Have you ever tested the ADS damping valves with it?
My Star system tested them perfectly but the Launch tested rears but failed the fronts… a day wasted of trouble shooting .
what model Foxwell do you have ?

 

This thread I talked about it and showed some screenshots

OBD Scanner thread


Here's the one I got. I also purchased the VAG package as well. It was $80 USD. It covered VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Lamborghini, Bugatti and a few other VW cars. Its nice that you can purchase different manufactures and upload it all on the device. No PC needed.

 

Folks, even with a MBStar or Xentry clone (or real) system you don’t trust the output blindly - please see my other posts on this subject.

When it comes to airmatic, all the scan tool does is focus in on the parts where you should be using your eyes and ears to diagnose the system.

for instance, you will both hear and see leaks, and see bent level arms. You will hear a bad compressor. You can reason your way to a weak compressor by how long it’s running. One thing I do find the system useful for is measuring pressures.

 

Can you also buy developer mode?

 

Not sure what you mean by that?

 

Max not sure how much of my troubleshooting you followed… When a brand new compressor is running way too much and absolutely no leaks found with eyes,ears and soapy water… completely passing all airmatic test… well I spent many many hours reading and posting. It came down to Level Calibration … with a curveball being thrown with Launch ADS bad readings… i do not know if there is anyway to hear the damping valves ?? You pretty much have to depend on OBDII scanners looking for errors ..

 

I don't have that, so no idea, sorry.

Nice thing about Amazon is you can return things very easy. I went though about 4 different scanners ($200-400 ranges) tried it on the Benz for a few days, didn't like it, returned it and bought another. Tried it, returned it. Nice way to "test" a scanner out lol

 

that’s the portion of DAS that is really valuable where you can turn off things like secondary air induction, TPS etc., etc.

consider it the non-standard programming module for doing whatever you’d like to your car vice only the options that are presented to you.

 

Then yes, that is what the tool comes preinstalled with. It’s a full bi-directional tool (as far as I can tell so far that is, lol) it’s not exactly like Star of course, but close enough for my driveway mods I do. Plus you can purchase other manufactures as well.

 

All vehicles have springs and shock absorbers.

Your front struts combine both spring and shock absorber into single units. At the rear, springs and shock absorbers are separate items. Since you have Airmatic, your springs are air springs, rubberized canvas bags filled with compressed air.

As at the rear, there is ZERO connection between the shock absorbers and the springs. At the front, there is also ZERO connection between the two. ADS is simply a system that adjusts the hydraulic oil flow within the shock absorbers. Again, there is ZERO connection between ADS and Airmatic.

As regards ADS, nothing about this system affects ride height of the vehicle. it simply makes shock absorber motion either soft or hard (and there is a normal position) to make suspension performance either comfortable or sporty. These adjustments are all accomplished electrically via solenoids on each shock. There is no air pumped into the shock absorbers.

Any malfunction of ADS components simply means shock absorber performance is compromised. No malfunction can affect vehicle ride height, nor can it affect any component of the Airmatic system.

Vehicle ride height is solely a function of amount of air pumped into and retained by the air springs.

ADS for sure makes cost of front struts and rear shock absorbers more expensive. Again, there is no connection to the electrics that operate filling the Airmatic air springs.

To save $ purchasing struts and shocks, you can fit non ADS versions. It's a pretty bad idea, as this is a wonderful option. Fixing problems by removing the component is pretty trailer park.

The air pumped into Airmatic springs is determined by inputs from the switch of course, but on a daily regular basis by four vehicle level sensors, one mounted at each wheel. Not, not, not by your shock absorbers.

Hope this somehow helps. Obviously you know some or all of it, so apologies if that's the case.

 

The flow chart will show where ADS is in the system . it is very complex. thanks for info . ADS was a curveball thrown at me by a Launch 431 OBDII reader with bad readings .
The problem was solved with a level calibration set back to factory specs . Changing and variety of parts EVEN A COMPRESSOR can throw off the level calibration. Many will say NO i changed a compressor and nothing bad happened… me too. I changed a comp.. in two other vehicles with no issues. But the third one was trouble .

 

I'm new to GLs, my new purchase of a 2011 450 hasn't even arrived yet. Not trying to be facetious, but is it even worth while to replace the air suspension with some coil overs or some other non-air option, or does that just completely hose (no pun intended) the entire GL suspension system?

 

Ya, you can do it. Full swaps are available online, BUT they ride like crap. (I did that to my old Navigator, swapped to coils) Honestly fixing the air suspension isn't overly hard. You just need a good scan tool to makes changes to the system. Not much to the system when you break it down. Bags, lines, compressor, reservoir, valve block. Not overly complicated.

 

I would not. If you have a ok sorted gl coming off of a Mercedes dealer maintenance plan such as CPO you just replace airmatic components as they preindicate failure. Coilovers do ruin the smooth ride but rid you of having to replace air springs and compressors at some interval. If you use quality Arnott or Bilstein air springs you will get a lot of use out of a set.

 

Hi everyone,
Sorry if my question is different, but I hope someone can help.
I am getting Y54/1 error and Airmatic Malfunction on the cluster. This code is for rear right ADS. I changed the shock with a brand new Bilstein but the code persisted after clearing it. Took the car to the MB dealership and they said they needed to test communication from the airmatic control unit to the shock. The control unit appears to be in a very clean state upon visual inspection.
My question is, what tests can I perform at home? Or should I just buy a used Airmatic control unit from eBay, swap it in and see how it goes?

 

I have a spare controller i can sale and I know it is working perfectly also. I was chasing a problem and replaced it for a few weeks… I took it back out when we figured out it was the suspension calibration and put the original back in.

 

What’s the part number on it?
How much are you asking for delivering to Massachusetts?

Also, I am unsure if my controller is bad or not. Can I return it if it doesn’t solve my problem? 😂

 

Was just trying to help you out. I know this board works perfectly. Not really interested in taking it back after you troubleshoot . $85 shipped to you .. you need to get a picture of your board first to make sure the part number is correct.. On my 2011 GL550 it is underneath the driver side floor well in front…

 

I was joking about returning. I have the part number for mine. What’s the part number on yours so that I can compare? If it’s the same then you can pm me your PayPal details.