gmo442

Im looking at buying a 2003 sl500, but the ride is very bouncy and the rear suspension looks unusually low , almost sitting on the tires. It has custom rims so I dont know if the previous owner did this on purpose or if its a fault in the suspension system? No warning lights are on.

I dont know much about these cars except from doing brief research on these forums...do they have adjustable air suspension? is there any dash/console button that will raise the car? Where? Can it be raised by the "Star Diagnostic" program that I hear some people use to lower their cars?

Any help appreciated! Please!

SL2003driver

There is a button on the console right side that raises the suspension. But it should not need that button pushed for normal ride height. The ride should not be bouncy. Might be a problem with the rear ABC. I would have it checked by a Mercedes dealer. If the car is at a Mercedes dealer they need to fix this problem before you by the car. Best case is buy it CPO and extend the CPO for 2 more years giving you a total for 3 years and 100K miles of Mercedes bumper to bumper CPO Mercedes warranty. These vehicles are pretty dependable compared to what I have seen with other brands on other boards. But they are very complex and if you have a suspension problem or other problem it can run into the thousands of dollars.

gmo442

its a private party sale and the car is high mileage so there would be no warranty, does anyone have a picture of the specific button to push?

SL2003driver

Then just take it to a dealer had have it checked out. I'd have them check the whole car out while it was there. You can't miss the button it shows a picture of the car with the arrows pointing up indicating raising the car. The problem is you can raise the car but at a certain speed it lowers to normal level. If that level for your car is sitting on the wheels you have a problem.

SL in ATL

What size are the tires?

My car is an 03 Sport with the original tire sizes of 255/40 19's on the front and 285/35 19's on the back. To be honest, my ride quality is pretty harsh... it helps to turn off the ABC sport button on the console to the right of the shifter... but it's a minor difference... if ride quality is important, do not get the sport model! But I don't think the tire should EVER hit the wheel well. If that's the case, you MUST get new tires right away... and keep in mind, they're about $275 each on the front, and about $360 each on the back. In a seperate post, I'm going to ask the group if others have the same opinion of the "sport tuning" of the suspension on this car! Because the ride quality over uneven pavement quite honestly sucks.