E-Z-E

Guys n gals, I love my S 500, but let me tell you, if I continue to have suspension problems, I swear I am going to have to part with her. With that being said, does anyone out there have an idea on how much should I expect to pay for repair and /or replacement of rear airmatic struts? I had the front repaired in June, and now, the rear right side seems to not inflate to the proper height. Can / should I replace these myself? Any idea where I can get reasonable parts rather than the Stealership? With other things I had done at the dealer, on my 2000 s500, the bill amount was 3700! can't continue to support those kind of repair bills. Thinking of upgrading to a newer year if possible. Please help!

my06clk

YOu could have asked that question before you dropped the last 37oo and saved yourself some grief. Those struts can be purchased online for 800 dollars or so each. Which means you could have bought all 4 last time and would have been okay.

You have to figure in 8 years SOMEONE would sell these expensive parts aftermarket by now..

Anywayz you answer should be found at oemparts direct.com. give them a try.

E-Z-E

True my06clk. I certainly realized that after I painfully paid the bill. My vehicle was pretty much worry free before then, until I had the airmatic problem. I've come to realize, there are more self perform repairs that one can do if he/she knows where to get the parts. Thanks for the link, by the way. What's the deal with these so called repair kits that you can buy for the airmatics?

Skylaw

The "repair kit" I am aware of is for the upper mounts and seals for the front struts. In some of the older W220s, stress cracks tended to develop in the concentric circles stamped into the plates (around the valve). If the cracks went all the way through, you had a leak. Newer mounting plate designs (provided in the kits and used in newer cars) and seals seem to have eliminated this problem. With labor, it ran about $500 to fix.

I am not aware of other seal kits, though they may exist. Fixing the upper seals would not also take care of lower seals. You have to find the leaks.

Also, repair of the upper mounts required a special tool, I understand. Some kind contributors have posted the part number, but I don't have it bookmarked to give you.

E-Z-E

Any pointers on the best methods to check for leaks with the airmatics? Obviously leaks could range from the lines to the compressor. What, in your opinion, are the ares most common for leakage? and could there be another reason that in my situation, that one side ofthe rear is lower than the other? The rear height is currently two to two and one half fingers between the fender edge and top of tire (left) and one inch lower than that on the (right).

my06clk

Many members have posted complaints about that very thing. i had about a half inch on mine. IT seems 1/4 or so it ("normal"?).. My local ealer did some sort of reset and it made mine correct all the way around. There actually is a level sensor somewhere mounted under the chassis that manages this issue.

You should try to raise your car to its fullest position, then lower it again. Do this a couple of times on a level surface and see it that corrects the problem.

I've tried it both ways with or without sport 2 turned on, and the dealer always does it with the sport lights both off. (Sport is the button on your dash with the two lights that set the suspension stiffness).