BklynPlayboy

i got this message the other day, it went away then came back again last night, its been alot of snow here might that have anything to do with it ? any idea wat might be wrong ???

KEY08

That is not a warning for the faint of heart. Have you noticed a drop of the suspension on either side after parked for awhile or overnight? Do a search for Airmatic issues here and check your rear shocks for leaks. There are many different reasons that could cause this warning; some worse than others.

starbrite

+1, and with 85k miles on the clock, that's a strut starting to fail, IMO.

BklynPlayboy

yea my right pass side rear looks kinda low , any website or places that i can purchase one thats cheaper then at the dealer price ? would it be a good idea to change both or just the one thats failing ?

KEY08

Personally, I would just replace the failing rear strut/shock unless you can see the other one leaking as well. I think they are about $360-$370 for the Bilstein OEM unit. Don't wait on this or you may be replacing a burned out rear Airmatic pump as well for another $350 or so. Sorry to see you with an Airmatic problem so early in your ownership, but it happens.

vettdvr

It is also possible to have an airspring ($4000) leaking. Mine failed at 85,000 miles and both were replaced.

BklynPlayboy

i replaced one of my air springs B4 , but when that went out it said "car to low visit shop immediately do not go over 40mph"

WEBSRFR

I hope before long we have a sane replacement cost option for this part or it is going to kill the resale value of our vehicles. $4K is about a year of depreciation for a 6-7year old W211.

Otherwise when the car is 6-7 years old it would make more sense to sell it, put $15K to whatever you get and then buy a vehicle with the MB extended warranty that is 3 years newer. I'd rather pay depreciation for a newer model year car than the same amount in repairs for an older car.

vettdvr

You are correct total failure will give the warning you had. However a leak in an airspring that the compressor can run long time periods and keep up will level the car but due to exceeding duty cycle give a low warning visit workshop. I had a leak for 3 months before the dealer was able to find the problem. On visit 3 while parked the airspring finally failed and would not level, then the dealer found it. Otherwise I think he would still be looking.