Jmorlan

To start it off the car is an 03 E500 that just turned 67k miles.

The car has never had any problems or any preemtive indications of Airmatic malfunctioning.

I came out to the garage this morning to find the front end slammed to the ground and the ever so amazing "vehicle too low" message.

I have searched through just about every airmatic thread, but have not really found any solutions to my question.

1. Im assuming the pump is still making an effort to fill the bag, as I can hear it.

2. If the relay/fuse was bad for the pump, it should have no power at all?

3. How common is it for an airmatic strut to fail completely without warning?

I never received the warning messages as others have to service the airmatic, or anything of the sort. The car has always maintained ride height with no leaks, and all of the sudden, slammed to the ground, both front struts at the same time.

Could I have a sensor bad, or the compressor weak and not able to fill the bags?

The right side is def much lower than the driver side, and when the pump activates, it will pump up slightly, then give up and the car falls right back to the ground. Almost like a worn out person making an attempt at a push up.

Can someone help me figure out if the strut is leaking itself, or a line, or where to start?

wally AMG

Sound like airmatic shock is gone, yes, it is common fail with no warning, pump shoul be good but if you let it run for a long period of time can be fry ! you can order a replace fron arnott then you can send the core back.

Jmorlan

Thats what I figured. I have pretty much accepted the fact that I need a new strut.
I just want to make sure thats what it is before I order.

Arnott is showing $458 plus ship and core on their site, anywhere less expensive? I have read of people ordering through Arnott and get them for $350.

I drive the god damn thing 70 miles a day commuting and never a problem, not even last night on the way home. All the sudden it is toast today?!

So I guess ill hook up with arnott and get one sent out, if that is not the case, are they usually pretty good at crediting back if I discover it is a leaky line or whatnot?

Because I would really rather skip the million dollar diag fee.

wally AMG

$350 maybe for non AMG, Arnott is a solid company, have couple experiences with them, I have a chance to compare factory airmatic shock with arnott... belive it or not I pick arnott, lifetime warranty for 1/2 price, not a bad deal.

vettdvr

You have a blown shock very typical failure. Expect the other side to fail soon also. My 03 E500 failed the left then right 1000 or so miles later. I have Arnott on both sides now and installed them myself. check this site for details on DIY.

DO NOT try to drive with collapsed shock or the compressor will exceed duty cycle get hot and cause the compressor to fail adding to your problems and cost.