Last week i had let the car sit and when i went to drive it the red do not drive message was on. I pushed the raise button and the car was fine and no issues since.

I decided to do an experiment over the last 24 hours. I measured with a tape measured the distance from the concrete in my garage the the center of the wheel to the top of the wheel arch

In 24 hours the passenger side suck exactly 1/2 inch front and rear. The drivers side stayed perfectly level from where is was 24 hours ago. I started the car ran to the front and could hear the pump come on briefly (10 seconds) and the car seemed ready to go, no error messages or anything. I went and meansured then and the rear wheels on both sides were at the same exact level with each other and the fronts were at the same exact level as each other also

I am trying to avoid the dealer and lots of diagnotic costs. I already tried the soapy water on the top of the fronts and there are no leaks there. It is a 2003 S500.

There must be a typical root cause of why one side front and rear sinks whicle the other side is perfectly fine.

Please let me know whatever you may know

Thanks,
Robert

did u ever find out exactly what it was? I have an identical issue

Yes, It was a defective Valvle Block (The item above the compressor)

Considering the car is a 2003 and now 6 years old i had a new compressor thrown in as well as the labor was the same.

DO NOT go to the dealer for this out of warranty, you can get a new valve block for about $250 and compressors are everywhere from $260-300. An idenpendent shop who is honest AND knows what they are doing (Hard to find but luckily i have one) will charge 2.5-3hours for the entire job and will ensure the system is clibrated properly etc.

I spent $800 total for both the Block and the Compressor and labor, the deal was WAAAYYYYY more than that. If i did not do the compressor it would have been a $500 job but i did not want to be paying for labor again soon and the compressor was putting out about 65% of the pressure it should when new so i just changed it anyway. Now the car can sit for weeks and stay levela nd when i push the raise button it takes less than 10 seconds to pop up

Good Luck

Thanks for the update!! I'll be sending mine off to my independent mechanic this weekend. She is looking pretty pathetic just sitting there like a limp noodle

Yup it is for sure your valve block

DO NOT tell them that though make them figure it out and you will know if you are dealing with someone who knows what they are talking about.

How complex is the r&r on the valve block and compressor, for a DIY person? Is there any special tools u need do?do u need to disconnect the battery? Any tricks that a DIY might need to no?thx

Be careful saying things like that. There are many points that can leak on an airmatic system and cause the exact same symptom.
BTW, did you replace the relay for the airmatic pump? It should always be replaced when the pump is replaced. Also there is an air filter for the pump, good idea to change that too.................

yea mine turned out to be the strut instead, but I notice it still raises up a tad when I start the car in the morning. I took it back to the mechanic and he couldn't pinpoint anything. Unfortunately I'll have to wait till the next airmactic related failure to figure it out.
But at least I know where to get all the parts and know what I'm in for