kvanals

Hey folks -- sorry if this has been asked before. I have a 2014 GL63 AMG that seems to have a very noisy AIRMATIC suspension, sometimes. To clarify, I've never owned a vehicle with MB's AIRMATIC suspension before, so I'm wondering if these things are normal:
- When going over hills or making sharp turns, you can hear some air being released quickly, almost like a sneeze.
- After spirited driving around sharp corners and parking, the car appears to be at a lean until locking the doors at which point the car levels out and you can audibly hear (loudly) air being released.
- I can raise the car and it stays when pressing the button to do so, but when pressing the button again after the car is raised, it does not lower. It says "lowering" in the instrument cluster for several minutes and then finally goes away, but the car never actually lowers. The only way to get the car to lower is to turn it off and lock the doors, at which point the car lowers.
- Even in normal driving conditions, after parking and locking the doors, you can audibly hear (loudly) air being released and the car lowers.

The car never gets low enough to cause the tires to make contact with the vehicle itself, however.

The dealer says this is all normal, but it doesn't sound normal to me. They don't have another GL63 to test on and they're strongly asserting that the GL63 is different enough from the GL450s and GL550s on the lot to make any comparison invalid. Any thoughts folks? If I could point them in a direction or service bulletin, it would probably go a long way.

43221B

The airmatic system is completely quiet while my 550 is running. You can hear it release air when you park in a quiet location like my garage but the sound is far from being what could be described as loud and you can only hear it when the car is off and you are standing beside it.

Lone Star Benz

Exactly.

OP that does not sound normal.

aeggroup

Can you go to another dealer and talk to them ? Sometimes it helps...a lot

kvanals

Thanks for the insight and advice folks -- I'll press my current dealer to look into it rather than just writing it off. Failing that, I'll have another dealer check it out. I just didn't want to push unless I was reasonably sure the issues weren't "normal".

Nihsel10

For some reason, I get a grinding noise once in a while after I shut of my 550. I was thinking it was coming from the suspension.

cadetdrivr

You will absolutely occasionally hear noises from the suspension after the truck is turned off as the pressurized air in the suspension is released/equalized.

This is completely normal.

Nihsel10

The pressurization I can understand and I know its normal. But you missed the part of the "grinding" while it's releasing the air or depressurizing comment I made.

I assume you are going to say thats normal as well, right?

cadetdrivr

You assume poorly.

Nihsel10

Good to know.

ttoE550

I haven't answered before now because I have a GL450. Before I had an E550. What you describe is unequivocally abnormal in my experience. I would expect, if anything, the GL63 to be better, not worse, than what I've experienced.

I have noticed no sounds at all whole driving. The system is quiet, and quick to adjust. Upon stopping, there is no unevenness to the vehicle, unless maybe there is a large load to one side that you remove after parking. For instance, in my E, removing a large load from the trunk will result in the car rebalancing. It was silent, but I felt the car moving with my shins on the bumper.

In extreme rain, I have had the car fail to raise or lower. This was described to me as as water messing up the ride height sensors. It went away after the car had time to dry. In extreme cold (-10 ish F), the car has had issues with staying level while parked, but goes away on restart.

What you describe sounds like leaky airbags, a failing pump, or maybe a faulty valve. I noticed a lot more after parking noises in my E, sort of like the sounds you hear from air brakes on a truck. But not as loud. I do not hear those sounds in my GL. In ,y experience, the Airmatic should be something that is really unnoticeable. I would expect the same or less noise from the 63. FWIW

Edit again: Or maybe something is wrong with the ride height sensors. Maybe you need a COMAND/computer update.