Engine misses, Rear tires lean in

[Stewart W.]

Hi everyone!! I bought my 1981 Mercedes 380SL from one of these little "hole in the wall" dealerships here in Las Vegas. When I purchased it, it ran smooth as silk. However, the A/C needed to be recharged. So I made an appointment with the dealership to return and have them charge the system. Two days later when I went to pick up my car, I noticed its idle was very rough, like it was missing. (How their "mechanic " overlooked this I haven't a clue!) I immediately brought this to their attention and they kept it another day to check for a vacuum leak. When I returned the following day I was informed that the problem was a bad cold start plug, and that it should arrive and be installed the next day. Two days later when I returned they said they replaced the cold start plug and the problem persisted, so now they were going to replace all of the spark plugs. Another two days went by and when I called (They've never called me to keep me informed) for a status check I was told that the problem was the rear spark plug on the driver's side; someone had JB welded it in place and now they were going to try to raise the engine enough to get to it and rethread the socket. My big question to them was how in the world could recharging an A/C lead to an engine missing in the first place??? Do any of you know?? If so, PLEASE contact me and let me know. Also, on the same vehicle, the rear tires lean inward when the car is viewed from the rear, and the entire rear end is considerably lower than the front when viewed from the side. Does it need new rear shocks, or is it something more severe?? Any helpful info anyone may have would be greatfully appreciated.