ssonss1

is it just me or does the passenger side rear sit lower than the drivers side?...the 760 is the same way..my bro was saying that there are two reasons and they are that for one..the gas tank is on that side..and 2 that when you sit inside the drivers weight balances it...i notice that the rear pass side at the lowest setting has absolutey no gap so u cant even stick a finger in..and the drivers rear it has about 1 finger gap..am i losing my mind or are all 220s like this..???? thanks

whoover

That is not normal, but it's a common symptom of suspension problems. It could be a strut or a valve or something else. It also depends on whether you have Airmatic or ABC. They're both complicated but have different weak points. In any case, you should take the car to a dealer to diagnose. These suspensions take specialized training and equipment to work on.

Assuming it's your S600 (ABC), it's most likely a valve block.

my06clk

This is very common although I wouldn't exactly call it normal either. The dealer can fix this for you two ways..
1. using Star to reset the signals at each transducer, or
2. there is tilt sensor in the middle of the chassis that causes this so it is tewwked or changed.

I have this don to my car over the summer for the same reason and they got to within 1/4" so I was happy.

YOu will not find many W220 with much less variation than that so expect to have some all the time.

YOu can also try to raise the car fully with sport mode turned off a few times up and down and see where it lands...

To whoovers point,

I was sure I had a bad strut or something, but thank goodness my SR and the techs that work for him are as curious abut some of the nuances of this car as I am so they did all of this work for me just to make my car sit right and it still does... So I know first hand that this can be corrected without replacing anything.

whoover

In my experience, there's a big difference between ABC and Airmatic in this regard. Slight adjustments to Airmatic may work ok, but rarely will fix an ABC problem. With ABC, tiny particles of metal mess up the functioning of the valves and 9 times out of 10 they need replacing. Sometimes a fluid flush and "rodeo" cycling the valves will work, but the valve block often needs replacement down the road anyway. The OP might also notice that the steering wheel is not quite centered when driving straight. It's another symptom of an out-of-whack ABC valve block. ABC is significantly more sophisticated than Airmatic, but also more sensitive.

The Sport mode suggestions also don't apply to ABC.

my06clk

Hmm... Didn't realize this was an S600 because of the subject line.
Either way,, This is how I had mine corrected.. and from a Static stance.. this theoretically could be corrected in the same manner but if not, its worth a trip to the dealer to find out.

Its funny though..with all the talk going around about ABC and the superior sophistication, compared to the Airmatic system, It is my understanding that none of the newer cars use this system.....They are all just airmatic. If that's fact it kinda makes you wonder why..?

whoover

Not sure why you think that. W221 S600, S63 and S65 are all ABC standard. ABC is a $3,920 option on rear-wheel drive S550s. It's not available on 4MATIC.

It's worth every penny, in my opinion. It really transforms the handling and ride.

my06clk

Oh Okay.. maybe I was thinking it was All of the new car but I guess it is just the 4matics.

E-Z-E

I am having the same problem with mine in the exact locations. Does any one know what the dealer cost to re-adjust ride height? I had new struts installed in the front in 6/ 07 and have noticed this problem since then.

ssonss1

i have john adjustable links on my car so imma just adjust it from that

whoover

Again, it will matter if your car is ABC or Airmatic. In any case the dealer will want to examine the system for problems before just adjusting. At least that's what they should do. It's easy (and cheap) to just reset the height, but if that's sweeping a suspension problem under the rug it can be a dangerous fix. The leveling controls of both Airmatic and ABC are sophisticated and it would be pretty unusual for it to just be wrong. It would almost always be because something is not working right. That could be a strut, a valve, a sensor, a line or other part, but something probably needs replacing if your suspension is to be 100% again.

davezaristo

Bringing this thread back to live, I just acquired a 06 S430 and noticed the exact same problem where the passenger rear is about half a finger lowered than the driver side rear. Based on the posts above, did anyone actually got it fixed and approximately, what is the cost to adjust the height using STAR?

renault12ts

This would mean the drivers side front would be higher than the passenger side front...unless the body is bent. Am I wrong?

davezaristo

Hmm...i'll check again tonight but the front seems to be fine and the car doesn't appear to have been involved in an accident previously. Not sure if this is a symptom to an expensive fix as the car has been dealer maintained for its entire life so hopefully the height can be adjusted.

renault12ts

If the car is on perfectly level ground then if down at one corner it will be up at the diagonal opposite corner...not by much...but I'd be incredulous if the measurements at the front were both the same.

compaddict

iTrader: (1)

My car was goofy like that. I bought adjustable lowering links and made it perfect. Much easier than using Star!

doni01

iTrader: (1)

^^That is correct. Just went through the whole procedure with a star and let me tell you, it is a PIA !!

compaddict

iTrader: (1)

It took me an hour! Would have been much less if I made small adjustments...

renault12ts

I did it this way too...but only because STAR could not fix it since an internal sensor had gone inside the front right strut. So far so good after 7 months.

davezaristo

well it seems like both the right front and rear are lower than the left side when parked but the right rear seems to be significantly lower than the left rear by a finger. That being said, once the car is started, the height for all 4 corners appear to be normal with no significant deviation from each side. Not sure what it is but should I still be concerned?

tusabes

if it levels out when you start the car its fine

renault12ts

To a point. It should stay level when parked.

kyosuke

my car is doing this now and im scared i dont wana pay 3k to have a vavle block replaced.
I have abc on my car and when i go over a incline the car blinks abc for not even a second and goes away when im on the freeway with a lil beep. i can go over speed bumps and i dont get that chime or warning. any ideas ?

tusabes

a quick abc wArning blink on the dash and beep is low fluid level or a failed accumulator , not an expensive issue