W204 C220 Avantgarde Front Spring Replacement

[alt]

Hi all,
My 2008 W204 C220 Avantgarde needs new front springs (half of coil on bottom passenger broke).

I'll leave this one to my mechanic, but wondering are the springs for the Avantgarde specific? ie. different to Elegance / other models? I would assume so as I think the car sits lower than other models? I trust he'll get the correct springs once he mentions the registration / model, just curious.

Many thanks

 

[John Laidlaw]

There are different springs indeed - there was a thread (there have been a few) with charts on spring selection- yes he should get the correct ones when he orders with your reg and VIN number

 

[davemercedes]

I use my local garage for all the standard A/B services etc. It failed the MOT in Oct '17 because both front springs were broken.
- I hadn't noticed any difference in handling at all.

- Cost wasn't too bad:

£162.00 Labour
£ 76.80 Springs
£238.80 Total inc VAT

It's funny - are road springs an Achilles heel for MB (?) I never needed to replace a spring in 50 years - but in March '15 I had a "graunching" noise at the rear and that turned out to be the ends of the rear coil springs breaking up. That cost £180 in total. But I can't complain about servicing costs overall - if it goes wrong I fix/or get it fixed and until the battery died before Christmas it had never let me down. MB Grangemouth supplied a premium Mercedes battery for £112 inc VAT and delivery (25% discount). It was here so quickly it must have come on a big drone! Luckily, fitting was straightforward.

 

[LostKiwi]

Mercedes us a complex system of springs and spring pads to set the suspension not just for each model but also according to trim, engine, gearbox - even if a spare wheel or heavy duty battery is fitted.

Your Avantgarde may have the same springs as an Elegance or may not - it depends where in the chart your car falls as to whether the height difference is down to pads or springs.

Make sure you get genuine springs for this reason. MB will know what your car came with and what it should have.

 

[Flyinspanner]

Do them as a pair.

1. The other could be similarly weak.
2. Slight difference in spring rates new/old could negatively impact handling under braking which can be dangerous.

 

[LostKiwi]

Do them as a pair.

1. The other could be similarly weak.
2. Slight difference in spring rates new/old could negatively impact handling under braking which can be dangerous.

I think they're both already broken

 

[davemercedes]

I think they're both already broken

Probably... when I had my rears checked, the young mechanic who brought the car back round from the shop for me said he'd only been there a year but they'd done about 6 x sets in that time. The main chunk of the coil was okay but where the end is tapered flat to butt up/down on to the pad it was breaking up - little bits breaking off as though it had gone brittle (maybe it had?) it was almost as if you could cut 1/2 inch off and put it back on again. Strange that both sides went exactly the same. Still, as I said: both times I had no idea I had a problem -the handling wasn't compromised at all and no rattles/squeaks etc. At least when these things have been done, you can feel confident you've done the right thing. - heh heh: poorer but wiser!

 

[alt]

Mercedes us a complex system of springs and spring pads to set the suspension not just for each model but also according to trim, engine, gearbox - even if a spare wheel or heavy duty battery is fitted.

Your Avantgarde may have the same springs as an Elegance or may not - it depends where in the chart your car falls as to whether the height difference is down to pads or springs.

Make sure you get genuine springs for this reason. MB will know what your car came with and what it should have.

Many thanks. My Mechanic got the springs from EuroCarParts (Sachs)

When they input the reg, there were 2 options available: Standard Suspension or Lowered Suspension. I took a guess at lowered, as it's the Avantgarde.

Going to a Merc dealer in Ireland is a joke, even compared to UK. Prices are simply scandalous. The car is 10 years old.

I've been using this indy for the (rare) time i've needed him for the past 3 years with this car (Previous to this it was under warranty so sent it to the dealer)

 

[steveq]

Going to a Merc dealer in Ireland is a joke, even compared to UK. Prices are simply scandalous.

Hi,

What price did you pay for the spring from EuroCarParts?

I replaced a front spring on my S211 E Class estate a couple of years ago. I bought a genuine Merc part from a main dealer here in Ireland as I wanted to make sure it matched the other side. They had it in the next day.
I had a quick look at EuroCarParts and the price is €62 for a spring for that car. I don't recall the exact price from the main dealer but it was very close to that.
I assume that the Merc spring was actually made by Sachs but at least I was certain that it was correct for my car.

I'm not trying to defend main dealers pricing but I suggest that it is worth checking with them.

 

[alt]

Well, got sorted.

The springs that the mechanic ordered were the correct ones. We compared the old (but good) spring with a new one - exact same.

2 x Springs were €115 inc. VAT (Trade Price)

 

[John Laidlaw]

Excellent!