artseattle

I just bought my first Mercedes, a 2013 C300 Sport. I'm loving most things about the car except for the fact that the front end sits very low. My car came with the plastic protection on the front of the hood and on the bumpers and so far I've scrapped off most of the plastic that wrapped around the bottom of the front bumper. It looks a little shredded but I'm trying not to look.

However, I'm sure I'm going to run into a concrete parking bumper soon. I'm afraid I'm going to smash the beautiful point at the front bottom under the grille. So far, I'm parking way far away from any bumpers.

Any ideas? Any easy way to raise the front end? I'm surprised it's so low. I've got the stock 18 inch AMG wheels and tires.

Thanks,

Art in Seattle

ickdeep

Do you know if there is any previous suspension work already done on it? I would suggest maybe posting a side-shot photo of your car for us to see how low it is in comparative to our cars.

MDMercedesGuy

Short of changing the suspension out, I'm not sure there is much you could do.

I feel your pain. I closed on my house the day before Thanksgiving... prior, I had always parked on the street. Day 1, I realized that unless I back up the driveway I drag the bumper no matter my angle of attack.

cbrea97

i have the same issue. i get stopped all the time and asked what springs i have in my car. i know that nothing happened since i received delivery on it...but mine is a 09...

tekfoc

same thing with my 12 sits low tires slightly tucked.
does look great.
stock sport suspension.

cbrea97

have any of you had issues with your fenders bending due to hitting potholes? it does look amazing but in nyc it is so much more than just a hassle, the roads are crap.

tekfoc

So far all good with the fenders.
Man I know how you feel .
NYC POT HOLE's or should I say bomb craters.

mr.brightside

only thing I can think of is upsizing to 19" rims, and getting one of those "drive slow...get mad" stickers, lol.

Mrbruce

it absolutely is a problem. I parked next to a curb but when I backed out since I cut it too hard the front bumper scraped. The only saving grace is that since the scuff is under the line of sight, you can't really see it. There are shops that claim they can repaint that area only but the design is such that with say only 4 inches of snow, or a pothole or taking a speed bump over 10 MPH, the damage will re-occur. That remains the single biggest disappointment since I expect the car to be more than just a pretty face. A c class car is not a showroom only car and Mercedes dropped the ball on the sport lowered clearance, in my opinion.

acarter53

I am very careful when it comes to parking . My last car was an S430 with the airmatic suspension and the car would lower after it was parked, and if you parked too close to a curb, it would get stuck. My advise is to be careful! they did offer the Lux if you do not like the way the sport sits. Don't blame Mercedes. Get an SUV.

cbrea97

when you have to buy a new bumper almost on a yearly basis you can talk to me. the car maneuvers okay but not well enough to dodge every pothole in my path and the shocks are for shill. at about 24k my car lost any acceleration ability on comfort mode (driving mode), faulty wiring that melted the plastic tail light holder(both)...not a single recall but i had to drag my behind to the dealership to fix these issues. they dropped the ball, we can blame Mercedes for a lot...

SMOKEY300

Could you perhaps get a higher profile tire to raise the car up?

I have done this before when I had a car that would not pass inspection as it was 5mm too low. Instead of pulling the springs, I just swapped the 35 series tyres for a 40 series. Lifted the car up enough to pass.

stratman1954

[QUOTE=artseattle;6309544]I just bought my first Mercedes, a 2013 C300 Sport. I'm loving most things about the car except for the fact that the front end sits very low.










No offense intended but, you noticed how low the front end was when you bought it.
what did you expect?

Mrbruce

you know, there are some pretty harsh comments, drive more carefully, didn't you notice it when you bought it.................all true but miss the point.

Mercedes makes the claim "the best or nothing", implying that their cars are better designed and engineered. They put lots of driving help devices, staged brakes, lane assist, auto parking, better headlights, ect. So while obviously the solution is to drive so you don't scrape, my point is that a better designed car would not REQUIRE me to adjust to it, because IT IS A BETTER DESIGN.

acarter53

I have to disagree. The w204 comes in two ride heights. The thinking is that the buyer would purchase what fits their driving needs. I like the lower Sport. I do not like the way the Lux sits, This is the reason i did not purchase the Lux. it sounds like you should have purchased the Lux.

tekfoc

its funny I'm driving around in a 2015 c300 loaner and everyone at work said what happened it looks like your driving a Subaru outback lol
I get a lot people who cant stand the new w205 looks.

w204_Generic

All you have to do is back into spots instead of pulling in forward. I always back into spots and never have to worry about scraping my front bumper, plus it's easier to leave your parking spot if you back in! The rear obviously sits higher than the front so you do not have to worry about scraping.

Also, your car looks awesome backed-in as opposed to pulling into a parking spot forward. Just my personal opinion.

Mrbruce

ACARTER53

well i understand your point and your arrogance, to suggest that as a more careful driver, you can drive a sport, but the rest of us mere mortals should stick to right lane and drive the "LUX", as you put it.

I also know that the karmic implication of such arrogance is to jab you with a reality check, so here's hoping that you are the exception to the rule, and don't have an accident/mishap involving your front bumper

HSCDUDE

+1

cbrea97

you all sound like steve jobs when the iphone 4 came out. "you are all holding it wrong dummy"

acarter53

MrBruce,

Please do not mistake my comment as arrogance. I'm simply stating that we should not blame the design of the car on our mishaps. I live in a city and if i drove my Lamborghini downtown and damaged the bumper, i would take full blame and not say that the car has a poor design. There are several people on the forum who purchased the Lux based on where they live and how they drive because they needed the additional clearance. My point is that we have two trim levels to choose from and should pick the one that fits our needs better. I am not, nor have i ever been arrogant, i just want people to be happy with the car they choose. I love this brand and will be the first in line to point out its many short falls. But the design of the Sport bumper is not one of them.

Mrbruce

Well, I should just let you get the last word, self promote your obvious fairness and good sense but the facts are otherwise. I posted this as a shortcoming of design, based on the relative commonplace nature of the vehicle and had a fair share of agreement. You chimed in with this holier than thou response , although my guess is that you learned your lesson the hard way when your airmatic scraped the curb the 1st time as well. But hey, if it makes you happy, you are the man!

artseattle

As the original poster, I enjoyed sitting back and...

I've been more careful parking. I park pretty far back from any concrete bumpers. I'll try and heed some of your suggestions, back-in parking, careful on potholes. One question I have since I'll need to buy new tires soon.

My front tires are currently: 225/40R18. Can I easily put 225/45R18's on them? What difference would it make in driveability and bumper height? Odometer problems?

Thanks,

Art

PS: When I was checking out the car, I did look at the front bumper height. It seemed okay (and I was intoxicated with the look). I also wonder if a car loaded with passengers sits lower?

acarter53

If you have 4matic you will need to change the rear size as well