sbtm

So what does this mean?

PeterUbers

Airmatic problem

gaspam

james bond ejector seat no longer working

PeterUbers

Erection malfunction in vehicle

Davidkuo0330

Misfire?

gaspam

the first answer was the correct one, airmatic malfunction, all other answers were just joking

airmatic malfunction could be just a loose ground wire, a bad compressor, leak in one of the airbags, leak in the compressor, and few other reasons but those are the most common

nycphotography

Your car tells you when it's time for coffee??

Davidkuo0330

Here is the answer I got from my SA manager:

You have an airmatic malfunction, possible leak in the air suspension system, strut, bags, compressor, pump. If issue is left ignored, suspension starts to lean to one side to the point the fenders will rub against the tires, control arms could rub.*

sbtm

Thanks guys. Went to the dealer and he gave me the same reasons as "possible leak in the air suspension system, strut, bags, compressor, pump".

Sounds like a major fix and out of warranty!!!

Got an appointment early next week to take it in! Wish my pocket good luck!

gaspam

your car does too... its called "Attention assist" and you can turn it on or off via steering wheel/dash inputs

it basically notices when you start to do repetitive minor swerving on long drives and interprets that as you are tired (or drunk lol) and tells you to pull over and get coffee

gaspam

well luckily the w212 e63's only have air suspension in the rear so shouldnt be too bad... on the e55's they had it in all 4 corners and the front suspension was much more expensive than the rear.

when i had my e55 i replaced mine myself when they failed and MB wanted $2500 per corner but i was able to get the parts for about $390 per corner from Arnott and do it myself

if it does end up being the rear air spring, you can get them from Arnott for $250 per corner https://www.arnottindustries.com/par...4_gid1219.html

nycphotography

I want coffee, gf doesn't. Gentle left right left right... HEY BABE! The car says we need coffee.

Brilliant!

otakki

When was your car built? It wasn't in mid 2011, was it?

There was that air bellow problem but newer air bellow parts starting with late 2011 built date seemed to have resolved the problem.

Doingmybest

Hello. Front airmatics sagging. Rear airmatics respond to OBD normally. Front don't fill with compressor filling. I've had spotty airmatic warnings by instrument cluster, car-and-up-arrow warning occasionally and vehicle ride has been fine. From the info provided, does this appear to be a shock failure issue only or have I more digging to do?

Scanner read

items today and car info:




DTC values

Active readings
active readings

Thank you.

CaliBenzDriver

Excellent survey job: clear status.


-- Your fronts bags are not filling....

-- Compressor does run.

-- Level sensors are working well.


> I would focus on your valves being internally rusted before suspecting bags that normally do not fail together.

Doingmybest

Thank you. I'll begin at central reservoir charge valve.


https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...g-airmatic.pdf

Doingmybest

New valve block installed. Left inflated, right remains low. OBD old data:



new data:


New sensor OTW.

CaliBenzDriver

Great job!
Now let's use soapy water in a spray bottle to look for air leaks at hose connections and at air bag itself.

Your sensor data looks accurately reporting.

I bet the initial air leak caused the compressor to pump up enough air volume to build up water condensate that oxidized unprotected valve inards.

Are you located where water freezes in winter below 0°C?

If so research a way to drain water condensate from this amazin' system. Truckers have this issue of frozen air brakes and use some type of antifreeze alcohol.

Doingmybest

"Now let's use soapy water in a spray bottle to look for air leaks at hose connections and at air bag itself."

Done. Audible leaking from inside the bellows though the soapy water showed no clear evidence of outflow.

Yes. It is often below zero here.

New shock otw.

Thank you for your input. I use it all.

CaliBenzDriver

.... in this case shocks take an "S" for a pair

You do not want weird front end behaviors or at least take it easy if L/R handling is uneven.

Your excellent labor discount is paying for all your repair parts.

Doingmybest

Ah-ha. ^^^^^^^^^^^^

Again thank you.

Doingmybest

Hello Cali,

First, thank you again. Install went well enough. Pulled off the deflated wheel and check this:

Bummer.

Pounding the underside with a prybar and hammer shook the assembly to pieces. Housing was sticky. Clamp stopped prybar slipping.

Proximal shaft wouldn't seat by hand. Lining up the axle as much as possible and tapping it with a heavy hammer with wood in-between worked. Disassembling the suspension for axle removal was minimal as the shock was out.

I used this for shock deflation:


One shock came deflated. One shock came inflated. One shock was hand-compressible. One shock was not. A ratchet strap overcame the tension.

After install of both shocks the YOUCANIC OBD was able to inflate to ride height and diag some little stuff quickly. A sticky lower valve DTC took care of itself after repeated clear code-drive-clear code. Oh...the little plug wires are bendable!

Anyhow thanks again! Total cost ~$1200. Got some more cool tools. Personal Best: Dropped only one foul word.

The rest of shouldn't-have-done-that moments I'll skip. Have a great day.

CaliBenzDriver

Congrats you did really good on that project.


Let me me point another little something....

RUSTED BRAKE LINES
These rusted brake lines are known to burst.

You'll want to stop the rust wasting your steel or change the exposed sections front + back or the complete length.

Trusted brand

I don't live in the rust belt but know there is a rust inhibitor chemical that can help stop rust. I have no experience with that.

Doingmybest

"Apply product: If you are using a rust remover or dissolver jelly, apply it liberally to the rusted surface with a brush and allow it to work for 5 to 10 minutes. After the rust has been loosened, wipe it away with rags or paper towels and dispose of these. Now you are ready to prime and paint the surface."

Will do.

CaliBenzDriver

... be careful these are your precious life lines!
Do some research and testing prior to applying.

Some ppl use organic oil film to prevent oxygen from rusting unprotected steel.

I was just pointing what's around the corner so you don't climb a tree. These brake lines need attention.
There's a guy on YouTube that deeped his entire chassis into a mom-pom chemical bath to preserve his chassis for peanuts.
Stopping rust is done at the molecular level and something that helps win against rust is worth mentioning.