HELP - '06 R500 Suspension riding extremely high on one side
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 32
Likes: 2
From: CT USA
R350 X5 4.4 67 alpine
Car is fixed, paid cash so I got a discount! The bag itself was 450 from MLB. He has g
Had bad luck with the aftermarket ones. 1 yr guarantee. The guy is strictly German car repair.
Charged 100 to diagnose and 80 to install.
FYI he says 1 bad thing on the 06 r350-500. Cam shaft gears are pressed on and are a problem$6000 repair! He is expecting a class action against MB.
Had bad luck with the aftermarket ones. 1 yr guarantee. The guy is strictly German car repair.
Charged 100 to diagnose and 80 to install.
FYI he says 1 bad thing on the 06 r350-500. Cam shaft gears are pressed on and are a problem$6000 repair! He is expecting a class action against MB.
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Ontario, Canada
2006 R500
Great, I'm glad you're riding level! I have to take mine in shortly.
There is a pending class action suit in the U.S. due to the camshaft issue, but all the articles and posts I have read note it pertains to the 350, not 500.
There is a pending class action suit in the U.S. due to the camshaft issue, but all the articles and posts I have read note it pertains to the 350, not 500.
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Ontario, Canada
2006 R500
My car is level! They couldn't find anything wrong with it, so they "re-calibrated the suspension," which took 2 hours. Mechanic noted the following on the invoice:
"Checked for any air leaks, soaped down air bags, lines and fittings, no leaks found. Hooked up to computer for diagnostics. Performed system test, air bags inflated and deflated. Performed rest procedure and tested operation of suspension. All tested good. Let sit in shop for 15 minutes, suspension stayed level. Test drove vehicle, no issues noted."
I noticed a big difference as a soon as I saw the car. Guess I got off lucky this time. *crosses fingers*
"Checked for any air leaks, soaped down air bags, lines and fittings, no leaks found. Hooked up to computer for diagnostics. Performed system test, air bags inflated and deflated. Performed rest procedure and tested operation of suspension. All tested good. Let sit in shop for 15 minutes, suspension stayed level. Test drove vehicle, no issues noted."
I noticed a big difference as a soon as I saw the car. Guess I got off lucky this time. *crosses fingers*
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Ontario, Canada
2006 R500
Free would have been nice, but this a Benz dealer. The `Diagnostic Hookup Charge` was $50 + straight time for 1.68 hours labor to perform the diagnostic + tax = $231.36. I believe their labor rate is $95 per hour, which is better than the two dealers in the city (Ottawa), which is $115 per hour.
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Ontario, Canada
2006 R500
LOL, no doubt. But it should have only taken an hour or so to change the bag, which is less time that what they spent on mine. I'm not sure why a $50 charge applies just to hook the car up for the diagnostic but it is what it is.
Hopefully it will be okay for a long while. I may convert to the coil suspension when things start malfunctioning as once they start they don't seem to end, whereas with the coils, once it's done it's done. Won't have to worry about the bags, sensors, compressor, etc. I looked up the parts needed to convert to coils and it runs around $350 excluding the spring compressor. In my case there would be labor to have my mechanic do the work, and hopefully he would have a suitable spring compressor as they run about $278 on Ebay for the W251. The guy that did the conversion on his own R said the ride is exactly the same, it just doesn't compensate for difference in load weight. Food for thought.
Hopefully it will be okay for a long while. I may convert to the coil suspension when things start malfunctioning as once they start they don't seem to end, whereas with the coils, once it's done it's done. Won't have to worry about the bags, sensors, compressor, etc. I looked up the parts needed to convert to coils and it runs around $350 excluding the spring compressor. In my case there would be labor to have my mechanic do the work, and hopefully he would have a suitable spring compressor as they run about $278 on Ebay for the W251. The guy that did the conversion on his own R said the ride is exactly the same, it just doesn't compensate for difference in load weight. Food for thought.
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 32
Likes: 2
From: CT USA
R350 X5 4.4 67 alpine
I like the air bag system. I have it on my X5. Bought it new in 02 and have had no problems. Nice for loading the vehicle up or towing. I wouldn't go to coil springs. Now I'm worried about the cam gear
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Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Ontario, Canada
2006 R500
I like it too, but if it's going to cause chronic, expensive problems I would go with coil. I don't tow anything and don't usually have a lot of passengers or haul things around. Hopefully I won't have to make that decision for a long time. The cam gears do seem to be an issue with the 350's, I wonder if there is a usual mileage when they tend to start going like the air bags (around 70k miles). I'm sure not every one of them experiences the problem, you may be one of the lucky ones. Time will tell I guess.
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Ontario, Canada
2006 R500
You should try and get a copy of the work that was done while under warranty. The Benz dealer I use got a copy for me. All they needed was the VIN.
I'm glad you mentioned this topic, I just checked mine and one of my air bags was replaced under warranty in 2010 as it was leaking. Car only had 41,889 kms on it. In 2009 a "position sensor, crankshaft electrical fault" was also repaired. In total, 30 items were replaced/repaired under warranty. Yes, 30, and all before the car had 43,000 kms on it. And I'm glad, that's probably why I haven't had any issues until the suspension problem that was fixed yesterday lol.
I'm glad you mentioned this topic, I just checked mine and one of my air bags was replaced under warranty in 2010 as it was leaking. Car only had 41,889 kms on it. In 2009 a "position sensor, crankshaft electrical fault" was also repaired. In total, 30 items were replaced/repaired under warranty. Yes, 30, and all before the car had 43,000 kms on it. And I'm glad, that's probably why I haven't had any issues until the suspension problem that was fixed yesterday lol.
Newbie
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
R500
Question
Is it safe to drive around for the time being, as it seems to have raised the passenger side a lot more this morning. Also is it likely this is a result of the cold weather and eventually it might fix itself (as dumb a question as it sounds)?
Thanks in advance.
PK.
Member
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 85
Likes: 2
2007 R320 4matic / Airmatic
You likely have a slow leak in one of the air springs. It appears to be more common for this to first manifest itself when the weather gets significantly colder. It may get better & worse with temperature changes, but it will not fix itself.
If these are the original air springs on your car, they are due for replacement anyway, so I would just replace the 2 on that end of the car with Arnott aftermarket air springs, as they tend to go bad in pairs within relatively short succession.
If these are the original air springs on your car, they are due for replacement anyway, so I would just replace the 2 on that end of the car with Arnott aftermarket air springs, as they tend to go bad in pairs within relatively short succession.
Last edited by PeteInLongBeach; Dec 3, 2013 at 04:24 PM.
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21
Likes: 1
From: Olalla, WA
740iL, R500, Jetta
tire is over heating
The load is transferred to the front wheel on the opposite side and it is getting hotter and thus has a higher pressure than the other tires so the pressure warning goes off.
