Well, with the exception of fixing or replacing the front bumper, everything is complete and back to normal (or better). Had the car aligned for $67 and can now drive at 80+ mph with my hands off the wheel. Even better, I can slam on the brakes and it absolutely will not pull one bit - very straight! I took it to a shop that only deals with brakes and alignment, recommended by Karl Schweikart Mercedes who also has a good reputation on this board. I used them when I first bought the car, and my tires looked great 30K miles later.

Apparently my front camber is at the max adjustment on both sides and is a half to a full degree off, indicating that new shocks are in order. I won't let a degree bother me for now, but will monitor my inner tire wear and rotate religiously just to be sure. The main thing is that both the toe and the thrust with the rear wheels (which are also adjusted properly) is correct.

By the way, the fender squeaking has gone away on its own - magically. I couldn't be happier.

I performed an out-of-round test on the other front wheel with my primitive tool (hacksaw jammed into the handle of a gallon jug). I measured near the rim on the inside and outside, as well as the roundness of the tire at the center of the tread, and everything was perfect. So for now I am running on 3 original wheels with the spare mounted (spare got a new matching tire at Discount Tire). At some point I still plan on replacing the wheels and upgrading to 8-holes, but for now it is not imperative.

So far, this is what I have into the repairs:

089 new driver side lower control arm, balljoint, and bushings
047 new tie rod ends
005 new balljoint pinch bolt
071 new tire
003 can of paint to refinish spare wheel
067 alignment
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282

I estimate that the bumper repair supplies (plastic repair, paint, etc.) will run me another $100.

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08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280