Thule

hi guys!

recently i changed from my old rwd w210 sedan, to a 4 matic wagon,

the sedan was a E230 avantgard, 97 model, had around 200k on the clock and was getting kinda rough in many ways,

the wagon is a 320 4 matic, with just over 90k on the clock, and 2 owners, adult driven,

as you most know the euro spec avantgard cars ride on a "sport suspenson" they are a little lower than the classic/elegance

the wagon is much softer than the sedan was, more body roll, but one thing that surprised me, is that even though it is softer, when it hits a pothole its really harsh compared to the sedan, kinda to the point i am not sure this should be like this, the car is really solid, and feels as little milage as it is,

i have owned 5 w210's through the years, since they where kinda new, 3 avantgards, one classic, and now the wagon that is elegance,the other 4 all where rwd sedans, none of them where so harsh,

is this a rwd vs 4matic set up thingie? it only feels like this in the front, not the rear, (it has sls)
i checked under the car and all bushings and supension components looked ok, the ex owner had most of them replaced around 60k,

only thing i find is that the front shocks are getting worn, and i intend to replace them soon, can they alone cause this? or do the 4matic's struggle more with potholes?

sorry for the spelling,
best regards!
ivar- iceland

kajtek1

You might answer your own question.
Check the tire pressure as well.
I think the only big difference is that wagons have camber close to 0, while sedans have it pretty negative.
That makes different tire contact.

Thule

hehe, yes i do believe the shocks are causing this, but since i've never had a 4 matic before i just wanted to check if there where any known problems that could be affecting this, that i don't know about, or if the 4 matics dont ride as well as the rwd's

RichM

If most of the harshness is coming from the rear, it could be the accumulators.

Thule

i think it rides a little rougher in the rear than it should. it is a bit lower in the rear,

but it is much more noticeable in the front,

Emsflyer84

My 01 E430 4matic does the same thing. I've replaced almost every front suspension component but still have some harshness in the front end. I still have a rattle of some kind as well over small choppy bumps that no one can diagnose, including the dealer... One of those things I'll have to live with I guess...

Thule

i have not sorted this out yet, the is really soft, but hits the potholes hard

Emsflyer84

Mine does the same thing, and seems louder then it should be. I do know this was a common complaint, even with new W210's. They were criticized for having more road noise on rough roads then cheap American cars in some cases...

Thule

in my experience, a correctly riding w210 should have a really smooth riding suspension, yes the actual road noise is a bit loud, but it should be very insulated on rough surface.
the other w210's i've had where like that,

and the current one does it to, its just when it hits potholes or something similar it hits them way to hard, and nothing like the previous ones,

a.t.m i am going to replace the front shocks, and i will have to look at the self leveling suspension, it is sagging a bit in the rear, but it is impossible to check it for leeks a.t.m during the winter, but its in the to do list

Emsflyer84

I've been doing a lot of research on my suspension issues, and I really think that my problems are being caused by bad sway bar bushings. The noise is right, and the conditions are right for when the noise is happening. My car only has 80K miles on it, so it's about that time for some of the bushings and small components to start going bad. The only thing I'd be surprised about is that nobody was able to diagnose it, if that's what the problem really is. But I have read other forums where people have had all kinds of high dollar parts replaced when the swaybar bushings were the culprit. I'll probably just have them all replaced anyway because it's a fairly low cost to fix. I'll keep you posted.

Thule

i agree, over here its normal to have to do a major suspension service front/rear before 150k km (90k mil)

for me the best thing is just to the whole suspension in either front or rear end, and have done so few times, but thats not always a option, i know my car had some bushing changed back in 07 when it went from the 1st to 2nd owner,

in your case i hope it turn's out to be this bushing, i know the feeling having something like this making you crazy..

E42AMG???

Flyer84 if you changed out all the front suspension components the engine or trans mounts could be making the noise.

Further more when checking the suspension components people do the wheel wiggle method which can show some problems, but do you really think your arms are the equivalent to a pothole at 30 mph?

Using a pry bar on bushings and othe components will reveal a lot more!