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w212 is uncontrollable!

Mattdavey

Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2019
Messages
34
Location
South Yorkshire
Car
2013 w212 amg sport
Hi I’m wondering if someone can help as I’ve come to a halt really.

I’ve a couple of faults regarding suspension on my e220 amg sport 2013 with 52k on the clock.

Whilst going down the road slight bumps small pot holes make the car steer on its own like I have no control.

Whilst driving on the motorway 70mph it’s hard to keep the car in a straight line.

A couple of jobs I’ve done - 4 wheel laser alignment, new drop links, repacked & adjusted wheel bearings.

Had the car over the pit at work I can’t really see much wrong apart from the control arm bushes seem very flexible.

The rear shocks seem very ‘loose’ as when I jack up the rear I can physically push the rear wheels up with my hands.

Any help would be brilliant as it’s stressing me out so badly now.

Thanks
Matt
 
I don't know much about your car but if my W124 was like thatt I'd be checking all rear subframe mounts as the car could be steering from the rear. And, of course, all joints in control arms front and rear etc.

Dodgy dampers won't help but your symptoms seem more related to steering (front/rear) to me.

RayH
 
I would be investigating the operation of the damping mechanism on all four shock absorbers, using the old fashioned push down hard the car should return to the normal height and have no oscillation IE. Bounce! I had rear shocks loose oil and it gave the same scary skip around over uneven surfaces, actual ride height and air spring performance was still ok just no damping.
 
If you can push the wheel up with your hand then there can be no spring in place , surely !!! and it sounds like your shock absorbers are simply not working. Is there any sign of oil leak from them ? Ask someone to drive alongside and then behind you to see if your wheels are bouncing up and down uncontrollably, uneven/patchy tyre wear will also point to worn shocks.
 
Springs are certainly there & not broken. Tyre wear isn’t abnormal in anyway. I thought the shocks on my car were gas? No signs is any oil leaking.
 
Had a similar problem with my CLS. Especially if the rear hit a bump on a corner, it caused the rear end to 'shimmy' in a very disconcerting way, and the car would wander slightly at speed. Also had an issue with front tyres wearing on the inside edge. Had it checked over by the garage, who looked at every rubber suspension joint, checked and adjusted the tracking etc. etc. They found nothing wrong but the car still did it.

Took it to Wheels in Motion and described the problem and they found that the car had 'settled' over the years and whilst the tracking was accurate, the camber and castor had gone out of spec. Three new adjustment bolts and a reset of the cars complete geometry cured both the 'shimmy' and the tyre wear. Noticed the improvement in the poise of the car in the first couple of hundred yards of leaving WIM. Got on the motorway and all of the wander had gone, much more stable and quieter. Been perfect ever since (30k miles).

But first get the suspension - springs, shocks and rubbers - checked for any wear and sort those first.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I’ve had a full laser wheel alignment done which did make it more stable on the motorway but it’s just the crashyness of it now. I’m leaning towards shock absorbers front and rear but which it only having now 53k on the clock it’s a little strange to say the least
 
I would also look for snapped springs! I am not saying this is the cause but a contributing factor. Why do I say this.....my 2012 W218 CLS has just been serviced @56k, found to have both rear springs snapped! Due to where they had snapped, you could not see without an inspection mirror, as they were snapped at the very top coil!
 
All the springs seem fine. It’s puzzling me as originally I thought it’d be the front shock absorbers which cause me to steer without notice when hitting bumps pot holes but only having 53k I’m thinking they should go bad this soon.
 
All the springs seem fine. It’s puzzling me as originally I thought it’d be the front shock absorbers which cause me to steer without notice when hitting bumps pot holes but only having 53k I’m thinking they should go bad this soon.


Seem fine? Or have been confirmed as fine?

The break is often out of sight in the cup...
 
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Shocks are a service item. At your mileage they will be struggling to control the mass of the car.

Do a search for them on ebay (list results by "price Incl. P&P) and see what kind of bill you're in for.

My guess is that the shocks are the problem, and the "fix" won't be too eye-watering.

As far as I remember, OEM fitting was Boge or Sachs. I've also tried Monroe, which were fine, and about 1/2 price....
 
Shocks are a service item. At your mileage they will be struggling to control the mass of the car.

....

Still quoting this unsubstantiated rubbish?

As pointed out to you before a car that has covered 53,000 miles should not need new dampers. How many forum members have found the need to have dampers replaced at such low mileages?
 
I was thinking shock absorbers myself to be fair. I can’t see no bushes badly worn. Slight knocking from the front end aswel.
 
53,000 miles of speed humps or motorway?
 

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