Front left fender 1" higher than front right?
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 3
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2003 E500
Front left fender 1" higher than front right?
Hey guys,
My 03 E500 had been pulling to the left for a bit so I took it in to have the alignment checked at a tire place. They come back and tell me the alignment is perfect but front left suspension is 1" higher than the front right, which is throwing off the camber and causing the car to pull, and they don't have the ability to correct it. I have read about the airmatic horror stories but it doesn't seem like this is a similar problem (i.e. drastic drop in ride height after parking, car too low, etc.) and I haven't noticed the air compressor running or heard air leaks or anything like that. The car doesn't seem to be riding too low whatsoever, and it seems there is proper ride height in all the other wheels' suspension.
Is there some sort of electrical/mechanical adjustment or sensor that might be thrown off in adjusting the ride height for one corner? Or is there something else going on here? Thoughts and input on how to proceed appreciated.
Thanks,
Cole
Edit: I guess it could just as well be that the front right is one inch low.. but it's tough to say which side is out of whack. They did make it seem like it was the left wheel that was off though because of the camber issue.
My 03 E500 had been pulling to the left for a bit so I took it in to have the alignment checked at a tire place. They come back and tell me the alignment is perfect but front left suspension is 1" higher than the front right, which is throwing off the camber and causing the car to pull, and they don't have the ability to correct it. I have read about the airmatic horror stories but it doesn't seem like this is a similar problem (i.e. drastic drop in ride height after parking, car too low, etc.) and I haven't noticed the air compressor running or heard air leaks or anything like that. The car doesn't seem to be riding too low whatsoever, and it seems there is proper ride height in all the other wheels' suspension.
Is there some sort of electrical/mechanical adjustment or sensor that might be thrown off in adjusting the ride height for one corner? Or is there something else going on here? Thoughts and input on how to proceed appreciated.
Thanks,
Cole
Edit: I guess it could just as well be that the front right is one inch low.. but it's tough to say which side is out of whack. They did make it seem like it was the left wheel that was off though because of the camber issue.
Last edited by canetsbe; Oct 27, 2011 at 06:58 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 419
Likes: 16
From: NY
2014 E550; 2003 E500
I read about a height issue somewhere on this forum and it was throwing off the alignment, but it was the rear driver side. It could be the same issue. I'm sure anyone with SDS can confirm the ride height. I think the fix was through the SDS. Looking at it from street level can be deceiving because you need to have a completely flat level road/driveway. The airmatic will level the car on uneven roads which could cause you to think that one shock is higher/lower than the other.
The sensor on the front shocks i think is on the upper balljoint arm. Search the forum for the front air strut removal. I think if you see one of the more recent posts for the arnott strut, it talks about moving or removing the sensor so the system can let out the air from the old shock for removal.
The sensor on the front shocks i think is on the upper balljoint arm. Search the forum for the front air strut removal. I think if you see one of the more recent posts for the arnott strut, it talks about moving or removing the sensor so the system can let out the air from the old shock for removal.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
2003 E500
Thanks Merc. So what you're saying is I'll need to get a mechanic to hook up an SDS to see if anything is out of the ordinary. And from there he may be able to reprogram the ride height if it's out of spec?
I'm ASSUMING the garage at which the alignment was done was a level surface but maybe not. I'm just hoping it's a programming issue and not something more serious...
I'm ASSUMING the garage at which the alignment was done was a level surface but maybe not. I'm just hoping it's a programming issue and not something more serious...
