Mercedes-Benz Forum banner

Rear suspension issue 2005 320CDi with Airmatic sports suspension.

2K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  pjas1969 
#1 ·
Hi all, my car has covered 82,000 miles and I've recently noticed it sitting unevenly at the rear (the LHS is very low compared with the RHS - viewing from the back).

I attempted to raise the suspension (using the switch on the console), and it did, and levelled itself off, but over the last 2 days, the LHS has dropped again.

I would suspect that the LHS rear shock absorber/damper is losing internal pressure, which is causing the car to droop - am I correct in this line of thinking?

Also, can anyone advise regarding cost of parts & how long this should take to replace?

Finally, is it also a pre-requisite to replace the same component on the other side of the axle?

Your thoughts & suggestions are as always, very welcome.

Thanks in advance,

Paul
 
#2 ·
I think the key question is, how often can you hear the Airmatic pump groaning away? If it's groaning a lot then there's an air leak. Also, was the lean on only one occasion? If you've had a sudden change in temperature while the car has sat still then the strut cores take a lot longer to warm up than the sleeves, so they will then leak "naturally" as it were.

I'd give it a while before going for a fix - I am in roughly the same situation in that the E500 (same suspension as yours, different engine) seems to sit high at the front, but on the other hand this makes no odds to the driving experience...

(I think the struts are fairly cheap, as these things go, 3-400 quid a side)
 
#3 · (Edited)
Hi Steve, many thanks for your thoughts.

Its comforting to know I'm not the only person who is experiencing this.

I can't honestly say that I've heard the pump running under load, the Wife drives the car more often than I do, and when I'm driving, it's long distance with the Wife, 3 young children, and a dog - so its difficult to hear anything...

No real change in temps (a little milder, if anything), and I would've thought that more than one corner would be affected.

My main concern is that the MOT is due towards the end of March, and I'd rather it was attended to, before it becomes an issue which will render us without a car (if it results in a fail).

I know the situation is different for yourself, but would you happen to know if its recommended to change both sides at the same time, or if there is an option to revert to a standard (i.e. non-adjustable) configuration?

Paul

P.S. meant to add, its now happened on 2 occasions - 1st noticed it on Fri night (when the Wife came home) and this is when I switched to the raised setting. Car was parked up since then, and I've noticed it dropped down today (it looks much more pronounced, as the remaining suspension is raised).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top