locster

As I am driving out of a gas station on my way to school I make a turn and I hear my right rear tire rubbing against the car. I decide to drive back home only 3 blocks away and as I am driving the rubbing/noise gets worse and i have to slow down. I then see a message in red letters on the dashboard saying "Airmatic, Stop, Car Too Low". As I park my car in the driveway I get out and see that the front of the car is too low and the back is completely gone (the car body is touching the top of the tires). The car is now undriveable.

I dont understand this since I never received a warning prior to this, the airmatic light never came on. I assume it all started about 2 months ago when I started hearing knocking wobbling noices everytime I would go over bumps but the noices would go away so I never thought it was something serious. My only knowledge of this is that it's an airmatic problem. Can anybody tell me what I can do about this. Can I fix this myself, can a mechanic fix it or do I have to take it to the dealer? Cost?

newton22

Sorry man, sounds like your airmatic just went. The majority of the early w220s go through this. I went through this in 2004. What year is your car?

Take it to the dealer. Good luck.

locster

i drive a 2000 s500 it has 137,000 miles

can you give me an estimate on how much this would cost to fix?

SUNILP

It depends on your problem. If the compressor is bad then I think it's around 500 dollars. If the struts are leaking on top (noticed by a hairline crack on the top) then this can be repaired. The repair kit is 50 dollars. It takes about 30 minutes per side to install.

locster

did i do something to cause this or does this just happen automatically, my car was riding fine then all of a sudden without a warning it just went poof and dropped

locster

i hear a loud vibrating noise that ive never heard before in the front of the car even when the car is off

could this be related to the problem?

Oxygen

Sounds like the compressor is shot. It's in the front right by the bumper...

You have to raise your car up and take apart the plastic covers on the bottom passenger side to get to the compressor.

Here's the part:Compressor 2113200104 $695.00

They would charge you for an hour and a half at the dealer for labor to replace it.

But hey buddy, looks like it's your lucky day! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MERCE...spagenameZWDVW

locster

Thanks a lot, I appreciate it.

Do you think there could also be a problem with the struts since the back of the car is a little lower than the front?

SUNILP

The compressor is surely shot according to the noise when car is off. THe compressor may have gotten in this shape due to leaky struts to begin with. Since they are leaky, the compressor has to run all the time to compensate for the air loss. Check the top of the strut and see if there is a hairline crack in the resin. If so, get the repair kit. You will require a special tool to change the top of the struts and a heat gun to take the old resin off. I just did a car this morning. Works perfectly.

locster

how can i check the struts? also can the compressor be fixed or does it have to be replaced?

Oxygen

Uh, he just told you...

locster

sorry for my ignorance

ill have a mechanic check it since i cant seem to find it

also can a mechanic replace the compressor or does the compressor have to be programmed in a dealer?

Mark_K

On my range rover it had to be replaced not fixed.

locster

my mechanic said he can install the compressor but does it have to be programmed with a computer?

516mbtek

just put it on....no programming for compressor

516mbtek

for everyones info: the strut tops never leak until vehicle is raised on lift or jacked up....normal driving and the strut top o-rings (not resin) dont leak. The resin is just to protect the o-ring plate not to actually seal the strut. Its.. best to check w/ soapy water.

winmaw

I do not fully understand the following.

"the strut tops never leak until vehicle is raised on lift or jacked up...."

Does it mean that if we often lift or jack up our vehicle, there is a chance to damage the struts? Sorry for my dump question, but I really want to avoid something which will shorten the life of struts.

516mbtek

not a dumb question... The tops of the airmatic struts 99% guaranteed will eventually leak no matter what you do, they have a half-dollar sized or better, o-ring sealed plate held with a circlip that seals the top end...which is covered by a black wax/resin, a repair kit is sold at mb and a special tool is required to change it. All rubber o-rings will eventually leak it seems... however when their time has come, the leaking will ONLY occur when raising the car on lift or jacking up one side and not during normal driving, sitting or otherwise.....according to MB service engineering

loredan

I have a question.
I drive an S320 from 2000 with ~100k miles on it.
I want to switch from summer to winter tires.
Is there any risk to damage the strut (sealing ..)?
How to do it?

516mbtek

Possibly the fronts could depressurize if they have a leaky top seal. You can pop hood, spray some soapy water on the tops of the struts, then jack it up slowly and look for bubbles which would indicate a leak. If a leak is present then I suggest to jack the car up from under the lower control arm in the front and change the front wheels one at a time. The rear is ok to jack up normally

loredan

Thanks for reply.
I just check the front top strut and I notice one-two hair-line crack on both end.
The sealing is black.
Seems the original?
Would that kit be available in Europe too?
The mercedes dealer know about it?
Another question:
Always when I stop the car-engine and close it there is air coming out and the car is droping litle (maybe less then 1 inch).
Is this normal?

SUNILP

The majority of air leak does occur when the car is placed on a lift. You'll hear a whistling sound when the car is lifted. This is a sure sign of a leak on top. And when the car is lifted, all air from the strut leaks out. When the tech placed the car on ground again, the struts are fully compressed which usually damages the bellows inside the strut. The car is suppose to be connected to DAS, compressor started to fill strut, then lowered to ground. THe car can be started with a key as well and you can wait for the compressor to fill the strut. What I usually do is lower the car a bit so the wheels are touching the ground. Start the car. and keep lowering it slowly so as to give enough time for the compressor to fill the strut. WIS strictly states not to lower the car if the strut is empty. A slow leak can also occur on top when the car is level on ground.

The resin on top is suppose to prevent any air loss when the car is lifted.

IluvS500

so can lifting the car cause the leaks? or does it just show the signs of leaks more? i dont understand

SUNILP

lifting the car will not cause it to leak if your strut is fine. If the resin is already cracked on top, lifting the car will cause the air to leak out of this crack and you will have a deflated strut. Then lower the deflated strut will even cause more damage to the strut diaphragm.

IluvS500

which is why you stated before, if i recall correctly, to lower the car part way and turn it on to let them inflate before lowering it completely on the ground.