Corsa9000

My 2004 S55 sat for a week without being driven, noticed both right side front and rear wheels lowered(collapsed) but not left side. I started the car and shifted into R and as soon as the car moved an inch the right side came back up to normal height with a single thumping sound. All has been well afterwards.

I called my MB Service Mgr. (car is still under warranty) and he said it is normal but keep an eye on it and watch for leaks.

The power steering/ABC pump and auxiliary pump have been replaced but no struts.

Is this normal or should I start to worry?

Viet_Amg408

yes, keep your eyes on the abc fluid tank and smaller power steering tank..make sure you check the level.. 2mark..

most likely your suspension regulator valve blocks front and rear are on its way out..
my car sat for 1 month same thing..

somethings with mercedes, if it sit, then after that, problem starts to develop

jd986s

Your ABC valve block is going bad.

Corsa9000

They changed it 2 weeks ago and drained and refilled the fluid 3 times, yesterday the rear right collapsed so bad the tire is rubbing against the wheel well and it is not drivable.

The car is being towed to MB, so frustrating.......

503C43 ////AMG

I had a friend with an S500 and the exact same thing happened to his car. It collapsed only the right side and it cost $$$$$ to fix, honestly I think he sold the car because he was afraid the same thing was going to happen to the left side.

What causes the right side to collapse before the left side?

IngenereAMG

There may be some issues with the blocks, and/or the shocks themselves. Since the car is under warranty, just press them to make it right.

For those that aren't under warranty, the shocks from MB are ~$2K each. We started carrying rebuilt units that have a lifetime warranty for ~$700/each.

Corsa9000

Right before the tow truck arrived, I pressed the button that raises the suspension and it jumped right back up to proper height. I had it towed anyway although the car was drivable at this point.

MB Service just called and said the car looks fine and has not collapsed since Friday 6/17/11, but they will keep it for one more day to see if it drops. I had sent my MB Service Adviser a pic of the collapsed rear right, so they know it is not my imagination.

mrbenzes

Do you guys think it is good PM to raise and lower the car on occasion...maybe once or twice a month, to "Exercise " the ABC valves? Or do you think this will intruduce unnecessary wear to these components?
(I'll post this on the main page as well for answers)
Mike

Corsa9000

OK, final report is that they found a leak in rear valve block, two weeks ago the front had a leak and was repaired.

So we are up and running for now, let's hope everything holds up.

maw1124

I've seen mine do that. But only during winter storage periods (car not driven in weeks), and never in a week or two. As soon as I crank the key to the "on" position, the compressor sends air through the system and it goes back to height (similar to Allroad, which by the way uses the exact same compressor as MB, except it's more expensive). Should I be on the lookout for this same thing, or is it SOP?

Thanks in advance.

maw

Corsa9000

Judging by my experience, I would say you have a slow leak in your ABC system. If it takes a long time for it to collapse, it is a very slow leak. You might want to have it check before it gets worse.

Good luck.