help...W124 rear suspension woes

[toadheaddesigns]

just had the W124 tourer serviced. i thought it was very bouncy at the rear but assumed that this was down to lowering.

it appears that a previous owner has butchered the rear springs to lower it. Fisrtly they have been cut too short. Does anyone stock lowering springs in the UK for the e class w124 estate? if so who and where/how much?

secondly , that garage sy the self levelling system isnt working properly or not at all....all MOT failures!!

they say its either the shocks themselves, the acuators, both, or something else. How the hell do i test these things to eliminate the problems? Obviously we are talking serious dough here, so is it possible to get this stuff from breakers.

how much are we talking at main dealers to 'asses' or find the fault with the suspension, as i only want to replace the faulty part.

any help would be very much appreciated and welcomed, even state the obvious advice. The Haynes manual makes the task look very daunting, and advises to get the suspension checked by merc servicing agent before replacing anything!

please help

i do want the car to remain lowered, but at the moment its like driving a bouncy castle (front is fine...just the rear thats the issue. See my other thread in chat for pics of the car

cheers

 

[Stevie B]

I have seen lowering springs for sale in the GSF parts catalouge. Just google them to find your nearest store.

 

[jibcl500]

After market coil springs can be a problem, I had a customer with a W124, he fitted some coils from euro car parts, the next day the front of the car was as low as it could be, the coils had gone banana shaped over night.
Give MB your chassis number or give me the first 6 didgits and I will give you the part numbers you need, some MB's have different spring ratings due to the spec of the car so although it probably wouldnt matter any old W124 spring might not be right for the car.
As far as lowering it is concerned there is a rubber collar at the top of the coil, 4 sizes in total each has a different thickness.
Someone here might have a good suggestion for lowering springs, might be worth asking MB if they offer a sprtline alternative.



jib

 

[jibcl500]

By the way nice TE, also what about the front coils!!!

jib

 

[Bolide]

The bounciness is because it needs new spheres. Find a good local Independent Mercedes specialist to fit them or, at a pinch, a Citroen specialist

You can lower the car by using Sportline springs and/or different spring pads at the front

Do a search of this forum for details. Lowering W124s has been covered about 3,621 times

Be aware that most garages know nothing about W124 estate rear suspension and will waste your money

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[toadheaddesigns]

By the way nice TE, also what about the front coils!!!

jib

fronts are fine, garage were happy with them,
I am waiting for local MB garage to get back to me about testing the rear set up for the exact fault. Like Nick Froome said it is likely to be the spheres so i have heard.


are there any afterm,arket spring/damper set ups to replace the rear hydraulics on the w124 estate?

i will get on the gsf website and start pricing things up

anyone breaking one on here?

 

[Bolide]

are there any aftermarket spring/damper set ups to replace the rear hydraulics on the w124 estate?

Do a search on this

Why would you want to replace a superb rising-rate, self-levelling hydraulic suspension system with springs & dampers? It makes no sense

If you drive a Citroen BX and a sphere fails you replace it - you don't start looking to fit springs to it. Same with a W124 estate

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[toadheaddesigns]

all noted, will be going down the spheres route in the new year

then its in car PC, Nardi wheel and full leather install, which i collected last week