Correct.
When changing to new springs, you can get the zinc spring end insert to stop the problem.. It is a Benz modification and they are only a couple of $$$$...I have seen so many..You do not see it until you remove the tire with the chassis jacked up so that the lower control arm is hanging down all the way..look in there at the spring coil end[ bottom] with a good light and you will see the break. I did one last month and decide to change both springs to keep the ride correct and we did not see the other side was broken until we actually removed the spring, so just casual observation means nothing..

Most corrosion on cars actually comes from salty seawater. The worst corrosion problems are all within three miles of an ocean on the coast. This is especially true considering many northern cities and states are trying to get away from putting salt on the roads for a variety of reasons (it deteriorates concrete, it's expensive, it's an environmental concern).

Salt is the enemy..
The zinc helps, but many NE towns have tried to do away with mixing salt with the sand for sanding the roads , only to have to go back to using it..it makes a mess of the
brake/fuel lines too.. the price of living in such places.
Anyone who lives in these places knows not to buy a used car that comes from there for that reason.

The reason MB doesn'y pay for the repair couldn't be any simpler. It's because they don't have to. Once the warranty period is over they're no longer obligated to do anything for free, excluding of course, Service/Recall Campaigns.

That is the way they say a rational company has to behave these days. Or so it seems.

Let's see how this continues.

Eric