I have 10,000 miles on my S550 and my car has been in the shop for air suspension problems for 21 days and counting. Any other similiar problems? Think I got a lemon....
o2bntx
Don't remember anybody mentioning this before. I have the third car with Airmatic and no problems so far at least.
What was the issue, error codes? Just a warning or did you have to stop driving? Could it be that your dealer is a bit out of clue or is the issue really a hard one to be fixed?
What was the issue, error codes? Just a warning or did you have to stop driving? Could it be that your dealer is a bit out of clue or is the issue really a hard one to be fixed?
the new s class, gl class and ml class have the same issues with airmatic. 99% of the time the compressor is the part being replaced. i did however have a gl with a compressor replaced at 900 miles, then came back at 1800 miles and I had to replace the valve block and again the compressor. its common on the newer vehicles. the compressor is always working, so it eventually gives.o2bntx said:
personally I think airmatic is a waste. with the mercedes I think at 50-70 mph the system reduces air to lower the vehicle and will raise the car again when you go under that, so if you do alot of highway driving, the compressor is always going on and off. same with normal city driving, the vehicle is always correcting ride height. eventually the compressor gives. I had a compressor work fine for me one minute, yet after filling the entire system back up, the compressor overheated and gave out. the design of the compressor and the system IMO is worthless. Not sure if it would make a difference, but I bet the system would last longer if there was a compressor for the front axle and one for the rear axle. or a small compressor for each wheel. Also to make things worse, the compressor is as big as a box of kleenex. its pretty small to be working the system on a ML or GL.
The first time it was in the shop at 3000 miles; I had an error light. This last time, the car actually dropped on one side significantly and I was not able to drive it. They have replaced a million parts and when they leave it sit, the car still drops on one side. They are now going to replace the entire suspension in the car, but I have to wait another 10-14 days on that from Germany. Soon I will be out of my car for more than 30 days and will be filing under the lemon law.
My father has an 07 S550 & an 07 GL450. He has 12k miles on the S550. He has had the air suspension fail 4 times. When the suspension fails the car drops right to the ground & he gets a warning light telling him not to drive. Typically when my parents travel, they drive the GL. Last month they decided to take a 500 mile trip in his S550, the suspension failed when they were 60 miles from their destination (this was the 3rd failure). At this point my mother will not ride in the car outside of our local area. My father is working with our local dealership for a resolution but he is obviously frustrated. He has had no problems with his GL & I have had no problems with my 2006 R500. I hope MB & our Dealership decides to do the right thing in resolution since the outcome will determine whether I trade my 06 Infiniti QX56 on a G500 later this summer. Thought you would want to know you aren't the only one with suspension issues, o2bntx.
Curious, does your vehicle have Active Body Control (ABC code 487)? If so, this DTB may be helpful. If not, other members may benefit from this information.o2bntx said:
P-B-32.50/42 OCT06 Vehicle lowering on a single side may result from dirty ABC hydraulic fluid. In which case a new filter will be installed and hydraulic fluid replaced if necessary.
2008 W221 Air Suspension Problems
I have a 2008 W221 S550 and I'm having an issue with the air suspension and I don't know what to try next. The suspension was working fine and then it started giving me a malfunction error but it would still raise up. Then it finally stopped raising up and is now sitting down on top of my wheels. First I changed the front passenger air shock (because it was damaged) and then the air compressor, the relay, the line filter, then the valve block and it stop giving the malfunction error. The button inside appeared to be performing correctly (turning on and off, stating that the car is raising) but it never did the air compressor will running for about 30 secs and then turn off and then it will try again repeatedly but no raising of the suspension. So I finally tried changing out the leveling sensor in the rear of the car and checking for leaks on the valve block, around the front air shocks and around the air tank but I didn't find any. With all this no raising of the car.....I'm so lost...Can someone please give me some advice???
I have a 2008 W221 S550 and I'm having an issue with the air suspension and I don't know what to try next. The suspension was working fine and then it started giving me a malfunction error but it would still raise up. Then it finally stopped raising up and is now sitting down on top of my wheels. First I changed the front passenger air shock (because it was damaged) and then the air compressor, the relay, the line filter, then the valve block and it stop giving the malfunction error. The button inside appeared to be performing correctly (turning on and off, stating that the car is raising) but it never did the air compressor will running for about 30 secs and then turn off and then it will try again repeatedly but no raising of the suspension. So I finally tried changing out the leveling sensor in the rear of the car and checking for leaks on the valve block, around the front air shocks and around the air tank but I didn't find any. With all this no raising of the car.....I'm so lost...Can someone please give me some advice???
At this point have someone check for fault codes using MB DAS. No codes, have them set riding height (fill air springs) using MB STAR as a first attempt repair.
Im having this same issue on 2013 S550, whole right side of car leaning as of yesterday. Hour earlier I got the Malfunction with up arrow on little car icon, I hit OK on steering wheel and got out of car to inspect. Everything looked good so I drove it home on freeway and it was fine. Hour later in my driveway, the whole car is leaning on right side passenger side of car. Not sure if I need to tow it in to dealer or if I can drive it. Such a burden all of a sudden, these cars are great until this happens. Heres what its doing:
First check valve unit for leakage, next right front level sensor. All fine, have system diagnosed using MB diagnostics.
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In this case jack from center front cross member, jack stands to jacking point pads. Used advanced search “jacking” w221 to see further discussion on this subject.
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