I went for an alignment to a reputable MB specialist and he said before he can do an alignment he needed to replace the control arm on the passenger side...$860 later the alignment is better but he said I have a leak in my struts. I got home from work today and after I turned the car off there was noise by the front passenger tire...then knocking and finally a smoke smell. From reading all the postings I figured that it's my compressor. What should I do about this whole suspension issue? AND What am I looking at for parts and labor on this problem?[:@]

 

All depends on what is meant by "Control Arm"
00 S500 is rack and pinion steering with two bottom suspension "arms". Torque which points 45 deg forward and Lower Control arm which is transverse and controls track more directly.
The Torque control arm has a rubber bush at the forward end....the rubber bush should be OK recognising the age of your vehicle. The other end has a ball joint which may have gone bad due to a damaged sealing boot and water ingress. Usual symptom soft rattle on uneven/knobbly surfaces at low speeds. Replace assembly to repair. easy 30 min job.
Tthe lower track control arm is of similar construction but the bush and ball joint are replaceable. Outer ball joint is usual culprit causing soft rattle on uneven surfaces. Needs to be real bad before it upsets tracking but can quite easily fail annual inspection for safety.
These can wear and cause "tracking" issues but which bit was wrong and what were the symptoms?
\More extensive job to replace outer ball joint and needs correct tools to push bush out etc PLUS the special bolt that holds the airstrut in place can RUST in place then you have a problem. Job is more like 1hr 30min Guess.
Point of this is your conclusion.

Figured out it is the computer!!

How do you come to this conclusion? Which computer, where is it, why do you think it is the computer that is wrong etc etc etc.

I ask Because the shop would have had to disconnect your airmatic strut from the lower control arm if indeed thay took this off.

Did they put it back correctly? Did they damage wiring / sensors in the area of the strut?

Why has problem occurred immediately after they did whatever they did.

Airmatic parts and compressors are a tad expensive. I believe the airmatic compressor is always on the RHS of the vehicle despite whether it is LH or RH drive. Its on the RHS in Europe in which case if the noise and smoke came from the compressor it wouldn't have come from the LHS!
Which control arm did they replace and on which side?

Please provide better symptoms and we will see if we can help.

Stuart

 

Thanks for your reply... Forgive me if I sound like I have no idea what I'm talking about
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My first question to them was why did this problem occur right after they fixed the "control arm". They told me the car has suspension problems from the get-go AFTER I took it back because it was making noises when they replaced the "control arm". I don't know exactly what they replaced they just said the "right control arm"...also that the left one soon needs to be replaced...didn't say anything about if it was the torque or lower track. He called me 20 min ago after I called there to tell him what happened to the compressor. He said he can replace the compressor for $900 (parts/labor/taxes) but will not be responsible if it goes out again due to the leak in the struts. The struts have a "tower" (when you pop the hood open there's one on each side) that is cracked and is leaking(left side). I want to believe that they didn't do anything funny because they only worked on the right side BUT...

Summary of symptoms:
1. Car makes knocking noises when hitting a little bump...right side only---was told it was the struts that need to be replaced
2. Compressor smoked and died on me---was told it can be replaced but not responsible for it if it goes out again due to leak
3. Leak/crack on "tower" of strut...left/driver side under hood---was told the whole strut needs to be replaced and can't be sealed
4. A while back...before I took the car to these guys I was on the freeway doing about 70mph and error "STOP, CAR TOO LOW"

 

1. Car makes knocking noises when hitting a little bump...right side only---was told it was the struts that need to be replaced
I would have said that it was the bottom ball joint = Track or Torque Control Arm. Looks like this is what it was and they rectified it.

2. Compressor smoked and died on me---was told it can be replaced but not responsible for it if it goes out again due to leak
Compressort has been running for an extended period due to leak from airmatic tower tops. The compressor is designed to only run intermittently.

3. Leak/crack on "tower" of strut...left/driver side under hood---was told the whole strut needs to be replaced and can't be sealed.
Known problem. Leak at this point causes air to leak from the air supply to the strut causing compressor to run for extended periods to keep car up.

4. A while back...before I took the car to these guys I was on the freeway doing about 70mph and error "STOP, CAR TOO LOW"
This is an early warning that the pump is struggling to keep up with demand and that the car was riding on the suspension "bump" stops. i,e, Fully deflated. The car is not stable in this condition and other services like stability control, ABS etc shut down.

Looks like the garage have a plausible story and that you have run into a patch of bad luck.

I'm afraid that airmatic is an expensive thing to repair. However I understand that you can repair the tower top leak without having to replace the entirte struts which are very expensive. I've seen the details on this site somewhere.

Stuart

 

Should I have the car towed to the shop or drive it there? about 7-8 miles from my house...

 

if the level is low, you can't drive the car. the tire will rub against the fender during bumps while turning, and will damage the front fender.
it must be the ball joint.

they must have put too much stress on the shock absorber during the removal procedure. it's on the same side where they're working at. that makes the leak worst.

strut can be repaired if the leak is on the top mount.

this is because of the leak. compressor got "run on time limit"

 

I wouldn't drive = No.
Your call.
Sleepwalker advised what happens if you do drive.
I agree with Sleepwalkers point about strain on the upper mounting as likely cause but I guess the garage only "finished the job off" rather than totally caused the problem.
Stuart

 

Thank you to both...
I will tow car in for service on Tuesday...My dad recommended a friend of his to look at the car...he also specializes in German cars...will let you know what happens.

 

I got the car back...my dad's friend said since this is a common problem, there is a repair kit for the air suspension. He replaced both sides and changed out the bad suspension compressor. The car seems fine now...just curious if this replacement kit is only a temporary fix and if it will go out again.

 

parts are not made to last forever.

it is a big challenge for the engineers to conquer such feat.

i'd say, yes.