Weird issue with suspension?

[97C28O]

I had this issue for a few years and I thought it wouldn't effect the car much because I only drive on the weekends. But now it seems as it is acting up seriously now. My family has been complaining about how the car seems to "wobble" when we are driving. I thought it was because of my front right tire that kept deflating. I checked the tire threads and they all seem to be even except for the fronts because of braking. Also, tire pressure is the same all around. I also read that the chrome rims over years will flake, and mine are from the lug nut area that cause the air leakage. There are no holes in the tires.

Here is a more specific description of the issue.

The car seems to be "limping" or "wobbling" . If I let go fo the gas and let the car roll, it will feel as the road is bumper when the road is very smooth. the car kinda goes up and down on one side or both.

What do you guys think it is?

If I get a chance i will put a camera on the dash and see if the "issue" can be caught on video.

Also, the car pulls to the right, could this be a reason? I know I will need an alignment, but I can live with this right now, till i get a set of rims and tires.

[Nelson Lago]

Ill try to help but it might be a lot of work.......but ill tell you a easer way to find this out............run your hand over all your tires (the part that toches the ground with the tire tred) and see if there is and bumps or bubbles on it if so replace that tire because it has a broken belt (yes the tire has a belt) and also can you tell where the problem is coming from, front right, front left, etc.....

[97C28O]

It seems to be the right side that keeps going up and down... Ill check on that..

If you guys have any other suggestions, please do so.

[matt09]

My car likes to bounce when its going at low speeds as well, which can be detected when I go through school zones and have to drive at less than 25 mph. It becomes very sensitive to small bumps on the road. I thought it was just something you had to deal with if you have the sport suspension. My shocks and springs are fine by the way.

[Nelson Lago]

OK heres the pain in the ass part if the feeling is coming from the front right, rotate your tires.......... EXAMPLE: if it sounds like its the right front move that tire to the right rear after that if it sounds like its coming from the right rear you know its somthing so do with that wheele or tire ( suggest you do it your self because paying for a tire rotation and it ends up being like a tie rod or somthing would be a wast of money) hope that helps

[strictlyspeakin]

Nelson

Also check your shocks. If the shocks are shot, the springs will be the only thing acting on the road irregularities. The ride will feel bouncy like you describe.


So you only think you feel it when the car is coasting?

[97C28O]

I have the sport model.

Not only coasting. When you can feel it at any speed, the faster I go the more you feel it constantly.

I will try to rotate my tires/rim myself. Both rear to front or Right rear to Left front, Left rrear to Right front?

If my shocks are shot, wouldn't the car be sagging? or one side will drop? My car seems pretty high.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c308/knvg/IMG_0242.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c308/knvg/IMG_0241.jpg

[matt09]

Bouncing at all speeds? mmmm, did the previous owner of your car store the car for a long time? You might have flat spots on your car's tires.

[taimyshukah]

My car would "wobble" like you were describing too after i got my new tires and rims. I dont know if the bigger wheels made it more sensitive or noticeable or not. It was wierd. I recently had my ball joints replaced and I think it fixed the problem. Either that, or I just got used to it and dont notice anymore.

When doing a U-turn with your steering wheel all the way to the left, does your front wheels feel like it "slips" or "takes a little hop" during the turn? My car was also doing that prior to getting the ball joints replaced.

[xvvvz]

Have you ever had your lower control arm bushings replaced?

[strictlyspeakin]

No the shocks don't support the weight of the car, the springs do. They control the height that you are talking about. The shocks are there to eliminate the bounciness of the spring travel.

So it is linear. The faster you go the worse it gets? Do you feel a lot of vibration in the steering wheel?

[97C28O]

Originally posted by matt09
Bouncing at all speeds? mmmm, did the previous owner of your car store the car for a long time? You might have flat spots on your car's tires.

I don't think the previous owner stored the car for a long time. When I bought it in 2000 it had already 48,000 Miles in 3 years since purchase in 1997. However, I do store the car, but I drive it almost every weekend. Since I owned the car, I have only put 10,000 miles on it.


Originally posted by taimyshukah
When doing a U-turn with your steering wheel all the way to the left, does your front wheels feel like it "slips" or "takes a little hop" during the turn? My car was also doing that prior to getting the ball joints replaced.

Yes, I have that issue when I do a turn and sometimes I would feel that "slip" you mentioned. I read or was told that this was something to do with the steering rod linkage? I haven't checked on this too.


Originally posted by xvvvz
Have you ever had your lower control arm bushings replaced?

I have not done any repairs to any suspension related areas. The only time my car went to the stealership was when my MAF and Battery needed to be replaced.

What do these parts help with? (Sorry, I don't know these terms and their functions)

strictlyspeakin, it does not get worse as I go faster, but you can still feel that "wooble" or "bumpy" feeling constantly. (when I coast, you can feel it about every few seconds[?]) The vibration, I sometimes feela slight vibration when I'm a stop light and possibly when I'm going 70MPH on the freeway, but haven't really noticed it.

Is there any Mercedes shop you guys recommend here in the Bay Area that's good and not too expensive? If these tips don't help (I hope it does, knock on wood..) I will bring it to a shop or just get my new set of rims and see if this goes away....

Thanks for the the help so far guys.

Also, I wanted to tell you guys this that i forgot to mention.
I haven't noticed the tires since my dad finally handed me the car about 1 year ago. My tires are some no name companie. It says it's made in TAIWAN. The tires say High Life and these tires suck! Wonder if anyone heard of these? We bought the car as is from the Dealership. I think we got ripped off by the tires.

[C280/////AMG]

i had the exact same problem with my car and as soon as i balanced my wheels the problem disappeared completely...Your car seems extremely high for the 'sport' spec!!!

[jnolte]

sport and normal are like the same height

[NEA-4311]

Huh? Same height? lol, No way dude, Sport and Esprit is almost a whole side mirror lower compared to Elegance and Classic models. That car is higher than all of them though! Its quite strange, it might be the small wheels with big tyres that cause it I guess...

[C280/////AMG]

JNOLTE, you're definately wrong... CLASSIC and ELEGANCE specs are all the same height, however SPORT is 15mm lower than the others...FACT.

[davis449]

Originally posted by NEA-4311
Huh? Same height? lol, No way dude, Sport and Esprit is almost a whole side mirror lower compared to Elegance and Classic models. That car is higher than all of them though! Its quite strange, it might be the small wheels with big tyres that cause it I guess...

I had both my 95 Elegance and my 99 Sport side by side for a little bit and I swear there wasn't much of a ride height difference between the two and definitely not a whole side mirror's worth. Both cars have horrible fender gap! Lowered suspension on these cars (at least with Eibach Prokit's) are, IMHO, the way the car SHOULD look.

[C280/////AMG]

I agree, if you don't fit sports suspension, the car looks like it's an all-roader! especially after 17"s have been fitted

[97C28O]

I will try rotating my tires myself this weekend...

[714guy]

LCA - check by reversing then brake. have somebody look at the front wheel if it jerks (foward then backward montion) most like the LCA needs replacing.

Wheel bearings - remove the grease cover and look at the grease. Is it dry? hard? you can just clean the spindle and bearings and regrease them or change them.. I'd suggest changing them if the grease is hard and dry, damage has already been done.

TIRES - rotate them front to back side to side. This will tell you if the problem is with the tire/wheels or your suspension. Do this first.

Shocks - you can easily remove one and just play with it. See how the rebound is and you can tell if they need replacing.

Good luck..

I recently had my own shaky steering wheel bouncing car ordeal. Last time that happend it was my shocks, so i naturally assume it was them again. It wasn't, I replaced my bearings and flipped my tires (camber wear) and my car drove like new again.

[97C28O]

Well, today I finally had time to check the tires out. I jacked the car up and i checked the 2 front wheels, they looked fine. It was until I checked the rear that I noticed something that caught my eye. My rear driver side tire had a big lump on it. That is why my car seemed all wobbly and stuff...

Now, this is a perfect time for me to get a new set of rims and tires. I will be posting up a new thread because I would like help from purchasing my set of rims and tires.

Thanks to all those who helped!