FYI - SLS shop error / service mistake - sensor arms!

[geargrinder]

Well doesn't that serve me right for taking car to a shop.

Had some work done because it was needed for an alignment and it worked best w other priorities to drop it to the alignment guys to do the work then align. Well...

Got it back and was AOK for a few miles... Then got SLS INACTIVE message, and car started riding terrible. Ended up on the bump stops. Very obviously it'd been running down the air during the drive and eventually hit the rock bottom.

Very long painful story short, the shop effed up on reassemble and swung the sensor arms past vertical down so when the control arms went back up the sensors were jammed on the opposite side that they are supposed to swing, and when down on the ground were totally jammed up. Basically made the car think it was still on the lift all the time.

I confirmed this w a visual first while still on the ground, then with an INPA read that showed "lift mode" active. Once I jacked it up it was purely a few mins to flip the sensors over to the proper side.

Immediately on setting the car down, it pumped up as normal and all was great.

Well except for fact the alignment was probably crap because the rear suspensh was borked when they did the job. So its going back tomorrow - thankfully in its own feet not on a flatbed.

But the whole adventure did make me think of some old posts/threads of guys who had had similar "all looks fine but SLS INACTIVE!?!?" Threads and I suspect the same has happened to others either with shops or with home work... Worth adding to the catalog of SLS "watchouts".

[schatzy62]

Glad to hear you were able to rectify the problem and lucky they did not break parts.

[Mike WW]

I started working on my cars because it was all I could afford. Then I got into it and enjoyed it. Now I don't trust anyone else.

Case in point. I just did the airbag recall on the E39 last week. Aside from taking 1.5 hours for a 5 minute job I ended up with a flat the next AM. Surely just a coincidence. Except they adjusted the tire pressures. Tire shop couldn't find a leak but replaced the valve core and it no longer leaks.

[adm750]

yeah....I've seen that before....usually we were fixing something some shadetree indy was doing. Same with the headlights...we'd get cars in with the adjusters flipped and owner complaining that the lights were aimed 1 foot in front of the car. I'd relay the issue to the owner after fixing it (n/c of course...) I'd get "I just had it in here with you guys and you were the ones that looked at the suspension..!!!" and I'd say "absolutely sir...we sure did...and whoever just put the new control arms on that we recommended...." Well...you know the rest...