So im looking to get a professional opinion on this before i just start doing random jobs on my benz. I have replaced both rear struts, the compressor and the relay and the fuse. And now i can drive and the compressor turns on and off a little bit, alot less than it used to and it was really loud and the body would rub on the tires but now ive replaced pretty much everything in the system and when i park it, the rear right strut goes down in about 4 hours and then 3-4 days later the left goes half way down im really thinking that the line has a split in it because both of the fittings are brand new and i cant explain why it still leaks out so please let me know if you think its the fittings maybe not being seated right or a split line or a faulty strut or what. Thanks for any help and if you need more information or pictures id love to post my baby.

 

I will be happy to tell you why. Have you used Chinese Replacement Parts?? If yes, that is your answer.

 

its your valve block that’s leaking

 

Or the supply lines or fittings on the valve block

 

So if its one of these things what kind of testing can i do to figure out which one? Rshould i recheck the fittings and make sure they are seated and then what? How can i check for a bad valve block? But its a 2000 s500 that has 200k miles so im not going to put in oem parts that out value the car that just isnt reasonable and yes all the replacements are cheap Amazon parts so maybe one is faulty? Because from what i hear those lines dont split they sever and then no air gets to the strut, but when i turn it on the compressor runs and im good to go and it stays up the whole drive.

 

in order to check leaks along the lines and the fitting you need either leakage detection spray or just soapy water and wait for bubbles to show. The original valve block ist about 300-350$, all Chinese crap make you to do the replacement again. Many times they are very open and replace the part for a positive feed back, but the labor is still yours. You replaced the compressor by what? Cheap Chinese or WABCO original? I had this already, rebuilt the whole system, cheap compressor included, a few weeks later the car did not go on high level, and sat low in the back. Checked the compressor pressure, and what the result was, far too low pressure levels (should be 13-15 bar). So the car runs, the struts were drivable, but the rear never came to the right level at all. Threw a ew WABCO in, and ever since then, the cars runs w/o trouble.

 

The compressor was cheap not sure were it came from but it runs better than my old one and the problems ive had i had before the compressor replacement but less time in the mornings to get the car to regular height so im 98% sure its not the compressor

 

Probably my next replacement is gonna be another valve block but with a little more quality and if that doesn't work then idk ill be back here i guess

 

Some of the valve blocks are rebuildable (cleaning, checking and new O-rings), some aren't. The only way to tell is to see if you can take the block body apart.

 

The valve block i bought was made of a different material which worried me to begin with so maybe that is the culprit its just to cheap and couldnt hold up so i think im gonna buy a metal one and some new fittings and see what happens

 

So you put a Rubber Valve Block in there?? I am sorry to put it bluntly to you but you put garbage parts, you will get garbage results!! Trust me I know what the value of these cars is and also know the value of the parts purchased from the dealer is. I am not telling you to go and buy brand new oem parts from the dealer but there is plenty of oem parts out there that just don't say mercedes on them. Do a search on here and you will get some sites that sell quality parts. Unless you enjoy doing the jobs over and over again, i suggest you do not purchase parts from neither Amazon or Ebay. Good luck.

 

https://www.ebay.de/itm/00-06-Merced...wAAOSwXVdd1~B6

this is the original part. Miessler Automotive offers a replacement made of black "Plastik". This does not work in the W220.

Edit: in the mean time Miessler took it off their list

 

get a guarantee good used one from a Ebay auto dismantler

 

When I was making my suspension I was only using original parts, steering valve, Wabco compressor and relay.

I did also have a trouble with sensor in back, it was stock in position and made a failed, just a new arm.

 

If you insist on using non-OEM parts, you will continue to be disappointed and have problems.

You've got two choices:

1. Cheap parts (reasonable, to use your words).

2. Parts that actually work.

 

My '00 S500 rocks! 6 months ago at 200,000 miles my rear struts we're dropping the car onto the tires. I'm clearly a niece novice, especially with Mercedes-Benz however I purchased two rear airstruts through Amazon and installed them myself. I spent all day on one side and half a day installing the other side. So in hindsight it was well worth $250 and a learning curve to find that four months out, It drives like brand NEW!?!

Unbelievable response! I live along the Colorado River. The desert is my RaceTrac and believe me I have enjoyed completely vacant highways regularly. I really enjoy opening it up and practicing my driving skills. is truly unbelievable that 20 years later this car drives better than most of the cars owned or the past 40 years. I've driven them all new and old this car is a different animal.

Anyway other than that the crappy tires I purchased for the rear are prematurely wearing out after 6 months and other than that I replaced the fuel pump fuel filter the CPS for good measure at a cost to me of under $100 total through Amazon. All systems run great the car looks great faster than s*** and I've got no codes...

I seem to sense a bit of arrogance in this form when some of us who are economically challenged I try not to throw our money at least 20 year old vehicles as the one gentleman mentioned the price of b newer hiren parts is a greater value than the cars themselves so on that note I just wanted to share my experience that you can try to save a buck and not necessarily go down the drain with everything else.

Thanks for letting me share.

PS does anybody no the best code reader this car her under has a hundred fifty bucks please let me know what I would appreciate it!

I think she looks fine...drives like new. Literally!

 

Really any $20-30 highly rated code reader on amazon is fine . The icarsoft mbii is about $150 and has some Mercedes specific features