New to me 04 E500. PO old lady ran over a curb, so I was told there was all sorts of new front end items installed. But

1) On heavy acceleration, the front end pops up and it starts to pull hard to the left.

2) when I go over one of those short hills that make your stomach drop - as the front end comes up, it pulls HARD to the left for about 1/2 second. Which is more than enough to cause a heart attack, even if it doesn't actually send me off the road into a tree.

3) At low speeds, sharp turns, like out of the driveway, there is a 'clunk.' Sounds to be coming from near under my feet. My old 123 used to have a bushing right about there. Then again, it sounds like my BMW540i that did that and it was a bad ball joint way up front. Anyhow, clunk when the wheels are turned hard and going slow.

What's the usual procedure to hunt this down?

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Paul
2004 E500 4matic; 72,000mi

Look for anything loose by pulling, twisting and prying on joints (tie rods, ball joints) etc.

I am not overly familiar with W211's...on W124's the ball joints must be oriented with the notch facing inward. Can someone on the forum please advise if this applies for W211's?

If the control arms were replaced especially if only one, they may not have tightened it with weight on the arms and possibly never aligned it well.

Look at the steering rack bushings for wear and proper tightening. Does it look like the rack was replaced?

Look closely for a bent spindle, they are often overlooked.

Good luck!!!

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

Take it to a body shop that has a frame machine and have them measure the front and rear suspension pick up points. If bent, have them straighten while it is on the bench. You need a good base to work from and , given the cars history, any other path if pure folly.

Once that is done, check alignment. Any adjusters should be near the middle of travel. Tie rods should be equal length from side to side. If not, you have bent suspension components.

You likely have lots of bump steer causing the car to pull.

Primary culprit was completely shot rubber in one of the sway bar links. Easy fix once found. Also did several ball joints before discovering that. Still, a pretty cheap repair. Not a perfect ride yet, but it's not plotting my demise anymore.

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Paul
2004 E500 4matic; 72,000mi

That's twice you have reported back after a repair.

Rare and good. It helps us all and I wish everyone did it.