Gentil79

Hi all, I’ve done the front shocks of my car and I can tell you it was really hard work.
I did everything at home and recorded the whole process.

Video here:

cylaptor

today we wanted to replace the new front shock absorbers on my W203 and when i compared both i noticed a difference in height. Now I don’t know if I got the wrong one, but they were supposed to be for a normal chassis, elegance. The difference is 5 mm but the thread is also slightly shorter.

Gentil79

what’s the part number of the shock you bought and the Number of the shock that came from your car?

cylaptor

stock mercedes A203 320 41 30
new Sachs 317 559 for standard suspension

Gentil79

sorry, but you bought the wrong ones the Sachs equivalent for A2033204130 is 300138.

check the link below and scroll to the Sachs shocks:

https://m.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/oem/a2033204130

cylaptor

after checking by Sachs technical staff, these are suitable, although they are 5 mm shorter above.

Gentil79

The shocks I bought were from Meyle and the part number was 0266230020.
The shocks from my Merc were the same as yours

cylaptor

and how does the car drive after replacement?

Gentil79

The damping was good and the Car handled better. Saying that, the old shock were worn, especially the driver side that was totally shot.

cylaptor

has the height changed? what higher than before?

Gentil79

No change in height.

cylaptor

do you know maybe why the mercedes safety ring on the bearing cup was not next to the shock absorber kit nor the bearing cup above ?

Gentil79

I suppose it is only part of the bearing cup kit, hence why it didn’t come with the shocks

cylaptor

yes, but I ordered also a new bearing cup kit from Sachs and did not get it along in the kit .

Gentil79

strange.
just reuse the old one, provided it’s still in good condition. Otherwise, maybe contact the mercedes dealership directly

tjts1

Sport package cars had shorter springs and shocks. That's likely why it's shorter. I went from standard height to sport on my S203 and dropped the ride height by 1.5".
https://imgur.com/a/OpX2E

cylaptor

is it the same type of shock absorbers or are they shorter? They look shorter in the picture

tjts1

Both the shock and spring are shorter. They go hand in hand. Also the sport shocks have a larger M12 hole drilled out for the sway bar end link vs the m10 for non sport.

Geri-go