A180 W169 Front Springs

[Tezz]

Front o/s spring snapped on car, was lucky happened just as I was getting home, the springs snapping on theses cars seams very common.

Theres a vid on you tube

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Got a pair of matched springs (German made) for £25 delivered, Mercedes I believe say you can change 1 only so long as it exactly match's what's on car, but I was always of view what you do on one side of suspension breaks ect you do same on other.

I changed the broken 1, put all back together took for test drive to make sure all settled in and their was approx. 10-15mm difference in ride height from side to side, new spring sat higher, so def needed a pair of springs in my case

Not a technically demanding job, so long as you have all tools and sockets and can get both wheels of ground at same time

Pay attention in Vid as you will need a 21mm socket with an external hex on it and a long 7mm Allen key to remove top nut, I used a 21mm spark plug socket as that had external hex (most do) and a long 7mm 1/2 drive Allen key I have for some break jobs. I don't own a impact wrench so my long 3/4 breaker bar and 21mm impact socket got the nuts of bottom, 17mm for drop link and an Allen key in middle to stop it spinning. Top 3 nuts came off easy they are E14 Torx

compressing the springs took a few attempts as I was using a pair of spring compressors I had already, not the easiest things in world to use. shox looked ok, no leaking or damage I could see to top mounts, damping seamed ok before spring boke, so I reused them

For £25 im pleased, will let you know how it rides.

I have no idea of quality of springs other than what they posted in description , CD Coil Springs are manufactured to original equipment quality ISO and TUV standards using the latest oe-specification spring steel and benefit from advanced protection coatings against corrosion.

But even MB originals seam to break quite offen

I will see how t goes and may replace rears as well so I know they at least have a few years in them.

Tezz.

 

[Tezz]

opps Typo the drop link nut is 16mm not 17mm

Soz


Tezz

 

[Tezz]

So been driving for a few days, all seams ok, nothing fell off so I guess that's a good point. drives well bottoms out less but still ground clearance is an issue.

I did notice on a German site you can get a full kit front and rear to lower 35mm, WHY? ground clearance already an issue, can get a full front and rear standard kit, inc all mounts, stops and shrouds for about £290

was just disposing of old springs and noticed the broken one was 4 white dots while the other was 5 ? I thought they supposed to be same ? if they are then looks like car had issues with spring before and only one was changed, looked on Merc epc and seams loads of spring options, but no mention I could see of what difference is just you need to match.

My car is an Avangaurd auto, with what looks like a lot of extras do these effect spring rate? struts were both marked with a big 1 (lol go on you know you want to)

Either way for money its given me a bit of time to think


Tezz

 

[GLK]

My car is an Avangaurd auto, with what looks like a lot of extras do these effect spring rate?

Almost every option affects the spring "points" which are then added to arrive at suitable range for a particular model, indicated by number / colour of dots.

I too had front springs replaced on my old A200 C169 (OSF snapped in half, whilst parked, luckily), and was incorrectly advised by Mercedes as to which part number I needed.
Turns out those were higher than my factory lowered sports suspension:

Wasn't too happy about it, for a few hours, until I realised I much prefer the raised look and ride.
The only problem was (as I described it at the time) the car looked like a horny dog, so got matching rear springs and replaced those too - this time DIY, with a help of a friend.
Never looked back

 

[GLK]

This is what should be used to calculate correct springs:

 

[Tezz]

Many thanks

so am I correct in thinking that the more dot is longer/stiffer spring ?

what about colour ?

I noticed from EPC they do white yellow and red

just trying to understand basics.

and going back to my reason for changing both, I had 1 side with 4 white dots and one with 5, as it looks like they were both merc springs a good case for changing both.

No idea what my replacement springs are but they def bottom out less on same roads

 

[GLK]

No idea if there's a logical sequence to number of dots (maybe within same colour) and its correlation to strength / length of a spring.
Looking at Mercedes model numbering system (or lack thereof), I wouldn't put too much trust into this assumption

 

[Tezz]

looking at chart for front spring, looks like they White dots, green dots and Yellow dots and the par numbers go up by 1 for every dot you add. I would assume greater points stiffer or longer spring, but then my dad did always tell me assumption is the mother of all **** ups LOL

so my car auto lots extras was 5 white dots , part numbers go from 1-6 dots

looks like your OEM was 3 yellow dots, new part was 5 that increased your ride high ?

My OSF also snapped

I know MB put a lot of work into there set ups, but on B roads around hear it bottoms out quite a lot, less with new springs but then they have no dots lol

there are 5/6 options for white green and yellow and only 1 part for red, which seams to have lowest point value.

but really have no idea

Other than when I put my OEM part number in search for 5 dots get the Pattern CD part I purchased and car def sits 10mm higher at front now

would be simpler if could just fit adjustable coil overs and wind in and out to match roads

I don't know if any logic to dots and colours but knowing the Germans im sure there is

 

[pmcgsmurf]

I'd never buy generic springs for this very reason.

The generic ones snap just like the OEM so I'd rather have the correct ones.

If your car is bottoming out then that sounds very strange, I've hot speed hump around here but don't even have a problem with the E55 lowered!

 

[Tezz]

I'd never buy generic springs for this very reason.

The generic ones snap just like the OEM so I'd rather have the correct ones.

If your car is bottoming out then that sounds very strange, I've hot speed hump around here but don't even have a problem with the E55 lowered!

Thanks , yes the snapping springs dose seam to be an all too common issue be it generic or MB part, my OS has been replaced at least once before me. and loads of MOT fails on snapped springs I found when checking other cars

as for bottoming out this seams also to be a common issue on B roads ect,, quite a few post on issue on A class, ground clearance is very poor, maybe MB did get it wrong ? Damping seams ok, if it was a bike I would try a progressive spring

stiffer spring or longer may sort issue but then effect ride, the generic spring I have fitted is def longer and bottoms out less, but that could just be a by product of them being new or need to settle, only time will tell.

Its a very basic set up, why not nicest of jobs not to difficult to change.

Lowering car maybe shorter spring but then they are probably stiffer as well

Tezz

 

[GLK]

FWIW, never had my A200 bottom out, and that's with 18" AMG wheels and factory lowered sports suspension.
Pretty sure the shocks were original too - I never changed them in 5½ years of ownership, and I did replace every little (and large) thing that even remotely wanted any attention ... all OEM parts too

 

[Tezz]

FWIW, never had my A200 bottom out, and that's with 18" AMG wheels and factory lowered sports suspension.
Pretty sure the shocks were original too - I never changed them in 5½ years of ownership, and I did replace every little (and large) thing that even remotely wanted any attention ... all OEM parts too

Bottoming out is def an issue on my car you should see my under tray and front of bumper :-( you could feel it bottom out on deep ruts at speed. I just accepted this as normal from post I have read

is it possible that why the sports is lower it in fact stiffer ?

Maybe that's an option to consider, fit sports springs

If I could find more detail maybe its as simple as moving from 5 white dot to 5 yellow ?

there is a sports lowering kit from Germany for my car, I believe 30mm, ill see if they can give out any more info on springs they use


Thanks for all your help.


Tezz

 

[GLK]

You can certainly try to find an equivalent to stiffer versions - 169 321 2004 front and 169 324 3504 rear.
The problem is, most aftermarket vendors ignore the nuances and list a generic model as compatible / exact match for any part number from the range.

Again, even with 169 321 1604 (original factory spec) front springs, I never had the car bottomed out (and the front undertray was okay, when I bought the car at 29k miles - the right side one had a nasty hole where a bolt supposed to be, so I got it replaced with a new one, but other than that - pretty much like new)...

 

[Tezz]

So lived with springs now for a bit, deff bottoms out less and rides better, as I had a differnt spring on each side of front, I'm guessing not first broken spring on my car

I ran a few of the part numbers listed for my car, and found the specs of springs just for my car vary from 388mm to 418mm, so if you say put in my car on eBay for springs you can get anything from 388-418, so it's worth remembering that

I also remember a few post where MB changed one spring, I'm sure I read in my WIS that on my car to change in pairs

I think I got lucky on parts I got

But given the big variations going to MB may be a wiser move

Tezz

 

[Tezz]

And these I can get at 6 white dots and 410 mm

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Strut-...56ef2d1737:g:pzAAAOSw0iRfoWyt&redirect=mobile

As said still bottoms out less so now and only when driving agressively on b roads

I did find sports kit 30mm lower and thought add 30mm spacer for stiffer but OEM ride hight, but no idea of quality of kit

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/sport-lowering-suspension-kit-springs-shock-absorbers-Mercedes-A-Class-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/sport-lowering-suspension-kit-springs-shock-absorbers-M

Found these spaces

Car Front strut spacers 30mm 1.2" for MERCEDES-BENZ A-Class, B-Class Lift Kit | eBay

2x strut spacers. save on replacing old coils by simply installing these affordable Strut Spacers. Not only see more in a higher clearance car, but others notice high vehicles too. we constantly work on improving every single detail to improve LIFT KIT reability.

www.ebay.co.uk

TEZZ

 

[grober]

Always best to replace springs in PAIRS as their spring rating will alter with age. Most modern car coil springs are cold wound which leaves them with residual internal stresses. What should happen is they should be stress relieved by heating after the winding process but this is seldom done. After the protective surface coating on the springs are damaged small pitting and surface cracks are formed by corrosion. These act as an internal focus for the residual stresses eventually reading to failure- hence the phenomenon where the springs often break while the car is parked rather than moving.

 

[Will1452]

I think I've cracked this at last. My wife used to have a 2007 A160 cdi and that had no ground clearance issues at all. In 2011, after seeing what the 'new' A class was, we replaced it with a new A160 cdi Classic Blue Efficiency with no extras, ordered from the factory. We still have it and it has regularly bottomed out on speed bumps and on B roads from Day 1. It's been checked and there in nothing wrong with it but it is obvious that on an undulating B road the spoiler smashes into the road before the bump stops come into play. Some roads are no-go areas. We have decided to keep it a bit longer but I want to fix it by any means possible. I scraped all the data I could on springs and shock absorbers from the internet. Talking to the parts department they told me I should have a 169 321 24 03 3x white spring (wrongly, it turns out) and a 169 320 15 30 shock absorber. This was a surprise because the 169 320 15 30 shock absorber is for sports (lowered) suspension and should have a Yellow 2x spring. I've checked my car and I can read the 169 321 15 30 part number on the shock absorber and it does have the yellow 2x spring. So a basic Classic model came out of the factory in 2011 with the 'optional' lowered sports suspension, at least at the front (and has given me grief ever since).

The normal suspension uses a 169 320 14 30 shock absorber with a white spring (3x depending on the spec). The shock absorber is 52mm longer on full extension or 34mm longer fully closed, so the bump stops come into action when the underside is 34mm further off the ground. The ride height must be a similar amount higher with the correct spring. I don't have enough data to work out exactly how much higher, but I have attached a picture of both cars in the same place and the old one is definitely higher by an inch or so if you look at the gap between the top of the wheel and the wheel arch. Since the springs are overdue to snap and will need repacing soon, I'm going to grab the opportunity and fit new front shocks and springs of the normal suspension. The rear has had the springs replaced already and given the confusion around this subject I don't know whether they are normal or lowered, but they work fine and the rear ride height looks much the same as the old car so I will leave them alone. If I get Bilstein parts direct it can be done for about £300 parts and a bit less for labour hopefully - thats everything including the top bearing - and they are probably the same as OE parts. Anyone know better?

So why did an ordinary cooking A Class come out of the factory with boy racer suspension? The answer I think must be that Blue Efficiency got the CO2 emissions down to 110 gm/km on the cdi by tweaking the turbo and fuelling, changing the gear ratios, fitting a front spoiler and dropping it closer to the ground. So I think probably all Blue Efficiency cars (2010ish on) must have sports suspension which is about 5% stiffer and say 30mm lower, as a no choice option at least on the front. Does anyone know whether this is right? I found the Blue Efficiency engine rougher at low speed and the gear ratios less satisfactory than the old car, but the fuel consumption/CO2 is no different.

 

[Beardieman]

I think I've cracked this at last. My wife used to have a 2007 A160 cdi and that had no ground clearance issues at all. In 2011, after seeing what the 'new' A class was, we replaced it with a new A160 cdi Classic Blue Efficiency with no extras, ordered from the factory. We still have it and it has regularly bottomed out on speed bumps and on B roads from Day 1. It's been checked and there in nothing wrong with it but it is obvious that on an undulating B road the spoiler smashes into the road before the bump stops come into play. Some roads are no-go areas. We have decided to keep it a bit longer but I want to fix it by any means possible. I scraped all the data I could on springs and shock absorbers from the internet. Talking to the parts department they told me I should have a 169 321 24 03 3x white spring (wrongly, it turns out) and a 169 320 15 30 shock absorber. This was a surprise because the 169 320 15 30 shock absorber is for sports (lowered) suspension and should have a Yellow 2x spring. I've checked my car and I can read the 169 321 15 30 part number on the shock absorber and it does have the yellow 2x spring. So a basic Classic model came out of the factory in 2011 with the 'optional' lowered sports suspension, at least at the front (and has given me grief ever since).

The normal suspension uses a 169 320 14 30 shock absorber with a white spring (3x depending on the spec). The shock absorber is 52mm longer on full extension or 34mm longer fully closed, so the bump stops come into action when the underside is 34mm further off the ground. The ride height must be a similar amount higher with the correct spring. I don't have enough data to work out exactly how much higher, but I have attached a picture of both cars in the same place and the old one is definitely higher by an inch or so if you look at the gap between the top of the wheel and the wheel arch. Since the springs are overdue to snap and will need repacing soon, I'm going to grab the opportunity and fit new front shocks and springs of the normal suspension. The rear has had the springs replaced already and given the confusion around this subject I don't know whether they are normal or lowered, but they work fine and the rear ride height looks much the same as the old car so I will leave them alone. If I get Bilstein parts direct it can be done for about £300 parts and a bit less for labour hopefully - thats everything including the top bearing - and they are probably the same as OE parts. Anyone know better?

So why did an ordinary cooking A Class come out of the factory with boy racer suspension? The answer I think must be that Blue Efficiency got the CO2 emissions down to 110 gm/km on the cdi by tweaking the turbo and fuelling, changing the gear ratios, fitting a front spoiler and dropping it closer to the ground. So I think probably all Blue Efficiency cars (2010ish on) must have sports suspension which is about 5% stiffer and say 30mm lower, as a no choice option at least on the front. Does anyone know whether this is right? I found the Blue Efficiency engine rougher at low speed and the gear ratios less satisfactory than the old car, but the fuel consumption/CO2 is no different.

Hi, me- new to these motors! My car is as yours (I think), 2011 Avant Garde A160 and suspension has dropped on driver side by about 1/2 inch. So, will replace shocks and springs but did you raise yours or keep the lower sports suspension?
cheers.

 

[Will1452]

Hi, me- new to these motors! My car is as yours (I think), 2011 Avant Garde A160 and suspension has dropped on driver side by about 1/2 inch. So, will replace shocks and springs but did you raise yours or keep the lower sports suspension?
cheers.

Hi Beardiman,

I ordered the normal (not sports) Bilstein OE equivalent front suspension shock absorbers, springs, bump stops and swivels from Autodoc for about £310 all in, on the basis that Bilstein are probably the OE suppliers and match every MB part number 1 for 1. They turned up from Germany in about 10 days. No problems fitting and the ride height increased by about an inch which has transfomed the car. The back is still lowered but this hasn't caused a problem and its hard to spot. I am not 100% certain that the petrol versions had the lowered suspension - it may only be diesel - so can't confirm if yours will change height. If it matters, check the coloured dots on the current springs - yellow = sport, white = normal. The old bumps stops were completely knackered from continually being pummelled.

William

 

[Beardieman]

Hi Beardiman,

I ordered the normal (not sports) Bilstein OE equivalent front suspension shock absorbers, springs, bump stops and swivels from Autodoc for about £310 all in, on the basis that Bilstein are probably the OE suppliers and match every MB part number 1 for 1. They turned up from Germany in about 10 days. No problems fitting and the ride height increased by about an inch which has transfomed the car. The back is still lowered but this hasn't caused a problem and its hard to spot. I am not 100% certain that the petrol versions had the lowered suspension - it may only be diesel - so can't confirm if yours will change height. If it matters, check the coloured dots on the current springs - yellow = sport, white = normal. The old bumps stops were completely knackered from continually being pummelled.

William

William, thanks for coming back so quickly. My car is diesel and the springs are 2 yellow dot. I have brake pad rattle at the front like someone else has noted somewhere, will change the carriers as they are a suspect apparently, because they wear. Autodoc are good, if a tad slow getting across the channel! Thanks again.