Almost a horror story - I will share anyway

[German Dude]

So I am pulling out of a parking lot and my left front wheel hits something. I check and see a fairly huge bolt. New cars don't lose bolts, old cars do, so I think it must be mine.
For once I am lucky and my trusted mechanic is only half a mile away. I drive there but have a weird feeling whenever I hit the brakes - the car feels mighty wobbly.
I arrive at the shop but the mechanic isn't there. I pop the hood and check myself. First glance: upper left control arm. The two bolts near the firewall are awol. Five minutes later, my heart is still beating at about 250/minute.
A day later, the car is fixed. My mechanic tells me (he is a German Mercedes Benz Meister = master mechanic trained by Mercedes Benz) that he put in new, bigger, better bolts.

So the question arises: Has this happened to anybody else? I certainly searched the forum but couldn't find anything.

Whatever the answers are: Drive safely, have fun, and check the bolts.



Juergen
64 230SL #2933, 4sp, signal red, white hard top
93 Citroen XM station wagon

[rwmastel]

Juergen,

Hi.  Can you be more specific about which bolts these are?  What do they hold together?

Thanks,

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420

[cth350]

If you were doing speed, then the steering would be very sloppy and bad things would happen. The A-arm design is such that loosing the mounting from the upper A-arm to the axle keeps the parts where they belong, give or take a few inches. Lots of cursing and prayer after the fact is not unreasonable. -CTH

[German Dude]

Rodd,
I just checked my Haynes and found out that it is actually the lower control arm. The bolts mentioned are the clamp bolts which keep the control arm attached to the crossmember. 4 bolts on each control arm - the ones towards the firewall were gone.

Thanks,

Juergen
64 230SL #2933, 4sp, signal red, white hard top
93 Citroen XM station wagon