I've just got an 8 month old c200, I really like the car except for the suspension. The agility control comfort suspension crashes over pot holes and clunks over man hole covers. I can hear and feel pretty much every bump on the road. It's nowhere near as quiet and comfortable as my old Mondeo. The cars only done 13000 miles. Just wondering if this is normal?
Suspension on my nearly new C200
- Thread starter Mhatton93
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GordonTarling
MB Enthusiast
Does it have runflat tyres? If not that, then check tyre pressures.
BrianWSussex
New Member
- Joined
- May 22, 2017
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- 23
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- 250d C-Class
Mhatton93
Hi, I'm not new to MB but I am new to the forum so I am finding my way around.
Is it front or rear suspension you have problems with?
I bought a new C250d last September and was immediately disappointed with the noises you describe from the back suspension.
I took it back to the dealer and they replaced the rear near side shock absorber (damper). A few weeks later I had a call from them - could they have the car back, there's an update on the dampers.
It went in again and they replaced the offside rear damper - nothing changed and I still have the noise but you might want to check out updates.
Mine doesn't have a spare wheel so it has a tyre inflator that sits in a silly plastic bracket that hangs in the lower half of the boot (where the spare wheel should be).
That bracket is as loose as hell, if you lift it with a finger and drop it it makes the same noise as I hear when driving, largely because also contains the heavy towing shackle.
Very silly and cheap arrangement. When the boot is empty you can lift the boot floor and then drop it and it makes a clanging noise. I think the whole thing echoes through the empty boot space where the spare wheel should be.
Does anybody else have this problem?
Hi, I'm not new to MB but I am new to the forum so I am finding my way around.
Is it front or rear suspension you have problems with?
I bought a new C250d last September and was immediately disappointed with the noises you describe from the back suspension.
I took it back to the dealer and they replaced the rear near side shock absorber (damper). A few weeks later I had a call from them - could they have the car back, there's an update on the dampers.
It went in again and they replaced the offside rear damper - nothing changed and I still have the noise but you might want to check out updates.
Mine doesn't have a spare wheel so it has a tyre inflator that sits in a silly plastic bracket that hangs in the lower half of the boot (where the spare wheel should be).
That bracket is as loose as hell, if you lift it with a finger and drop it it makes the same noise as I hear when driving, largely because also contains the heavy towing shackle.
Very silly and cheap arrangement. When the boot is empty you can lift the boot floor and then drop it and it makes a clanging noise. I think the whole thing echoes through the empty boot space where the spare wheel should be.
Does anybody else have this problem?
My first W205 was awful for banging and crashing over even the slightest bumps. The dealer replaced the oil in the front dampers as this was a "known problem". That didn't make any difference so he replaced the rear nearside damper, which helped to a degree, but the banging was still there - just not as bad as before. My current W205 is nowhere near as bad as the first one.
SamW
Active Member
You mention the 'Agility Control' - unless you have airmatic the suspension will not be influenced in anyway by weather it's in comfort/sport etc.
Worth getting checked out but may just be a characteristic of the car. I.e. It may not be as smooth as the mondeo but you may be able to turn sharper or the tyre profile isn't as big etc.
Worth getting checked out but may just be a characteristic of the car. I.e. It may not be as smooth as the mondeo but you may be able to turn sharper or the tyre profile isn't as big etc.
kth286
MB Enthusiast
What tyre pressures you using out of interest?
I stick with those recommended on the fuel flap - 2.5 kPa. I did try dropping them a little (it says you can do this if you find the relevant page in the owner's manual) but the difference in comfort wasn't huge. I'm keeping an eye out for excessive wear on the centre of the tyres and will adjust the pressures accordingly if it starts to occur.
Oops! That should read 2.5 bar. Sorry for any confusion.
The Mirror Man
Active Member
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- W211 E270 CDI Elegance.Rover 75 Tourer
Should it not be the outside edges of the tyres that will wear first if you "drop" the tyre pressures?
Hi Mirror Man,
You're absolutely right about that. I'm running the tyres at the recommended pressure, though, so the centre is more likely to wear as there's only my wife and I in the car most of the time, I believe.
Is this air suspension ?
Air suspension on the W205 got mixed reviews in a number of road tests. Here's what Autocar said:
Most of the expected absorbency and isolation of air suspension is there, but at town speeds there is quite a lot of intrusion over sharp surfaces, which thump through to the Mercedes' cabin in a sometimes fairly unpleasant fashion.
The other issue is the comparison with a Mondeo which has an unusually good ride. Ford are very good at ride/handling compromise across most of their range of cars while you have to get to the E class before MB make a car that rides well. It might be run of the mill but a Mondeo beats my C class hands down on ride comfort.
Air suspension on the W205 got mixed reviews in a number of road tests. Here's what Autocar said:
Most of the expected absorbency and isolation of air suspension is there, but at town speeds there is quite a lot of intrusion over sharp surfaces, which thump through to the Mercedes' cabin in a sometimes fairly unpleasant fashion.
The other issue is the comparison with a Mondeo which has an unusually good ride. Ford are very good at ride/handling compromise across most of their range of cars while you have to get to the E class before MB make a car that rides well. It might be run of the mill but a Mondeo beats my C class hands down on ride comfort.
Sonny Burnett
MB Enthusiast
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My 205 is also the same, I'd say 10x as worse as my old w220 over bumps but in saying that these are just cheap entry level motors, can't expect s class refinement
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I wouldn't be expecting S class refinement but I would expect it to be no worse than previous generations of the C class models.
I think there are two issues.
The predominant one is MB's sales push to younger drivers who want a fashionably hard ride and accept it because they don't know any better, never having driven a car that rides comfortably.
Secondly MB are not quite as good at the ride handling compromise as Ford or BMW. I suppose we should be grateful they are not as bad as Audi.
I think there are two issues.
The predominant one is MB's sales push to younger drivers who want a fashionably hard ride and accept it because they don't know any better, never having driven a car that rides comfortably.
Secondly MB are not quite as good at the ride handling compromise as Ford or BMW. I suppose we should be grateful they are not as bad as Audi.
I have had a few C Class loan cars and in comparison with my E class cars they did seem a bit firmer and not so compliant as the ride in my E class.
That said I found them to be nice cars a bit sportier maybe but certainly not a bad ride.
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That said I found them to be nice cars a bit sportier maybe but certainly not a bad ride.
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Don't understand the problem.
Our S205 is on 19" rims and though firm, is not in my view a harsh ride. My daughter has an S205 C220d Sport on 17" rims and it is a smoother ride than ours on A and B roads, but isn't quite as sharp in the twisty stuff. On the motorway there's nothing in it between the two cars in terms of ride quality.
If I wanted limousine waft, I would have bought a different car. As it is the C250d is a nice balance between comfort, handling, road holding and performance. With the premium or premium plus pack adding a nice touch of luxury icing on top of an otherwise very competent cake. YMMV of course.
OP, I hope you find a resolution to the issue(s) you're finding.
Our S205 is on 19" rims and though firm, is not in my view a harsh ride. My daughter has an S205 C220d Sport on 17" rims and it is a smoother ride than ours on A and B roads, but isn't quite as sharp in the twisty stuff. On the motorway there's nothing in it between the two cars in terms of ride quality.
If I wanted limousine waft, I would have bought a different car. As it is the C250d is a nice balance between comfort, handling, road holding and performance. With the premium or premium plus pack adding a nice touch of luxury icing on top of an otherwise very competent cake. YMMV of course.
OP, I hope you find a resolution to the issue(s) you're finding.
Noise has a big influence on perceptions of ride comfort.
In my limited experience a BMW 3 series for example has a firmer ride than a C class but it's a quieter ride so the overall perception is the BMW feels better.
In the several roads tests of the W205 the complaint about the air sprung cars was not about the ride comfort as such but that it clunked and crashed over pot holes.
Perceptions of ride comfort are always going to be individual and I firmly believe (pun intended ) that we have got used to cars having a firm ride. Without recent experience of a really comfortable car we don't have a point of reference to compare against.
What bothers me is that this aspect of dynamic performance has been sacrificed purely on the whim of fashionable ultra low profile tyres and firm springs. Perhaps in the scheme of things the C class isn't that bad but there are some other cars out there that are quite ridiculously firm and only fit for a race track. I don't begrudge those who want their cars set up fit for a track day but the fashion of low profile tyres and a firm ride has affected family cars as well. Witness the recent posts on B class ride quality or look at the Honest John web site and see how many people are trying to improve the ride of their cars. The manufacturers haven't got it right for everyone.
In my limited experience a BMW 3 series for example has a firmer ride than a C class but it's a quieter ride so the overall perception is the BMW feels better.
In the several roads tests of the W205 the complaint about the air sprung cars was not about the ride comfort as such but that it clunked and crashed over pot holes.
Perceptions of ride comfort are always going to be individual and I firmly believe (pun intended ) that we have got used to cars having a firm ride. Without recent experience of a really comfortable car we don't have a point of reference to compare against.
What bothers me is that this aspect of dynamic performance has been sacrificed purely on the whim of fashionable ultra low profile tyres and firm springs. Perhaps in the scheme of things the C class isn't that bad but there are some other cars out there that are quite ridiculously firm and only fit for a race track. I don't begrudge those who want their cars set up fit for a track day but the fashion of low profile tyres and a firm ride has affected family cars as well. Witness the recent posts on B class ride quality or look at the Honest John web site and see how many people are trying to improve the ride of their cars. The manufacturers haven't got it right for everyone.
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