Hello everyone,
Please bare with me as I'm a Newby to this forum.
I've recently purchased an S55 AMG...2000 model with 58,000 genuine miles on the clock.
Everything was going fine with the car but then as of a couple of days ago I came out 1 morning and the front of the car was sitting down on its bump stops. I thought this a bit strange as that's not the way I'd left it. So I started the car up and pushed the suspension button on the dash and the AIR MATIC SUSPENSION RISING information was displayed on the dash. I went out to the car yesterday evening..(the car had been left for 24 hours) and it was in the same state (front suspension on the bump stops)..this time I started the car up and it lifted its self and I drove off with no faults or messages on the dash. However,this time when I unlocked the car it sounded like a pump fired up which appeared to be on the offside front (uk spec car).
If anyone could offer some advice on this it would be much appreciated!!
Many thanks in advance
Scott

 

I thought S55 AMGs had a hydraulic suspension. but I could be wrong. usually the most common issues are the front strut tops leaking. or the pump goes bad, and relay and fuse. Most of the AMGs had hydraulic suspension because it was better for performance and handling. They just had a sportier suspension package.

 

Hi,
Thanks for your reply...as I say this is my 1st big merc so I'm not 100% sure what's going on...all I know is it has a lift button on the dash (which once again displays AIRMATIC RISING) and 2 sports suspension settings at the push of a button. Not sure if this indicates the suspension type I have?
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Scott

 

If you hear a pump running while the car is raising, or you can also look under the hood on the front strut tops and see if you see a white/clear plastic line going to the top of the strut, its Airmatic. But if its saying Airmatic rising then I could be wrong.

 

Hello mate,
I checked in the engine bay and it does have a small white hose coming from the top of each suspension strut. So on that note..do you have any ideas at all as to why I leave the car for more than 24 hours and its sitting down on its bump stops on the front?
Thanks
Scott

 

air leak.

Check the suspension valve. When those things start to go, it sometimes wont hold the air in the suspension like it supposed to and thus after sitting, the air eventually leaks out. But this usually results in the car sitting on all four corners.

Holes, especially small easy to miss holes, in the lines can cause uneven leaks and cause the symptoms you have.

If the car rises, then it's safe to assume the pump is working. A pump that is on it's way out and or weak usually will run and run and run and the care barely rises if at all (assuming the cause wasn't a major hose breakage). Check the hoses/lines, strut tops as those years gasket leaks are fairly common after some years, then the valve.

Even if the car lifts itself up, it shouldn't be on the bump stops every 24 hours.

The suspension buttons in the S55 has settings so do most if not all of the W220 line. One should be for comfort, one mid way sports and the other a bit lowered hugging the road full on sports mode (Although not low rider mode!) And the airmatic suspension rising light (not always a fault light) will sometimes come on if you press the button from the lowest setting to the highest setting (aka the car lets you know the car is rising.) Also I think the S55 like the S600 automatically lowers itself at higher speeds and while usually it does this without the driver even noticing, there have been some reports of the airmatic suspension rising light coming on briefly after getting off the highway (Or getting pulled over) as the suspension goes back to it's previous setting.