Front shocks sport suspension
 

I need some help. How can I find out the OEM part number of the front shocks on a 1992 Mercedes Benz 190e 2.6 with optional sport suspension?
The fellow I bought the car from just replaced the front shocks with standard suspension shocks and the car ride changed (higher) so much that the alignment shop ran out of adjustment room.
So I need to order a new set of shocks quickly before I wreck the new tires.
Thank you in advance for your help
daleM

You've a confusing post. The Sportline option is the only "optional sports suspension" from factory I know of and it's only about a 15mm decrease in ride height, less than an inch so that shouldn't cause any problems. Sportlines also have different steering gear ratio but that's not directly related to suspension.
Second the shock absorbers are bounce-dampeners and don't affect ride height. The springs affect ride height.

It sounds like an aftermarket suspension was installed, many companies offer lowering springs for the W201 ranging from 25-45mm decrease in ride height. When dealing with an aftermarket modification, without knowing precisely what was changed and precisely what was used it's difficult to speculate as to what problems might be caused...or if your "suspension specialist" isn't just pulling your chain to secure more expensive work than you really need.

Shock absorbers/struts/dampeners aren't particularly expensive on their own. There are some designed for lowered cars and standard height which have different length of travel, and you can get different dampening rates for more sporty or more comfort applications. But they don't affect ride height themselves.

I can only guess at what you're really referring to, and what your suspension people are referring to.
Maybe a second opinion from another workshop is in order? This one didn't explain the problem to you very well. That could be suspect by itself.

If they're having problems aligning the wheels they might be talking about tie rod ends, not shock absorbers. Actually I don't know what they're talking about. I'd ask another suspension/tyre shop to clear it up for you with some accuracy so you know what you're paying for and why.

No sport suspension option
 

As vanir said, youj're asking about something that doesn't exist. It's possible someone installed aftermarket parts - I did that on a 1990 190E 2.6 and ordered shocks/struts for a 190E 2.3-16 along with Eibach springs (they're compatible).

One other thing that can affect ride height is the spring insulators. IIRC there are different thicknesses and the thicker ones can raise the ride height considerably. I can't recall if there are four options for the front insulators and three for the rear or three for the front and four for the rear.

Any competent parts guy at a dealership should be able to get you the part numbers - or you can try online sources like Peachparts, The Benzbin, ....

Front shock /strut Sport Suspension update
 

Front shock/strut Sport Suspension Update

I went to the original owner and retrieved the original Mercedes Benz shocks/struts. One had no resistance to extend or retract.
Part number 201 320 32 30
Mercedes Benz dealership confirms from the last eight digits of the VIN: NF955900 that it is indeed a sport suspension option.
The shocks that are in the car now are brand new Sachs for standard suspension. They were ordered and installed by the guy I bought the car from.

Today I ordered a new set of shocks/struts from Mercedes Benz ($270.00 each) with the same part number. (It didn't change up to anything, so I guess that if it was good enough then it is sill good enough now).
When they get here (coming from Toronto) I will switch out the Sachs and install the new Mercedes Benz front shocks/struts. Then I will take the car to a Mercedes Benz approved alignment shop and have it aligned. He took it to a local garage close to his house. Hopefully that should take care of everything.

The reason I keep referring to them as shocks /struts, is from what I have read, about the sport suspension, Mercedes Benz opted to separate the struts into a strut with a separate spring rather than keeping them together as single unit. Make sense? Now I am going to have a pair of barely used Sachs shocks/ struts to sell if I can?
Thanks for your input.
daleM

original Blstein front shocks hav 4 etting levels, right!

Sportline suspension
 

The other posters did not recognize you were talking about the factory SPORTLINE suspension option, and so offered poor advice. Also, the 201 chassis has struts in the front and shocks in the rear.

Good you got it sorted out with the correct MB factory Sportline strut.