Airmatic hose leaking on Mercedes E-Class S212

Question

I bought my well-maintained E-Class from a freelance dealer almost half a year ago (it was a company car that was continuously serviced and repaired by Mercedes).

Today I get into the car after work and the display says: The car is being raised, please wait. Nothing changed, so I went to Mercedes.

Costed €310 for patching a tube in a place where it was probably patched up. Then they said: Unfortunately the hose is now very short and could possibly break again because it is slightly stretched when it is lowered. If that should happen, you would have to disassemble everything and insert a completely new hose. That would be very complex and expensive.

I then asked if you couldn't just patch in a piece with 2 connectors?

Answer: Oh yes, you can ...

So I think that's really blatant now. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that I was helped spontaneously so quickly, but that's really not correct, is it? Instead of putting that under tension again, they could have used an extension straight away. The next time I have to pay €310 for that?

Answer 1

Do it Yourself. Buy high pressure hose (pneumatic hose) is available by the meter for low price. Doesn't need original MB. We have done it many times. Everything else is patchwork. Which was also from the workshop.

Answer 2

The basic problem with various workshops of German manufacturers (attention, personal opinion!) Is the workflow:

1. Plug in the diagnostic PC and wait for what the PC says.

2. Print out the repair instructions suggested by the PC according to the manufacturer, and simply carry out the repair.

3. Billing according to the given information.

No patchwork is described in the specifications, there are no repairs described, the whole part is simply exchanged. Then you get a bill of €300 for a 50 cent standard coupling and half an hour of work.

My tip: Should happen again, look for a small free workshop and have it fixed there. For a fraction of the cost. With a little bit of craftsmanship, you can do it yourself.

Comments

This is the one part that also leads to the fact that the mechanics have little experience of how to get a part back into operation. There is simply no time to try it. Not to mention the material and tools that you might need for a repair without a new part. Have a look in today's sterile workshop. There is not even a meter of hose unless it is supplied by the manufacturer.
 
But also the customers are totally decoupled from their vehicle, they hardly understand the technology and it is very difficult for them to understand the necessary repair steps.

Now the mechanic repairs a part for 2 hours.

This may only last for 4 weeks and then has to be removed and replaced.

The customer will not understand it and will be eaten the second time because of the 2 hours they have already paid.

Precisely because he does not understand that a repair with the old part is always just an attempt that takes time.

So I can understand the workshop that they can only exchange parts and want the chances of success that it works after the repair are higher and every fool who can read and has completed the apprenticeship as a motor vehicle mechanic can do the work.

This is where the other comes into play Customers who understand their vehicle and the scope of repairs also come less to the specialist workshop since many things can also be done by myself (I only get parts from MB myself)

As a result, the specialist workshop does not have to rethink its practice because the customers who come have no real alternative and cannot lead to a rethink.

I also use PTFE tubing for the Airmatic tubing by the meter.

However, the specialist workshop has the problem that every hose in a vehicle must be labeled and you must not install such hoses just like cheap bumpers or headlights that are under design protection.

There are a lot of other regulations that we private individuals do not have to comply with to repair them.