CLS 63 AMG 2011 - AIRMATIC FAILURE (REAR) HELPPP

[sambam2006]

Hi guys,

As you all know we recently had snow for a good 3-4 days and now my CLS 63 Rear Air suspension has dropped on both sides and no longer functions.

Currently no dash lights or warnings, just says 'Vehicle raising, please wait' every time I start the car then message disappears, thing is the car does NOT raise and the noise it usually makes doesn't appear anymore.

I doubt it's a leak to the Air Spring bags as both sides can't fail at the same time surely.

I have the Star diagnosis and the error I got is: C156C00: System 'Compressed air distribution' is leaky

I have learnt and shared lot's of information about this model but never have I come across an Airmatic issue on a 2011 CLS 63 AMG (Rear Wheel drive)

I'd appreciate if anyone can give me any ideas? Where to start looking?

Things I have done so far:

• Used Star Diagnostic to raise each left or right strut and this test failed as none raised
• Star Diagnostic says 'Air Compressor malfunction when it tries to raise Bar pressure'
• Put the car on a ramp to see anything visual near the air springs (Had trouble getting car off the ramp after due to car being so low).

Note: CLS 63 AMG has front coil springs and air suspension on the rear only, just in case you weren't aware

See attached of my diagnosis using Star Testing, might give you some clues

 

[brucemillar]

Can you at any point hear the compressor running?

This is important:

1) Some errors will shut down power to the compressor
2) You "may" have blown the compressor fuse(s) or Relay?

If it has popped a fuse? When you replace the fuse be sure that the car is free to operate normally, with zero compressor errors and no obstructions or it will just blow the fuse again.

There was a chap on here this week who's air bags were frozen!!

 

[sambam2006]

Thanks for the reply

No I can't hear nothing, I'm guessing the compressor is underneath the car, I checked on both sides at rear and could not hear nothing. Normally I hear the noise all the time, but definitely can't hear anything.

How many fuses does this have? And do you know where the relay is located?

Frozen air bags? ouch...I know these airbags dont come cheap either

 

[AMGeed]

The pump is inside the front n/s wheel arch liner, same as mine although I never hear it.

 

[brucemillar]

What you describe may well be that your pump has been trying to keep up with a leak and lost the fight. The pump is designed to top up the system and NOT to compensate for leaks. When they run continuously, they destroy the compressor piston ring and seals, leaving the pump with no puff.

Help is at hand. But you really need to get a proper diagnosis done to avoid splashing cash where it is not required. The compressor can be refurbished as a DIY with a kit from www.bagpipingandy.com

But you need to establish if that is definitely what has failed. If the system has leak? then repairing the compressor will just cause it to burn out your new piston ring very quickly as it tries to keep up the pressure on the leak.

If the pump has stopped working altogether? You need to establish if it has fused (I don't your car) or been disabled by the ECU?

 

[HectorMudflap]

Well this is my first post and its the reason I joined the forum.. It's on the same topic. In between Christmas and New Year I bought my very first ever Mercedes from a fairly well known dealer in Nuneaton and all was fine on the drive home (bar suddenly realising that Mercedes are so much classier than the Audis I was used to and that this particular model (CLS 350 Shooting brake) is absolutely horrendous in snow. (borderline dangerous IMHO) All was well through January and then the problem started with the rear suspension. Like the chap with the AMG the rear of my car has decided to sit about 2cm from the top of the tyre rendering it marooned in the drive way. ( I have a huge dip between driveway and road). The dealer suggested I get the RAC to bring it to them ( I live outside Edinburgh) but the RAC say its not a breakdown and my warranty doesn't cover getting the car to the Dealer (surprise surprise). An independent dealer came out and ran his diagnostic machine to which the Dealer said was not worth bringing the car in for and told me to take it to a local. Thats what I will do but I noticed that the car came back up again when he was doing his "thing" which leads me tot he question.. Do these diagnostic tools reset the faults ? Can anyone tell me what these faults mean I'm going to have to spend. Can anyone recommend wether to purchase a machine or not and if so what one. I like to know whats going on so they do appeal to me. Based on the cars we have in the household can anyone advise on the one to get that covers more than the Mercedes.
mercedes v48.40
Code
c155e13 - pressure relief valve for system has malfunction. there is an open circuit -current and stored
c156884 - the right rear vehicle level is outside the tolerance . There is a signal below the permissible limit value
c156884 - the left etc etc etc

Any advice and opinion would be appreciated.

 

[sosen13]

Well this is my first post and its the reason I joined the forum.. It's on the same topic. In between Christmas and New Year I bought my very first ever Mercedes from a fairly well known dealer in Nuneaton and all was fine on the drive home (bar suddenly realising that Mercedes are so much classier than the Audis I was used to and that this particular model (CLS 350 Shooting brake) is absolutely horrendous in snow. (borderline dangerous IMHO) All was well through January and then the problem started with the rear suspension. Like the chap with the AMG the rear of my car has decided to sit about 2cm from the top of the tyre rendering it marooned in the drive way. ( I have a huge dip between driveway and road). The dealer suggested I get the RAC to bring it to them ( I live outside Edinburgh) but the RAC say its not a breakdown and my warranty doesn't cover getting the car to the Dealer (surprise surprise). An independent dealer came out and ran his diagnostic machine to which the Dealer said was not worth bringing the car in for and told me to take it to a local. Thats what I will do but I noticed that the car came back up again when he was doing his "thing" which leads me tot he question.. Do these diagnostic tools reset the faults ? Can anyone tell me what these faults mean I'm going to have to spend. Can anyone recommend wether to purchase a machine or not and if so what one. I like to know whats going on so they do appeal to me. Based on the cars we have in the household can anyone advise on the one to get that covers more than the Mercedes.
mercedes v48.40
Code
c155e13 - pressure relief valve for system has malfunction. there is an open circuit -current and stored
c156884 - the right rear vehicle level is outside the tolerance . There is a signal below the permissible limit value
c156884 - the left etc etc etc

Any advice and opinion would be appreciated.

not the very good info is cls really suffer from air suspension issues.
i have cls shooting brake 350 cdi as well. owned car for about half year now. suspension were going down in december every night. but every day once engine start it rise up corrctly in the matter of 10seconds. no dashboard messages. in same time i had battery malfunction. local friendly garage fited new genuine battery, same time connected to star and clear all the faults and run diagnose on suspension (worked ok). since then - surprise surprise - no problems with anything. looks like star diagnose helped and put suspension to work as it should.
(btw yesterday i had cjance to drive it in pretty big snow and drive was very controlled and enjoyable)

 

[brucemillar]

Well this is my first post and its the reason I joined the forum.. It's on the same topic. In between Christmas and New Year I bought my very first ever Mercedes from a fairly well known dealer in Nuneaton and all was fine on the drive home (bar suddenly realising that Mercedes are so much classier than the Audis I was used to and that this particular model (CLS 350 Shooting brake) is absolutely horrendous in snow. (borderline dangerous IMHO) All was well through January and then the problem started with the rear suspension. Like the chap with the AMG the rear of my car has decided to sit about 2cm from the top of the tyre rendering it marooned in the drive way. ( I have a huge dip between driveway and road). The dealer suggested I get the RAC to bring it to them ( I live outside Edinburgh) but the RAC say its not a breakdown and my warranty doesn't cover getting the car to the Dealer (surprise surprise). An independent dealer came out and ran his diagnostic machine to which the Dealer said was not worth bringing the car in for and told me to take it to a local. Thats what I will do but I noticed that the car came back up again when he was doing his "thing" which leads me tot he question.. Do these diagnostic tools reset the faults ? Can anyone tell me what these faults mean I'm going to have to spend. Can anyone recommend wether to purchase a machine or not and if so what one. I like to know whats going on so they do appeal to me. Based on the cars we have in the household can anyone advise on the one to get that covers more than the Mercedes.
mercedes v48.40
Code
c155e13 - pressure relief valve for system has malfunction. there is an open circuit -current and stored
c156884 - the right rear vehicle level is outside the tolerance . There is a signal below the permissible limit value
c156884 - the left etc etc etc

Any advice and opinion would be appreciated.

I would suspect a leak at the right rear bag or strut (not sure what you have)

This will trigger a code as the sensor detects the rear has dropped out of range.

However this is speculation. The system uses several sensors that interact with the ecu. The ecu uses tolerances and algorithms to tell the compressor to pump and the valves where to open etc.

Most failures are caused by leaks at the actual bags or struts. This then leads to the compressor overworking and damaging itself.

Do you have any warranty?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HectorMudflap]

Sosen13- BruceMillar: Thank you very much for answering guys. I didn't see anything about this model having any recognised "inbuilt' faults but as with anything I suppose- things go wrong. I didn't realise that it was an air system prior to buying or I might have thought more about the purchase. I had a Land Rover that had air suspension and it was a complete disaster. This cold snap may have exacerbated the problem but it's a very very slow drop over the space of maybe a week and a half. The dealer has stated that it could be the filter where the system draws air in and although I do have a warranty it's a 500 mile trip and a day in a hotel. Thats why I'm thinking of buying a code reader/ reset thing? I realise the issue won't go away bit it may buy some time to get to the garage at a more convenient time for me. It's a bit depressing though. First time I have ever bought a Mercedes. I might change the battery though. When I bought the car it had been sitting for a few months (6) and was extremely reluctant to start. I'm not thinking it's the struts or a leak as it would be odd to have it both at the same time unless they are connected? Do you guys know if you actually hear the compressor running? Should I hear it? Would a code reader tell me if the battery was a bit goosed? Sorry, appreciate the answer though I have lots of questions.

 

[sosen13]

Sosen13- BruceMillar: Thank you very much for answering guys. I didn't see anything about this model having any recognised "inbuilt' faults but as with anything I suppose- things go wrong. I didn't realise that it was an air system prior to buying or I might have thought more about the purchase. I had a Land Rover that had air suspension and it was a complete disaster. This cold snap may have exacerbated the problem but it's a very very slow drop over the space of maybe a week and a half. The dealer has stated that it could be the filter where the system draws air in and although I do have a warranty it's a 500 mile trip and a day in a hotel. Thats why I'm thinking of buying a code reader/ reset thing? I realise the issue won't go away bit it may buy some time to get to the garage at a more convenient time for me. It's a bit depressing though. First time I have ever bought a Mercedes. I might change the battery though. When I bought the car it had been sitting for a few months (6) and was extremely reluctant to start. I'm not thinking it's the struts or a leak as it would be odd to have it both at the same time unless they are connected? Do you guys know if you actually hear the compressor running? Should I hear it? Would a code reader tell me if the battery was a bit goosed? Sorry, appreciate the answer though I have lots of questions.

as far as i know even whae one side only fail, both sides will be affected (if this is what you have asked)
battery malfunction was there before i guess, only once start showing on dashboard i managed to change it witin a week
yes, you can hear compressor running when it make the car rising (rear nearside)

 

[brucemillar]

The system is repairable and need not bankrupt anybody.

www.bagpipingandy.com

is a great place to start.

At the end of the day, it’s a small pump blowing up some bags. You just need to locate the leak. Fairy liquid, water and a squirt bottle are a must.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sambam2006]

Thanks everyone for your replies

I managed to check fuses and only found Airmatic fuse located in the rear trunk fuse box (15amp), it's not blown and seems fine.
I found the Airmatic Relay within the trunk line and the central reservoir, all seems fine there. The relay I have no way of checking if it's working fine or not as it doesn't show any signs, so I may have to purchase a new relay.

I have noticed the car is still completely losing air pressure from both rear suspension airbags as Star diagnosis is showing 0.47 bar, was higher yesterday.

Snow is slowly clearing up so I might jack it up tomorrow to see the condition of Airmatic compressor and valve unit if I can reach it, Are these located at the Rear, passenger side?

And as the car is already really low is it safe to jack up the rear passenger side?

I was so looking forward to drift in the snow :-(

 

[toolman1954]

@HectorMudflap,
Where abouts in Fife are you, as you are welcome to plug my MB2 into your wagon, to see if its what you want. Also, IMHO, to survive the winter, you really need a set of winter tyres, I would not want to be driving about without mine. I am back in Northampton at the moment, but going back up to Fife in a weeks time.

Steve

 

[HectorMudflap]

Hi Steve, Im in Thornton between Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy so if you are passing I would appreciate it. I have asked the Merc guy again to come and see but he hasnt got back to me. Probably the crazy weather we have had here. Is it worth buying a diagnostic machine? Is there one for every car brand ? My mum bought a new Polo from VW and got one with the car. Unless they didn't mean to leave it?! If the machine sees an error can you clear it and assume the suspension will rise again? That is what happened the last time.


Im now looking at Snowshoes for the car as I really was not impressed. Many years ago when I was quite a bit younger I had a 3ltre twin turbo Skyline. This was as close as I have come to the Mercedes for un-driveability in snow. (it had a "snow" setting switch next to the gear selector though I'm not sure it made any real difference)

 

[sosen13]

Thanks everyone for your replies

I managed to check fuses and only found Airmatic fuse located in the rear trunk fuse box (15amp), it's not blown and seems fine.
I found the Airmatic Relay within the trunk line and the central reservoir, all seems fine there. The relay I have no way of checking if it's working fine or not as it doesn't show any signs, so I may have to purchase a new relay.

I have noticed the car is still completely losing air pressure from both rear suspension airbags as Star diagnosis is showing 0.47 bar, was higher yesterday.

Snow is slowly clearing up so I might jack it up tomorrow to see the condition of Airmatic compressor and valve unit if I can reach it, Are these located at the Rear, passenger side?

And as the car is already really low is it safe to jack up the rear passenger side?

I was so looking forward to drift in the snow :-(

I think it is located on rear driver side, quite sure I can here it from there, but someone would need to confirm

 

[toolman1954]

@HectorMudflap ....Thornton is no problem, until you have 30 posts under your belt, you can not use the PM facility, but we can work something out.
Is a diagnotic machine worthwhile? ... Mine has already repaid its cost. I see you have used the terms "Independent Dealer" and now " Merc guy ", as far as I am aware, nearest Mercedes Dealers with a Star ( Mercedes own Diagnostic ) would be Edinburgh, not that I have ever been there. There is no one, as far as I am aware in our area, who is specifically a Mercedes Independent, so having your own scanner is a must. Here in Northampton, Star Diagnostics is £70.00 plus vat.
Battery...... did you get any service history with the car? to show when you last had a new battery or is it the original? The big Mercs are very power hungry and having a decent battery is a must.
Snowsocks... (as opposed to snowshoes ! ) never used them, but others swear by them for driving in the snow rather than using chains. This recent bout of snowy weather has been extreme. In quite a few past years I can never recall it ever being as bad as it has been in the Fife area, so how often might you use snowsocks. I still would suggest you get a set of winter tyres which will grip better at below 6 degrees, rather than running about on summer wet tyres. But again its down to personal choice.

Steve

 

[HectorMudflap]

@HectorMudflap ....Thornton is no problem, until you have 30 posts under your belt, you can not use the PM facility, but we can work something out.
Is a diagnotic machine worthwhile? ... Mine has already repaid its cost. I see you have used the terms "Independent Dealer" and now " Merc guy ", as far as I am aware, nearest Mercedes Dealers with a Star ( Mercedes own Diagnostic ) would be Edinburgh, not that I have ever been there. There is no one, as far as I am aware in our area, who is specifically a Mercedes Independent, so having your own scanner is a must. Here in Northampton, Star Diagnostics is £70.00 plus vat.
Battery...... did you get any service history with the car? to show when you last had a new battery or is it the original? The big Mercs are very power hungry and having a decent battery is a must.
Snowsocks... (as opposed to snowshoes ! ) never used them, but others swear by them for driving in the snow rather than using chains. This recent bout of snowy weather has been extreme. In quite a few past years I can never recall it ever being as bad as it has been in the Fife area, so how often might you use snowsocks. I still would suggest you get a set of winter tyres which will grip better at below 6 degrees, rather than running about on summer wet tyres. But again its down to personal choice.

Steve

Good stuff! There are a few independents but I have a guy who used to work with Mercedes in Edinburgh but now has his own place in Fife. His name is One (has a brother called Two - not joking though most people call him Sam. He has extremely eccentric Hippy parents) He still has diagnostic kit and is coming this evening to put the back up again. Crazy situation but I have to go to Aberdeen tomorrow and the only other option is my electric car. There is no service history file as apparently it's all held online?? I haven't even looked which is pretty poor I know. I took the car on face value and although this fault has appeared I still know the car was a bargain. I just need it fixed. A new battery from the dealer is ........£306 plus vat.........from Autoparts (my mates account)..... £136 plus vat... What a ripoff the dealers are!!!
Would you suggest I get a diagnostic and if so which one at what price? You are right about the local independent being in Edinburgh though I hear bad things about them almost constantly from my extremely rich friend who drives an AMG purchased from them. In reality though it's the cost of stepping foot in there that put me off more! The dealer I got the car from think its a sensor thats blocked or dirty and not reading correctly and have offered to get a mechanic of my choice to look at it so again that will be done tonight. When are you next in town? I agree about the weather - in all my days I have never seen it that bad. I actually got stuck in Dunfermline with no trains and no buses. I ended up bunking up with a mate from the football. Crazy. It's snowing right now again. Flooding of the roads is the next big worry.

 

[sosen13]

Good stuff! There are a few independents but I have a guy who used to work with Mercedes in Edinburgh but now has his own place in Fife. His name is One (has a brother called Two - not joking though most people call him Sam. He has extremely eccentric Hippy parents) He still has diagnostic kit and is coming this evening to put the back up again. Crazy situation but I have to go to Aberdeen tomorrow and the only other option is my electric car. There is no service history file as apparently it's all held online?? I haven't even looked which is pretty poor I know. I took the car on face value and although this fault has appeared I still know the car was a bargain. I just need it fixed. A new battery from the dealer is ........£306 plus vat.........from Autoparts (my mates account)..... £136 plus vat... What a ripoff the dealers are!!!
Would you suggest I get a diagnostic and if so which one at what price? You are right about the local independent being in Edinburgh though I hear bad things about them almost constantly from my extremely rich friend who drives an AMG purchased from them. In reality though it's the cost of stepping foot in there that put me off more! The dealer I got the car from think its a sensor thats blocked or dirty and not reading correctly and have offered to get a mechanic of my choice to look at it so again that will be done tonight. When are you next in town? I agree about the weather - in all my days I have never seen it that bad. I actually got stuck in Dunfermline with no trains and no buses. I ended up bunking up with a mate from the football. Crazy. It's snowing right now again. Flooding of the roads is the next big worry.

just to add some info about battery - you may not need one. in my case i knew it is battery as i have got this info on dashboard and some function in car stopped working (like HOLD brake). and anyway it is auxliary battery located next to spare wheel (not the main one) and from merc dealer cost £92

 

[PaulXC]

I had this happen on my 2015 CLS 350d SB.

Turned out to be a loose fuse. MB recovered and fixed thou so not 100% sure where the fuse was though I think it's in the rear panel somewhere near the filler neck. With mine the emergency pull for the filler cap was replaced under warranty coz it had snapped and I think during that repair the fuse panel got disturbed.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Hi Steve, Im in Thornton between Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy so if you are passing I would appreciate it. I have asked the Merc guy again to come and see but he hasnt got back to me. Probably the crazy weather we have had here. Is it worth buying a diagnostic machine? Is there one for every car brand ? My mum bought a new Polo from VW and got one with the car. Unless they didn't mean to leave it?! If the machine sees an error can you clear it and assume the suspension will rise again? That is what happened the last time.


Im now looking at Snowshoes for the car as I really was not impressed. Many years ago when I was quite a bit younger I had a 3ltre twin turbo Skyline. This was as close as I have come to the Mercedes for un-driveability in snow. (it had a "snow" setting switch next to the gear selector though I'm not sure it made any real difference)

Your mom might have got one free with her new Polo, but that was by accident, some mechanic at the dealership is probably still standing there scratching his head wondering where the bloody hell the diagnostic tool is