Rodriqua

I got my car back about two weeks ago and i notice that it still sinks after about a day. It is not a lot, but enough that i notice it. What i am wondering is if the car is suppose to settle down after sitting for a day? How much is ok or is it not suppose to lower at all?

Arrie

After you drive and get out of the car it will lower down some as the air springs stiffent during drive against the down force and the driver's and passenger's weight in the car. However, the car will lower down to the set height in just a couple of minutes after you have stopped and turned the car off.

If you measure the car height 10 minutes after you stopped (measure from floor to edge of fender) and then compare that to next morning measurement there should be no difference. Yes, if it gets much colder over night then it could lower some (few millimeters) but without this there should be no difference at all. If there is you have a leak, period.

hyperion667

get it checked out......there have been to many reported failures not too, and plus you'll get that really nice C class loaner

K-A

Crazy that M-B still have major Airmatic issues. No wonder they're phasing it out of the E-Class.

ngerstman

I had my rear airshocks replaced recently due to lowering over night. The point at which Mercedes considers them defective for replacement is a height decline of over 20mm over night. Regards. Ned.

PHML

If its slammed to the ground...its too much sinking....lol

Rodriqua

After I drove it this morning, I took some measurements after letting it sit for about 20 minutes. I will remeasure them again tomorrow morning. I feel like I am conducting some kind of scientific experiment.

SolidGranite

I haven't noticed any sinking yet but the last 2 times I got in my car a message came across that reads: Vehicle rising. Please wait.

It's at the dealer now and I'm not expecting much of a resolution... We'll see.

BenzV12

I am looking forward to hearing good news .

Live Oak

Good dealer --- they will keep it overnight, check the sink, and replace the necessary parts.

Not good dealer --- they are only hurting themselves. MB will pay them for the service if they treat the customer properly and do their job properly.

SolidGranite

They asked to keep it overnight in order to measure the difference in the morning. My SA said they are aware of the issue and there is a procedure needed to be done if it sinks at all.

I'm driving a 2011 C300 in the meantime. Was hoping for the refreshed 2012 model but beggars can't be choosers right?

YYZ-E55

Dropping AIRMATIC from the E550 was an MBUSA decision to reduce MSRP (and/or to offset a price increase), not a reliability choice and not a global choice. CLS 550, E-Wagon (rear), S, CL, SUVs all continue with AIRMATIC, as AIRMATIC is the "premium" suspension choice.

Obviously there are more issues with air suspension than steel, as it is a more complex system. I don't think anyone should find that surprising.

SolidGranite

Dealer just called and the rear sank too much overnight. They discovered the rear compressors are bad and water was found in the lines.

ngerstman

I would imagine that airmatic is great when driving the gentle rolling hills of California or speeding down the Autobon. Doesn't do great on the choppy, pothole filled roads of New Jersey. Mercedes continues to sell the airmatic to be competitive with others who offer adjustable suspensions and the "sport" crowd who want a sexier suspension. Regards. Ned.

YYZ-E55

Exactly the opposite. AIRMATIC is not "sporty" at all, hence it being removed from the CLS 63 and E 63 with the current generation. AIRMATIC is a luxury offering that also works well for carrying varying weights of cargo (ie: rear air suspension).

ngerstman

It was offered for many years in the amg line with three settings and only in the 550 version in the e class with a sport set-up for the mid-performance crowd. It was meant to provide anywhere from comfort to sport, but was originally put in many models as a sport suspension with the option to have a more comfortable setting. That's the way I see it. If I'm not mistaken, BMW uses some form of airmatic in their performance vehicles with adjustable dampers. I wasn't aware that they no longer have it on the cls and e 63's. Interesting. Regards. Ned.

Arrie

Could you explain about your opinion of Airmatic not being sporty at all? I drive a car with it and the sport setting for the suspension is very sporty. What I would complain is that the comfort setting is too stiff or sporty.

I like the vehicle raise function a lot. Very handy in cities and especially in areas with high speed bumps.

YYZ-E55

AIRMATIC has a sport setting which is firm and low, but the actual handling properties of an air suspension (any brand of air suspension, not just AIRMATIC) do not lend well to sporty driving - rebound rates, etc are not good with air bladders vs a traditional coil suspension. It sounds like your definition of sporty = low and firm, which AIRMATIC delivers.

For the record, I love AIRMATIC, it's just not the best setup for great handling which is why you don't see air suspension in supercars.

Arrie

Well now you opened p a can of worms!

Air spring is not as good as conventional spring???

It all depends how it is made, i.e. what the spring constant is. If air spring is made to the same spring constant than conventional spring it can work much better for sporty driving. Reason is that its "rebound" speed, which I understand you mean how fast it can move, is less than with conventional spring. This is simply because its weight is well less compared to a steel spring.

Rebound speed, or the natural frequency of the spring, determines how fast it can react to the movement. The more weight the more time it takes with the same spring constant.

If they make the airmatic springs somehow wrong then it can be better to have conventional coils but in my car sport setting gives better handling than what I had with my 2011 E350 with coils. This is very noticeable on some sharp bumps on the road where my 2010 E550 with Airmatic maintains far better tire-to-road contact.

But as, I said in my earlier post, I would like it to be a lot softer with the comfort setting, which seems eqally sporty and stiff as the sport setting. It provides slightly higher ride though.