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Its often the case end of year is the time I bother friends who has kids/home in USA, to keep my stuff I shipped to them and their Daddy ( my friend ) bring it back to Indonesia because
they visited the kids in USA, or the kids goes back to Indonesia for year end holiday.
Usually it is small light weight stuff and not worth paying Amazon to ship to me direct Jakarta-Indonesia as the product price is so cheap, the courier cost to Indonesia
is then 4x the product price
If very heavy stuff like my 5000 EXT Quick Jack at 250 lbs or 113KG, me will ship UPS Air Freight Consolidated which is cheaper than speedy UPS or speedy Fed-EX at approx US$4 ( before Covid )
per kg but they want minimum weight like 150 lbs if I recall and it will be 2+ weeks and not the usual speedy 3-4 days USA to Jakarta or Singapore.
If I live in USA, I will go broke from buying tools....., I love them and so easy to buy in USA.
FYI, my government has banned AliExpress.com from shipping direct to Indonesia.
I can understand why my government is doing this to protect small businesses in my country.
I have to say after near 100 purchases at AliExpress, NONE of them sellers when shipping out to Indonesia will declare actual price of goods for Custom,
they will always under declare by crazy cheap. Aliexpress also uses Singapore as a cheaper transit price to reduce CIF price.
This means the source of goods in then logged as Singapore and not China.
I can still use BangGood which is honest for Custom declaration on price, but BangGood does not sell much stuff, more so mechanical stuff.
More for electronics instrumentation , DMM, power supply etc etc....those kind.
.
This year I got these tools :
01. https://www.ebay.com/itm/115031991586 just arrived in Jakarta 2 days ago. U$134 landed and tax paid. So its double the original FOB price, almost.
Carbon pile battery tester, 500 amps.
02. https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_In...L-007776SCH01B
Mercedes Rear Spring compressor tool, supposedly does not have compatibility data for W212, but I took the risk and get it anyway because I am sure it will work.
Regular scredriver , does not have the width and the "polite" edges for on car under body jack pad coin shaped slotted screw.... I damaged the screw slot on one new Jack Pad already...duggghh !!!!
You can get cheaper one at Amazon, but since China made goods has so many small home type factory making them, some can be really bad and some can be decent.
Metal parts holding 500KG / 1,100 lbs of compression is indeed scary if not well made and this is a single screw type spring compressor tool, unlike common 2 units claw type spring compressors. https://www.amazon.com/mercedes-spri...ing+compressor
Thus I rather pay more for Schwaben because the handler in USA is a US company ( ECS Tuning ) thus legally they know the risk of this spring compressor will break and hurt people.
...
To me rear spring compressing and then removing it out of the spring arm while being compressed is VERY DANGEROUS.
Front spring is much safer, I use 3 of single rod spring compressor tool and when compressing the spring we can aim the top mount away from us, as the mcphearson strut
is already out of the car.
I would probably use this Schwaben spring compressor only for installation and not total 100% removal. What I mean by total 100% removal is WHEN we are not using jack* at spring arm ( load shared by spring arm to jack ) and not finally removing spring arm bolt at subframe.
If one has done rear spring arm of W212, one would know what I mean .
This is a great list! Thanks for taking the time and putting it together. I think I have a few more Christmas presents to buy myself.
I bought the Taiwanese version of that spring compressor about 20 years ago. Since then I have used it on a W123 (works pretty well) and a W211. On the W211, it just barely works. I think I had to compress and uncompress the spring a few times during each operation which was pretty sketchy. The end that has the 1/2" drive was sticking out and interfering with parts of the car. After repositioning the tool, the opposite end was pressing on something else. I got it to work, but it was a huge PITA. Hopefully it works better on a W212 because I will be trying it there next. I wish I remembered the details but I was too frustrated to make any documentation at the time and was quick to forget the experience. I was even contemplating grinding an unnecessary part of the tool down a tiny bit for a little more clearance.
Edit: By the way, I paid $250 for the Taiwanese tool 20 years ago. That's about $500 now. The Klann was about $500 then, which would be $1000 now. I just looked it up and it does sell for about $1000...
I also just noticed that the Klann comes in a long and a short version...
Last edited by ChuangTzu; Dec 28, 2024 at 01:08 PM.
Can this one be used for REAR spring ?
I think this is for front spring, its design is to be used at outside of the spring and not inside the spring, right ?
This is a great list! Thanks for taking the time and putting it together. I think I have a few more Christmas presents to buy myself.
I bought the Taiwanese version of that spring compressor about 20 years ago. Since then I have used it on a W123 (works pretty well) and a W211. On the W211, it just barely works. I think I had to compress and uncompress the spring a few times during each operation which was pretty sketchy. The end that has the 1/2" drive was sticking out and interfering with parts of the car. After repositioning the tool, the opposite end was pressing on something else. I got it to work, but it was a huge PITA. Hopefully it works better on a W212 because I will be trying it there next. I wish I remembered the details but I was too frustrated to make any documentation at the time and was quick to forget the experience. I was even contemplating grinding an unnecessary part of the tool down a tiny bit for a little more clearance.
Edit: By the way, I paid $250 for the Taiwanese tool 20 years ago. That's about $500 now. The Klann was about $500 then, which would be $1000 now. I just looked it up and it does sell for about $1000...
I also just noticed that the Klann comes in a long and a short version...
Can this one be used for REAR spring ?
I think this is for front spring, its design is to be used at outside of the spring and not inside the spring, right ?
Yeah, I wouldn't try to use that for the rear springs... O.o
Even using it for the fronts would scare the crap out of me.
For rear springs a shorter cylinder KL-0025-200 was used in the past to prevent damage to the underbody coating. The short cylinder is NOT included in this set, and it is no longer available.
Does the WIS specify a tool for rear spring removal?
Can this one be used for REAR spring ?
I think this is for front spring, its design is to be used at outside of the spring and not inside the spring, right ?
Originally Posted by ChuangTzu
Yeah, I wouldn't try to use that for the rear springs... O.o
Even using it for the fronts would scare the crap out of me.
Yes used it on front springs, have not had to do rear springs and assume it wont work on those.
Be scared if ya want but it worked perfectly well. Much better than the crappy one I got at NAPA which was actually scary and I gave up on. Like I said after removing the plastic inserts it worked perfectly fine and have scene it working great on various other videos as well. If I remember correctly it was also linked on this forum possibly by one of the "gurus" here.
When I did bushing replacement, I damaged a few of the threaded long studs/rods of M10 and M12 which are the workhorse of the bushing tool.
Granted those are China made Vevor brand , even locally sourced 8.8 steel threadred stud/rod of M10 after a few uses it will need to be retired.
Even the NUT get its thread stripped
Quint already pointed out the probable reason
This threaded rod/stud is what I fear most if not of a superior or suitable material and used as coil spring compressor.
The dirty spring compressor is USA made, 30ish over years old I borrow from my cousin workshop.
The shiny new ones are surely China made.
I now uses 3 spring compressors for front coil spring works. All 3 china made. I don't have the photo with me at the moment.
3 units can allow good even compression, as such sitting this awkward angled spring becomes easier, thus not only safer sharing 1/3 load each.
Photo of 3 units in use , USA made one as 3rd unit. The dirty one.
=============
Rear coil springs compressor being a single rod/stud design is kinda scarry, I think they use M14 size stud/rod.
Typical W212 is 500kg / 1,100 LBS spring pressure each as good approximation, simply to keep ride height.
Thus for rear, when one does spring removal like below's video, albeit not W212 but much older MB, I think that kind of fully compressed spring is easy 650kg / 1,430 lbs worth, if not more.
. Don't follow this guy method of using impact tool on spring compressor, its dangerous.
The 2nd image above is my number 1 fear. I would not dare to use the Schwaben to that extend, a 100% coil spring removal using it , is what I call the term.
I will not want my hand holding my rear spring fully compressed like above, I will only use the spring compressor as tension reduction tool for ease of
removal, but will use hydraulic jack and spring arm assist as final safety measure. Thus the spring compressor tool and the spring will stay inside the spring arm
cavity at all times during compression of the spring. I can release slowly the spring compressor tool with hydraulic jack assist, when spring arm bolt at subframe
already removed.
My typical dual jacks method to prevent screw up from powerful rear spring becoming missile.
The right side screw type jack is rated at 500kg only for motorbike. Hence I use extra hydraulic jack.
================
I also do not want to use rear spring compressor with locking design of top spring plate like below's video, its more risky to use.
17th second is the spring "explosion". Short clip version.
Actually replaced the rear springs on my W212 without using a spring compressor. Basically there's a few other videos out there on replacing the rear springs and it's basically the same on the W211, you basically take out the bolts and drop the arm that holds the spring in and you can just remove the spring by hand, it's not compressed one you lower the arm. You probably need a jack to raise the arm up afterwards to line up the bolts to put back in but it's nice not having to use a spring compressor. About half the videos out there don't use the spring compressor and just drops the arm and the other half does.
Actually replaced the rear springs on my W212 without using a spring compressor. Basically there's a few other videos out there on replacing the rear springs and it's basically the same on the W211, you basically take out the bolts and drop the arm that holds the spring in and you can just remove the spring by hand, it's not compressed one you lower the arm. You probably need a jack to raise the arm up afterwards to line up the bolts to put back in but it's nice not having to use a spring compressor. About half the videos out there don't use the spring compressor and just drops the arm and the other half does.
Yes, I been doing the method you mentioned.
However if I want accuracy for spring end stop to be at its maximum end stop, I am hoping this new spring compressor will help.
I have yet to see anyone specifically mentioning about spring end, hitting its maximum end stop after re-installation of the coil spring.
Yes, I been doing the method you mentioned.
However if I want accuracy for spring end stop to be at its maximum end stop, I am hoping this new spring compressor will help.
I have yet to see anyone specifically mentioning about spring end, hitting its maximum end stop after re-installation of the coil spring.
Even when using the spring compressor, which is the only method I have used so far, I have some trouble getting it all the way up in there sometimes. If it's a cm too short of its stop in the perch, I always just assume that the weight of the car and bouncing over bumps will jam it up in there pretty quickly... It seems to have always worked out, but I don't like it...
Im a big chicken when it comes to springs. i just do not like working on them at all.
To remove the rear springs in my W204 I just stuck a floor jack under the inside under the spring control arm, removed the bolt then lowered the arm down and the spring pulled right out. No compressor needed. I felt I was perfectly safe the whole time. just go slow.
When I had a front spring break I just bought a complete strut instead. Just remove the old strut and install the new and call it a day. But if i had to replace the front spring i would probably buy a compressor like this:
I did the front springs on my W211 with a shop spring compressor that is free-standing on the floor kinda like that one, but the whole deal was about 5' tall. It was still extremely sketchy.
Even when using the spring compressor, which is the only method I have used so far, I have some trouble getting it all the way up in there sometimes. If it's a cm too short of its stop in the perch, I always just assume that the weight of the car and bouncing over bumps will jam it up in there pretty quickly... It seems to have always worked out, but I don't like it...
I thought so too for rear spring end eventually set itself at the end stop, but I re-do the job eventually within <500KM of use and it still has that gap at that point in time.
It could also be because the lower shim was not smooth like new anymore , and the self-parking of the rear coil spring did not happen fast.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
, I love them and so easy to buy in USA.
https://www.samstagsales.com/klann_spring.htm
