PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

ksing44 · #6 11-08-2003, 04:52 AM

At the top, the springs sit in a metal cup that holds a rubber pad. For the W124, the pads are 8mm, 13mm, 18mm, and 23mm in thickness. I have read that the 5mm change in thickness of the pad causes a change of about 7mm at the gap between the fender and tire. I also read that Mercedes used different pad combinations to adjust the ride height for different options or other requirements like bumper heights. You can identify what pads you have by looking under the car and counting the bumps on the lip of the pads. 1-bump is the thinnest at 8mm and 4-bump is thickest at 23mm. The bumps are very small little bumps on the very end of the lip of the pads. They are relatively easy to see if the bumps happen to be facing toward you when you get under the car. If the bumps are rotated toward the body, it may be harder to see and count them. My car came with 3-bump all around when stock. I changed to 1-bump all around when I added the lowering springs, but then the back was too low so I went to 3-bump in the rear and kept 1-bump in the front. You can buy new pads at the dealer for just a few dollars each. The only problem is getting to the top of the springs, so that you can replace the old pads. It may be best to pay a mechanic that knows about using a spring compressor to remove the springs and the car may have to be re-aligned after you change the thickness of the pads. Ride height affects the camber.

I have noticed that different years can vary considerably in terms of the gap between the fender and the tires. I have also noticed that when I load up the trunk of my car, the rear drops and the front rises. I suppose that if your rear is kind of sagging, it would raise the front of the car. In general, I think the W124s had an aerodynamic uplifted rear end, so maybe your springs are sagging. I suppose it is even possible that a previous owner removed the pads or forgot to put them in when they worked on the suspension. I know it sounds crazy, but I have read messages by others that found they had no pads at all.