2.3 16V Bent Spring Perch (????)

I have just bent the front drivers side spring perch (the piece that holds the top of the spring in place)when I drove over a steep bump in the road. Now the car only has 1/2 inch of clearance on drivers side and 1 inch on passengers side. There is no rim damage or any other bent suspension parts. How is this possible - springs are stock Euro 16V. There is no rot anywhere around the perch. Has anyone had this problem before? Does anyone know a good welder in the Boston area? Is this a defective mercedes part?
mrossipir@yahoo.com

[Ashman]

I dunno what to say, I would thihnk that must have been a very hard bump you made to bend that perch, but you never know, maybe the perch weakened over the years, or maybe it was defective, or repaired before from an accident.

If you check the good MB shops section of the forums, you might be able to find a good shop near you that can do the repair.

Get your alignment checked while you are at it and have the car looked over for any damage you can't see by looking at it.

Alon

[Gilly]

I have seen this problem on both rotted and non-rotted cars. "They just do".......Gilly