S600 W220 Airmatic - Sagging when left

[mtoohey]

I have a S600 (2004) which I recently left parked for a week and came back to find the front right suspension had sagged. I measured the ground claerance and found it to be 2 inches lower than the left side. When I went to start the car, it came up with a warning in RED saying that the vehicle should not be moved.

This vehicle is still under Mercedes factory warranty so a technician from Mercedes came and picked the vehicle up.

I received a call from Mercedes today saying that it was usual for the suspension to slump and no repairs will be done.

I have read horror stories of airmatic repairs and the associated costs and fear that Mercedes may be passing this off now when they should be doing something about it. My fear is the problem will then be mine after the warranty expires in June 2009.

Does anyone know if this is usual behaviour, or should something be repaired while under warranty?

Thanks

 

[stumpy]

Never had it on mine. Go to a different dealer for a second opinion

 

[television]

An interesting point in the workshop manuals it says that cars must be parked with the wheels straight ahead, for if the car sinks the front wings can be damaged. this is not mentioned in the owners handbooks, and I find that very odd.

 

[Xtractorfan]

Suspension collapses on the 220 S class have been known to happen and yes extremely expensive to repair,, I would always advise anyone who has a car going out of warranty to extend that warranty and to ensure major items like suspension are covered.. fingers crossed no problems with mine as yet other than the air compressor shearing two of its mounts ....wonderful invention cable ties ...now properly repaired I must add

 

[OlafMaxwell]

This is standard fob off from MB. Wait until your warranty expires and they will then find the problem and fix it without any difficulty. There is a well known problem with this suspension and repairs can be horrendously expensive.

Any car with defective suspension is dangerous and is not roadworthy. Any car that does that without warning does not inspire confidence and it is reasonable to doubt the roadworthiness at this point.

For my money I would insist on them stating in wiorting that the car is roadworthy and this is normal behaviour.

I would be inclined to invest a little money in getting a good independent repairer to examine and report on the suspension, any problems and then put it to MB to fix it. I would agree you should not have to do this but there are a lot of unscrupulous MB dealers out there and it would be money well spent. You will get some names here and you will also get names for some reputable MB dealers.

You are not only dealing with the dealer, you are dealing with MB Milton Keynes as well and they are funny people. A repair invoice stamped " 2 year Pan European Warranty" does not qualify in their eyes for warranty repair 5 months later!! An interesting touch is that if they refuse to repair under warranty you go after them under common law-warranty work is limited to the repair work but if they force you down the legal road you can hit them for everything under the sun, alternative transport, loss of use, other costs and economic loss.

 

[colechelle]

the 220 model has always had this problem, ever since brand new, the only time it should be a problem is after starting it doesnt level, think your looking to far forward, any air-matic system is going to drop when not used!!

 

[popuptoaster]

the 220 model has always had this problem, ever since brand new, the only time it should be a problem is after starting it doesnt level, think your looking to far forward, any air-matic system is going to drop when not used!!

Not true, aftermarket air suspension kits and even my hydraulics should not drop unless you make them drop so i'm pretty sure that a manufacturers should stay pumped up unless they specifically say it will drop after a certain time parked up.

 

[roofless]

all the old citroen cars with hyd sus droped overnight & would rise when started

 

[popuptoaster]

all the old citroen cars with hyd sus droped overnight & would rise when started

thats cos they use a diferent system, it has to be pressurised by the engine pump and they state in the owners manual it will drop, my dads cab firm ran BX's all through the 80's they are designed to stay pumped up for a while with the engine off then drop. Air suspension should be pressurised from a tank which is topped up by a compressor, the tank, lines and bags should have no leaks and the control valves should be leak proof so no drop unless required, im sure they could allow a slow release and let the car drop over time, but i would expect to be warned of that by the manufacturer.

 

[television]

I think that you are forgetting that there is a huge difference between hydraulics and pneumatics, and lets face it Collechelle is a MB engineer doing these things all day

 

[Xtractorfan]

My car has always dropped on the suspenson ..220 S class.. and I can hear the air releasing from the system soon after switching off, but it will only go to the lowest setting and can be driven without pumping up ..I have always taken this as normal..
Common sense would dictate that a fluid or air operated suspension system would have a driveable back up system..when things go wrong

 

[television]

My car has always dropped on the suspenson ..220 S class.. and I can hear the air releasing from the system soon after switching off, but it will only go to the lowest setting and can be driven without pumping up ..I have always taken this as normal..
Common sense would dictate that a fluid or air operated suspension system would have a driveable back up system..when things go wrong

Dead right, when my SL sprang a leak 25 miles from home,I drove it home with the dash board in red very carefully, taking a look now and then to check the height, I could have driven 1 mile to the MB workshop, but I wanted to fix it myself and I did.