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#1
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Ever seen a broken inner fender?
As the attached photos will show, the passenger side inner fender of my 1985 300D (CA version) has several large cracks or breaks. I photographed the cracks from above and from below, with a trouble light on the other side each time to shine through the cracks.
I can't figure out what might have caused this. It's been on the car for as long as I have had it (4 months). The PO never mentioned it but he was a short time owner and probably never saw it. By the looks of it (accumulated dirt), it happened a long time -- years -- ago. It doesn't seem to be doing any harm but I'm thinking about finding someone to weld it up. Anyone ever seen anything like this? Jeremy
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"Buster" in the '95 Our all-Diesel family 1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car 2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022) Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762 "Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz." -- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970 |
#2
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It looks more like a rust hole than a stress crack.
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#3
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Definitely not rust. Sharp, clean edges. I'll try to take some better pictures tomorrow.
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"Buster" in the '95 Our all-Diesel family 1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car 2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022) Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762 "Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz." -- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970 |
#4
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Those inner panels are stamped into shape and are under stress...if the car was in wreck , trying to straighten ( Pulling frame back out.) it will over stress those panels and you'll have what you have.
You need to look at the control rod mounts too. If you find no problems....use body sealer to cover the holes. .
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[http://languageandgrammar.com/2008/01/14/youve-got-problems-not-issues/ ] "A liberal is someone who feels they owe a great debt to their fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money." |
#5
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Quote:
What do you mean by "control rod mounts" (I'm weak on front suspension)?
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"Buster" in the '95 Our all-Diesel family 1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car 2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022) Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762 "Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz." -- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970 |
#6
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Those are the rods that angle at 45 degrees across from the lower suspension arm to the body chassis member . The socket they sit in at the rear, get a pounding in front end wrecks or hitting high curbs.
This adjustable arm controls/sets the caster angle of the front wheels and contributes to the straight line stability and self centering from a turn. As they wear, they knock on rough surfaces. .
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[http://languageandgrammar.com/2008/01/14/youve-got-problems-not-issues/ ] "A liberal is someone who feels they owe a great debt to their fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money." |
#7
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i agree
with dkeuvero
but i think another possibility is that they ran over something and it rolled up and was caught between the wheel and fender and punched the holes in it. i agree with his solution too. i wouldnt try to weld it because of the welding introducing areas that will rust easily. if sealer wont seal it i would add a patch of aluminum and use gutter seal to glue it in place with a couple of small screws or pop rivits if necessary. interesting damage. i dont think i have seen anything quite like it before. tom w
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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC] ..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis. |
#8
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Quote:
I'd like to seal it up before the winter rains get here. It will splash a lot of water up into the engine compartment, which I'm trying to clean up. I'm sure there are a lot of glues, patches, and sealers that would work, especially if I take the time to clean the area thoroughly first. I'll experiment.
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"Buster" in the '95 Our all-Diesel family 1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car 2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022) Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762 "Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz." -- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970 |
#9
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I showed the inner fender damage to my mechanic today. He thinks that, if something came loose or broke such that the upper control arm was forced upwards, it would hit the inner fender in just the right place to cause the damage shown in my photos.
He also said that it would not harm anything to leave it the way it is and just seal up the cracks with silicone sealer. [Edit] Looking at it again, I can now see that that is what happened. Something broke or came loose and the upper control arm rotated on its bearing, allowing the outer end of the control arm to strike and penetrate the underside of the inner fender. Must have scared hell out of whoever was in the car at that time!
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"Buster" in the '95 Our all-Diesel family 1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car 2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022) Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762 "Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz." -- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970 Last edited by Jeremy5848; 07-27-2006 at 02:02 AM. |
#10
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Can you find any other signs of damage related to that idea? It sounds like a pretty nasty event!
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#11
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I wish I had more experience with Mercedes! It looks like this event happened some time (years) ago and everything is dirty/oily, making it hard to recognize any changes. I can see no signs of metal that has been straightened or welded or otherwise repaired. Parts could have been replaced (the lower control arm might look a little newer) but it's hard to tell. You would have to lose both the spring and the shock for the upper control arm to have that much travel -- it must indeed have been quite an event!
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"Buster" in the '95 Our all-Diesel family 1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car 2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022) Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762 "Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz." -- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970 |
#12
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Patched!
I finally got around to cleaning up the inner fender and patching the damage done in the unknown past. After thinking about silicone glue for the longest time, I finally decided to use 3M Strip Calk, as its sticks well but is removable.
My rusty battery tray is in the background. I suppose I should replace it someday. Anyone got one to sell? Jeremy
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"Buster" in the '95 Our all-Diesel family 1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car 2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022) Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762 "Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz." -- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970 |
#13
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Quote:
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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life- '15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800) '17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k) '09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k) '13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k) '01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km) '16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k) |
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