New ML320 CDI Delivery - Check Tire Presures!!

[DUTCH]

I just took delivery of a 2007 ML320CDI yesterday with Airmatic suspension. No matter which of the three settings I tried, the ride was not at all good - harsh, uncontrolled, rolling like a ship at sea. I was not at all happy.

This AM I checked the tire pressures, and they were way off. Rear was at 36-37 psig and they're supposed to be 38 or 39. Fronts were 37-38 psig and they're supposed to be 32.

Fixed the pressures to what they're supposed to be; and viola, I had a new car. The ride is now fine in all settings.

You would think that the dealer prep guys would have checked this. Obviously, not!

[Gilly]

The 163s always had really high pressures "off the truck", probably due to the winching down they had to do on the car haulers. Some of the guys where I worked were really lazy on dropping the pressures down. They were sometimes so high it was easier to just pull the valve core out for a number of seconds to get them somewhat down to where they should be, then checking. Otherwise you were standing there a LONG time trying to just bleed the air out with a pressure gauge. I do remember a case just like you were talking about, tire pressures didn't seem to have been checked at all on PDI. Rock hard ride. And the PDI guy did a road test like that?
Gilly
PS: Oh, but he DID drop the spare down to 32............(60 psi compact spare)

[DUTCH]

Originally Posted by Gilly

The 163s always had really high pressures "off the truck", probably due to the winching down they had to do on the car haulers. Some of the guys where I worked were really lazy on dropping the pressures down. They were sometimes so high it was easier to just pull the valve core out for a number of seconds to get them somewhat down to where they should be, then checking. Otherwise you were standing there a LONG time trying to just bleed the air out with a pressure gauge. I do remember a case just like you were talking about, tire pressures didn't seem to have been checked at all on PDI. Rock hard ride. And the PDI guy did a road test like that?
Gilly
PS: Oh, but he DID drop the spare down to 32............(60 psi compact spare)

Thanks for the reminder. I didn't check that one.

I have a hunch that all the tires were in the 36-38 psig range to help seat them properly on their new rims, too.

I spent the big bucks for the P III package just to get the Airmatic Suspension. When I drove it home and tried the three different settings with no happiness in any of them, I was starting to wonder how much of a bath I would have to take in order to flip it.