Airmatic compressor malfunction after being rear ended

[Sees510]

Wassup people, I got rear ended a couple of weeks ago in my w221. The damage was not serious, just some minor bumper damage and the bumper reinforcement behind the bumper needed to be replaced. However, a day or so after the accident, I got an error message of the "vehicle rising" symbol and the word malfunction in yellow. I took it into the dealer and after running diagnostics, they said the airmatic compressor was blown out. I needed to replace the compressor and relays, which cost me $1250 with labor. My question is whether the accident could have caused this to happen. My thinking is if the accident caused damage to a hose or sensor, the compressor would continue to pump through the suspension, which could cause it to short out. The service advisor at Mercedes was not much help and did not seem too experienced. He told me that since the compressor is located in the front of the vehicle, he did not think the accident was the cause. He also said that these compressors always go out on their own. This may be so, but the time relationship seems too ironic to me, especially since I had no issues before the accident. If I can show that the accident can cause this issue to occur, I can get the insurance of the lady who rear ended me to cover the cost. Thanks in advance for any experience in this area.

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[Diesel Benz]

I don't have experience about this (being rear ended ) but if the accident was recently, the compressor could not have worn out between the accident and now.

You are right that a leak would eventually kill the compressor. If they changed the compressor now, the leak is likely still there. They should have checked the car for leaks and then you could have tried to figure out if the leak had anything to do with the accident.

[cool_lagoon]

if your car had a rear end collision and did not reach the suspension area, then the accident could not have any thing to do with your malfunction warning, the relay and pump is a common problem with this series, have a leak test first then check the relay and sensor if all are functioning right, always clean all the contact point and apply contact cement when reinserting the socket to make sure all the contacts and electric current is flowing properly. the event is coincidental, you may want to post some picture of the collision point and further evaluation and or suggestion may be rendered. Any insurance will never pay for such a claim unless you try to scam them.