Has anyone ever seen this before? I have a 4 door w123 that I have parked, I don't have it insured and I am not driving it. I went by where I have it parked today and I see that the front spring is sitting on the ground in front of the car and the car is sitting down on the tire. I was in a hurry so I didn't have a chance to look at it but I am sure it is not foul play or someone trying to steal it. How is this possible? Can the spring just jump out of the car?
I just wanted to warn people, Since Mercedes won't, (The front tires will fall off these cars while driving)That I lost my front driver side wheel in a parking lot... I didn't hit anything, The lower support arm rusted in half from the inside out..AND the other side lower support arm is in the same condition.. You see they are made of layers of stamped sheetmetal instead of solid steel like on my old 240d... so please Check your lower support arms ...It would have been dandy if it would have left loose on my daily drive on the interstate.... The way their built is they have a 3 inch large hole on top and the salt & water goes in the hole and soaks down to the lower ball joint area, and rusts from the inside out because they are hollow....Email me @( lsk7@psu.edu )for some shocking pictures
Ps: I have the front of the car on jackstands because I'm really afraid of the other side breaking off also...the people that I talked to at Mercedes USA were arrogant and were more worried about trying to get their notes right and
discrediting me rather than accessing that there my be a problem..This car was only driven 2 years in the winter..Again Please look at your cars, If you look closely at the pictures you can see the little bit of shiney metal that held on the front tire..
Lee
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Last edited by lsk7 : 03-04-2008 at 12:28 PM.
I just wanted to warn people, Since Mercedes won't, (The front tires will fall off these cars while driving)That I lost my front driver side wheel in a parking lot... I didn't hit anything, The lower support arm rusted in half from the inside out..AND the other side lower support arm is in the same condition.. You see they are made of layers of stamped sheetmetal instead of solid steel like on my old 240d... so please Check your lower support arms ...It would have been dandy if it would have left loose on my daily drive on the interstate.... The way their built is they have a 3 inch large hole on top and the salt & water goes in the hole and soaks down to the lower ball joint area, and rusts from the inside out because they are hollow....Email me @( lsk7@psu.edu )for some shocking pictures
Lee
Fortunately for him, it's not a C220, which you know by owning a 240D, is not half the car that his 123 car is. He doesn't say where he lives, but it must be in rust and salt country.
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Land of the Free
Because of the Brave
The control arm on the 123 is a strong steel forging, never breaks.
The springs on these cars can break or snap off from rust, wear and old age, they dont get saggy like on other cars.
Well, when you've driven these cars for some years you know the sound a broken spring makes :-)
Usually a broken spring is no safety hazard, just a piece in the end brakes off..
I usually get this problem on rear springs, drive a lot with loaded car.
????? After decades of use (and rust)..springs break..as do other things..
maintainance, maintainance, maintainance. ?????
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Rudolfgreen
Can I use your x-ray machine to Check for rust inside these parts ??
or should I just remove the lower support arms, rinse them out, turn them upside down to dump out the water, mud, salt ect..Should I do this daily or weekly... I could spray water down the hole and simply roll the car over ?? I do my own maintainance because I don't trust anyone else, Heres a picture of My neglected and unkept 82 240d with 360000 miles (I drive this one to work daily (100 miles) The Rusty 95 C220 is garage kept and seldom driven 161000 miles
Mercedes C Class front wheel(s) fall off
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