fergsc32

So this is strange..not sure if this is a sign of a worsening prob or a fluky issue due to the crazy cold weather.

early december I went to a business trip..car was sitting for a week at airport garage and here in MA it was zero degrees every day.. Car has never sat for even 12 hrs without use. when i came back, the rear airmatic was deflated completely both sides. Started car, it raised and drove fine all was normal..even over the following days.

But ive since become a virtual worker, so now i hardly drive and now, with the car sitting in the sub zero temps, the rear always sits down eventually.
When I start the car, it always comes back up, i get no warnings, and it drives normally no issues.
My gut tells me the super cold air is impacting it being retained, but maybe that there is a likely a tiny leak that is not there with warm air. I just find it strange its both struts.....anyone think this is a sign of pending replacement.

Also, Im getting the battery low no convenience now that its been sitting.. but after brief driving all is good.

So Im not rushing out to buy batteries or struts... but I am curious as to the thoughts of the forum members....and if i should start budgeting for some repairs

WesttxJR

I've had the same exact thing happen to my car in cold weather too. Not nearly as cold as yours, but nonetheless, only when it's cold.

It's happened for a couple of years now...so you never know, especially with our suspension. The battery issue will go away with a little bit of driving, provided the battery and alternator are healthy.

GregMB

Get a good quality trickle charger (like the CTEK) and plug the car in...

The E55 seems to use quite a bit of battery power even when it's just sitting parked. Over time, you will end up with a low battery warning..... And it's definitely not good to use the alternator to charge your dead batteries.

-G

A.M.

Mine does the same thing if left outside in the cold. Rear end dumps. My neighbour put his 2012 e550 outside for a few days in minus 20 weather...whole right side ended up dumped. We are both in our garages now...no issues.

Something interesting as well. For two weeks my car was indoors, suspension did not budge....battery ended up dying from non use (extremely poor weather) and the rear dumped by the next day. Don't know if the two issues are related, but seems like an odd coincidence.

fergsc32

interesting... I actually feel better to hear this is not a one off that just im experiencing.....Ill probably replace the batteries anyway since I can see that both are the originals based on the date stamps.. sooo april 2006 to almost april 2015.....probably time batteries anyway

JDM_SXE-10

Mine does the same thing when the weather is cold.

bbirdwell

Different coefficients of expansion between metal, plastic, and rubber are opening up leak pathways from the pressurized system to the atmosphere.


Use a spray bottle and soapy water and you will quite possibly find they are still leaking, albeit slower.


Cold weather killed one of my connections. Cost me $4 to fix the leak....

ilko

I got the battery warning message the other day too. I'm in the deep freeze zone (NYC) and haven't been driving the car much lately. I think it sat for almost 2 weeks before I last started it. No issues w. the suspension though, just a battery warning.

zarevron

Had the same issue about 3 years back. Aluminum air tanks likely have small pinhole leaks in them from corrosion etc. My dealer had mine sent out to a local machine shop that fixed them for a few hundred - no leaks now even after sitting for months.



Apparently its not sold as a standalone replacement part and is quite pricey to replace.

MIkeA2

I have the same issue.. 2004 E500.. If it's cold, it ofter will sink down, but not always. If it doesn't sink downing about 30 minutes, it won't at all. And it only does this when it's cold. Could there be some valve that is sticking open during cold weather?

fergsc32

well..sound like it happens enough in the same conditios for me not to be overly concerned... if it goes awy when it gets warmer..then ill know for sure... but i guess no need to replace a strut just yet.

for the battery,(trunk) ill probably get a new one since mine is so old... pep boys actually carries a bosch type 49/H8 and with a current promo, is priced all the way down to 130 bucks...that is a total steal