Chelseaa4a

Hey guys. I’m sure this question has been asked before but I can’t quite find the answer. I recently inherited my late father’s 2007 S550 4 matic. It’s a low mileage (67K) well maintained one owner car. It recently arrived after a cross country shipment and I noticed after it had been parked in the garage for a few weeks that the left rear appears to be just a tad lower than the right. Ground to wheel well at centre wheel is about a 1/4” lower on the left rear. I know a little bit of settling, especially after a few days when it’s been cold, is normal just wondering if the 1/4” is within parameters…and if the unequal settling is an issue I should pay attention to? I’ll be driving the car tomorrow so we’ll see if if raises/levels out after start up. Any intel/past experience with this would be great. Appreciate any comments. Thanks!

Minh

Drive a car for a while to see if is level, other while you can adjust strut level with Star Diagnostic

BOTUS

a number of elements mean most never bother to resolve

one of the first TIPS documents described damage to the air pipes during original built (on early cars) and the solution was to replace the entire air pipe from front to back of the car - but I thought it was supposed to be the right rear sagging (muddled as never understood if cars with the steering wheel on the correct side then had the opposite corner sagging).

then of course these possibilities

the cars often seize up the little level sensor arms on the suspension (one each at the front to do front height and side to side, and a single one that does the rear), these are cheap, but lead to major safety / breakdown issues if you don't maintain. A seized one will lie about the position and the car gets muddled then snap off beaching the car. (It would be great if it was this but seldom is).

when many look to replace the control block that distributes air to each corner as and when required - many find the pipe to the left rear is fractures under the right headlight and leads to air loss (probably this)

the cars aim to park level (for no sensible reason) so if the ground you usually park on isn't perfectly level you can believe its wonky when it isn't (it is, its usually a bit of everything)

air suspension isn't reliable - its a maintenance headache

Chelseaa4a

Thanks for the info. Yeah…it seems like a pretty complex system. The car is just now coming out of winter storage but was run up for import inspection where it was hoisted a couple of weeks ago. I started it this morning and backed her out of the garage…then raised the car with airmatic…funny thing was that when I did that the rear left rose higher than the rear right. I lowered the car…drove it back in the garage and let it sit for a few hours now the suspension is back to where it was last night…which is 1/4” lower on the rear left. Front ground to top of wheel well measurements are consistent and equal. Will be taking the car for a good long drive soon so we’ll see if that changes anything…but at this point I’m thinking it’s probably a slightly un-level floor in the garage. No warnings and certainly not dropping to the floor by any means but they are the original struts (15 years old) so based on everything I’ve read on line I suspect it will be just a matter of time before they start to go. Thanks again for the info!

BOTUS

suspension strut / unit failure and dropping to the floor is uncommon on this second gen iteration - the earlier car the w220 lasted 6 years then many units played up

the 221 seems Ok at low mileage around 12 to 15 years before strut replacement is needed BUT lots of minor leaks are normal and most don't know about it - it wears out the air pump as it has to keep topping it up - its not complex but is a nuisance and you end up with costs you don't get with normal suspension

the 221 (yours) does seize the little linkages on a cheap level sensor link and they snap off - this can cause it to drop to the floor where you shouldn't drive it as it damages the air bag on the suspension ($30 a pop for the part and easy on the two fronts, the rear is hidden and a right nuisance to reach)

Chelseaa4a

Thanks BOTUS…you are a wealth of knowledge! Much appreciated.