I am the proud owner of a 2000 S430. A few months ago I started getting the "VISIT WORKSHOP AIRMATIC PROBLEM" message. Three weeks ago I brought the vehicle to my mechanic. He has changed the Air pump, the front struts repair kit and the Air suspension valve. I am still getting the message. I do not know where to look next. Can anyone please help me. I am desperate. I do not want to take it to the Stealership.

 

Did he remove the codes and reset?

Sometimes with these systems just remedying the problem isn't enough for the dash display to quit showing the problem.

 

Yes, the message still comes on. My other problem is that after replacing the air pump, strut repair kit and the air suspension valve the vehilce still does not raise.

 

sounds like your mechanic doesnt know what he is doing and just replaced parts that didnt need replacing

 

I have similar problem and after going through many possible problems from different mechanics (air leaks, bad air pumps, bad sensors, bad suspensions, bad wirings, .....!) I am in the process of replacing active air suspension system with a non active passive coil-over-strut system by www.strutmasters.com.
They run for $937 complete set (2 fronts & 2 rears).
But if you go to amazon.com and searching for:"2000-2006 Mercedes S430 4-Wheel Air Ride Suspension Conversion Kit" It's the same set from same vendor (strutmasters.com) and is selling for $867! (Those who don't know have to pay more I guess!). Hope this helps.

 

How do you keep the light/warning from coming on, when you convert to the non active suspension.

 

According to the vendor, they have an simple procedure to circumvent the warning light.

 

I think your parts changer is stealing more from you than just getting it properly diag.

 

David is selling out (no disrespect) but PLEASE don't do what he did to your car. The EAS system is one of the single biggest reasons to even own the car.

The system is very simple when tackled and studied. The shop you have been using is not thinking, but taking advantage of your lack of experience and understanding how the system operates to be honest with you.

Simplified: small pump located in passenger front wheel well. Small poly tubes fill the air struts at all four corners. Simple valve block in same wheel well opens and closes the valves to each corner as needed for adjusting ride, height, etc. There are sensors that tell the system what to adjust that go wrong sometimes. The poly lines themselves become brittle and leak or even break loose with road debris, etc. A soapy solution water bottle sprayed on the lines and valve block trace down the issues typically. A good independent shop will even use this tried and true method for chasing down leaks. The air filled struts go bad at about 8-12 years on the road. The "aftermarket" by Arnott is actually better than OEM and costs way less (better engineered) with a lifetime warranty. The fuse sometimes will burn out for this system in the block under the hood (easy fix).

I hate to simplify it and I hope I don't get jumped on for boiling it down to that, but it really isn't a complex system as the folks that get paid WAY TOO much to repair it have spun it to be. I have done all the work on my own air system and I'm not a mechanic at all. Mine is the case of more time than money which forced me to learn the weak points of the system and buy aftermarket or online OEM and replace things myself with instructions from this forum and others printed out along side me.

Sorry I don't have the exact reason your system is freaking out right now, but please don't give up and throw in the towel.

Saving one 220 at a time from castration.....

Thanks,

 

Thanks Art for the good info. The problem is my S430 is 10 years old and there are many components involved with the air pension system. (Struts, valves, boots, sensors, pump, wirings, lines...) and most of all labor cost for mechanic to diagnose which part(s) needed to be replaced. And as you said, the system is good for about 8-12 years which means it's about time to replace them all!

 

I have a simuliar problem but I believe itv was caused by a repair shop. can anyone tell me if having ur car on a lift can break strut (air). he lift my car then after a while brown waterlike ran from the middle then he quickly put the car down and said I need 2 go 2 benz shop. the car raised off the bumer because all the air went out the driver side strut, and after hitting button it raised but its seems to not raise as high anymore unless I raise car by button. then it will lower some then pump will run more often to try 2 level then shut off. can anyone tell me what part needs to be fixed & did the raising of the car on the lift cause this. Im sorry its a 2001 benz s430.

 

Your first problem is that you waited. You stated that you got the warning messages for a few months before taking it in. Ignoring these warnings can cause further problems as leaking struts cause the compressor to burn out, etc.

Why not try a new mechanic, or at least get the car diagnosed by the dealer.

 

My air suspension pump was making loud noise so i got a new oem newer design pump and replaced it by a mechanic my car was fine for 2 months. when winter hit Chicago like 10 degrees my car front stop raising up and i get message that Stop car is too low. then i keep my car in garage and after a day or when weather gets to 35 or higher than my car front raise up with no problem. recently my car front went low that i can not even turn front tires. i replaced the new oem relay. it did not raise up. i checked the fuse and found out the fuse was blown i replaced it and it blow within 2 min. than i replaced this fuse with higher amp it blew again. I am sick and tired of this crap. now my car is parked on my driveway and the front is about 2" from the ground....Please help me i am stuck don't know what to do......

 

I am far from an expert on these systems, and will only give you advice on what I know.
But as a qualified electrician I will say this never, NEVER, replace a blown fuse with one of a higher amperage.
You wont cure a problem that way.
You will take the overload protection provided by the fuse out of the circuit and cause the item to burn out or worse even cause an electrical fire by overloading the supply wiring.
By all means replace a fuse with one of the correct value.
But if it blows again, investigate the fault.
Sorry I cant help any further there are better people on this great site for that.

 

avayani786: I've got an 02S500 that was doing exactly the same thing as yours, this winter. I'm not in Chicago, more closer to Toronto, but still about the same temps. I'm betting that one of your air shocks has worn to the point that the seals are leaking, but like post #9 says, the system is not that complex in theory. I've been working on my car airmatic system because when it got to -26C (-15F) this winter, the car would not rise and gave me the classic red "car to low". First I replaced the teflon ring in the compressor (it raised compression from 60psi to over 150psi, the limit of my guage). Installing this resulted in the system responding the way it should, but unfortunately the weather warmed. In my case it was the front driver side shock that was deflating so I purchased a replacement shock from arnott, but I'll have to wait till the winter next year to see if it's the offending problem. One of the mercedes mechanic that I know noted that if you raise the vehicle off the ground and then lower the vehicle to the ground and the tire really collapses, it won't be long before you have to replace the shock. Of course your mileage may vary.

Tower

 

"...so i got a new oem newer design pump..."


How certain are you that this is actually the correct pump?


The diagnostic system can check every detail of the system - air pressure in each strut and the reservoir, pump pressure achieved and the time it took to get there, etc., etc., etc. At this time, it might be a good idea to consider having someone with the STAR System (DAS) and the knowledge to use it look at the car and see if they can tell you what is actually wrong with your car.

 

Hey wallyp:

After going around the bend on these things, owning an 04 and 02 S500, both have exactly the same pump. The only difference is the piping from the pump to the air filter, at least in my research. Its funny because this particular compressor, made by Wabco in India, is used in our mercedes, VW, Suburu and if memory serves, a lincoln. Price was all over the map. And lets face it, all that is required is a compressor supply that meets the air pressure, volume and relative humidity criteria. So am I sure its the same pump, no, but they darn well look the same between the 02 and 04 (except piping). Its interesting the all these compressors come with the ability to regulate the pressure mechanically to one of two pressure settings.

I do agree with getting a DAS visit, but until I have one shipped in it will just have to wait. In the mean time, I repaired the existing compressor for about $25US. In my case the compressor cylinder was noticably worn, so this exercise should show the relative merits of my experimentation. That $25 part was a whole lot cheaper than getting a new $300+ compressor sent from Arnott.

Tower

 

You seem to know your stuff, maybe you can help me with this one.... I have a 2000 S500 , the front of the car is completely on the ground but the back is still up... I installed a new compressor, relay, fuses and the compressor will not come on unless I bypass the relay port with a wire, but that does not help because of the valve block. Is there something I am missing? What initiates the relay to come on?

 

I just changed all front control arms (upper and lower). After the replacement the right side of the car would not respond to airmatic. All poly lines and compressor and valve block are are fine and have no leaks. So I have a lopsided car now. After research I discovered it needs to be calibrated using the star system. Interesting article below:

http://danirangelov.blogspot.com/201...tic-level.html

Cheers!

 

From the article: "In most cases when the car is in service for replacement of Control Arms the mechanic deforms the B22/8 or B22/9 sensors metal mounting plate and the sensor no longer reads the correct vehicle height."

It is not too unusual for the electrical connectors (height sensor, strut position) at the top front of the wheel well to not be plugged in correctly.