art3mus

hey guys im lookin at buy a 99 s320 w220 im lookin at advice before i buy it i have been reeding heaps on here but im wondering bout the air pump n struts. The guy says he palyed around the valve on the rear strut an let the air leek out by mistake is there a way i can find out if this is true eg. manualy pumping the air struts up via my 12v compressor and also he said it had been sitting for bout 24 month as is any idea what the struts would be like as i read after 24 hours with no air the struts are stuffed
thanks in advance

corkshoppe

it probably needs a new strut, used $250 and can be be done by yourselt, buy its a little pain, how much you paying for it?

art3mus

$6000 for the car if the struts cost $250 each thats not to bad where are they from as im located brisbane all the struts i can find are $1000 plus if i was able to pump air back in to the strut how long would they last as i would need get home ect. and can you manaul pump air in to the system

Skylaw

The struts are pressurized by the Airmatic pump, located in the right front fender area. If this pump is working, it should not be necessary to pump a strut up by any other method, and indeed there are no provisions for doing so.

It is possible the seller has screwed up the strut, and it may need replacement - I can't tell. But don't buy into any story about pumping it up by anything but the normal system.

I don't know if Arnott ships to Australia; if they do, their struts are better than the original, and less expensive by far.

art3mus

i had a look at the car yesterday had to jump start the car due flat battery from sitting so long

Had to tip fuel down the throttle body to get it to fire which it did but couldn't get the it to run due the no fuel was getting to the engine don't no if it was because the fuel pump was dead or the fuel had gone to slug ?

is the airmatic pump and fuel pump ment to kick in and hear it when you turn the ignition on i couldn't hear it but i couldn't hear the fuel pump on our c180 i heard alot of clicks from relays but thats all. Same as the c180

thanks heaps for everyones reply much help i really want to get anther merc and this car but dont want to have headache after headache with this car

Skylaw

Theressa has given good advice. You could be buying a pig in a poke. One saying that continually rings true is, there is no more expensive Mercedes than a cheap Mercedes.

You should have been able to hear the airmatic pump briefly if the car had been sitting for days. The fuel pump in my car is quieter than the airmatic pump - but on the extremely limited occasions when I have let my gas tank get way low, I have been able to hear it.

Take a look at the W220 S-Class Encyclopedia at http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w220...tart-here.html - the last section has buying advice, and one of the posts give a "quick check" for operation of systems. It won't substitute for a full look by a technician, but it will give you a start. Also, since the battery has been low, see the "Resets" link in the Encyclopedia. Many things may appear not to work properly, but can be reset once the battery problem is addressed.

corkshoppe

for 6k you can buy an 03 s class, my recomendation,

mcguirja

I would also agree. Not sure how different the Canadian and Australian markets are, but I have a mint condition 2004 S430 with 100,000 miles that is only worth about $8,000. It is perfect mechanically as well as interior and exterior so thinking you should be able to do better than what sounds like a rough '99 for $6,000.

Over it's life I've only had to do regular maintenance and wear and tear items (i.e. brakes, etc) and the air pump for the suspension system.

Good luck with your search, personally I'd stay away from this one and look for another option.

tusabes

Do not buy this car . $6000 for a 99 with suspension problems and will not even run is ridiculous

art3mus

i had my brother in law with me as hes a mechanic but the both of us dont have much to do with the hole airmatic side of life in the benz i have had air baged cars before but all custom fabed he an i are just consernd about the airmatic system and struts ect. everything else he didnt have any real conserns about eg. no fuel i dont about the rest of the world but here in oz after about three month our fuel go stale by six it starts to turn to sludge

an the market here is australia is ridiculous compared to the rest of the world the 99 s320 still sale for $11k - $15k
the 99 c180 i did drive still go for $8k it
cost me $4k just for a new engine for it
the one thing i hate about mercedes are there so dear to buy and mantain