Engine management & suspension strut question.

[Buck2003]

Hello again,

I hope I'm posting in the correct place.

I own a 2011 E220 CDI blu/eff Cabriolet SE.
Randomly I get an engine management light come on, my OBD2 scanner (cheap model) won't connect, (link error) so I can't get any codes etc however if I have the engine running and I turn the key as if to crank it over 4 or 5 times the light goes out usually for a good few days maybe a week. Have I stumbled on a secret reset or something or is the engine management light just an elec gremlin.

2nd question is...my front suspension is rock hard...I doubt I could push it down an inch. I understand the need for rigid sports suspension but this seems to hard...each pot hole I hit cost me a vertebrae!
Is that normal? I expected Mercedes to be much more comfy.
Obviously I don't wanna replace the struts/coil springs if it gonna be the same.
It's on AMG wheels with 235/40/R18 tyres on the front.

Lastly anyone know of OBD2 scanner that works on these cars at a reasonable price.

Any answers greatly appreciated.
Many thanks Rob

 

[Buck2003]

Hello everyone,
I've just asked these questions but my post vanished, if it turns up I apologize for asking twice.
Basically I bought this car as it appears in very good condition, in white.
However now and then I get the engine management light come on. It maybe on for a few hours or days depending on how much I use the car, then it goes off again.
Or I do t know if my ignition is perhaps the problem because with the engine running if I try to crank the car over 4 or 5 times without letting the engine switch off the light goes off again. Or have I stumbled on some secret reset function.
My OBD2 scanner won't connect and just says "link failure" the obd port is powered with or without the ignition switch being on, is that normal and does anyone know of a basic low cost scanner that will connect. (I'm in the UK)

Next is a silly suspension question.
My front suspension is really hard and I feel ever bump and stone in the road, every time I hit a pothole it cost me a vertebrae!! Is this normal...I don't want to change the front struts/springs only to find the new ones sit/feel just the same.
The wheels are AMG 18" and the front tyres are 235/40/18 which seems right.
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks in advance
Rob

Ps I've attempted to attach a pic of another message I get that I have no idea about

Rob

 

[Botus]

ODB2 scanner is actually just going to tell you a bit about the engine - its won't do anything else,

if this is enough (not really) but to help out with a nasty misfires or so, still very helpful - you might as well go phone app - way better than some bit of tat and lies off the internet

torque app (never used) is supposed to be OK as are some other almost free apps - that said - today I had my bike bluetooth dongle with me when a coil just died on my v8 - and I remembered I had this app on the phone - he improved it a bit and I'd not used since - today I found it very helpful to know which pot, and clear the faults

this guy knows his stuff as he make these tools for a living - not just some gamer-boy making up trash

ScanMaster for ELM327 OBD-2 - Apps on Google Play

ScanMaster Lite is an application for vehicle diagnostics to OBD-2 standards.

play.google.com

after that you r talking >£150 to see lots more across the whole car

re stupidly stiff suspension - its very normal on all cars these days - check the tyre pressures and what brand and model of tyre you have - see where they are then report back ?

 

[Buck2003]

Hi, thank you for the reply, my tyres are all at 37psi and within perimeters.
The front suspension I can't even push down an inch...a few millimetres at best and I'm a heavy guy. Also I've noted that sometimes the car seems to pull slightly left. (I doubt it's the road camber)
Cheers Rob

 

[Botus]

run flat tyres ? these are woeful - on a BMW I had with these, it would try to drag itself at ditches and you had to fight with all your strength and pray ! hoping to keep it going where you wanted if the surface was oddly cambered - especially in the rain on polished roads

if run flats expect this to be normal - otherwise I'd drop the fronts to 33 PSI and see if its any better - so long as not doing 140mph across Germany for 2 hours at a time, and having to do 17 hail mary stops trying to keep your front bumper safe no one will notice

general camber wander to the left is std on a Merc - they can't be bothered to set it to drive straight for RHD countries

next thing go find another of the same spec and notice it doesn't move either - its not a 1970 american thing...

 

[sonic]

I have a 2011 E350CDI sport on 18" wheels, the ride is fine, I have not tried pushing down the front suspension.
The wife has a SLC250d on all season 17" wheels, that suspension is much firmer.
I have ICarsoft ODB reader bought it secondhand for £90, well worth the money.

 

[Srdl]

Hello everyone,
I've just asked these questions but my post vanished, if it turns up I apologize for asking twice.
Basically I bought this car as it appears in very good condition, in white.
However now and then I get the engine management light come on. It maybe on for a few hours or days depending on how much I use the car, then it goes off again.
Or I do t know if my ignition is perhaps the problem because with the engine running if I try to crank the car over 4 or 5 times without letting the engine switch off the light goes off again. Or have I stumbled on some secret reset function.
My OBD2 scanner won't connect and just says "link failure" the obd port is powered with or without the ignition switch being on, is that normal and does anyone know of a basic low cost scanner that will connect. (I'm in the UK)

Next is a silly suspension question.
My front suspension is really hard and I feel ever bump and stone in the road, every time I hit a pothole it cost me a vertebrae!! Is this normal...I don't want to change the front struts/springs only to find the new ones sit/feel just the same.
The wheels are AMG 18" and the front tyres are 235/40/18 which seems right.
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks in advance
Rob

Ps I've attempted to attach a pic of another message I get that I have no idea about

Rob

I believe the ICarSoft MB2 is the preferred scanned amongst forum members but I haven’t used it personallh and others may have a different view,

The suspension shouldn’t be that hard but 18in wheels will never be a soft ride! It’s all relative though and someone’s “harsh” might be someone else's “OK”. Perhaps it depends what you were used to before? Are the tyre pressures correct? Too high and it will make the ride harder.

I think your final pic is the rear seat belt warning - in this case telling you that neither rear seat belt is being used, presumably because no one is occupying the seats. It's there to tell you if a rear seat passenger hasn’t belted up.

 

[Blobcat]

Hello everyone,
I've just asked these questions but my post vanished, if it turns up I apologize for asking twice.
Basically I bought this car as it appears in very good condition, in white.
However now and then I get the engine management light come on. It maybe on for a few hours or days depending on how much I use the car, then it goes off again.
Or I do t know if my ignition is perhaps the problem because with the engine running if I try to crank the car over 4 or 5 times without letting the engine switch off the light goes off again. Or have I stumbled on some secret reset function.
My OBD2 scanner won't connect and just says "link failure" the obd port is powered with or without the ignition switch being on, is that normal and does anyone know of a basic low cost scanner that will connect. (I'm in the UK)

Next is a silly suspension question.
My front suspension is really hard and I feel ever bump and stone in the road, every time I hit a pothole it cost me a vertebrae!! Is this normal...I don't want to change the front struts/springs only to find the new ones sit/feel just the same.
The wheels are AMG 18" and the front tyres are 235/40/18 which seems right.
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks in advance
Rob

Ps I've attempted to attach a pic of another message I get that I have no idea about

Rob

It was moved to the correct section, I’ve now merged your threads so it doesn’t get confusing with multiple threads with the same issue

 

[Buck2003]

run flat tyres ? these are woeful - on a BMW I had with these, it would try to drag itself at ditches and you had to fight with all your strength and pray ! hoping to keep it going where you wanted if the surface was oddly cambered - especially in the rain on polished roads

if run flats expect this to be normal - otherwise I'd drop the fronts to 33 PSI and see if its any better - so long as not doing 140mph across Germany for 2 hours at a time, and having to do 17 hail mary stops trying to keep your front bumper safe no one will notice

general camber wander to the left is std on a Merc - they can't be bothered to set it to drive straight for RHD countries

next thing go find another of the same spec and notice it doesn't move either - its not a 1970 american thing...

Hi the front tyres are not run flats as far as I know, they are cheap autogreen tyres from Halfords, however the problem of it pulling left was there before I changed tyres.

As for the extra firm front suspension it sticks to the road like glue...unless you hit a bump or potholes anything really in which case it feels tricky to keep the front going the right way like no traction or any comfort which seems odd for a nice sporty looking car if it can't hold the road.

I'll look into the ICarsoft OBD2 thanks.
As for the engine management light and my ignition trick does anyone know what's going on?

Once again thank you

 

[Blobcat]

Ps I've attempted to attach a pic of another message I get that I have no idea about

Rob

The pic is showing your rear seats, it shows if any of the belts are in use (or not) handy if you have small peeps on the back who may (or may not) take their belts off.

Try swooping the front wheels to the other side - see if that improves the pulling to the left (assuming they’re not directional tyres)

 

[Srdl]

As for the extra firm front suspension it sticks to the road like glue...unless you hit a bump or potholes anything really in which case it feels tricky to keep the front going the right way like no traction or any comfort which seems odd for a nice sporty looking car if it can't hold the road.

The 207 Couple/Cabriolet is a lovely car (I had one) but the dynamics are not up to the standard you would expect from BMW. So the comment that “it sticks to the road like glue” worries me. I wonder whether someone has “upgraded” some of the suspension components at some time which, to their mind, has “improved” handling but ruined the ride? Perhaps you could find a trusted Mercedes Independent to have a quick look. Let us know where you are based and we might be able to recommend someone.

The engine management light needs codes read otherwise it’s all guesswork.

What car did you drive before - when talking about harshness of ride, it’s useful to understand what you are used to.

 

[SL63 Mark]

The E classes I have driven have all had a comfortable/compliant ride. The front end feels unobtrusive, rather than sporty. The SL63 has a bit more road and steering feel, but I put that down to the 19" inch tyres. In my car I can firm up the suspension by selecting sport damper mode. Is yours switched to Sport by any chance ?

 

[Buck2003]

The 207 Couple/Cabriolet is a lovely car (I had one) but the dynamics are not up to the standard you would expect from BMW. So the comment that “it sticks to the road like glue” worries me. I wonder whether someone has “upgraded” some of the suspension components at some time which, to their mind, has “improved” handling but ruined the ride? Perhaps you could find a trusted Mercedes Independent to have a quick look. Let us know where you are based and we might be able to recommend someone.

The engine management light needs codes read otherwise it’s all guesswork.

What car did you drive before - when talking about harshness of ride, it’s useful to understand what you are used to.

Thank you all for the advice, to answer some of these questions my last 3 cars including this one were my BMW 318i followed by my Audi A4 Avant, and now this mb e220.
I can confirm that it's not in sports mode and I don't think my suspension is adjustable.

I can't rotate my tyres as it has 255/40/18 tyres on the back, but as mentioned before it was there before I replaced the tyres.
Regarding the engine management light that comes and goes...or can be made to go using the ignition switch (approx 5x) I found in the hand book that if the engine management light is on after running out of fuel (I never have) that to get the light out after refilling you just start the car 4 times and it goes out. I've tried to post a pic of this page. Again making me wonder if I have an elec gremlin somewhere.
I'm currently looking for a new OBD2 scanner as my cheap streetwise one won't connect (link failure) however it worked fine on my Audi.
I live in North West England near Blackpool and the roads ain't great...but even so. My wife's small fiesta rides much more smoothly than my Mercedes which seems odd.

Thanks again for taking the time to try to help it's very much appreciated

 

[Blobcat]

Thank you all for the advice, to answer some of these questions my last 3 cars including this one were my BMW 318i followed by my Audi A4 Avant, and now this mb e220.
I can confirm that it's not in sports mode and I don't think my suspension is adjustable.

I can't rotate my tyres as it has 255/40/18 tyres on the back, but as mentioned before it was there before I replaced the tyres.
Regarding the engine management light that comes and goes...or can be made to go using the ignition switch (approx 5x) I found in the hand book that if the engine management light is on after running out of fuel (I never have) that to get the light out after refilling you just start the car 4 times and it goes out. I've tried to post a pic of this page. Again making me wonder if I have an elec gremlin somewhere.
I'm currently looking for a new OBD2 scanner as my cheap streetwise one won't connect (link failure) however it worked fine on my Audi.
I live in North West England near Blackpool and the roads ain't great...but even so. My wife's small fiesta rides much more smoothly than my Mercedes which seems odd.

Thanks again for taking the time to try to help it's very much appreciated

Can you not put front left tyre to front right and vice versa?

 

[Buck2003]

I could but the direction would be wrong. But it did the slight pull to the left on its previous tyres.

 

[supernoodle]

It's not trickery with that fault. Some faults will heal if the same diagnostic test passes after a number of drive cycles, some heal after a number of ignition cycles, some will heal after a single ignition cycle.
If your fault comes back it must only get set under conditions. No point trying to guess what it is.

The Streetwize should have worked. Some of the Audis used a different diag protocol to MB, so may be that's it worked there. Sounds like you got a dud. Any EOBD/OBD2 device should work with a 2011 vehicle.

 

[Buck2003]

And yet it won't.
This guy had the same prob.

I'll try again tomorrow with the scanner and clean the connections, I agree it maybe certain conditions cause the light... humidity perhaps... intermittent sensor error, however like the chap in the link I can't look.
As for the suspension I've decided to take it to Halfords for a service as they check everything else while it's in the air.

 

[EmilysDad]

.... I've decided to take it to Halfords for a service as they check everything else while it's in the air.

Why Halfords? You'd be better off taking it to a reputable local independent!

 

[Buck2003]

To be honest I don't know of any and there's the cost to consider, Halfords £225 or thereabouts seemed reasonable, that's the only reason.

 

[SL63 Mark]

Why Halfords? You'd be better off taking it to a reputable local independent!

You'd be better off taking it to MacDonalds. Sorry we don't hear good things about generic high street brands ability to service Mercedes.