Spring compressor needed in Bournemouth

[Clifton]

Hey,

I’m about to replace front coil springs in my W209 CLK320.
My standard compressor is useless here so am looking for safe compressor I could borrow for some £££ obviously
I’m collecting springs tomorrow, struts are out of the car so just compressor needed.

Cheers!

 

[whitenemesis]

If none are forthcoming, worth exploring how much your local garage might charge for the swap, as the struts are already off the car?

 

[Trickythemerc]

I would not even think about changing the springs, they are a dangerous thing if one breaks loose when compressed. The MB service tool is about two grand, my indie has one, I took my struts to him to get the springs fitted. There is also tool for removing the retaining nut at about £8.00 from Laser Tools. You will struggle with a regular spring compressor.

 

[Clifton]

Good advice, I will call local garages to find out they are able to do this. I did call Halfords 2 weeks ago and they said NO
The struts are already off the car and springs will be for collection tomorrow.
Trickythemerc, you are right - no chances to do it with regular compressor. I have 2 compressors and they are useless which is freaking annoying because I do with my cars most of fixings/servicing/modifications haha This is my hobby so it would be pointless to buy an expensive compressor dedicated to MB struts.
Even most annoying thing is, that taking one strut off the car takes 20 minutes and… you stuck

 

[andym2]

I've got a hydraulic spring compressor that I got from MachineMart. They don't sell the exact one anymore, but it looks a bit like a Clarke version of this...
Sealey RE231 1500kg Coil Spring Hydraulic Compressing Station - Machine Mart - Machine Mart

If you've got the struts off you could always be cheeky and ask them to show you how it works

I've used mine to change the front springs on my W211 and a MK4 Golf. Are the W209 struts a similar type?

To undo and retighten the strut top nut I used a through socket (Halfords Vortex) that lets you put a Hex / Torx driver through to counter hold the shaft.

Although I come from Poole, I now live in the Midlands otherwise I'd say bring the struts round and we'll have a go.

 

[Clifton]

To undo and retighten the strut top nut I used a through socket (Halfords Vortex) that lets you put a Hex / Torx driver through to counter hold the shaft.
Although I come from Poole, I now live in the Midlands otherwise I'd say bring the struts round and we'll have a go.

Thanks Andy! I bet this compressor would be spot on but 250 quid is a bit hair-raising just for a one time job W211 has similar struts. Thanks for the tip with retaining nut removal

Come back to Poole haha!

 

[poormansporsche]

There's one on sale for 140 at machine mart below the other one , buy do the job , bung on eBay 99 quid. DIY satisfaction

 

[Major774]

I always used an impact gun to get the nut off, never needed to hold the shaft in place.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

I used 6 on each leg when i did mine. Reducing a 20 inch spring down to 10 just to be able to get thread wasnt pretty.