MonroeHandyMan

I bought my 2007 s550 back to the dealership I recently purchased it from as I heard a noise when I went over speed bumps in particular. They told me the car needed stabilizer bushings. They replaced them at no charge at all which was great and it stopped the noise and improved the ride somewhat.

I thought the other problem my car had which is not absorbing bumps very well and crashes on big bumps here and there was caused by worn struts? The dealership said the car has no struts, it has air suspension, but after doing some research here on the site it looks like there is a shock mechanism inside the airbag. Am I understanding this right? Either way I was wondering if you guys can point me in the right direction to get my front suspension to absorb the bumps like a new car again rather than the 98,000 mile car it is. Right now I give it a 6 or 7 out of 10 on the bumps up front. The rear absorbs them well it seems. Please point me in the right direction.

My other problem is minor. The drivers seat seems to squeek a bit while I am driving. I read on this site about this, but no definitive answers of encouragement or clear resolutions...
Thanks in advance,
Anthony

alx

what tires are you running? with 20ties the ride is quite bumpy over sharp bumps.

the w221 front suspension is prone to crashing over certain shape bumps. pot holes are particularly nasty. any bump that resembles 90-degree angle is brutal- even if 1/2 inch tall. it feels like you hit the bump stops, but in reality it is just how airmatic works and feels over bumps

Newzchspy

HMM, if its NOT the tires, then it is the Airmatic which can be a very expensive repair......................

lganski

Did you check the switch on the dash for the firmness of the ride?

MonroeHandyMan

Hey guys, thanks for the replies. I am running Continentals all the way around with the stock 18" rims. I do have the car in sport mode, but either way it feels the same generally. I will try it in comfort mode right now to confirm, but I don't recall any difference honestly regarding the bumps... Its not bad, just not what you would expect from a flagship S class...

MonroeHandyMan

The switch that makes the car rise to the left of the command system? Yes I do know when I hit that switch it says the vehicle is rising and I have a red light. I make sure it is in the position where I do not get the red light. Not sure what the ESP is. When I hit that, I will get a golden colored triangle in the speedo area...

Bmwvsmbz

When you go over bumps do you hear a squeak type noise if so ...do you hear it when you do a reverse as well over th same bumps . Reason iam asking is I had the exact problems took it to 2benz delr and they both said lower control arm and the ball joint needs to be changed . I have found some as low as 200 bux for the set and as high as 900 a set .

MonroeHandyMan

No, no squeeking. Just hits the larger bumps kinda hard, the small bumps it takes pretty well. Only squeeking I hear is from my drivers seat....

Mandingo

Check the headrest - I think my squeaks/buzzes are from the headrest - I am going to add a little lube tonight to the tilt mechanism.

MonroeHandyMan

It sounds like it is coming from the lower back and side area where the seat belt clips into.

KNBS550

Monroe, I had a similar problem with a squeaking seat. There is a rubber like sleeve that slides up to surround the seat belt receptacle on the side of the seat. The sleeve had slipped off the seat belt receptacle and down the bracket attached to the seat. This allowed the receptacle to wiggle and squeak every time I went over a bump. I positioned the seat to give me more room between the center console. I reached down between the seat and the center console to pull the sleeve back up and fitted it over the receptacle. It is a tight fit, but the rubber sleeve should cover most of the seat belt receptacle. The sleeve isolates the receptacle from the surrounding center console and keeps it from squeaking. Could this be your problem?

MonroeHandyMan

I have to check for the rubber sleeve, thanks for the tip.

I have a friend who is a Master Mechanic and use to work for BMW and now owns his own European shop take my car for a ride and he said my car is tight as can be and that's the way the car is suppose to drive...I am not buying it still. I notice it is most harsh when I am going very slow over certain bumps like in shopping centers.

On another note...my same friend gave me some advice on my squeeking seat issue that I can tell you worked for anyone who has the same issue. He said to put leather conditioner everywhere the leather meets the hard plastic around the seat. I did and it worked like a charm! I sprayed McGuires Leather conditioner around everywhere the leather met plastic and rubbed it in. This was such an instant improvement. I plan to do it again tomorrow just to have the leather soak in some more conditioner, but my seat is now quiet. Even if I sit in the seat and purposely jolt around to try and make the seat squeek, it doesnt, quiet as can be now. Try it! This works!

btesar

What pressure are you running in your tires?

MonroeHandyMan

34psi

btesar

34 psi should help, but if I go over a speed bump too quickly it makes a noise which clearly sounds like I hit it too hard and it's on the rebound on the downward side of the speed bump. I drive a 2012 with 37k and it's always been like that. My last one, that was a 1985 300SD, could hit a 1 foot hump in the road to no ill effect in the cabin, but that was a pure shock/spring design.