:MODERATOR EDIT ADDING DATA LINK:
W210 DANGEROUS FLAW please read (crosslinked in post #1 to all on topic data)
W210 DANGEROUS FLAW please read (crosslinked in post #1 to all on topic data)
:MODERATOR EDIT ADDING DATA LINK:



Wow. This was an interesting event yesterday. Bang and it was gone. The whole thing tumbled under the car and is somewhere on Interstate 90 near exit 8.

I have the car at a local service shop here in MA. Does anyone know if MB is covering this yet or if they will service/replace the spring perch mounts?

Phil

__________________
Phil
Previously loved
variety, but I miss the 99 F350 PSD- 37k, traded, damn

Current stable
98 E-300 TurboDiesel, 253k
http://www.facebook.com/people/Philip-Underwood/762882374

!!!! Thats just scary!

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 102k - mine - (OC-104,600)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 26k - wifes (OC-25k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 57k (OC - 63k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 73k - dad's (OC-75k)
'01 SL500 - 92k(km) - dad's (OC-94,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 122k - Brothers (OC-125k)

Be sure to file a complaint with the NHTSA. How this has avoided a safety recall is beyond me. Try a search - lots of info on how dealers handle it, which is not consistently.

You OK? No major handling problems after the perch separation?

__________________
-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

Please tell us exactly how it felt when that occurred. I've always wondered what it would be like if my spring perch (or ball joint or tire for that matter) blew up at 75mph. Did you lose control of the car? How quickly did you make it to the shoulder? Any violent shaking of the wheel?

__________________
08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280

I'll tell you how it has avoided a safety recall. NOBODY has been hurt by this failure. If you find a single case of any injury or property damage as a result of this failure, let me know. I have heard of zero, and there are plenty of people making noise about this problem.

Here we have a case of the thing letting go at highway speed, which did not result in loss of control of the car.

Glad you're OK... Thought I popped a perch, but upon inspection it was the sway bar bracket, a comparatively easy fix. The bad perches are a much more common problem on 210s I am told, but those of us that see a significant amount of road salt each winter need to inspect closely. I do at each seasonal tire change. so far, so good!

I was driving in the left lane in a 3 wide stretch of Rt 90. The perch let go with a very loud bang, then a pronounced bump (presumably as the rear tire drove over the spring assembly. The car suddenly dropped hard on the front right bump stops. Lots of warning lights - BAS, ASR, etc.

I thought I blew a tire or hit some road damage. Surprisingly, just a little swerve in the left lane and I made it to the right shoulder after a 1/4 mile. At this point I was pretty sure it was a perch or something worse because there was no tire smoke, burning or noise.

Kicked the tires & drove it 20 miles home. (My indy mechanic frowned when I told him this.) Put it up on jacks & found no spring at all & some disconnected sensor wires. Drove it 10 miles to the shop. Waiting.

Still no word from the dealer he contacted. I guess that's my next move. Any recommedations for service in Springfield, MA or Hartford, CT area? I'm from Albany NY but this happened near where I grew up in central/western Massachusetts.

Overall I like the car, but this is making me less happy with the product and the brand. My brother had a 1985 300d coupe with 279k miles which led me to buy the newer model. His was structurally perfect. The doors closed with an acoustic that was admirable.

I feel cheated.

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
Phil
Previously loved
variety, but I miss the 99 F350 PSD- 37k, traded, damn

Current stable
98 E-300 TurboDiesel, 253k
http://www.facebook.com/people/Philip-Underwood/762882374

... oh, one more thing not shown in the previous picture.

I'm not sure how any lay person could actually check or inspect this. In the next photo is the brand new disc brakes I put on just 2 days prior.

I was just in this wheelwell on Saturday. Failure on Monday.

Obviously there's a little spot rust. How could anyone actually check this? Pry on it? What if a pre-loaded automotive spring explodes out of the wheelwell and hits you or someone else nearby. Then you can legitimately say "I might have been killed"

Still disappointed.

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
Phil
Previously loved
variety, but I miss the 99 F350 PSD- 37k, traded, damn

Current stable
98 E-300 TurboDiesel, 253k
http://www.facebook.com/people/Philip-Underwood/762882374

Nah, Mercedes expect its cars to be inspected on occasion.

You are living the "pay me now or pay me later" example, i.e. you've gotten what you didn't pay for.

Don't expect to be rewarded for your negligence. "Entitlement" doesn't apply.

__________________
Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '06 SLK350

Thats crap! I would be disappointed too! Especially when MB looks the other way, like they do all too often on the W210's.

__________________
93 300D 2.5 Turbo, Black/Palomino 273K
09 E350 Black/Black 41K

Personally I would still contact MBUSA and open a case. You might get some financial assistance.. I grew up in that area, the only place I can think of right off is Ricks Autobody in Indian Orchard, its right off Route 20 in Springfield. I know they do alot of body work on expensive cars. You could be a bit sneaky and tell your insurance company it happened on a rough road, hit a huge pothole, not that I condone or would do that

__________________
Dennis
2006 E320 CDI Black/Black Leather. Nav, HTD Seats HK stereo 32000 miles.
2000 VW Passat 1.8t 300,000 miles as of Dec 09, 2009 original owner
1997 E300d Silver 300,000 miles As of Jan 05, 2010
3rd owner SOLD

Some here have gotten them replaced at full or 1/2 cost. NHDOC comes to mind.

Helps if you have history with a dealer.

Yours is one of the few examples where the spring has come out from under the car. Most occur at low speed during tight turns. I agree with MattL that no one I 've heard of has been injured as a reslut of this failure.

Yo obviously need to pull the sealant away from the left side and confirm its integrity.

__________________
Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

Refer to post #12: w210 front spring replacement

Only one side of mine showed signs before it failed. The dealer replaced both sides at 50% cost to me.

Glad to hear that you didn't get hurt.

__________________
Ray
1998 Mercedes E320, 200K Miles
2001 Acura 3.2TL, 178K Miles
1992 Chevy Astro, 205K Miles

Here are all of the major threads on this topic, linked through this one.

W210 DANGEROUS FLAW please read
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=231861








Have a great day.

__________________
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