PDC

First of all, I poured over ALL the threads on this issue prior to posting. I am looking for info on how to "coach" my tech to get him to the appropriate screen or menu of the Star Diagnostics program to perform the lowering mod on my 05 E55. There is a thread on the auxiliary fan mod that actually has a "snapshot" of the Star Diagnostic screen for re-setting the fan temp. Does anyone have a comparable "snapshot" for the menu screen for the lowering mod? I have an appointment Thursday (8-17) and want to be prepared to lead my tech right where he needs to be if necessary. Any help GREATLY appreciated.

PDC

(913) 645-5925

oblax4

If you don't get a good answer on this board, I can give you the phone # of my dealership out here - they had no problem lowering my car.

BTW, can you direct me to the string that describes the fan mod? I haven't been able to locate anything on that. Thanks!

Benz-O-Rama

For what it's worth...

I think the guy who does the alignments is the person you need to have do it. They consider it, "Ride Height Adjustment". That's who did mine and I was told he was the only one that knew how to do it.

Anyway....good luck.

CynCarvin32

You find the page in the DAS computer that is called ride height calibration. I forget what menu it is under but it is obvious i think. Airmatic or something like that.

What you want to do is write down the stock inclination angle values for the front and rear axles and the play with the ride height in th adjustment area. When you adjust the car the levels in terms of volts will change for the front two sensors and the rear sensor. When you have lowered the car, you want to re-enter the stock inclination values to FOOL the car to thinking the angles for the front control arms and rear axle is at the stock position.

The system is designed to adjust the height until the special tools on the axles and the front control arms read a pre-determined angle. So you sent the car lower and LIE to the computer as to where the car is sitting.

The thing is, you need to keep the voltage reading for each sensor in a given window or the car knows it is outside the factory range. If you go to low it will kick back and say out of range.

The computer tells you the permisable range for the sensors in volts and you need to make sure that you stay in that range. Not that when changing one sensor you will always end up messing with another. So lowering the front will also lower the back a bit so fine tuning the car with this system can be a pain in the rear. My car always has the drivers side sit .25 lower regardless of how we set the car in the system.

Take a measuring tape, and keep track of before and after values and make sure you get the front sides equal before you store any values.

Also not that the car does not sit at the height you select while IN the adjustment phase. Once you disconect the computer and recycle the cars ecu it sits about .5 inches lower. The thing is, you cant really fine tune the car. You can get it to say at a slight lowering level or a more "slammed" level but doing it in the middle is very tricky and basically impossible. My shop foreman and I spent 5 hrs tinkering and finally gave up and left it at the high lowered setting because I dont want to damage my car when I drive hard.

What I am saying? Buy a RENNtech module for 1000 bucks and be done. That way you can set it easily, get it finished quickly, and turn it off if you want to put 4 people in the car for a long drive. The star method is nice but after having messed with it for over 20 hrs I am about ready to go back to stock and get a RENNtech ELM.

Quick E63

Let us know how it goes... I'm having mine done in a few weeks when I get my 20" wheels installed.

jangy

RENN module modified to have easy access. Is RENN listening? Will I get any credit for that? Jeez.

CynCarvin32

Ya your shop just posted today with a special package of easy access under the dash! Its the jangy special!

What im saying though is that the ELM from RENNtech hidden under the floor is 10x better than the star method and with easy access its just plain ideal.

Well done lad!!

PDC

Just kind of curious as to fellow board member's thoughts on the attached e-mail message:

Hi Paul,

I myself don't do anything with installs or Star-versioncoding. That is all Steve's department. And I am sure he won't provide anyone with a step-by-step installation regarding the Star-lowering. Main reason is, that this is something he had to figure out by himself (he even followed a course to utilize Stardiagnose better). And this is something an MB tech should be capable of doing as well.

Depending on where you are located, Steve may be able to do the lowering for you... he travels around to do installs, and he may even be in your area during his upcoming trip in September. Or during a future US trip.



***please leave the string of mails attached in your reply***

greetingz from the Netherlands,

Wanda Klein Gunnewiek for Steve Krabbenborg

www.MBenzNL.com



----Original Message Follows----
From: "Paul Cramm" <paulcramm@hotmail.com>
To: info@mbenznl.com
Subject: E55 Star Diagnostics Lowering
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 08:36:11 -0500

Hello, I am an MB World forum member and I just purchased an ’05 E55. I have read that the dealership can lower the ride height of my car utilizing the Star Diagnostics equipment, however, not all service techs are aware of this. Can you e-mail me a bit of info on how I might “coach” my service tech to the correct screen or option menu on Star Diagnostics to accomplish this for me? I would really appreciate it. In fact, on another forum thread addressing the Star Diagnostic cooling fan setting, someone actually posted a “screenshot” of the correct menu screen that I printed to show my tech for that mod. I would love the same thing for the lowering mod. Any help is greatly appreciated. Call directly if you choose: (913) 645-5925. Thanks!

Paul Cramm
paulcramm@hotmail.com

vader

Sounds reasonable to me ! I think it's something that takes considerable knowledge of the system and few may really want to attack it.

PDC

Thanks to all the help from board members, I was able to sort of 'coach' my servise tech to the correct page of the Star Diagnostics computer to successfully lower the car. Fairly mild lowering compared to some of you, but enough to be noticable and the car looks MEAN. We had the experience of getting it set just right and as soon as my tech disconnected the Diagnostics coupler the car rose right back up. We finally got the new settings to take after several attempts with less aggressive lowering.

Now one big question: if the new settings "took" and the car has stayed in the new lowered position for several cycles of the ECU, can I use the 'raise suspension' option when I wash the car or is there some chance that by raising it and lowering it, the new settings will be cleared out and the factory settings will return? I am kind of thinking I better not mess with it, but it is pretty low out front and I dont want to drag the chin spoiler on any curbs out of fear of using the raise lower function as before. Has anyone had any negative experience playing with the raise and lower button after Star Diagnostics lowering?

Benz-O-Rama

You can push the raise button until your blue in the face. It will always come back to your new lowered ride height, no worries. You can also lower it a bit more by choosing the sport option on your airmatic.

Oh, and pics of the car with it's modified ride height, please.

Beowulf

I've had no problems using the raise/lower button after StarDiagnose lowering - very helpful to avoid scraping on large speed bumps, steep driveway transitions, etc. Your lowered settings will not be erased.

PDC

Coming from a coil spring background with my CLK55 and BMW 850, I didn't realize that selecting either "sport" option on my arimatic MB would actually lower the ride height. I knew it would firm up the dampers. I need to go out to the driveway with a tape measure and check each setting! BTW which "Sport" setting is deemed to be more agressive, Sport 1 or Sport 2?

I have an appointment for window tint this Thursday, so I will post plenty of pics of the new beast this weekend from the moment it was backed out of the delivery trailer through wash, clay-bar, orbital, and wax phase, Star loweing, and tint. Pulley and ECU coming soon.

aintME

Sport 2.

V12Godspeed

I don't think it will lower the height of the car, it will make the ride stiff and stiffer. At least that is what i have seen and heard.

Benz-O-Rama

I'm pretty sure that my owner's manual says that it will lower the car 0.6" in sport mode. I could totally be making that up, though.

Someone look in their manual. I don't have mine with me.

Efivefive

sport 2 lowers the ride height for sure!

I can see the car lowering when I hit the sport 2 button.

DarkStar

sport 2 does not lower my car....? it just firms up the damping...anyone else?

Quick E63

In sport 2 it will lower .6 only above 68 MPH

Benz-O-Rama

Yeah, I'm going with this. This sounds right to me. But I think it will lower in Sport I mode as well at 68 MPH.

hydeaway

Just talked to a MB SA and he mentioned that if you lower your car Via Star Diag it will go back to the default height if their is a power / battery loss. Is this right? Im thinking if its a setting change with the ECU it will be a memory save. What do you guys think?

zdkdeeier493

Im assuming this is correct. Usually when there is total power loss the car reverts back to default settings. I dont think this is a setting with the ECU and it therefore won't stick.

DarkStar

but ride height affects alignment, so that would mean everytime you lose power you have to have the car aligned? I think the star method must save the settings to flash memory some where.

ChrisVannoy

TJ Bell

i think this is what your looking for? https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...ts-o-pics.html