chris1978

Okay, I have a 06 e320 cdi that I bought a couple of months ago. It has 415k and the front shocks were worn out. I began replacing front end components( front shocks, upper and lower ball joints, forward and rear lower control arms. This fixed the clunking and smoothed the ride. I have noticed now however that the front end sits higher than I remember. There is about 3 3/4 inches between the tire and the top of the fender well. In the rear there is only 1 inch. When I pull up pics online of other 06 models the distance between the front and rear wheels is the same at about and inch clearance from the tires. Anyone have ideas? Everything is installed correctly and it was not really hard to do. Just hard to believe it should be this high. I attached a photo so y'all can see what I am workin with. Thanks

kajtek1

Would everything be installed correctly, it would not be that high.
For reference on my 4M the top of fender arch is 27" above the ground and all my fenders seem to be on the same level, although MB gives them 20 mm tolerance.

chris1978

Mine is now around 29". Here are so more pics. Ever









ything is installed as it should be.

kajtek1

There is limit how much you can measure from pictures, but RWD should be lower than 4M, while your front is 2" higher than on my 4M.
First suspect would be longer shocks since you are saying you did not replace springs?

chris1978

I didnt replace the springs but I did compare the new sachs to the old ones and they were same length(identical). I changed the shocks several weeks ago, I just noticed this after changing the control arms today. I am thinking I will disassemble and reassemble just to make sure.

evansw220

It's a common mistake that's made.. The cup the spring sits on has to be set lower.. It's recommended to mark the height on the old shock before removal... You'll need to remove it and set it again..

chris1978

Thanks Evans! I didn't know that was adjustable. How do you lower the spring base/pad that the spring sits on?

chris1978

Just to follow up since I had a question, These shocks are adjustable. Once the spring is removed you pull up on the platform that the spring rests on and it will reveal 5 or 6 grooves with a ring that can be adjusted up or down in said grooves. Match the hight with old shocks.