK55 AMG, had MB replace the bushes and this solved the problem.