Finally, after countless fixes by the dealer my 300 TE 4-matic wagon is fixed! The most recent (and hopefully last) fix was a replacement of the steering gear. Made for a HUGE difference in road feel through the steering wheel, and may have reduced the car's tendency to wander a bit, but I'm not sure about that. Anyway, the timing for the car being done is good as the car is just about out of the Starmark warranty. The majority of the work that was done was done on the front suspension and drive system. Consequently, the car has an almost entirely new front suspension and 4-matic system.

So how to improve on a good thing? I would love it if this car would corner with as little body role as my Porsche. It is interesting in that the 'TE and my Porsche weigh within a couple of hundred lbs. of each other, but there is a huge difference in, well, a number of things. What I'd like to know is what can I do to eliminate some or most of the body role? Will changing this characteristic negatively impact some other aspect of the car's ride or handling or any part of the 4-matic system performance?

As an aside, what role does body role play in a car's handling?

And on a related topic, what mechanisms are used to engage the 4-matic system when the car starts a stop? It would be nice if it were possible to manually switch this capability on and off at will…..

Comments greatly appreciated!


…tracy