[SChalmers]

What an elegant solutionto a frustrating problem. This is called a "bump stop" and Land Rover puts a hard rubber version on all four corners to deal with the anticipated failure of their air suspension system. Always wondered why MBZ failed to do this on the S class as it allows one to drive home or to a service station at a reasonable speed and in relative comfort. Don

You can buy them the dealer has a part number A2203271230 Not sure if it is the same for front and back

 

[benparson]

This could easily be one of the most constructive threads in the forum but can anyone please post photos or drawings showing exactly where to place the timber ?

 

[tusabes]

There's a pic in the first post
If you have ad blocking you might not be able to see it

Here it is again

 

[benparson]

Thanks tusabes, you were right about the ad blocking so I'm off to buy a couple of blocks of timber just in case!

 

[reward52]

OK, so maybe I didn't "fix" it, but here's the story. I drove the '00 S500 to Florida this weekend, and on my way back to the hotel Saturday night, the right front Airmatic struts starts leaking profusely. At this point I'm 800 miles from home. I'm close to the hotel, so I limp it back. The compressor would keep up with the leak while it was running, but when the compressor would cycle it would drop and the tire would rub the inner fender until the compressor could kick back on. So basically it would go back and forth between rubbing horribly and not rubbing every two or three minutes. I jack it up and devise a plan. The next morning I head out to home depot.

Step one: Jack up the car a little.

Step two: Insert 2"x4"

Step tree: Lower the jack, sit back and revel in the absolutely perfect ride-height.

The ride was a little bumpy, but really not that bad! It really wasn't much harsher than it is when you push the button that stiffens the suspension! I made the 800 mile trip home with ease, and never had to change or replace the block of wood. I got a few extras just in case.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you 16vCorey!!! :grin

I am SOOOO glad I read through your post and the ensuing thread prior to taking a trip from Orlando to Savannah, then Atlanta and back home to see our new grand kids. Early in my trip, the front end would occasionally drop, but then pump back up. I made it to Savannah OK, but I needed to make wide turns so the tires wouldn't hit the fenders. Naturally it got worse going to Atlanta (also had a flat tire on route), but when I got to my daughter's house, I could hear hissing from the left front strut. I just replaced that one a month earlier, plus both rear struts earlier this year, and a new pump one week earlier! I was in Air Strut HELL!!!

Well, the brass connector at the top of the strut, where the hose connects, had broken from where it threads into the strut top. I found a used replacement from a salvage yard on a Saturday and replaced it. But it was still ballistically hissing at the lower portion of the strut.

My initial plan was to drive the 400 miles back to Orlando on Sunday, but if I had it fixed in Atlanta, I wouldn't be able to begin looking at options until Monday, which would drag out with shipping and who knows what it'd cost. Since my relatively new strut was under a lifetime warranty, I built a similar block and secured it to my upper control arm and rounded the top corners off to try to match the underside contour of where it's be touching, and used two wire ties on each side for insurance. It's a good thing I gave some tools to my son-in-law last Christmas! See the pictures below.


Riding the bumpy roads around Atlanta, I was concerned that would tear the wood block off, but it didn't! Driving on the interstate was very smooth and we got home safely. My first phone call of the next day was to RMT and I couldn't believe how quick they offered a warranty replacement. He said I'd have it in 48 hours, but I got it in less that 24 hours. It was a simple swap out and appears to have resolved much of my air strut issues!

Thanks again, 16vCorey, for posting your ingenious "Hillbilly" fix, as my son calls it!

Best,
Russ

 

[georgebuhr]

I'm impressed. I have a customer that wants us to look at his car, but he cant drive it in to us because the fenders are on the tires. I dont even know if a wrecker could get it on their roll back with as low as it is. This would be a huge help. Thanks!

 

[reward52]

I'm impressed. I have a customer that wants us to look at his car, but he cant drive it in to us because the fenders are on the tires. I dont even know if a wrecker could get it on their roll back with as low as it is. This would be a huge help. Thanks!

This block fix was on my 2004 S-430 front left. I did make another one for the front right, just in case I needed it on the road, but I didn't. The most time that it took me was determining the dimensions. It's a full 2x4 at 9.5 inches long as I didn't want to have much room for it to wiggle anywhere! So it's also a snug fit getting it in there. I'm glad I used two wire ties at each end since when I took it off to change the strut, one of the wire ties had come loose! As far as the contour on the top; I just eye-balled it and it seemed to fit nicely next to where the top of the strut attached. I wouldn't have been able to get my floor jack under the car, but the car jack worked great for one wheel up!

Good luck!
Russ

 

[wallyp]

I think that I will start looking for a 3 1/2" rubber block - perhaps cut a couple of chunks off of a rubber parking chock...

 

[tusabes]

You can buy them the dealer has a part number A2203271230 Not sure if it is the same for front and back
View attachment 1664465

View attachment 1664473

Anyone know if the mb rubber part will work on abc equipped cars too?

 

[Digmenow]

Just out of curiosity, does this solution work for the rear as well? I'm taking the 220 on an 2000 mile road trip soon and was thinking of keeping these in the trunk along with the extra compressor I recently nabbed from the junk yard.

 

[16vCorey]

Just out of curiosity, does this solution work for the rear as well? I'm taking the 220 on an 2000 mile road trip soon and was thinking of keeping these in the trunk along with the extra compressor I recently nabbed from the junk yard.

Unfortunately it does not. I actually just drove three and a half hours home with a blown rear bag a month or so ago. I stopped and tried to block it up, but there's no good place to put one in the rear.

 

[cowboyt]

^^ Yeah, I found that out when working on the project 2006 S500 4Matic. I forget how I managed it with the S600 when its rear ABC accumulator went kablooey and I had to get the car towed.