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Dreaded W211 Coil Springs

wilko50

Active Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2012
Messages
62
Car
W211 280 CDi -OM642- Engine
Hello to you all, and thanks for being here. I purchased my car in 2012, it was 7 years old 75 k, W211 E280 CDi. Within 2 months the near side front coil spring broke during the night causing that side of the car to collapse. My main problem is when I got the car the previous owner had put wheels from a CLS on the car which look great but they are wide, 245, 45 tyres, not 225. You can see these wheels in my profile picture.
This means it was a recovery truck job, also if you turned the wheel after collapse the wheel rubbed against wheel arch meaning you could not turn easily.

So the front springs that were replaced are now over 10 years old, they were checked a year ago and found to be ok, but I noticed the front of the car is looking lower bilaterally which may not be a problem. Rear spring failure can go unnoticed, front spring for me is a different story.

I am worried one of these front springs is going to go again , if that happens while I'm driving, because of the bigger wheels , that could prove very nasty. My question is , did Mercedes improve the quality of these springs after multiple failures or are they still rubbish? I am somehow hoping my car has an upgraded version of the older type.


Thank you
 
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If they are still cold wound and not stress relieved the answer is they havent changed I believe Eibach still stress relieve their springs during manufacture?.
 
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Hello to you all, and thanks for being here. I purchased my car in 2012, it was 7 years old 75 k, W211 E280 CDi. Within 2 months the near side front coil spring broke during the night causing that side of the car to collapse. My main problem is when I got the car the previous owner had put wheels from a CLS on the car which look great but they are wide, 245, 45 tyres, not 225. You can see these wheels in my profile picture.
This means it was a recovery truck job, also if you turned the wheel after collapse the wheel rubbed against wheel arch meaning you could not turn easily.

So the front springs that were replaced are now over 10 years old, they were checked a year ago and found to be ok, but I noticed the front of the car is looking lower bilaterally which may not be a problem. Rear spring failure can go unnoticed, front spring for me is a different story.

I am worried one of these front springs is going to go again , if that happens while I'm driving, because of the bigger wheels , that could prove very nasty. My question is , did Mercedes improve the quality of these springs after multiple failures or are they still rubbish? I am somehow hoping my car has an upgraded version of the older type.


Thank you
My 125k 2009 E320cdi has the 245/45/17’s which are standard on the Avantgarde model . No issues with that wheel size since I bought the car at 19k miles .
I do run winter tyres on 225/55/16’s though .
I think the springs have improved you don’t hear about the collapse incidents now . I’ve just changed my front shocks and springs last summer with some other front suspension parts .
I used Sachs parts which are OE from Autodoc
 
My 125k 2009 E320cdi has the 245/45/17’s which are standard on the Avantgarde model . No issues with that wheel size since I bought the car at 19k miles .
I do run winter tyres on 225/55/16’s though .
I think the springs have improved you don’t hear about the collapse incidents now . I’ve just changed my front shocks and springs last summer with some other front suspension parts .
I used Sachs parts which are OE from Autodoc
My experience with Sachs branded front coil springs (from ECP) for a w201 190d has been poor, with an osf Sachs spring snapping in just a few years and sub 10,000 miles of use. Replaced with second hand original Mercedes w201 front springs which may well be 30+ years old but are still in one piece.
 
My experience with Sachs branded front coil springs (from ECP) for a w201 190d has been poor, with an osf Sachs spring snapping in just a few years and sub 10,000 miles of use. Replaced with second hand original Mercedes w201 front springs which may well be 30+ years old but are still in one piece.
I used Sachs because that was what was on the car for 123k so it’s worth a gamble :)
 
I used Sachs because that was what was on the car for 123k so it’s worth a gamble :)
Probably a safe bet as Sachs are a quality brand.

The issues i experienced may well be down to the design of w201 front suspension which uses very long stiff front springs under considerable tension. Due to this design original Mercedes parts may well be the only option for long term durability on a w201.
 
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My 125k 2009 E320cdi has the 245/45/17’s which are standard on the Avantgarde model . No issues with that wheel size since I bought the car at 19k miles .
I do run winter tyres on 225/55/16’s though .
I think the springs have improved you don’t hear about the collapse incidents now . I’ve just changed my front shocks and springs last summer with some other front suspension parts .
I used Sachs parts which are OE from Autodoc
That's reassuring, thank you
 
I have a pair of front OEM springs here for a 211 if you are looking a pair? I changed mine to Eibach Pro Kit.
 
I have a pair of front OEM springs here for a 211 if you are looking a pair? I changed mine to Eibach Pro Kit.
Thanks for offering. Do you know how old they are , and how much do you want for them ? :)
 
Thanks for offering. Do you know how old they are , and how much do you want for them ? :)

They came out of my Japanese import E350 S211 18 months ago and had probably been in from new - vehicle first registered 01-01-2006 - mileage now is only 68,000 so they probably have done no more than 60,000 miles.
 
Some cheap springs to be had on eBay if you know the coloured dots . I bought 2 complete front struts for under £100 for my w219. The mb springs were practically brand new still.
 
My experience with a 211 estate - the offside front spring went at about 70k miles. Both sides were replaced - this was in about 2014/15 I think. The offside front spring went again at.....yes that's right 140k miles. Both sides replaced again. Both times with MB supplied springs matched to the car. The first time the spring just went snap overnight and the car needed to be recovered. The second time I noticed that the OSF did not look quite right - it was not collapsed but it just looked slightly down compared to the other side. After a careful inspection I found that the spring was indeed broken but had not let go.
I think that you have been pretty lucky to get 11 years out of the front springs - the quality is not good and I don't think they changed them before 2012 (if at all). Thats the bad news; the good news is that they are not hugely expensive and fairly easy to change, the other good news is that they generally go bang when parked not when being driven.
If you are that concerned about it and you are keeping the car then just get them replaced at the next service. They used to last the life of the car and now they are a 5/7 yr service item.
 
My experience with a 211 estate - the offside front spring went at about 70k miles. Both sides were replaced - this was in about 2014/15 I think. The offside front spring went again at.....yes that's right 140k miles. Both sides replaced again. Both times with MB supplied springs matched to the car. The first time the spring just went snap overnight and the car needed to be recovered. The second time I noticed that the OSF did not look quite right - it was not collapsed but it just looked slightly down compared to the other side. After a careful inspection I found that the spring was indeed broken but had not let go.
I think that you have been pretty lucky to get 11 years out of the front springs - the quality is not good and I don't think they changed them before 2012 (if at all). Thats the bad news; the good news is that they are not hugely expensive and fairly easy to change, the other good news is that they generally go bang when parked not when being driven.
If you are that concerned about it and you are keeping the car then just get them replaced at the next service. They used to last the life of the car and now they are a 5/7 yr service item.
My car is now at 146.000 , looks like for peace of mind they will have to be done. Thank you
 
Some cheap springs to be had on eBay if you know the coloured dots . I bought 2 complete front struts for under £100 for my w219. The mb springs were practically brand new still.
Thanks for that info
They came out of my Japanese import E350 S211 18 months ago and had probably been in from new - vehicle first registered 01-01-2006 - mileage now is only 68,000 so they probably have done no more than 60,000 miles.
Great thanks, I am going to have to take it to my indy for peace of mind ASAP. Thank you though
 
Some cheap springs to be had on eBay if you know the coloured dots . I bought 2 complete front struts for under £100 for my w219. The mb springs were practically brand new still.
Thanks for that info
 

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