Dingo L

hi Jbk81

Seems like we finally found someone who are facing the very same problems ...

So did you change back the seat? I guess you need to. And find a nice cushion to support the back is also a must.

And l think you could first improve the ride by lowering the tyre pressure if you haven't done yet, go with 31-32psi.

I was lucky to find a guy owning a W212 Elegance with 16" rims, l swapped the wheels with him and only paid the labour charge, that already improved the comfortness a little.

Changing the springs cost me about US$ 850, but l think it worths it.

Finally, you are right about the shocks, that literally means the shocks of Elegance and Avantgarde are more or less the same.... That's why l don't make any change yet.

Please keep us informed how you fix your problem, l'm following this thread everyday!

Cheers

Jbk81

Unfortunately more drivers experienced the same problem.

Thanks. I'm going to change the seat back tomorrow. I already had a cushion. Indeed a must, because my lower back does not touch the seat. Also the steer is a little bit on the right side. It’s not aligned in the middle of the seat. Friday I will test drive an elegance version. If I have back pain in that car, then maybe it's the steer and pedal position. I red some information on the net that it could be the main cause, who knows...

Lowering the psi is a good tip. I think I have it too high. I'm also on 18 inch pilot sports. The comfort is indeed more there with 16. I also have goodyear 16 inches for the winter and they are more comfortable, but not that they eliminated the problem. 16 inch looks good on your car. Much better. And good change for sure. When my 18 tires are finished, I'm switch to a softer 16 or 17 four season tyre. Don't need the better performance anymore.

It is definitely worth it. Health is most important and worth the pennies. I’m in Europe, this car is very popular, so I'm much cheaper.

About the shocks. Indeed there are some interchangeable. Only interesting from the Mercedes info I can see is that for my car oem part A2123200630 is singled out for the 485 chassis only. And A2123204230 for 486 only. For which oem numbers are your sachs 317-267?

I’ll let you know the outcome for me.

Cheers.

Dingo L

Good luck to the test drive tomorrow, do choose some bad roads to test.

I guess switch back the seat and lower the tyre pressure would already help a bit.

About the shocks, you are correct.
Regarding W212 E250 CGI, A2123200630 is for Elegance (485) and A2123204630 for Avantgarde (677). What puzzles me is that like SACHS 317267 and Bilstein B4 24-194112, information on most online shops claim they both fit A2123200630 and A2123204630. That makes me come up to an assumption, these shocks are more or less the same in performance....

lf possible, check out the suspension setup of the car you're going to test tomorrow, perhaps we could get some more solid information.

Cheers

Jbk81

After a test drive today I can conclude that the drive was comfortable, but I still could feel my back. Problem has definitely to do with the seating position. The shocks seem to be the same.

This article is spot on.
https://www.carthrottle.com/post/wy3je93/

Cheers.

Dingo L

Glad to know you found the possible cause of your back pain, hope you could fix the problem and keep driving the car. So what would you do? Did you switch back the seat?

l strongly suggest you get smaller rims and use tyre of thick tyre wall with low tyre pressure, it will more or less soften the impacts from the road. This will definitely help with minimal cost.

And thank you for proving that the shocks of Elegance are more or less the same as Avant-garde, that means my move of changing only the springs are correct.

Please keep us update how you tackle your problem.

Cheers

Jbk81

Thanks. I switched back the original seat and was lucky to sell the recaro seat with some profit. I am going to change the springs to the elegance ones and will test the car with 16 inches this winter. If it doesn't work out, then unforunately I will sell the car.

Maybe I need this one also


Cheers.

Jbk81

For the rear springs. Which ones do you have now for comfort?
The 485 rear spring has 2 versions. The bilstein is higher.

Sachs 994 745
212 324 01 04 - Lenth is 332mm - 1x RED

Bilstein 36-277209
212 324 02 04 - Leghth is 342mm - 2X RED

I have for 677 now:

677 rear spring is 319mm - 1X RED - 1X GREEN
Sachs 994 746
212 324 04 04

Dingo L

l chose 0104 ( Sachs 994 745), don't choose 0204.
The spring rod diameter of 0204 is 15mm, while 0104 is 14.5mm and 0404 is 14.75mm. I assume they all use similar materials, that means 0204 is even 'stronger' than 0404. Also the rear of the car would sit much higher if 0204 is used.

Btw, l found this IKEA sitting mat quite comfortable and give good support to my back, and it only cost hk$39 ( us$5).

Dingo L

And this is my new springs setup :

Front A212 321 0304 3X BLUE (Sachs 993647)
Rear A212 324 0104 1X RED (Sachs 994745)

New front and rear fender height are the same, as in the photos shown.

pierrejoliat

My rear springs on my 12 luxury have two red spots.

Jbk81

That is a good cushion. A thin one is good. I will look for a similar one. Thank you.
The test drive car also had leather seat, and they seemed much firmer than my mbtex seats.

Thanks about the infoand advise for the rear spring. So the longer 0204 spring does not add in comfort?

I think it would be better for me to change the shocks with the springs also. Maybe the shocks are too old and need replacement. I think the bilstein B4 would be a good choice. Hope they will be a good combo with sachs springs.

Jbk81

Thanks for the info. It matches my shopping list. Looks good on the car.


Thanks for the info. That matches the 24mm exactly and why it sits higher.

I have a facelift model of 2014. And you?

I need to make a decision now whether to install the spring with 1 red dot or 2 red dots. Whatever is more comfortable I will go for it.

pierrejoliat

I have a 12 luxury 485 suspension, so pre-facelift, also have a 13 sport with AMG package, 677 suspension both 4matics. I also have 18" wheels on the luxury and 19"AMG wheels on the sport, as I may have mentioned the ride is like night and day, I drive both cars, sometimes on the same day when my wife gets home from work, I take her 13 for gas, wash or to the store, my 12 has yet to turn 30k. I had an 02 E320 luxury which rode better than both of these 212's.

Dingo L

So your rear springs are 0204.
What model is your W212?

pierrejoliat

2012 E-350 4-matic luxury, eight spoke 18" wheels.

Dingo L

Comments of B4 are usually good, and changing shocks and springs at the same time saves labour charge l believe .

About the rear springs, 0104 fits perfectly with the new front springs in my car, which is a E250 CGI. I guess 0204 is for heavier models...

Dingo L

According to online information, W212 E350 4matic is 364 pounds heavier than W212 E250 CGI , perhaps that's why they use different rear springs for comfort suspension.

Having said that, Sachs 994 745 is supposed to fit from W212 E200 to E400.

Jbk81

Thanks a lot for the information. 4matic is always a little higher, so that makes sense.

My car is a 220 cdi bluetec version. I can also go for 994 780. The diameter of this one is 99, 13,75 in stead of 102, 14,5 with the 994 745
Which one should be more comfortable? Or are they more or less the same.

S-Prihadi

Front strut is MacPherson Strut, so to change the damper, u need to remove the spring too. Basically it is a spring + damper job, no matter how you do it.
So change both at the same time is a must, if indeed there is a different spring required

Dingo L

Hi Jbk81

994 780 (A2123201204) has the smallest diameter (13.75), and is tailored made for E220 CDI for comfort suspension, seems like a good choice.

Btw, l just noticed the authentic wheel size of your car is 205/55/16, which is roughly 1 inch in diameter smaller than most w212 wheel size, interesting.

Jbk81

Thank you. So it should be a bit softer..
My car has 225/55 R16.

Dingo L

Agree. Unless someone like me who got the springs changed first, then the shocks later...( still not knowing when 😆 )

Jbk81

I think it would be cheaper than seperate. I contacted the dealer, and they advised me to also change the shock dampers.The price tag was heavy though. I'm planning to order the parts online and let them installed by normal mechanics.

The dealers also has mounting struts to be replaced in his offering. Do you also need to replace the strut mounts and rubber covering? I'm confused if it is necessary.



I'm somehow confused whether Sachs 994 780 will fit my car. Because of this.

Rear
Sachs 994 780 has Equipment Variant: Edition and Sachs 994 745 has not for equipment variant: Edition

Front
Sachs 993 646 has not for equipment variant: Edition

Don't know what they mean with Edition ??

Dingo L

Hi Jbk81

When l changed the springs, my mechanic reminded me he would change all worn out components if he should see anyone, yet the new springs fit my car perfectly without the need to change any other components, lucky me. So just let your mechanic decide what to be changed.
You may consider my choice of springs, afterall they are 485 for E200-E400. Your car is over 3800lb which is almost 360lb heavier than my E250 CGI, so for the same set of springs you should get softer ride than me.

S-Prihadi

Hi 81,
Item 80 is a wear and tear and important item.
That is where the bearing is at for the strut ( actually shock absorber end ) movement while turning and the encapsulated rubber itself is kinda vibration absorber and strut holder.
It looks like solid aluminum, but inside it is rubber.

To test item 80, you can watch Scotty video.

Item 60 is dirt protection for shock absorber seal , but also kinda cosmetic and don't wear out much in terms of mechanical wear & tear, but in term of exposure to ambient air and heat, that plastic may degrade.


In my younger days, I will ruin item 80 for sure...LOL.