Airmatic Wire Chafing?
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 51
Likes: 1
From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1988 BMW 325is, 2007 Mercedes Benz E350 Wagon
Airmatic Wire Chafing?
I recently received the "malfunction" notice for the car level height, where it looked like the back of the car was in a permanent high level position, the front may or may not have been high; I couldn't really tell for sure, but it looked a little high.
I have a 2007 E350 Wagon 4Matic that has the automatic Airmatic system, without the buttons for lowering or raising that are usually located to the bottom left of the gear selector knob. I just have the button to switch between "C" (Comfort) and "S" (Sport) to the upper right of the knob.
When I took it the MB dealer they determined that a short existed in the wire controlling the Airmatic valve(s), which kept it in the high position. I was informed it was the wiring in the wheel well that had visible indications of chafing.
So my question is: Would you consider this "chafing" to be considered "wear and tear", or would the chafing possibly be due to poor wiring placement and/or lack of proper wire protection? I asked the Service Adviser, who is pretty good, to check the service bulletins and make sure that this wasn't covered; he advised me there wasn't anything for it.
I have approximately 30,000 miles on the car, and I am a little disconcerted that the wires were chafed, plus I had to pay about $260.00 for the repair out of pocket, since my warranty is over.
I have a 2007 E350 Wagon 4Matic that has the automatic Airmatic system, without the buttons for lowering or raising that are usually located to the bottom left of the gear selector knob. I just have the button to switch between "C" (Comfort) and "S" (Sport) to the upper right of the knob.
When I took it the MB dealer they determined that a short existed in the wire controlling the Airmatic valve(s), which kept it in the high position. I was informed it was the wiring in the wheel well that had visible indications of chafing.
So my question is: Would you consider this "chafing" to be considered "wear and tear", or would the chafing possibly be due to poor wiring placement and/or lack of proper wire protection? I asked the Service Adviser, who is pretty good, to check the service bulletins and make sure that this wasn't covered; he advised me there wasn't anything for it.
I have approximately 30,000 miles on the car, and I am a little disconcerted that the wires were chafed, plus I had to pay about $260.00 for the repair out of pocket, since my warranty is over.
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 290
Likes: 9
From: Atlanta
2002 G500, 2007 CLS 550, 2018 GLC 300
This is a somewhat common failure. It happened to my 2003 E500 last year. In my opinion this is a design flaw, as this wire leading to the airmatic compressor rubs against the driver's side front wheelwell liner, causing damage to the wire. I soldered the wire and sealed it with heat shrink tubing. This failure could be avoided by more thoughtful routing of the airmatic wires or the use of a protective wiring loom.
Last edited by foreyes; Mar 15, 2012 at 04:45 PM.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 51
Likes: 1
From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1988 BMW 325is, 2007 Mercedes Benz E350 Wagon
I had just had the "Flexible Service Plus, Major Maintenance, Perform VEH with ABR" (Cost: $484.23) and I see on the Service Sheet, Page 3 of 4, that it was supposedly checked for "Underside of vehicle - Required; Leakage - Major components; Check for chafe marks, line routing, damaged components". I would have thought that this would have been seen before, but maybe I am missing something about it. I thought I was having the service done according to the MBUSA recommended service intervals in order to address issues like this.
I had the above service done on 07 Dec 11. I posed the question as to whether the wiring should have been done differently or covered better, but all the SA said was that if MBUSA issues a Service Bulletin about it, they would refund to me the amount, and that he has seen that happen.
It still kind of bothers me that I had to pay $291.99 for a repair (wire chafing) as a result of what looks like the wiring being placed poorly or not properly protected.
I had the above service done on 07 Dec 11. I posed the question as to whether the wiring should have been done differently or covered better, but all the SA said was that if MBUSA issues a Service Bulletin about it, they would refund to me the amount, and that he has seen that happen.
It still kind of bothers me that I had to pay $291.99 for a repair (wire chafing) as a result of what looks like the wiring being placed poorly or not properly protected.
Newbie
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
E500 4M
I understand your frustration, but since this has been a known issue since 2003 I doubt that Mercedes will do anything about it. What bothers me about your experience is how they justified the $291.99? I recently replaced the entire air pump myself with my own labor. The pump (OEM) cost $250 and it took me approx. 2 hours. I am sure that I can do it in under an hour the second time and the wire you speak of is roughly a $20 item with the connectors on both sides. Owning a Mercedes is just not worth it without a warranty or a good independent mechanic if you cannot do the work yourself.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 51
Likes: 1
From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1988 BMW 325is, 2007 Mercedes Benz E350 Wagon
I understand your frustration, but since this has been a known issue since 2003 I doubt that Mercedes will do anything about it. What bothers me about your experience is how they justified the $291.99? I recently replaced the entire air pump myself with my own labor. The pump (OEM) cost $250 and it took me approx. 2 hours. I am sure that I can do it in under an hour the second time and the wire you speak of is roughly a $20 item with the connectors on both sides. Owning a Mercedes is just not worth it without a warranty or a good independent mechanic if you cannot do the work yourself.
Now I am getting rather more frustrated, because it appears that since this is a known issue, as you state, from 2003, and not only is there a Star Bulletin about it, but the time allotted commitment corresponding to the procedure compared to what I was actually charged is wrong.
