W220 S-Class Airmatic / Adaptive Damping (ADS) Problems & Dx - Help please?!

[markben]

W220 Airmatic / Adaptive Damping (ADS) Problems & Dx - Help please?!

Greetings all on this friendly & helpful forum. I’ve posted before about my continuing ‘mystery’ Hard Damping (HD) problem in ‘Comfort’ / soft mode on my otherwise immaculate & well-maintained 2004 140k mile S320L cdi, thanks for your past replies / recommendations.

To keep my continuing HD story as short as possible (sorry!) & despite disappointing experiences with various (un-named) Indies who any or all of: don’t recognise the HD issue from my description of the symptoms / have given-up on finding the cause, or (worse still?) tried to convince me that ‘I am imaging them’. The car has recently had:

• 4 new Mercedes-supplied OEM Remanufactured Air Struts.
• New OEM Valve Block
• New OEM Airmatic Compressor + Front & Rear level sensors.
• New OEM Rear axle ABS Sensors + Reluctor rings
• Numerous ‘no faults’ SDS Diagnostics.

All at massive cost ££: but with ZERO improvement in my HD symptoms (either ‘stuck’ in Sport 2 or Level 4 ‘Hard Compression & Rebound / Level 4 Driving Safety mode), which effectively shuts-down the variable electrical supply & Current to the solenoid damping valves at all 4 Struts according to feedback from various sensors via the ECU except for a rare, brief, momentary but dramatic ‘Softening’ as per ‘Magic Carpet’, ride etc over daily driven local roads even at sub 30mph speeds . The difference is Night & Day when it happens, and I am not kidding. I know my car well… and my local roads.

In short: I am seeking a Mercedes Indie or other Specialist anywhere in the UK who:

• Understands (from personal experience) how smoothly & softly an Airmatic W220 SHOULD ride in Comfort mode (‘Magic Carpet ride?) and.. will take me / my description of the HD problem Seriously after test-driving the car over rough road surfaces to confirm that my assessment is accurate (not ‘fob-me off’ - as some other Indies have done).
• (Subject to agreement about the above): is then willing to do more extensive fault diagnosis & ‘digging’ into the root cause - which I suspect might be as simple as a ‘weak / corroded / shorted’ etc electrical contact somewhere in the complex & ageing Airmatic / ADS circuitry which makes the ECU 'Brain' default to ‘Full-Stiff’ / Level 4 Hard Compression & Rebound settings at the Struts most of the time: even if this means extensive stripping of the ADS electrical circuitry / & physical / ‘forensic’ investigations - which other Indies have conspicuously avoided for whatever reason. Mmmm…
• (Most Important!) The prospective ‘New’ Indie is happy & confident to take-on my mystery HD diagnostic ‘challenge’ regardless of the time & costs involved. If this means travelling-to / from & leaving the car with them for, say, a week, I’ll be happy to entrust the car to them. 'Money no Object' etc, so long as they can fix my HD problem.

The Main thing is:

1: The Indie and I first agree about the HD symptoms after a test-drive over ‘rough’ roads (by this, I mean even regular road dips & ridges on urban roads at sub-30mph speeds where the ADS usually feels rigid). If we disagree, I will be happy to pay for the Indie’s time either way.

2: If in agreement about the HD problem: if the Indie is then willing & confident to take-on my ‘mystery’ HD challenge (& has a 'plan' to trace & fix it!), I’ll be happy to give them a generous ££ Reward for their interest & expertise in addition to their workshop / labour time / parts etc. Enuff said?

If it helps: I can also provide an interested Indie with Chapter & Verse about my HD problem over the past 7 years / 40k miles + full details of other suspension maintenance done + my (hopefully accurate!) judgement about the symptoms, + a few other ‘Clues’ which might help them to narrow-down & identify the root cause.

Either way, please don’t get me-wrong about my W220. It is otherwise a superb, special & cherished car and has never let me down suspension-wise with the more common (& often catastrophic!) Airmatic failure problems - Phew! I just want my W220’s elusive mystery Hard Damping problem FIXED, and the car riding as smoothly as when it left the factory 19-years ago (Magic Carpet etc) - whatever & whoever it takes.

In the past 50 years, Mankind has developed the technology, patience, resources & determination to 'Put Men on the Moon' etc. So I hope a Mercedes Techie (or someone, somewhere..?) might.. have the same approach to fixing my relatively simple HD problem? I live in hope...

To save time / if it helps: you might want to copy this Post to a reliable / interested Mercedes Specialist you know & have experience of, and who might be willing to take-on my HD challenge after an initial chat about it? I'll be happy to connect with you / them by PM to discuss things to save time & space on the public forum?
‘The Best or Nothing’ & Many thanks in anticipation

Mark B. (Somerset UK)

 

[markben]

Greetings all on this friendly & helpful forum. I’ve posted before about my continuing ‘mystery’ Hard Damping (HD) problem in ‘Comfort’ / soft mode on my otherwise immaculate & well-maintained 2004 140k mile S320L cdi, thanks for your past replies / recommendations.

To keep my continuing HD story as short as possible (sorry!) & despite disappointing experiences with various (un-named) Indies who any or all of: don’t recognise the HD issue from my description of the symptoms / have given-up on finding the cause, or (worse still?) tried to convince me that ‘I am imaging them’. The car has recently had:

• 4 new Mercedes-supplied OEM Remanufactured Air Struts.
• New OEM Valve Block
• New OEM Airmatic Compressor + Air Filter + Relay Front & Rear level sensors.
• New OEM Rear axle ABS Sensors + Reluctor rings
• Numerous ‘no faults’ SDS Diagnostics (but possibly unreliable?)

All at massive cost ££: but with ZERO improvement in my HD symptoms (either ‘stuck’ in Sport 2 or Level 4 ‘Hard Compression & Rebound / Level 4 Driving Safety mode), whereby the ECU 'Brain' detects a fault & effectively shuts-down the variable electrical supply & Current to the solenoid damping valves at all 4 Struts according to feedback from various sensors, except for a rare, brief, momentary but dramatic ‘Softening’ as per ‘Magic Carpet’, ride etc over daily driven local roads even at sub-30mph speeds. The difference is Night & Day when it happens, and I am not kidding or imagining it. I know my car well… and my local roads.

In short: I am seeking a Mercedes Indie or other Specialist anywhere in the UK who:

• Understands (from personal experience) how smoothly & softly an Airmatic W220 SHOULD ride in Comfort mode (‘Magic Carpet ride?) and.. will take me / my description of the HD problem Seriously after test-driving the car over rough road surfaces to confirm that my assessment is accurate (not ‘fob-me off’ - as some other Indies have done).
• (Subject to agreement about the above): is then willing to do more extensive fault diagnosis & ‘digging’ into the root cause - which I suspect might be as simple as a ‘weak / corroded / shorted’ etc electrical contact somewhere in the complex & ageing Airmatic / ADS circuitry which makes the ECU 'Brain' default to ‘Full-Stiff’ / Level 4 Hard Compression & Rebound settings at the Struts most of the time: even if this means extensive stripping of the ADS electrical circuitry / & physical / ‘forensic’ investigations - which other Indies have conspicuously avoided for whatever reason. Mmmm…
• (Most Important!) The prospective ‘New’ Indie is happy & confident to take-on my mystery HD diagnostic ‘challenge’ regardless of the time & costs involved. If this means travelling-to / from & leaving the car with them for, say, a week, I’ll be happy to entrust the car to them. 'Money no Object' etc, so long as they are confident about being able to fix my HD problem.

The Main thing is:

1: The Indie and I first agree about the HD symptoms after a test-drive over ‘rough’ roads (by 'rough', I mean even regular road dips & ridges on urban roads at sub-30mph speeds where the ADS usually feels rigid - OUCH!). If we disagree, I will be happy to pay for the Indie’s time either way.

2: If in agreement about the HD problem: if the Indie is then willing & confident to take-on my ‘mystery’ HD challenge (& has a 'plan' to trace & fix it!), I’ll be happy to give them a generous ££ Reward for their interest & expertise in addition to their workshop / labour time / parts etc. Enuff said?

If it helps: I can initially provide an interested Indie with Chapter & Verse about my HD problem over the past 7 years / 40k miles + full details of other suspension maintenance done + my (hopefully accurate!) judgement about the symptoms, + a few other ‘Clues’ which might help them to narrow-down & identify the root cause.

Either way, please don’t get me-wrong about my W220. It is otherwise a superb, special & cherished car and has never let me down suspension-wise with the more common (& often catastrophic!) Airmatic failure problems - Phew! I just want my W220’s elusive mystery Hard Damping problem FIXED, and the car riding as smoothly as when it left the factory 19-years ago (Magic Carpet etc) - whatever & whoever it takes.

In the past 50 years, Mankind has developed the technology, patience, resources & determination to 'Put Men on the Moon' etc. So I hope a Mercedes Techie (or someone, somewhere..?) might.. have the same approach to fixing my relatively simple HD problem? I live in hope...

To save time / if it helps: you might want to copy this Post to a reliable / interested Mercedes Specialist you know & have experience of, and who might be willing to take-on my HD challenge after an initial chat about it? I'll be happy to connect with you / them by PM to discuss things to save time & space on the public forum?

‘The Best or Nothing’ & Many thanks in anticipation

Mark B. (Somerset UK)