Rght/Frt Shock bottomed out: how do I verify it's the airmatic shock before buying?
07-15-2011, 06:24 PM
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03 e500
Rght/Frt Shock bottomed out: how do I verify it's the airmatic shock before buying?
Hi all, I'm new to the forum and am glad I stumbled upon it.
I found a lot of good information from doing a search, but I did not find any threads on how I can verify that the problem is the shock and not the height sensor or pump or air lines or ... whatever else the problem is?
I am pretty good with doing my own repairs of all types, but have never dealt with air suspension before.
It looks like replacing the shock itself isn't too bad, but because the part is so expensive I'd like to be completely sure that it is the culprit before pulling the trigger.
The shock went out as I was driving across the George Washington bridge, or course. I could feel it pulling to the right and figured it was either a flat or a suspension/alignment problem, but it got worse and worse until the warning for car being too low came on. I pulled over when I could and got out of the car and made sure it wasn't hitting the fender when I turned the wheel... it wasn't so I used side streets to get home going slow with my hazards on.
So it happened somewhat gradually while driving... I had already driven a couple miles before that. I pressed the button to raise up the ride height and all the other wheels went up except that right front one.
Is there anything I can do to test it to be sure? Are there other common culprits or does this sound like it's the air shock that is the problem?
Also, does anyone who has used remanufactured shocks have anything to say about them, good or bad? It looks like Bilstein costs as much as the dealer, and the remans are a huge savings but are they not a good option?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
2003 e500 (non-4matic) 53k miles
I found a lot of good information from doing a search, but I did not find any threads on how I can verify that the problem is the shock and not the height sensor or pump or air lines or ... whatever else the problem is?
I am pretty good with doing my own repairs of all types, but have never dealt with air suspension before.
It looks like replacing the shock itself isn't too bad, but because the part is so expensive I'd like to be completely sure that it is the culprit before pulling the trigger.
The shock went out as I was driving across the George Washington bridge, or course. I could feel it pulling to the right and figured it was either a flat or a suspension/alignment problem, but it got worse and worse until the warning for car being too low came on. I pulled over when I could and got out of the car and made sure it wasn't hitting the fender when I turned the wheel... it wasn't so I used side streets to get home going slow with my hazards on.
So it happened somewhat gradually while driving... I had already driven a couple miles before that. I pressed the button to raise up the ride height and all the other wheels went up except that right front one.
Is there anything I can do to test it to be sure? Are there other common culprits or does this sound like it's the air shock that is the problem?
Also, does anyone who has used remanufactured shocks have anything to say about them, good or bad? It looks like Bilstein costs as much as the dealer, and the remans are a huge savings but are they not a good option?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
2003 e500 (non-4matic) 53k miles
