JimPap

I tried to use some older car ramps on my C300 sport and wasn't able to as the incline was too steep/high which would cause the front effects to scrape.

So, I'm in the market for some low incline ramps but don't know which ones to get.

I'm also wondering if the car sits too low to effectively use ramps....meaning that even with the ramps that would not cause you to scrape the front of the car, you still wouldn't have enough clearance to get under this car.

Any other suggestions for something you can buy and use at home to get under the car?????

crash1369

I've seen these before, their pricy but if they can clear a 370z a C300 should be no problem

http://www.summitracing.com/search/b...ew=ProductName

JimPap

That model raises the car about 8"s. I'm wondering if that's enough to do much of anything. If I needed to replace a shock (my current concern) would that give me enough clearance?

crash1369

You can't use ramps to change shocks anyway. You'll need to take all the weight off the suspension (or at least you really should ) which means the car can't be resting on the wheels. You are going to need to have it up on jack stands, but ramps might make it easier to get it up a bit higher and onto a bigger set. You don't need a lift, or really to even get it all that high off the ground since once you take the wheels off you'll have allot of extra room for the axles to droop. But it might be easier if you could find somebody who would let you use their lift for an hour. It probably won't take long to change shocks.

Ramps are good for oil changes and easy stuff but they are limited since the car is still on the wheels.

JimPap

Thanks....you just saved me a couple of hundred dollars and 2 weeks of spinning my wheels.

crash1369

No problem.

Where are you loctaed anyway? The mobile version doesn't show that stuff but if your near me you could swing by and I'll take a look at it, I probably have everything you would need

JimPap

Wetumpka, Alabama.....aka God's country.

crash1369

Yeah, that would be a bit of a drive. But my offer stands if you decide it's time for a road trip

JimPap

Thanks for the offer.

Where are you located?

crash1369

Pennsylvania

JimPap

lol.....only about 900 miles.

Thanks but I think I'll have to pass.

I've been looking at a couple of MB parts websites and they're a lot of parts that could have been affected. To add to the confusion, there apparantly was a couple of TSBs which might affect who pays for what. Although I have this uneasy feeling about taking it to the dealership, I don't see where I have much of a choice.

Matt_Eurojerks

Race Ramps, good floor jack and good jack stands.

crash1369

Yup

Obviously there's some back story here that I am not aware of, but whatever this problem is your trying to fix is if it's covered under warranty there probably no sense in paying for a free repair. Especially if you don't already have to tools to do it and aren't even sure what it needs.

If I had to replace something and there was a better/ upgrade that I wanted to put on in it's place then I would do it myself. But if I was going to end up putting the OEM parts on anyway, and it could be free, then it's kind of silly to pay for it unnecessarily.
If you don't think your dealership is competent enough to do the work properly or you don't trust them for whatever reason then I would find another one. If that's not an option then I guess you'll just have to write off your warranty but I would think about that, chances are they may not be as bad as your thinking.

JimPap

The back story is that its a 2008 C300 that I purchased new from a MB dealer. It now has 70,000 miles on it so it's beyond the original 50,000 mile warranty. However, if there is a TSB that cover's it, maybe it won't cost me.

I was driving one evening and hit one of those rain grates in the medium. I had pulled out of a convience store (teach me to get ice cream at night) and was waiting in the paved medium till the traffic cleared. It wasn't clearing so I sped up so that I could merge and ran thorough this rain grate. Very strong jarring and the suspension hasn't been the same since.

This car has alway ridden very firm...much more so than any of the C300 loaners I'd get when having service done on the car. Now the car bounces a bit too much to not think there isn't something wrong with it. Since it started immediately after the incident, I can't help but think something was torn up. I even thought about going ahead and getting replacement struts and shocks and just replace them all myself. That was until I took a look at all the extras that it could be. I'd just be throwing money at it not even knowing if I was replacing the right part. Sometimes it is cheaper to get somebody who knows what they're doing to work on it.

As for the dealership, they're expensive like all MB dealerships. We don't really have an independant MB shop around here. If anything, they might do all imports...or at least they say they do. I think I stand a better chance of getting this repaired dealing with somebody who hopefully has worked on several of these C300s than just hope that the independant has. There is also that question about the TSBs. For all I know, something broke that is covered by the TSB and it won't cost me anything.

crash1369

Yeah if you don't know what it is it's best to have someone diagnose it who has the equipment to do so, rather then just throwing money at it... Especially in a Mercedes since everything cost so much
If your only concern with the dealership is the price then you've got nothing to worry about. There is a reason they charge so much, or at least there should be. Just tell them the problem and ask them to tell you what it is, you can mention there is a TSB that you think is the reason. They should check anyway, but either way they will tell you what is covered and if you need anything else. Then you can decide if you want them to finish or not, but at least you'll know what you need.

Honestly unless you plan on doing all your own work anyway, all the time, the cost of the tools that you may never use again plus the hassle it might be better to just have them fix it.

JimPap

Agreed.

Originally, I thought it might be as easy as replacing shocks on a domestic car. After looking into it, there really isn't anything that is simple on this car. I would go as far as saying that some of the systems are intentially made more complex than necessary with the outlook that you'll eventually have to get them to do the repair work. If you keep a MB long enough, you're going to spend some money in their service department.

Ben'sBenz

I usually do all my maintenance work on my cars myself. A couple of years ago I replaced shocks in my car and it was a pain. Unless you've done it before and know what you are getting involved in I would'nt do it. It's well worth paying a mechanic to do the job. Just my 2 cents. Good luck either way!

RLE

Even if you have to pay for this yourself (which seems likely), your insurance would cover it minus your deductible. And, this could be big money.

Carsy

Hello Jim,

I lay down 2 inch thick pieces of timber about 12 to 18" long in front of my ramps which lifts for the car skirt to clear the ramps . Works well.

JimPap

The appointment at the dealership is in the morning.

I'm feeling worst than when I have a doctor's apointment.

The guy at the dealership mentioned something about the insurance covering it. Should I take that as an indication that this is going to be big bucks?