ngerstman

I'm looking to get some feedback from e550 owners . I have owned my e550 since late December so my sample period is pretty short. If you are members who have recently been on the forum, you probably also were reading the thread regarding 18 inch rims and blowout issues. I had a right double blowout after hitting a pothole three weeks ago. What I'm wondering is if I might have defective air spring/shocks. I say this because I have noticed that whenever I hit even a moderate pothole, my shocks seem to bottom out, almost like there is not enough travel or give to the suspension. It seems to ride fine on good or moderately rough roads but boy, when you hit a hole, it sounds like a gunshot and as if there is no suspension. And I now have 17 inch rims on the car that I bought for the winter. Is this just the way airmatic suspension are, the downside of not having a more compliant shock/spring arrangement? What do you think. Thanks. Ned.

ttoE550

Only once have I felt like my suspension bottomed out: that's when I went too fast through a double-dip intersection. I use the sports setting all the time, and do not notice anything unusual about the suspension when hitting potholes, bumps, etc. Except for hitting a bump while turning: then for a moment the car feels uncertain (this was also noted by Car and Driver). Certainly no gunshots!

E550

I had some air leaking issues, but that has been fixed and I have had no other issues with the airmatic.

BenzE350

I have an E350 so I can't directly answer your question, however, I have experienced the same "gunshot" sound you describe when hitting a pothole so it's not unique to the airmatic. Scared me the first time I heard it - like a drive-by in the burbs.

ngerstman

Did you get any warning from the inboard computer saying there was a problem? If not how did you know there was a problem. Thanks. Ned.

pmb600

I have had my W212 E550 since last July, and before that I had a W211 E550 so some experience with Airmatic... I also see that you are in NJ, the roads are so atrocious around here this time of year, I think what you are experiencing might not be abnormal. I have hit a few potholes in the past and when you hit a really big one you feel like you just crashed the car, and of course the loud "gunshot" makes your stomach turn. Not sure what you are defining as moderate potholes, but if you are concerned, I would say bring the car in and see if they can look at it. If the car is riding fine though on regular roads, I doubt the Airmatic is damaged.

220S

There is an SDS protocol for testing full airmatic function. The dealer puts the car on SDS while on the alignment rack, and uses a Romess and will calibrate height, check level sensor, etc.. You might want to do this to give yourself peace of mind that all is okay.

vsbabolat

I had a S211 with airmatic and I loved it. The problem is that 18 inch wheels and tires are more susceptible to damage from potholes. If you see potholes in time try to avoid them or slow down if you can.

ngerstman

Is that a test that your average dealership should know how to do or do they need the Grand Pupah from MBUSA tech central. Thanks. Ned.

220S

Any decent dealer will have their techs trained to do the tests. I have both the Job Aid file and the Skill Module (for training) if you want them (in .pdf form.) But just ask your SA to be sure to have the tech do the whole test protocol (on the alignment rack and with SDS) and you should be good. If he gives you a funny look, then try another dealer.

ngerstman

Good info!! Thanks much. Ned.

Bruin2

Ned:

I've posted before so we're singin' to the choir here, but I think the airmatic does not "give" like a normal spring/shock suspension. That is why the tires, and rim, must absorb all of the energy created by hitting the pothole. I don't think the airmatic system is being damaged, so my guess is that the tests will reveal your system to be fine. The problem is one of physics. Something must absorb that force, and in our case, I believe the tires are not up to it. If you have the test on your airmatic function, I would be very interested in the result.

By the way, when you first get in the car, and open the doors, does the system, or something, kind of whistle or ring a bit? It's darn mysterious but I have this whistleing going on, not to mention the "farts" my airmatic system makes from time to time. Larry.

ngerstman

I fear that you may be correct about the airmatic having less travel and shock absorbtion than a traditional shock/spring system. I will at some point have Mercedes look at my car. The air noises that you hear are the compressor adjusting the air shocks. I hear the noises whenever I get in and out of my car but the degree of noise seems to be somewhat random(although I'm sure the system knows what it is doing, hopefully!!). The airshocks do adjust for the weight load in the car, so I would think you might hear more adjustments if more people get in and out of the car. Regards. Ned.

ngerstman

Do you know if it is most likely that a dashboard warning light would go on if there was a problem with the airshocks? In other words, is it highly unlikely that there is an issue if a warning light hasn't come on. Or are the airshocks one of those systems that can have a problem with no warning indicator? Thanks. Ned.

scfishnman

I find all of the issues/concerns voiced about the MB airmatic system to be baffling. Airmatic is not high tech. Similar systems have been on cars for many years. My previous Cadillacs going back to the early 90's had air suspensions and were trouble free. My son's Chevrolet SUV has it and is approaching 100k miles trouble free. To me, without airmatic an E class ride is unacceptable.

For those of you with airmatic issues I wish you a speedy and lasting solution. To MB my thought is -- get your act together.

As to problems with tire failures, it appears most are with Continentals. My car has Continentals. I would never purchase a Continental tire. I think they are overpriced and provide lousy tread wear. The OEM tires on my 2005 CLK500 Cabriolet were replaced after about 15K miles. The ones on my 2008 S550 almost made it to 20K. Michelins on my Cadillacs made it to 40K miles and still had acceptable tread remaining.

Tjdehya

None of these guys in this thread have airmatic issues. The only issues they have can only be fixed by a shrink.

Sorry if I hurt anyones feelings but the truth hurts.

MagicJack

Same experience. I was surprised to feel/hear the suspension bottomed out going over a manhole in a road work are once.

I put the car is "Raised Mode" when I went over the area again and no problem.

FEGELEIN

It's a typical noise, are you keeping the suspension in comfort or sport. Sport, will naturally sound worse.

ngerstman

I'm already seeing a shrink but I still have airmatic issues, either real ones or imaginary. Thanks. Ned.

220S

There can be issues and no cluster warning. e.g., slow leaks, bad pump, etc..

The dealer will check it out under warranty. Don't mention hitting potholes but just tell them you're getting strange sounds, level doesn't look right to you, etc.. Then they'll check it out per the protocol I mentioned. So it's just your time spent and effort to get it to the dealer. Otherwise forget it and just drive it.

imho, new car ownership always means listening for every noise and oddity, real or imagined. As long as it's not an obvious bad sound or some other sort of real anomaly, and one is keeping the car well maintained, then paying attention to all these things sometimes only works to create neurosis. After my first six months of ownership I quit paying such close attention and just drove and enjoyed the car. It's still running flawlessly. And so am I.

ngerstman

You are absolutely right about being hypersensitive to things in a new car you just paid $65,000 for. It may be that there is just less travel in the airshocks relative to a standard shock setup. The airshocks are new to me and I don't know what to make of the fact that they seem to bottom out with a slam when you hit even a moderate pothole. Otherwise the ride seems fine. But I must say that the issue has made me a little paranoid, especially given the condition of the roads in the NY metro area. Regards. Ned.

Tai230K

I just came out of a SLK 350 that car seemed to take potholes better than my new E550. First week of ownership with my 550 I had a blowout with less than 100 miles on the odometer. The pothole was nothing compared to what I've hit in my SLK350, which evidently never resulted in a blow out. The airmatic suspension definitely doesn't travel as much since moderate potholes seem to penetrate the cabin more noticeably than a moderate pothole with my SLK350. Food for thought.

BTW Mercedes doesn't care that you get a pothole in 1st week of ownership as road hazards are owner's fault and not covered under Manufacturer's warranty because it must be the stupid driver that ran into the pothole than the car itself.

220S

No two potholes are alike (depth, size, shape, road material) so I can't offer you any true comparison. And I rarely have hit any potholes of any significance since I'm fortunate to now live where they're relatively rare.

But I've never experienced any "bottoming out with a slam" in my car. It's the opposite for me. The car takes any road imperfections with ease. It's the first thing people mention when they're in the car. My BMW is absurdly noisy in comparison. The P-car actually takes the bumps really well but is super stiff and rather than making any 'slamming' compression noises, it just slams and compresses your vertebrae instead.

So while my other cars probably aren't a good comparison either, all I can say is that the Airmatic doesn't make 'sounds' or feel like it's bottoming out. But I also have the AMG tuned Airmatic, so again maybe not a great comparison.

If I were you, I'd drop it off at the dealer and be purposely ambiguous and just tell them it's "making noise." They'll check it out and you'll sleep better.

ngerstman

When I say bottoming out I mean bottoming out!! It seems a small amount of travel and you run out of shock, it's like there is no suspension. I will take it to the dealership. Regards. Ned.

ngerstman

I purchased the rim and tire protection package for $1500 for five years. May be worth it. I was covered with my double blowout on the tires. No rim damage. Regards. Ned.