SL55 front supension leg gaiter

[pk311ymb]

Hi all,

The gaiter on my o/s front suspension unit has split. I am told the only solution is a new suspension unit at £1538.40! Surely there is a better solution? (Not sure of the correct technical decription but I am talking about the ~6" diameter main upright from the wishbone to the suspension turret on the body).

Regards, Peter.

 

[drmw]

That is outrageous. MB are (in)famous for the high level of granularity which they apply to parts, ie we don't sell that bit on its own, just the whole unit.

I do not want to take advantage, but if you are completely stuck, I have a pair of SL55 struts, perfect apart from worn ball joints. My intention was to have the ball joints replaced which will cost about £200 per leg & then sell them as there is an increasing demand with tightening MOT rules re ball joints.

A matched pair with new ball joints would be worth some £1200 on ebay and I was going to stick them on "as is" for £500.

I genuinely wish I could suggest where to try, but the gaiters are big buggers the likes of which I have not seen before

 

[television]

I may have a strut that I can take down,, I will check later in the week

 

[pk311ymb]

That would be great if you can! Regards, Peter

 

[Corned]

I know this probably sounds ridiculous, but for £1500+ maybe it's worth a shot.

Is the split 'clean'? By that I mean is it a straight split, not frayed or jagged?

If so, it may be worth trying to bond the split back together. The original Superglue type of bonding agents were particularly effective on rubber and related materials.

 

[brandwooddixon]

No you cant get the gaiters as a separate item, at least not from MB.
My Cl shredded a gaiter on a back strut.
I'm contemplating using some other material to cover it.

 

[pk311ymb]

Hi all, what I have done for now is cleaned up the splits with meths and sealed them with black silicone (Screwfix £2.99). I had to jack the suspension up to get the split to a suitable size but it seems to have taken. When I let the suspension back down it held. Have to see how it goes unless I can get a gaiter from somewhere. Worth a try brandwooddixon? Regards and thanks for all replies, Peter.

 

[drmw]

a thought - there's a product called Plastidip which is the consistency of treacle - you can brush it on and it dries like rubber - very flexible.

If you have the gaiter clean, dry & glued, then possibly try some of this - you could even laminate something between two coats for extra reinforcement