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I've got a 2010 S550 4Matic that ends up with the suspension bottomed out every morning. I ignored it for a while but finally the compressor failed. Had a new compressor put in a couple weeks ago. They also replaced the valve block although I'm not sure how legit this guy was since the car was towed to a random shop. I drove the car over to my mechanic a couple days ago and he thinks the struts are leaking. He wants to replace 3 out of 4 but I don't want to throw parts and $$$ and this issue. I'm a firm believer in figuring out what is actually wrong before you try to "fix" things that don't need to be fixed.
I've done a lot of research and it seems like the main points of failure are:
self leveling system
leaking at top of struts
leaking / failing strut air bag
leaking air lines
leaking valve block
bad / leaking compressor
Here's what I've checked so far:
leveling sensors are in good shape no bent rods
dust covers had no tears and overall the struts look solid
sprayed soapy water all over and didn't find any visual leaks
sprayed soapy water on the top of the struts where the valves connect to the strut and the lines connect to the valve and there were no leaks
A few more tests I plan to do this weekend:
spray soapy water on valve block and inspect for leaks
disconnect p line from valve block and submerge in water (to check for leaks that are internal and go back toward the compressor)
disconnect electrical line from valve block (I was told this prevents it from opening and closing)
I also thought about disconnecting the battery once the car is nice and high to see if it still drops. If it does drop I assume I can rule out any electrical issues like misconfigured self leveling system of bad sensors. Anyone have any experience running a test like that?
Before actually replacing any struts I would prefer to test them individually. I still haven't found anything that shows you how to isolate and test each strut to ensure they aren't leaking. I was thinking I could probably disconnect the lines at the top of the strut and use a new line to pump compressed air into it. Once it's full I would check the gauge and confirm pressure doesn't drop. Anyone have any experience testing them like that?? Thanks in advance!!!
im sorry for your unfortunate luck..please keep us updated on this, i also have a 2010 550 4matic with airmatic..out of curiosity how did you know your compressor was failing? im getting a sporadic/inconsistent grinding/whining sound that seems to happen during braking and accelerating that i originally thought was the compressor but im not so sure..
chris
Last edited by COUPCONNOISSEUR; Feb 25, 2019 at 05:02 PM.
Thanks! I’ll post updates as soon as I can. I found this PDF to be very helpful as well (attached)
When my compressor went the suspension wouldn’t inflate at all. You can usually hear it kick on if you know what you’re listening for. That said if it’s not working you might just have a bad fuse or relay. Definitely check out the PDF it will help a lot 👍🏻
I don't know why so many stress about changing struts. It's enough to change air bags, which sits on the top ot the strut. I bought it for 69GBP and it's perfectly fine.
Took me 1 hour to change it.
Here's a link, where I bought: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Front-Lef...c/153178468954
I've got a 2010 S550 4Matic that ends up with the suspension bottomed out every morning. I ignored it for a while but finally the compressor failed. Had a new compressor put in a couple weeks ago. They also replaced the valve block although I'm not sure how legit this guy was since the car was towed to a random shop. I drove the car over to my mechanic a couple days ago and he thinks the struts are leaking. He wants to replace 3 out of 4 but I don't want to throw parts and $$$ and this issue. I'm a firm believer in figuring out what is actually wrong before you try to "fix" things that don't need to be fixed.
I've done a lot of research and it seems like the main points of failure are:
self leveling system
leaking at top of struts
leaking / failing strut air bag
leaking air lines
leaking valve block
bad / leaking compressor
Here's what I've checked so far:
leveling sensors are in good shape no bent rods
dust covers had no tears and overall the struts look solid
sprayed soapy water all over and didn't find any visual leaks
sprayed soapy water on the top of the struts where the valves connect to the strut and the lines connect to the valve and there were no leaks
A few more tests I plan to do this weekend:
spray soapy water on valve block and inspect for leaks
disconnect p line from valve block and submerge in water (to check for leaks that are internal and go back toward the compressor)
disconnect electrical line from valve block (I was told this prevents it from opening and closing)
I also thought about disconnecting the battery once the car is nice and high to see if it still drops. If it does drop I assume I can rule out any electrical issues like misconfigured self leveling system of bad sensors. Anyone have any experience running a test like that?
Before actually replacing any struts I would prefer to test them individually. I still haven't found anything that shows you how to isolate and test each strut to ensure they aren't leaking. I was thinking I could probably disconnect the lines at the top of the strut and use a new line to pump compressed air into it. Once it's full I would check the gauge and confirm pressure doesn't drop. Anyone have any experience testing them like that?? Thanks in advance!!!
Hello, I had a similar problem after I changed both rear shocks (they were bad when I bought it), compressor and valve block (didn't know how long shocks had been bad). I had intermittent drops on the front in the morning. After diagnostic check with Star (have my own C3) I got low voltage in the front right level sensor. So I inspected the boot on both sides to check for dry rot on bags, no go, original shocks so the boots were sealed.
I then took off the wheels and checked electrical connectors on the sensors, unplugged the passenger side and water dripped out. Sprayed both with electrical cleaner and plugged them both back in. Its been working pretty well every since. Voltage is back to normal, but rear left voltage is down now, going to do the same both rears.Still can't calibrate it though.
2009 S550 85,000 miles
Noticed a couple days ago while stopped at a traffic light the front end, more noticeably on the right, started to rise. At my destination I used my fingers to measure tire fender height gap left with right and right was absolutely two inches lower than left.
I read on this thread and thought I’d check the ride height electrical connections for dryness and cleanliness.
As I used my floor jack to lift the right front wheel, a lot of air bleeding out came from the right front.
I let the car back down and it went to the bottom.
I jacked it back up and removed the wheel. As I moved the bellows up, a bunch of yellow powder dumped out, so I took a photo.
After putting the wheel back on and starting the engine, the compressor lifted the corner back to about where it was prior, meaning too low.
I guess time for a new air strut.
edit: I found a year youtube video by Arnott on how to replace. Very simple, but doesn’t state about if needed to bleed off any air before removal??
Should both sides be changed?
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