Airmatic compressor rebuild service anyone??

[Abb]

The airmatic compressor began to play up a few months ago, becoming very noisey albeit working fine.

(Original thread ML W166 Air compressor noises )

It was replaced by my indie with an exact one as per OEM without the MB logo or price. Aerosus supplied me with the correct AMK one, it was duly fitted early this year and now that too has given up the ghost and needs replacing.

I have contacted the supplier and basically been told to raise a PP claim!

The car is with the indie, up on his 4 post lift and will remain there until I can supply a compressor.

So while I wait for a refund/replacement from the supplier, does anyone know if anyone companies offer a rebuild service? I know I can buy 'kits' but don't really have the time nor inclination to take on the task. So I can have the OEM refurbed/rebuilt, whilst the supplier decides what they want to do.

I don't want to buy yet another unit incase the company wont refund me and offer a replacement (which then obv means I have a brand new unit which is surplus).

Indy is 100% confident its a faulty unit, all other checks on the airmatic reveal no anomolies.

One things for sure, as nice as airmatic is, I will make sure the next one doesn't have it. Funny how things change, I always wanted airmatic and would not buy a car without it, and after the CLS 55 and now the ML, I wouldn't thank you for it!

 

[Will]

I’ve had three cars with air suspension with mileages ranging from 11k to over 150k and none of them have had evidence of a compressor being replaced, although one had a new relay around the same time it had new front struts.

I could be wrong here but I thought some of the classic causes of compressor and relay failure were due to them being overworked whilst trying to maintain correct ride height due to leaks (airlines, valve block or suspension units)

Are you and your garage certain there’s no leaks in the suspension? My E63 passed all the usual checks on the suspension but it definitely had a leak on the rear airbags which were duly replaced under warranty. It doesn’t drop at all now, whereas before it would drop a few mm a day over the course of say a week. That is on a low mileage car but it’s perhaps just as likely to age?

Reading on these forums there’s quite a few people with other slow or intermittent leaks on their air suspension on various different models. Definitely worth considering if this is the third pump now.

 

[Abb]

Thing is Will, the car does not drop at all, whether it is parked up overnight or for a week. My thoughts were it must be a leak somewhere causing the compressor to overrun and burn out, but my indy says not.

A second opinion may not be a bad idea, but it needs a compressor re fitted to make that happen. Hmmmmmm.

 

[Vick N]

I've got a rebuild kit from mine and it looks awfuly simple once the compressor is removed.

If you can pop up to me one Saturday, I'll happily rebuild your old unit for fellow club member, just get a rebuild kit for it.

I'm also in Leeds if you want to take me up on that offer.

 

[Abb]

You have PM.

 

[AndrewOl]

My X164 GL would intermittently leak from one of the rear bags depending on position of suspension/phase of moon. Rarely noticed any drop but eventually did for the compressor. They seem to go due to dirt/grit getting into the fold of the bag. Aerosus recommend extending bag to maximum height and washing surface to remove dirt. Easier said than done. It is difficult to gauge how long the pump is running as they are nice and quiet when new. Leak has got to be favourite. Have you tried spraying some soapy water around when at Max ride height?

 

[AndrewOl]

My X164 GL would intermittently leak from one of the rear bags depending on position of suspension/phase of moon. Rarely noticed any drop but eventually did for the compressor. They seem to go due to dirt/grit getting into the fold of the bag. Aerosus recommend extending bag to maximum height and washing surface to remove dirt. Easier said than done. It is difficult to gauge how long the pump is running as they are nice and quiet when new. Leak has got to be favourite. Have you tried spraying some soapy water around when at Max ride height?

 

[Abb]

As an update to this thread. Aerosus have now recontacted me regarding the compressor which I returned to them and have stated that it is not a faulty unit. The compressor has failed due to severe water ingress! It never lost any height at any corner, but the noise was horrendous coming from the compressor when it failed.

Having looked into this a bit more, I came across this thread:

Another Airmatic Question - Mercedes-Benz Forum

Albeit a different model, mine has the exact same symptoms. Everything now points to a split hose (inlet I believe) which is very difficult to notice apparently, which is letting in moisture and debris and rendering the compressor useless!

In short, it would appear when my initial compressor was beginning to make noises, this must have been the onset of the pipe failing. As when I stripped this down, the dessicant inside the chamber was damp.
If the dessicant had been changed at this point and the pipe/hose replaced, I probably wouldn't have needed another compressor. Let alone having to buy a second replacement one due to the first replacement failing having not correctly identified the root cause of the issue.

As a new compressor was installed and the inlet pipe no doubt was disturbed, I can only assume this made the damage worse and caused the unit to fail dramatically in such a short space of time.

I have placed an order for the aforementioned compressor with an official UK distributor of AMK compressors and once I take said unit to my indy, I will be pointing him in the direction of this pipe/hose which I am hoping is the cause of my issues! Wish me luck!

I will be updating this once the new compressor has arrived and has been installed following a full check and replacement of any hoses.

Pic of a 10 week old compressor which is now defunct due to the amount of debris and water which has entered the housing!