From what I understand it's pretty common on the E124's also and the part is readily available.

Well, it happened. The OTHER spring perch failed. As I stated above, the drivers-side perch failed a couple years ago, non-violently.

I was driving up to Midland, MI from Atlanta, and about 15 miles from my parent's place, the car made a huge clunk and dropped down on the right front. Luckily, there were no other cars around and I just pulled of onto the shoulder. At first I thought it was a flat, but when I saw the right front tire crammed in the fenderwell, I knew what happened. Come to find out, the whole spring actually fell out.

I ended up driving it the rest of the way, slowly, on back roads. Drove amazingly well for sitting on the bumpstop on one corner.

This one failed differently though. The first one seemed to come apart at a weld seam. This one seems to have broken in half.

Drivers-side perch, failed 12/27/04:
http://www.rupelli.com/dump/driverssideperch01.jpg

http://www.rupelli.com/dump/driverssideperch02.jpg

Passengers-side perch, failed 8/23/07:
http://www.rupelli.com/dump/passengersideperch.jpg

well doesn't this just make me want to go buy the 97 E420 i've been looking at. :P
do the mid 90's S's have the same problem???

We fixed one of these last week. First I sent the owner to the local dealer, thinking they would at least give him a break on the repairs. Cost wasn't out of line at all, as they quoted $400 per side. If he had bought it there though, it would be no charge, and if he had had it serviced there, it would be $200. WTF ? So he decided to allow us to fix it for $200, just so the dealer wouldn't get the money. I know we did a much better job than the dealer would have.:D

I am in Michigan if you are here and need local help. :)



Have a great day.

My 1994 E420 had spring perch failure.

This is a common problem with these cars, isn't it? I know I've read a number of threads and posts about it.

This is a common problem with these cars, isn't it? I know I've read a number of threads and posts about it.

This is a common problem with these cars, isn't it? I know I've read a number of threads and posts about it.

Answer:
 

It is common to northern snow states or vehicles that are too near the ocean front, and made worse by road salt.

Answer:
 

It is common to northern snow states or vehicles that are too near the ocean front, and made worse by road salt.

Answer:
 

It is common to northern snow states or vehicles that are too near the ocean front, and made worse by road salt.

We have fixed a ton of these on both W124 and W210 in our collision center. The factory caulk holds moisture which causes corrosion between the frame rail and spring perch metal. The metal separates and the tension of the spring causes it to bend upwards. Very dangerous! Anyone who states that this couldn't cause a hazardous traffic condition is nuts!

Anyhow, the fix is to remove the springs, air chisel out the old perch, grind to bare metal the area of attachment to the frame rail, weld in the new perch, caulk and apply wax sealant, then reinstall. Finally, the factory paint plus clearcoat is applied to the area. It's about a 2-3 day turnaround and costs typically around $300-$400 with parts, labor, materials.

Satish

We have fixed a ton of these on both W124 and W210 in our collision center. The factory caulk holds moisture which causes corrosion between the frame rail and spring perch metal. The metal separates and the tension of the spring causes it to bend upwards. Very dangerous! Anyone who states that this couldn't cause a hazardous traffic condition is nuts!

Anyhow, the fix is to remove the springs, air chisel out the old perch, grind to bare metal the area of attachment to the frame rail, weld in the new perch, caulk and apply wax sealant, then reinstall. Finally, the factory paint plus clearcoat is applied to the area. It's about a 2-3 day turnaround and costs typically around $300-$400 with parts, labor, materials.

Satish

We have fixed a ton of these on both W124 and W210 in our collision center. The factory caulk holds moisture which causes corrosion between the frame rail and spring perch metal. The metal separates and the tension of the spring causes it to bend upwards. Very dangerous! Anyone who states that this couldn't cause a hazardous traffic condition is nuts!

Anyhow, the fix is to remove the springs, air chisel out the old perch, grind to bare metal the area of attachment to the frame rail, weld in the new perch, caulk and apply wax sealant, then reinstall. Finally, the factory paint plus clearcoat is applied to the area. It's about a 2-3 day turnaround and costs typically around $300-$400 with parts, labor, materials.

Satish