For the past few months i've been knowing that my suspention system has been going bad that's why I decided to stop driving it...

About a month ago I needed to get to work real bad and had no ride because of how early it was. Well I figured my 300E could take one more trip. WRONG

The drive over on the highway was the most scary thing I have ever encountered. The whole car was wobbling and I rejoiced when I got to work!

Lets just say that was a one way trip, when I got done, I hopped in my car ready to take on the drive home, i backed out of my parking spot turned the wheel back and started to drive. At that time the front right end of my poor 300E dropped to the ground and started to tear up the parking lot.

Lets just say I knew exactly what happened, my balljoint had rusted thru and couldn't hold the force of the spring anymore.

The way I see it is that the Mercedes wanted to break down before I got on the highway (which was 50ft away). Smart Car

Dumb driver for not having the money in time. But I just got to watch my poor baby being towed off the the shop about 2 hours ago and I'm looking forward to having her back in a few days.

Now that I explained my story, could anything else have been damaged in the accidient? The control arm is a little scrapped up, but it seems like it's going to be fine. Also I have many linkaged is the back that need replacing (metal on metal), could history repeat itself in the back end? It seems like the only way I could keep that car up is if I won the lottery!

Anywho, thanks for your help and I hope this story made you laugh a bit

I think you need to sell that car and buy something you can afford before you kill someone. You took a great risk driving that car on a public road and exposing innocent drivers when you knew the car was unsafe. You commented on the tuned sport muffler and how great it sounded. In my opinion you should have spent the money on safety items.

Peter

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Auto Zentral Ltd.

Hey, I had the balljoint pop off as I was backing out of my garage in my 190e. I think that when you are turning the wheels while driving slowly, or not even moving the car puts alot more stress on the suspension parts then if you were on main street going 35mph when you turn. The bottom of the control arm was resting on the inside lip of the wheel. I ended up replacing the whole control arm and balljoint though, as the bushings on the lower arm were deteriorated and rusting

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1986 Mercedes 190e 2.3

A car in the condition you describe should immediately be taken out of the road until proper repairs are carried on.
Can you only imagine what would have been the consequences of your breakdown if it had happened on the highway. Get that car off the road before something very bad happens.
JackD

Pete:

While I understand your thinking, I can assure you that the stresses on suspension "in motion" are exponentially greater than those experienced in a parking lot. A wheels that "weighs" 15lbs at rest will "appear to weigh" about 100lbs at 100mph... (Remember, E=mc2 - mass isn't as important as velocity, which multiplies mass...)

-David
92 500sel
93 ZX11

E=mc^2 has to do with mass converted to energy at the atomic level???

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I love my cars to death but my wallet sure doesn't.

If you notice in his first post- he already said that the automobile was towed to the shop for repairs.

Perhaps you can sell the Sable and use that money to make some of the necessary repairs that this car requires at this time.

Good luck.

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2004 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4wd
1991 Lincoln Town Car Executive
1991 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1988 Mercedes 300SEL
1972 Chevrolet Caprice Kingswood Estate 9-passenger wagon
1973 Pontiac Grand Ville
(Prior MB's: 1974 240D, 1985 380SE, 1984 190D, 1993 400SEL)

Eiknujac,

Mechanical energy follows the same formula, essentially,; just with a different factor.

E=½mv^2

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The Golden Rule

1984 300SD (bought new, sold it in 1988, bought it back 13 yrs. later)

I saw a car lose a ball joint while traveling down the road at around 55 mph one time. Let's just say that the driver did not have anymore control over the car after the failure.

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Jim

Click and Clack had a call about a similar issue last weekend. The caller had duct taped a failed suspension joint together and was continuing to drive the car. They commented that they hear lots of stories of ball joint failures in parking lots but few stories about high speed failures. They speculated that this inbalance in stories was explained by the fact that the people who had ball joints fail at high speed are no longer around to talk about it.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Why is it much more harder to turn a steering wheel of a car without power steering when it's parked then when it's moving? I would expect the harder the wheel is to turn, the harder it must be on other components of the steering, as well as the lower balljoint that has broken. unless I'm over looking something........

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1986 Mercedes 190e 2.3

For simple reasons of physics, most steering components fail at low speeds, often in parking or just starting out. Good thing, too, visions of tie rods coming off at highways speeds gives me nightmares.

Stress on the steering components is a factor of the pressure needed to move them. At low speeds, considerable movement is needed to change directions, so, and more force is needed when the wheels aren't turning. More direction change = more leverage, too. Quite common for the W108s to "pop" the bolts on the steering box through the frame parking, almost never happens on the road since you aren't prying hard on it. Much more force applied turing the wheels stationary that hitting a pot hole, much more so if the steering damper is in good shape.

Never drive a "wobbly" car -- fun things like the wheel falling off (which DOES happen more at high speed!), springs falling out, ball joints separating, etc can ruin your whole day.

No one ever said a Benz was cheap to maintain. I still believe they are good value for the money, and worth what I spend on them, but cheap, no. You want cheap, buy a Toyota about four years old, drive it to 150,000 miles a dump it. Nissan too, maybe Honda. Maintenance on those cars is oil changes, you may not even need brakes, but they are NOT a Benz in any way, shape, or form.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Your car needs more work then it's worth. Sell it for what you can $500-1000. Sell your Sable and buy something that is remotely safe. You have plenty of time to buy a Benz when you're older (if you live long enough).
There are plenty of decent, interesting cars out there in the $3000. range.

A couple of years ago a woman was driving from Bethesda Md. into Virginia along the Capital Beltway. She was killed by a wheel. A man driving in the opposite direction towards Maryland had a rear wheel come off and bounce across the median and land on the woman's roof at the top of the windshield killing her. Several other drivers were able to avoid the wheel bounding along the road. She was survived by her husband and two kids.

The State Police investigated and the man had recently had his small pickup truck inspected, where two wheels are pulled on one side to check the brakes. I can't remember the final outcome, wheel loose or axle popped out.

So be careful with your suspension bits. The life you save could be a strangers.

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Regards

Warren

Currently 1965 220Sb, 2002 FORD Crown Vic Police Interceptor

Had 1965 220SEb, 1967 230S, 280SE 4.5, 300SE (W126), 420SEL

ENTER > = (HP RPN)

Not part of the in-crowd since 1952.

I few months ago I was driving along Bridgeport Ave and I see this pos Saturn pulling out of a shop. He gets into the lane next to me and flies by me. I was doing 40 in a 35. I notice his left front tire is shaking like crazy! It looked like whoever put it back on on put on one bolt! Then I notice the guys hand on the wheel it shacking real badly. I pull up to him at a stop light and interupt his cell phone conversation to tell him his wheel is about to fall off. He says he is going to get gas and will check it. I go do my erand and am heading back when I pass the same Saturn getting onto I-95 north with the wheel still shaking. In hindsight I should have told him to pull over or I'll call the cops. Some people are just plain stupid.

Chris17H get your front end rebuilt and have them go over the rear, I would have sued you if you lost control and hit me.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200