300M steering gear mounting bushing

I am coming down to the end of the extended service contract on my 300M and
I noticed some minor clunking in the steering. I brought it in to the
dealer and they replaced the steering gear mounting bushing. The clunking
has not changed. And in addition I get a loud annoying click occasionally
that sounds like the plastic cowl trim under the wipers is hitting the
bottom of the windshield. I tried tightening the screws which hold it down
but most had been overtightened and the retaining plastic underneath them no
longer did the job. Does the plastic trim under the wipers get removed to
replace the steering gear mounting bushing? The front struts were replaced
a few months ago so the screw retainers could have been stripped then but I
wasn't getting the annoying click after that job was done that I get now.

By the way they also changed the oil and the oil stick was not in all the
ways.

 

For the clunking in the steerint, what about inner tie rod bushings (at
the steering gear)? A common wear out part. With engine running, have
someone rock the steering wheel back and forth while wathcing the
relative motion of the steering gear output sleeve and the inner tie
rods. Also look for other sources of the noise.

Is the clunkng when going over bumps or as a result of steering input?

Yes - to work on the steering gear, the wiper arms, cowl, and entire
wiper assembly are usually taken out for access.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

It is the result of steering input. It is minor. The dealer also
mentioned that there are pads in the column that could be causing the
problem, though that was when I was making an appointment and before he saw
the car.