23k mile 2006 CLS 500 both rear shock absorbers internal failed, known problem?

kazino21

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Just gave the car in for it's 3 year service, everything else is fine but they have told me that both the internal seals in the rear shock absorbers have failed and that the shock absorbers are leaking.
This seems a little odd as the car just went in for some warantee work in May where I told them there was a noise emanating from the rear suspension area of the car that was making a creaking sound, the rear demister weren't working and were replaced, also the rear brakes were squealing which was rectified somehow.
The car has been sparsely used since then due to lots of travelling, probably <750 miles. The roads near where I live are very good and the car is used mostly for going to and from the supermarket.
Before I even asked how much it cost they said that it was an almost unheard of problem and that they are contacting mercedes for a goodwill gesture, they said that tomorrow they will know how much mercedes will be willing to contribute towards the total cost of repair which is £1040 (my warantee ran out in May this year)
How would both sides of the suspension come to be damaged at the same time under very light usage of the car, from the experience of a mechanic friend of mine he said it is usually one side that leaks due to the car being driven over a large pothole but having both at the same time on a very new and cherished car is baffling.
From my very limited knowledge and some searches on the net it seems that the suspension on Mercedes is very strong and from the two we have owned previously, a 97 E class and a D reg E class before that, both being the sole cars in the household and used to do everything and lasted over 100,000 miles with no suspension issues whatsoever.
So is this an issue on the airmatic suspension generation of cars, or could something have been improperly put back when they repaired the rear of the car for the warantee work that was carried out in May ? Also I was surprised they had contacted Mercedes so quickly to ask them to contribute to the work, sounded like they were a bit over keen, is it protocol for them to contact Mercedes?
 

MB-Car-Tech

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I smell a rat !!

when you asked for the end of year warranty work back in May - was this noise/ complaint reported and written on the Job Sheet they had and also did you sign the document ????

This could give you a get out if so.

There are some complaints of noises on the Mercedes TIPS system and YES remedies are for the replacement of the Suspension Struts.

Goodwill requests are always a line for the main dealer to go through without you the client being advised of, its a way of getting an income for themselves if you the client have made a complaint of some kind. They used to get a good hourly rate from Mercedes under Warranty issues of any kind.

If MB come back with no contribution then my earlier comment is very important for you to take things further.

Good Luck!!
 

television

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Try my SL then 4 struts in 40k miles =£5k
 
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kazino21

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They have reported back with good news. Mercedes have agreed to pay 80% of the repair cost, which leaves me with about £200 to pay.
Good to see Mercedes are living up to their new high expectations of customer service, where they actually listen and take into consideration what the customer says.
Am I right in thinking they won't pay out 100% because it would be admitting it is some fault of theirs and cause trouble for them, or something like that?
 

television

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I think that they have a short straw system ,,they place all the straws on those that ask for help, and the short straw one gets a good deal
 

turbopete

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I think that they have a short straw system ,,they place all the straws on those that ask for help, and the short straw one gets a good deal

you must have a very long straw that MB keep for you with your name on it then!
 
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kazino21

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Well, I shall be rewarding them by continuing to send the car there.
Is there any known problems apart from the air suspension pump failure that the cls500 would have problems with, can't find many other faults on the website?
 

television

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Nothing else know,,nice car :D:D
 

Aviotech

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Gulp ! 27k miles and fingers crossed ! For those out of warranty I believe a US company is now reconditioning Airmatic struts.
Although not specific to the CLS500, look out for the following Malfunction: 'Battery Protection, Convenience Functions Temporarily Disabled', reported elsewhere in this forum. This can be either a self-rectifying nuisance message or, if persistent, a sign of battery/charging issues. The instances I have had have fallen into the former catregory (so far !). Regards, Aviotech.
 


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