I've had this happen twice, despite NYS inspection. It's not so easy to inspect on a 124/201 , because the most you can see is the boot. Nor is it easy to test free play, because you're working against the spring and shock. The assembly is under tremendous tension until it isn't. So the only way to KNOW is to undo the strut and drop the control arm. No inspection station would ever do that for a ten buck inspection fee.

Sounds like the OP has some serious deferred maintenance. Check the brakes including the hoses. Check any hoses that have antifreeze in them. You don't want to lose an engine to over heating.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

On my 1983 300d, my front end would squeak when there was suspension articulation, like going around a turn or over a speed bump. I saw my drivers side ball joint boot was cracked and mostly missing. When I would apply the brakes, my car would pull to the left. I sprayed some break free at the ball joint and that quieted it down and my car would brake in a straight line again. I grabbed my floor jack to raise my front end to check the ball joint free play. I turned the wheels and grabbed the tires and tried shacking the wheels and tires side to side and vertically, there was absolutely no play. But then I grabbed my 30" pipe cheater bar and placed it between the tire and ground from left to right and grab hold of one side of the bar and attempted to lift the tire.....I had about 1/4-1/2 inch of ball joint end play on the drivers side!!!! The passenger side still had the boot intact but I had only 1/4 inch of free play. I knew I had to replace both ball joints ASAP. FYI, I only have 127,000 miles on my 300d, so there are people out there with double the mileage still on there original ball joints. Replace them!!!!

I reread post#1. The OP knew he had some problems, and some of the components were talking to him.
He had plenty of warning something was wrong. Yet he kept on driving the car.

I never said it was ok for him/her to drive a car like that. Iam not interested in a car coming across the center divider, any more than you or any one
one else would.
Sounds like you are trying to putting words in my mouth I did not say.

Maybe or maybe not the safety inspection would have prevented this situation, IDK. Didn`t see the vehicle
before it happened.

I don`t take in my vehicles to any shop, except for a wheel alignment.
And when I get tires, I drop off the wheels and have them mount the tires.
then I install the wheels after I wash both sides. This gets me to check the brakes suspension etc...

Seems like most shops do a evaluation or inspection of the vehicle when they have it.
Maybe because of liability reasons if a problem arises after it leaves the shop, even
if it wasn`t anything they did.
They write up the problems they see and have the customer sign it.

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

no need to undo anything.

the car is jacked up from the control arm and a prybar is used to lever the joints up and down against the arm. Any movement there means the joint is shot.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

In reference to post 16 / 20:

What Z states is correct, and valid for any car that has a spring operating on the lower control arm. It is even valid for cars with king pin double A arm suspensions that date back to, oh, the mid 1940's.

A shop that does not _legitimately_ fail a car has poor business sense and is opening themselves up for legal liability if the car comes apart. ( RE: They have lost business and can lose their business entirely )

In reference to post 18 , a long bar is needed even when the suspension is unloaded as described in post 20.

In reference to post 19. Here are your words from post 9 that inspections are not needed that also gives tacit approval to the situation that the OP is in.

Everybody rants on CA as a liberal nanny-state, but no vehicle inspections here and we can even pump our own gas. A strong hot-rod culture here, so trying to control what people can do to their own cars would bring rebellion. It is extremely rare to read of an accident caused by poor maintenance, but crazy drivers cause deaths everyday, just like everywhere.

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1984 & 1985 CA 300D's
1964 & 65 Mopar's - Valiant, Dart, Newport
1996 & 2002 Chrysler minivans

I was just reading about this. There are only 2 states that currently won't allow self service. OR and NJ. The rules were brought about in the 50's at the request of full service stations not wanting to be at a pricing disadvantage. So far I've found no evidence that the rules were based on safety ( though I'd bet the stations used that as a rallying cry. ) .

Oregon also pumps the fuel for you. My daughter said it was to create jobs.

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Since this thread has gone way off topic...

I've experienced full service in both OR and NJ. I can say that it definitely seems to keep fuel off the ground. Most stations around here are messy with fuel spills everywhere. At the full service spots that I've experienced they were always real careful with the dripping.

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Current fleet
2006 E320 CDI
1992 300D - 5speed manual swapped

former members
1984 300D "Blues Mobile"

1978 300CD "El Toro"

Yep, I corrected my 23 post.