Can Airmatic be used to permanently raise car?

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do_not_reply1@mail.com - 06 Feb 2007 18:53 GMT

I recently purchased a 2006 E500 with the Airmatic suspension. As most
of you know, the Airmatic suspension is used for suspension tuning
(Comfort, Sport, etc.) and for vehicle level control (for example,
when driving through snow). I like the look of the car when the
suspension is raised using the vehicle level control button.
Otherwise, the rear of the car looks like I'm carrying a load of
bricks in the trunk. Unfortunately, the raised setting in vehicle
level control is automatically canceled after driving at 50 mph for 5
minutes. Does anyone know of a way to override this cancellation so
that the rear of the car will remain slightly raised? Thanks in
advance.

John E.

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-->> T.G. Lambach <<-- - 06 Feb 2007 22:58 GMT

Have dealer check that the rear level is correctly set. The car is under
warranty so it's free work; your idea may void the warranty.

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do_not_reply1@mail.com - 07 Feb 2007 18:30 GMT

On Feb 6, 5:58 pm, "-->> T.G. Lambach <<--" <"T.G. Lambach at
NoHamorSpamcomcast.net"> wrote:

> Have dealer check that the rear level is correctly set. The car is under
> warranty so it's free work; your idea may void the warranty.
> --
> © 2007 T.G.Lambach. Publication in any form requires prior written
> permission.

Thanks, T.G. I'm pretty sure the level is set correctly because I've
seen several other E500s that look the same way. Mercedes claims that
this "ground-hugging" look reduces drag and enhances fuel economy
(which it may do). The company can get away with keeping the car
fairly low because, unlike normally sprung vehicles, the Airmatic
system will keep the car at a consistent height, regardless of the
load.

Since my original post, I've learned about a Pro-Tronic system that
used to be produced by Eibach. This system allows the driver to vary
the ride height to his preference. For some reason, Eibach no longer
sells the device for the E-Class, but continues to sell it for the S-
Class.

It's not a big deal for me, but I do like the look of the car at the
increased ride height (it's only increased by about 0.8 inches). If I
do find a way to keep the increased height, I'll be sure it's
something I can reverse--your point about possibly voiding the
warranty is well taken. Thanks for your ideas.

John E.

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