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I am looking to replace the front struts and rear shocks for my 2011 E350. Yes I know that the coil springs should last forever as long as they are not removed. Appears to have the Sport package at least fender skirts, and lowered stance. I prefer Bilstein but can't seem to find a fully loaded Bilstein QSA. They have strut assemblies and appear to have OEM coil springs but not as a one piece assembly. Obviously I am looking to reduce the chance of injury or damage during the coil spring compression, expansion phase. The only fully loaded QSA I found was a brand that I already have bad luck with on a previous vehicle.
Long Story short. I know the springs are color coded for ride height and stiffness. What I can't seem to find is what two green dots on lower portion of springs...…(Tire/control arm side) mean. Two front's are green dots. Rear's are covered up by the fender splash shield but I would guess they are green,
I have the staggered rear wheels and appears to be lower than most 18" wheel set ups as in the fender wheels fill in the tire openings as a lot more than most 18" set ups. I can find H&R lowering springs all day long but don't want to lower any more than what I am already at.
What is the VIN CODE for E350 Sport package? I definitely know it is not a AMG but trying to decode to see what my suspension ride height is.
I did the rear springs on mine, they did settle a little as it had over 100k. Mine was 4matic though so it had a different set of dots which were just one red and one green. The rears weren't that bad to change, if you drop the control arm, you can lower it enough to to slide the old spring out and slide in the new one so you don't need a spring compressor. Basically it's the same setup as the W211 and there's videos on how to do it on youtube. I compared old to new and they were the same height. But after putting them in, it rode much higher than the old ones.
As for the fronts, I haven't done them yet. Couldn't find any threads of people who have done them. Bilstein seems to be the only one who makes aftermarket stuts. For the springs, it was just MB. Not clear as to what other parts that probably need to be replaced like the mount. I just plan on buying the parts and having my indy do it at some point. I did see one set of aftermarket quick struts, but it was a no name company and I didn't trust it.
Thanks! As a matter of fact 8 did watch the Y/T video of the rear springs being replaced. Depppjng the control area for removing seemed simple enough but how did your raise the control arm after inserting the new springs? Video made it look easy but he also had a full position lift to bring up to arms level. Did you have to use a jack for the control arm or were you able to muscle it into place with a prybar and muscles? Aside from a independent shop which should have same type of lift, what’s the way to remove and replace the springs on a standard garage floor with not much leverage room? I think I know the answer.....pay a good independent shop where the tools, expertise and infrastructure will probably be cheaper in the long run right? I also noticed he was able to remove the spring without removing the shocks. The rear shocks look reasonably simple especially with no coil overs and being able to remove the springs and shocks as separate components. If the price is right I will probably pay Indy shop. I have at least one that will allow me to use my own parts. I would only have to pay labor. A bit of a drive so really want to make one visit and all four corners at once.....especially if removing springs are involved.
i need to call H&R springs tomorrow when they open and see if a set of their springs will lower further or maintain the same ride height as I have now figuring sport tuned springs are already installed from the factory. I really don’t want to lower any further I am closer than I really don’t want to be to risking the tires rubbing the the fender well if a large bump or pothole.
Copy fronts I will research further. I also saw a coil over kit on eBay that is front and rear but almost $750. Coil spring kit from H&R is $300 but springs only. Probably be about the same as the $750 coilover, after you add shocks and struts as separate components.
I did determine based on VIN decoder and options list that I DO HAVE the sport package based on the fender skirting staggered tires and blanked off lower from Air dam.
rhanks again for the reply. I like the H&R spring set but again don’t want to lower anymore than it already is.
Most at least the ones I have seen especially the QSA’s have upper mounting plate, and bearings/bushings included. If not that would be a minor trade off to get a decent quality strut and coil spring assembly with durability ang long term reliability. Think of this as a 100K phase overhaul of some high time/mileage items. Have the vehicle set for another 100K.
Slightly off tonic but.......
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I don't believe in lowering the suspension, it's low enough as it is. With the old springs, I felt that the car bottomed out at one point over certain bumps and some of my under body panels are scraped up. Not sure if that was just due to bad driving or what as I bought the car used. I got the springs from FCPeuro but now I notice they don't carry as many as they used to, they were the Lesjofors, They don't seem to carry yours though.
The control arm was raised with just a floor jack. We did it without a lift, probably easier with a lift. Just jack stands and the floor jack, one side at a time. Wasn't that simple as you had to play around with it a little to get everything lined up. At one point, we gave up on trying to get one bolt in and tried a different bolt first and then the other one went in, can't remember which order it was.
I had replaced the shocks last year, I think Bilstein also. You get at the top of the shock from the trunk. Can't remember if you take that bottom bolt out also to get the spring out, it was a few months ago when I had it done.
As for the front springs, I was just going to go with MB, they're not that bad price wise if you get it from an online vendor that discounts off MB prices, usually you can find 25-30% off. My favorite vendor shut down recently so don't have any suggestions at the moment.
I will check FCP Euro again. Copy MB OEM as option. Copy control arm will make note. If rear spring is not as difficult as it appears maybe I can try rears as DIY and fronts to INDY especially since coil spring will most likely have to be removed. I need to check with H&R and see if the lower ride height specified in the description includes the height already accounted for in the OEM springs and sport tuned suspension .
Timely topic for me, I just had an alignment done after installing camber bolt kit. Shop did a great job getting it rolling straight but pointed out a very slight tweak in LF strut. I've owned the car for almost 5 yrs from 25k miles. I had replaced torn underside fiber panels, one was torn up so I think car got run over a curb in past life to maybe wack the strut. All other suspension is fine. I've also powdercoated rims and at the same time ensured no bends etc. Has always driven nice.
But I did ask shop for replacement cost of front struts including new mounts and another alignment. Quote was over $2k, so I'll be doing the work myself and they can align again. I've got the sport package and agree that the car is low enough both visually and for driveability. I haven't found good complete strut assemblies so I'm planning to keep springs and use Bilstein struts. I've got a couple of spring compressors and I'll probably do rear Bilstein shocks as well.
Will be interested to see OP resolution on strut/springs.
I usually get a 3 year alignment warranty at Goodyear, it's about $169 for that. Worth it if you get more than 2 as the lowest price for an alignment is at least $70 around here. There's other places like Firestone or NTB that will also do 3-5 year to lifetime alignments, just depends what's in your area. There's nothing special about it.
Also I would get new springs, I got mine with slightly under 100k and the springs seem fine, now at over 120k the front springs seem like they're a little bit lower than they used to be, same issue with the rear which is why I did the rears. The fronts are more complicated which is the only reason I haven't gotten around to doing the fronts yet. It's subtle, but I've noticed a few other MB's on the road where they seem to sit a bit lower than they should be and they look like they're stock, not lowered.
I am looking to replace the front struts and rear shocks for my 2011 E350. Yes I know that the coil springs should last forever as long as they are not removed. Appears to have the Sport package at least fender skirts, and lowered stance. I prefer Bilstein but can't seem to find a fully loaded Bilstein QSA. They have strut assemblies and appear to have OEM coil springs but not as a one piece assembly. Obviously I am looking to reduce the chance of injury or damage during the coil spring compression, expansion phase. The only fully loaded QSA I found was a brand that I already have bad luck with on a previous vehicle.
Long Story short. I know the springs are color coded for ride height and stiffness. What I can't seem to find is what two green dots on lower portion of springs...…(Tire/control arm side) mean. Two front's are green dots. Rear's are covered up by the fender splash shield but I would guess they are green,
I have the staggered rear wheels and appears to be lower than most 18" wheel set ups as in the fender wheels fill in the tire openings as a lot more than most 18" set ups. I can find H&R lowering springs all day long but don't want to lower any more than what I am already at.
What is the VIN CODE for E350 Sport package? I definitely know it is not a AMG but trying to decode to see what my suspension ride height is.
I poked around the MB EPC based on my VIN, it does have the sport appearance package, but I believe standard suspension except for (lower) springs, as the strut part number comes up A-212-323-59-00. The B4 Bilstein strut replacement is 22197665 which is standard suspension replacement. I'm not rushing to replace them, but seems that additional parts needed are strut mount/bearing, strut mount attachment bolts. Other parts depending on condition are boot and dust cap or cover on the mount. All in, looks like the parts are in the neighborhood of $200-$220 per side. Mine is a 4matic, thus all 4 wheels are same size, not staggered.
You mentioned the wheels filling the wheel wells, mine do as well. Never any rubbing but no way that I would install any lower springs. I think cetialpha is right about spring replacement - my alignment spec showed the car sitting just under MB ride height spec, so it appears that as with most springs the car has settled a bit over time.
Funny you should mention alignment packages. I have the NTB Five year nationwide four wheel package. I had it for my 2014 Taurus SHO when I got new shoes for that. They allow a one time transfer to different vehicle and I still have two years left on the plan. Guess who is going to transfer the plan to Merc and save $150 tomorrow??...THIS GUY!!! As a added bonus I found local NTB that had early appointments. Normally 0730 would be a deal breaker but since I work overnights perfect I can stay up and get a cup of coffee. They have a open undeveloped field right across the street. Bring my dogs backpack and he can get some exercise chasing after tennis ***** and frisbees. Across the street but close enough where I can see them wheel into the shop and back out. If the timing is real good they will finish up around 1000 when Costco opens and get my free torque check for the new Michelin Pilot Sport's
Is NTB able to do alignment jobs when our W212's are lowered? Usually, we will have a more negative camber due to the lowering effect and there is no factory adjustment to correct that, and our inside tire edges wear-out more than the outside edges.
Man, these rides look sweet! I just lowered my 14' S212 and am now looking at wheels, I frequent the city a lot so i'm thinking 19's are the way to go. Looking to go with what I believe are C43/63 wheels below. Since they are staggered and I'd rather not go that route because of 4matic and riding around on all-seasons i'm trying to pick up 2 sets in the 9.5 width.
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