Intermittent air ride message

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willie3204

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Getting the dreaded check air ride message randomly after cold starting the car or while driving.
I swear it comes most often when the weather is colder or the sun isnt out. When the car pumps up it keeps the air (at least in the back) for days without issue.
The car is sensor lowered (unfortunately) which I'm wondering if it has anything to do with it.
What do you guys think? Bad relay? Compressor? I wish I could pull the codes off it
 
Most likely a leak. Fronts can do some crazy things. My 97 had simular symptoms as yours. Car could sit for days and not drop a hair. I found the leak by accident. One day driving on divided highway next to the barrier with my window open, everytime i hit a dip in the road i could hear pisst when the car came up.
 
Hey Willie I wouldn't dread it. Our systems are inexpensive compared to other cars with similar suspensions. I was looking at a 2001 Mercedes CL500, its suspension can raise and lower the car just like the M8's with an ASHAM8 or Rays Switch installed. The CL front struts cost $2457.78 + you need to fork out $508 for the core charges + taxes.
That vs. $299.50 for our front struts +$31 to ship to Canada +$50 duties to import into Canada, which you being in the States won't have to pay. Our struts are much easier to change too - being air vs hydraulic fluid. The CL also has valve blocks that are $1200+USD that need to changed. I read MB forums where they say it costs $10000 dollars if you need to replace the pump, valve blocks and all 4 struts.

And that is remanufactured parts for CL vs new for M8.

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You may have one bad sensor. My M8 was doing that for a while, car would stay up for many days, then drop over night. Ended up being a bad front sensor. Later on it would continuously raise the front as high as it would go. If this happens to you shut off suspension to avoid damage to you strut. The sensor thinks its low when it is not and continues to add air beyond the max value they were designed for.
 
willie3204 said:
Getting the dreaded check air ride message randomly after cold starting the car or while driving.
I swear it comes most often when the weather is colder or the sun isnt out. When the car pumps up it keeps the air (at least in the back) for days without issue.
The car is sensor lowered (unfortunately) which I'm wondering if it has anything to do with it.
What do you guys think? Bad relay? Compressor? I wish I could pull the codes off it
Click to expand...
 
I have the same problem 3 years ago and avoided replacing compressor . My mark 8 while in my drive , its compressor burnt out and allowed the mark to sit on its frame smack dab on my gravel drive. Tow truck driver said there's no way to lift the car except a wheel llift. Willie, Don't wait, have nice mark fixed with a comp or relay now before the car cant be moved. Its either pay now or pay later or you won't be driving it. Do it now. I wish someone had told me back then
 
I realize I never mentioned the answer to this problem. Replaced the pump. No change. Tried 3 different relays for the pump. Some change as it would work the first time and then after driving once stop working.
This lead me to believe that there was an electrical issue with the cable connection to the relay. Every time the pump wouldn't come on, I'd unplug and plug the relay and it would start.

What I did was after being so frustrated from having to keep unplugging and unscrewing the relay to the pump I let it the relay rest in a different snug position inside the bumper. This has fixed the problem permanently over the last year. I'm guessing that cable contact is going bad somewhere and the position it was in forever no longer works. As I mentioned no issue for a year with he relay free floating somewhere!
It probably wont last forever but its good enough for my purposes....
 
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