Hey benzworld...just got back from the independents shop...im a little frustrated to say the least...the car (2000 s500) was making noise in the passenger front side of the engine (kinda like a knocking) ...the next day the car looked like a lowrider (i do have 19 in amg wheels on the car) the warning light was on that said the car was too low and not to drive it....the suspension wouldnt raise...i took it into the independent...says he replaced the airmatic suspension pump, but cant get power to the motor...the car still looks like a lowrider..he said the old motor was fried and when he took it out and hooked it up, the wires got hot...it has been there since last monday (9days)....any suggestions??? i got in the car today at the shop, and pressed the airmatic button to raise the car and the display said "vehicle rising," but nothing happened...help!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!
airmatic suspension problem
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Unfortunatly the airpump relay is faulty,replace the relay,and also if your front strut's have never had the top strut repair done .Then this will also need to be done,most likely your pump is still good.you can tell if the front strut mod is done by the top of the struts cauking being carved out.I hope this helps,[email protected]mcavs said:
I think your problem is the "independent." A few definitions might help you understand why:
o free from external control and constraint (including MB training)
o not dependent on or conditioned by or relative to anything else (especially MB know how)
o not controlled by a party or interest group (including MB owners)
o freelance (but hardly free)
Well you get my drift. I had exactly the same problem a few years ago on my S500/W220/2000, and I took it to the dealer and it was fully repaired in a few hours. Have never had a problem since. They said they replaced the pump and related parts, and charged about $900. It was worth the price to never have to deal w/ that mess again!
o free from external control and constraint (including MB training)
o not dependent on or conditioned by or relative to anything else (especially MB know how)
o not controlled by a party or interest group (including MB owners)
o freelance (but hardly free)
Well you get my drift. I had exactly the same problem a few years ago on my S500/W220/2000, and I took it to the dealer and it was fully repaired in a few hours. Have never had a problem since. They said they replaced the pump and related parts, and charged about $900. It was worth the price to never have to deal w/ that mess again!
i finally got the car back....suggested to him relay...he said he checked that, but mysteriously after I suggested relay, car was done in a few hours...thanks for the advice...got pump, relay done, and oxygen sensor...final bill was under 1k.
Thanks
Thanks
Just spent a hugely frustrating 36 hours with the main MB dealer in English Lake district egtting this Airmatic collapse fixed on my S320 CDI. They messed about with diagnostics for hours and said that it needed a new pump, relay and other bits; which had to come overnight from MB-UK warehouse. Booked in for 1.5 hours replacement 08.30 following day.awg said:
After fixing, which took 2.5 hours, they screwed up the electrics, so I spent the rest of the day with them or going back to them. Car failed to start several times, and fix wasn't completed until 17.00.
Conclusion: I don't think the pump was ever faulty. The relay failed, and I think I paid for an unneedeed pump. It turns out that another of the same relay, in a different position in the fuse box, controls the engine management (inc starting). I think the wazzock who did the original job replaced the wrong relay in swapping them around, and the old faulty one went into the engine management system.
I've now bought a spare relay to carry around in the car against future problems. For what we pay for these cars, it's time MB started using decent reliable electric parts. This relay is a widely known problem, but they just carry on milking us.
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I have that same Airmatic problem. Last week the car made a chattering noise in the front corner (passenger side) of my 2000 S 430. Yesterday the front of the car was almost on the roadway and "Vehicle too low" warning was displayed on the dash.
What is the position of the pump relay?
It is going to 20 degrees today and I do not want to spend more time than needed to fix this vehicle that is 1 month out of the Starmark warrantee.
What is the position of the pump relay?
It is going to 20 degrees today and I do not want to spend more time than needed to fix this vehicle that is 1 month out of the Starmark warrantee.
S 500`
This has been a very interessting post. We have a 2000 S 500, a few weeks ago the car lowered itself, car to low light came on, we took it to an indep. repair shop, the pump was replaced that solved the problem, 6 weeks later the same problem, MB dealer will only warranty pump if we bring car in for them to inspect. They did warranty the pump also installed new relay which we did not replace in the first repair, at that time MB told us front struts are leaking and need to be resealed that, that is part of the problem. Okay we did that, silly us we thought that would be the end, NOT yesterday the light came back on, called dealer, well they think there is a small leak, maybe the valve block is leaking or the rear struts. The rear struts are $2500 A PIECE, OMG. Will this ever end ? The light has not come on again, last time the light went on and off for a while untill the car lowered it self. HELP !!!!
This has been a very interessting post. We have a 2000 S 500, a few weeks ago the car lowered itself, car to low light came on, we took it to an indep. repair shop, the pump was replaced that solved the problem, 6 weeks later the same problem, MB dealer will only warranty pump if we bring car in for them to inspect. They did warranty the pump also installed new relay which we did not replace in the first repair, at that time MB told us front struts are leaking and need to be resealed that, that is part of the problem. Okay we did that, silly us we thought that would be the end, NOT yesterday the light came back on, called dealer, well they think there is a small leak, maybe the valve block is leaking or the rear struts. The rear struts are $2500 A PIECE, OMG. Will this ever end ? The light has not come on again, last time the light went on and off for a while untill the car lowered it self. HELP !!!!
E-ZGO 53 HP., 99 E 430 sport, 04 E55 AMG, 2008 Tahoe LTZ Sold Porsche to Brother
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1,909 Posts
Well you need to check your source, rear strut for S430/500 are not $2500.Asta1198 said:
{)-Hi Benzworld, I'm new and a fairly advanced car guy. My car, 1998 SL 600. A couple of months ago, the car started to ride very rough. Turned out to be an accumulator. I replaced all 4, added the fluid that MB recommends and the car rides like it did, however, the amber lite stays on. The car rises and lowers as it should and when I scan for codes, none are displayed.
Anyone suggest anything?
Also, when starting the car, the "maintenance lite" comes on showing a wrench and that I am 7000 miles past required maintenance. All maintenance has been done and I have found a procedure to reset the light but I must be doing something wrong as it doesn't reset. The procedure I'm using says it is for this car, but the instrument panel shown in the illustration is not the same as mine.
Last item. I have, over the years (3 years of ownership), picked up a couple of different Maintenance manuals offered on Ebay and have yet to be even a little impressed with what I've gotten.
Can anyone suggest a good manual, preferably paper, that can be obtained?
Thanks for any help that you can offer.
Don
Anyone suggest anything?
Also, when starting the car, the "maintenance lite" comes on showing a wrench and that I am 7000 miles past required maintenance. All maintenance has been done and I have found a procedure to reset the light but I must be doing something wrong as it doesn't reset. The procedure I'm using says it is for this car, but the instrument panel shown in the illustration is not the same as mine.
Last item. I have, over the years (3 years of ownership), picked up a couple of different Maintenance manuals offered on Ebay and have yet to be even a little impressed with what I've gotten.
Can anyone suggest a good manual, preferably paper, that can be obtained?
Thanks for any help that you can offer.
Don
It sounds like you may need to have your dealer reset the systems in your car. Often DIY maintance leads to computer problems that only a dealer can fix. This is usually a good thing to do from time to time because they will also update systems to current standards. Sometimes they will even do this at no charge, especially as a courtsey for regular customers.
Here are a couple links that you may want to check out:
Repair Manuals, Ford, Mercedes Motorcycle Honda - Manuals Unlimited - Automotive Repair Manuals
manuals 1998 - Everything Benz - Search Mercedes-Benz Resources with Google
The front shocks leak causing pump to burn out.Or the relay will stick causing the pump to burn out. What we do at the dealership to test the shocks for leaks is.At the top of the towers Just apply soapy water on the top of the shocks. If they leak you will see bubbles around the shock hose fittings. Most times its the a defective relay that causes pump to burn out. I have a set of front and rear shocks for $800
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