Hi,

I just bought a 1998 MB SL600 and my MB dealer says the right front strut is bad. The nitrogen cylinder has leaked and is now filled with the oil from the strut. The result is a very loose feel in the front end, especially at highway speeds over bumps. On a good bump or dip, the car looses it's composure and the front end launches itself up in the air and it takes a couple of seconds for it to settle down.

He tells me that their only source for a replacement strut is from Germany and the cost for labor and parts will be about $1500 per strut. We're hoping that they'll only need to replace the one.

I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience with this problem and if you know of a source for replacement struts at a lower price. I'm thinking it would be nice to replace both front struts at the same time, but I don't want to spend $3K!

Greg