VHaven

Picked up a 2003 4 matic with 74k on the clock. Drove it home from the dealer and the next AM the car was sitting low on the tires with a do not drive on the daSh. Took the car back to the dealer and they replaced both front struts. Compressor according to dealer records was replaced 3 years ago. My concern now is that the car is sitting lower in the AM since the temperature dropped.
(24 degrees in the northeast). No warning on the dash but caar hAs noticeably dropped overnight . Is this normal? All help is greatly appreciated.

wallyp

Is it "normal"? More than most of us would like...


Is it acceptable? Only as long as you can get in the car and safely drive away without waiting for the car to rise to a safe level.


The car should be leak-free. Getting a complex eleven-year-old system, with numerous valves, connections and lines totally leak-free is tough sometimes.

VHaven

Thanks Wally. I thought that the cold may have something to do with it as well.....the tire pressure in my other cars with TMPS are reading about 7 psi less on each tire. It rises and I can driver it without a problem....knock on wood. Thanks again.

G.AMG

Never just throw money at an air leak issue, first diagnose where the leak is coming from then change parts needed.

VHaven

The dealer diagnosed the problem as the front struts and replaced them.

I took the car back and they said they went over the entire system and found
Nothing wrong. Car sat lower the next AM again. Any advice as to what
Could be wrong now is appreciated.

Thank AMG. For the response.....I found a Benz specialist and will hVe him
Look at the car.

G.AMG

Could be the valve block

VHaven

Thanks AMG. Amazing how quickly you can get an education on this thing
I do love the car. The last owner took exceptional care of it

VHaven

Thanks AMG. Indy mechanic thinks it's the valve block as well. Bringing it to him next week

VHaven

Have had car back for about 2 weeks after block replacement. Car sits perfect . Thanks for all of your help.

Indy states car may need lower control arms as well....have researched parts which are quite expensive. Any alternatives? It's not an " immediate problem" but one I would like to tackle in spring.

Thanks and Happy New YeaR!

ify41886

Hey VHAVEN, I am having a similar issue. My rear passenger strut had a leak. I replaced it then the front passenger strut drops low after some hours of not driving since OCT 2014, but that strut is brand new and was replaced in Feb 2014. It still under warranty but Im wondering why it would drop like this after changing the rear strut. Is it coincidence. Was both your front struts low or just one?

VHaven

Despite the dealer replacing both front struts the thing was still dropping. By the time I got it to the Indy it was dropping on all four corners. Now that the valve block has been replaced the problem hasn't reoccured. Hope this helps.