Hi,

I have a Euro spec 1985 190E 2.3-16 with SLS suspension in the rear.

The suspension has become really hard in the rear, and passengers in the back seat virtually knock their head in the roof when passing over bumps in the road. I don't think the suspension always was this hard, but I've only owned the car for a couple of months and this problem has become more evident now that the roads here in Norway are finally free of snow (at last ).

Also, when looking at the car from the side, you can see that the car appears lower in the rear. I can barely get my hand between the wheel and the wheel arch in the back, whereas in the front there is about 5-7 cm between the wheel and the arch. I'm fairly certain that the suspension is stock. I can take a picture of the car later for you to see.

Anyway, my question is can something be done to fix this? Could the SLS system be low on hydraulic fluid or something, or do you thing the shocks or springs are ready for replacement? The shocks alone cost over $400 per unit here in Norway, so I hope I don't have to replace them.


Regards,
Håkon Bertheussen

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'85 190E 2.3-16 (Euro)

Not sure if this applies to your vehicle but the W126 body 560SEL had self leveling and BY FAR the most common failure was the nitrogen-filled accumulators. The shocks themselves are purported to be very robust. Replacing the accumulators is said to be easy and not too expensive.

If you haven't already done so, do a search on "self leveling" and/or "accumulators" (at least I THINK that's what they're called!) I seem to remember a decent writeup on replacing them somewhere on the site.

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Steve
'93 400E