broken ,spring,

[tumerc]

i have a broken front spring on my 03 w203 ,can anyone tell me cost to replace at a indipendant garage, also is car safe to use.

 

[chitaxmoto]

do a search here

 

[219]

Front springs for my W126 are around £70 each for the part , rear ones £100 per spring .

If you have a broken spring the car is NOT safe to use as it could collapse at any time . This item would be an MOT failure , and you could be charged if caught driving the vehicle in this condition . Sorry to sound all 'doom & gloom' but a fractured spring could fly out of place at any time causing one corner of the car to collapse suddenly / could go through your tyre or bodywork , causing a LOT of damage / could hit a passer by and injure or kill them .

If you cannot fit the new spring yourself , you should have the car transported ( not towed ) to a workshop .

I can't speak for the labour charges , but I hired the proper tool to do mine and changed both rear springs in about 30 minutes ( 15 minutes per spring ) . The job is easy and safe with the proper tool , but extremely dangerous to attempt with makeshift 'external' spring compressors of the type sold by car accessory shops .

 

[mirras]

, but I hired the proper tool to do mine and changed both rear springs in about 30 minutes ( 15 minutes per spring ) . The job is easy and safe with the proper tool , but extremely dangerous to attempt with makeshift 'external' spring compressors of the type sold by car accessory shops .

Out of interest for future reference, where did you hire the tool and was it expensive?

 

[219]

I hired it from Richy190E over on the mercedes190.co.uk forum for a nominal fee plus postage .

You'd need to go onto the 190 forum and ask Richy what he would charge you . For people he does not know , I think he would ask for a refundable deposit as security against the safe return of the tool .

Here are a couple of pictures of the tool with my rear springs .

 

[Shude]

I'd be tempted to replace both springs on the same axle to avoid the ride height being uneven.

 

[grober]

If your car is a W203 it will have the modern design Macpherson strut with integral spring. Usually with these the entire strut is removed and the spring changed on the bench with an external spring compressor. This is unlike the earlier suspension Derek mentioned where the damper and strut are separate and a internal Klann type plate compressor can be used. Labour costs will be higher than a pure spring change. If the front struts are a bit " saggy" it might be an opportune moment to change the complete strut assembly. Best to replace both sides as Shude recommended

çàï÷àñòè Mercedes: êîäû çàï÷àñòåé ìåðñåäåñ

 

[newt888]

W203 front spring are huge before they are compressed! I'm a mechanic and struggled to compress it enough and I was using 2x pairs of clamps the issue is the style of "most"spring compressors
, they aren't expensive to buy mine was under £50(c32 AMG)
Took about an hour and a 1/4 to do
Don't really see the need to replace in pairs...

 

[C32Scot]

Had both front springs changed last week on my C32 at the local Mercedes independant in Glasgow - which took them several hours and cost just under £320 + vat.
The C32 front springs were only a few pounds more than standard W203 front springs according to the garage.

 

[nigel cross]

w203 front spring are huge before they are compressed! I'm a mechanic and struggled to compress it enough and i was using 2x pairs of clamps the issue is the style of "most"spring compressors
, they aren't expensive to buy mine was under £50(c32 amg)
took about an hour and a 1/4 to do
don't really see the need to replace in pairs...

what!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[stwat]

W203 front spring are huge before they are compressed! I'm a mechanic and struggled to compress it enough and I was using 2x pairs of clamps the issue is the style of "most"spring compressors
, they aren't expensive to buy mine was under £50(c32 AMG)
Took about an hour and a 1/4 to do
Don't really see the need to replace in pairs...

 

[grumps]

Make sure you check your top mounts under tension as the rubber tends to split either side of the centre spigot.

 

[Sonny Burnett]

W203 front spring are huge before they are compressed! I'm a mechanic and struggled to compress it enough and I was using 2x pairs of clamps the issue is the style of "most"spring compressors
, they aren't expensive to buy mine was under £50(c32 AMG)
Took about an hour and a 1/4 to do
Don't really see the need to replace in pairs...

same here replaced a few no need to replace in pairs

 

[grober]

same here replaced a few no need to replace in pairs

Bearing in mind the posters car is nearing 8 years old and that the spring probably went thro stress corrosion weakening, the chances are the other spring is going to go pop shortly- if it hasn't gone already! Sometimes they can be broken at the top and you don't notice because the ride height remains roughly the same. Front spring failure is so common that its a wise precaution. Springs "sag " slightly with age so by renewing both you don't end up with a new spring on one side and 8year one on the other with resultant effects on handling. So Necessary=no but good Practice=yes

 

[grober]

Should have also added that if you replace in pairs you can visually compare the 2 spring lengths in an uncompressed state off the car, there and then, to make sure an even ride height across the car is maintained. This is especially important if you decide to use an aftermarket supplier rather than MB themselves. Don't ask how I know this!