I've got a 2011 e550 and am at around 8,500 so far at indy shops... When mine went out there were no aftermarket options available and front struts were around 1,500 each. I've replaced all air strugs and bags, the compressor, and manifold. The airmatic on the e550 is "rare" which makes it much more expensive. I previously had on 03 e350 and total replacement of that system was about half.
@@jackkennedy2587 Ouch! That is a lot of money on suspension. I’m surprised your front struts were so much money in parts, my OEM air struts were about $800 each. Hope all your suspension issues are solved after all that, sounds like a long process.
I’ve done 60,000 kms in mine so far no hint of a problem. I’m also under warranty for the next year or so. However I would pay what ever it is to fix it. Logically the only thing you can do as scrapping it would be the alternative
Try the Arnott Industries line of replacements for airmatic struts, springs, etc... Rear AirSpings=$377 (amazon) ea , front struts about $565 (Amazon) Lifetime warranty !
@@dbiker8902 I don’t think Arnott make anything for the front of the car. They can make the rear air bags however at the front there is air and also a shock with electrical connections they harden and lower as speed gets up
I enjoyed the tutorial on replacing the rear shocks. You mentioned in the vid that you would post the torque specs but I can't find them. If you still have them would you post then. tia
I have had all these issues but it’s never let me down I have changed one ! But they last for like 10-15 years just Maintain them nothing wrong with air matic .... an yes it is expensive!!! But he’s right it was easy to put inn!
On my 2014 cls 550 I don’t touch the suspension button at all ! Or the sport comfort one either causes I already know what can happen even though I have warranty !!
I paid 1300& for one new from Mercedes 1100 with a dealer discount there usually 1500$ with a warranty..... I paid 1300$ total with repair but when I seen how damn easy it was I was pissed 😤 !!!
I have heard the computer gets really mad and it is hard to get around all the warnings and such that you will set off. I imagine mechanically it could be done, but the tech side of it could be tough. A year later I am still really glad I have the Airmatic. It snowed here recently and I had to go down a dirt road covered in snow. Raised up the suspension and it went through like a champ.
Best thing I have done to my s550 is get rid of the sit attic. Replaced it with StrutMasters and love it. Ride is good and passengers cannot tell the difference.
Will likely be working on a similar conversion on an S430 soon. Definitely a viable option, especially if the car isn't worth a $2-4k repair investment. Glad to hear you have good experience with the StrutMasters kit.
nice video. what is the torque specs didn’t see it in the description? Did you ever replace the sway stabilizer links? if so what is the torque for that? really appreciate it. thanks
I unfortunately don’t have any experience with the CLS, nice looking cars. As you can tell I definitely recommend the E550 if you can find one. Good luck, hope you find one you like!
I have 2011 E550 sedan with air suspension and rear of the car goes down after 10-14 days of sitting. Should i change both struts and airbags for Rear.? Or just the bags.? It has 120K on it and rear struts & bags were never replaced. And do you think the part numbers would be same with a 4matic model.?
Some sagging is normal, especially if the car has sat for a long time. If you are only seeing sagging after 10-14 days, and it always pumps back up just fine, then I would leave it alone for now. Mine sags on the rear driver side after 2-3 days of sitting, pumps back up and holds just fine so I haven't messed with the bags. I will replace the bags if it gets worse. In the rear the bags and shocks are separate so you can do just the bags.
I have a 2011 E550 4matic.. and my front 2 air suspension went bad and they want 1800 for them and they said it’s only a matter of time before the back ones go out too... so I went on strutmasters and got the strut conversion kit. Is it hard to instal yourself?
Struts aren’t too bad to swap out, a torque wrench helps. Not sure about any of the computer side of it though. On the older Mercedes it is easy to fool the computer with a resistor. Not so much on the 2012, not sure about the 2011.
@@bucksgarage yeah I don’t blame on doing it myself.. I already order the strut conversion kit.. cause my car has been sitting on my drive for 5months. It’s completely undriveable do you know how much it would be to change the air suspension and change it to struts
@@christianberishaj5944 I tend to think shops overcharge for suspension work as it really isn’t that hard, but you do pay for the convenience of not doing it yourself. Not sure what else might be involved on a 2011 to make the computer happy. I know on the early 2000’s stuff it was pretty easy, not so sure about later years. Good luck, gotta get that sweet 550 back on the road!
@@bucksgarage mannnn I know and once I do the strut conversion kit on my air suspension the code on the dash won’t go away but then imma take it to Mercedes & have them work on the computing part I rather spend 1200 on a whole conversion kit then pay 1800+ on just the two front air suspension... just for the back to go out and spend another 1800+ for the bad.. I asked my mechanic should I just buy all 4 of them and he went on a rant on who I wouldn’t and then I said yeah I’m not spending a total of 3600+ on air suspension when I bought the strut conversion kit for 1200$ hopefully I can find someone experience enough to do the labor I’ll pay anything lmfao I just need my baby back on the road😂
Thanx for the awesome article! I got few questions, is normal when car is in idle for the few hours front to go lower than normal? And i tryed to calibrate with xentry, but im like lost how much wheels should be height my E350 4matic should be, also i don't know the values of the Axle Inclination, any help?
Mine does not sink once it has been running and fully pumped up. It will sag a bit, especially in the rear, if it sits for awhile. But it pumps up right away and holds its height. Unfortunately I have not used Xentry on my car. I did adjust the sensors by hand to get the car to sit level in the front, that just involved bending the sensor arm a bit.
I went with the Dampmatic because of the Airmatic price horror stories. Then I learned that superior quality parts can be purchased for 30% of OEM. But I think that Europe has more choices than the USA too. For what you have spent, I could replace shocks, springs and all control arms front and rear and still have enough for a car wash. Brands would be Bilstein, Arnott, Sachs and Myle; all meet or exceed OEM quality and durability.
I am thinking of getting e550 2010 86k Under 20k$ don’t know How the situation is with maintenance car fax shows 44 service records no air suspension work done Not sure
Does the 2010 come with air suspension? I haven't done much reading on the older version as I wanted to go with the BiTurbo M278. You might see if you cant try the M278 before you buy, it really is a great engine. I can get 28mpg on a road trip but then it is also really quick when you want it to be.
@@BEUSA42 yeah, mine had just over 90k on it when I bought it and all four shocks were blown. If yours are original they probably need replaced. Good luck with her!
Some say good things about them, others have really bad experiences with Arnott. I read all the reviews and forum posts I could find about them and decided Arnott was not reliable enough for me. Been very happy with the OEM parts so far. About time to do the rear airbags now and will go OEM again.
@@bucksgarage Thanks for your reply. I am going to install the Arnott ones, and let you know how they go. I replaced the rear air bags, and front strut/air bags last year with Arnotts. So far so good...
@@jamiejenniferbastien8770 Would definitely be interested to hear how they go. I like how easy this W212 airmatic stuff is to work on, but the OEM part prices are pretty killer.
Hey love the channel man keep them videos coming..Got a quick question from your experience can a bad tierd or lose control on the front driver side case the car to lean a little.also i notice when sitting in the car with the car on but engine off using the radio until ithe car shut itslef down when i drive off the airmtic feels out of wack until i get it recalibrated again have you ever experience this
I haven't experienced what you are describing in your second question, but I can help with the first. When I first bought my car it would not sit level in the front no matter what setting I had it on or how long I drove it. I found out that the mount for the front leveling sensor was bent. So the car thought it was level, but it was not. I found that those mounts are very easy to bend with your hand. So then it was just a lot of trial and error, bending the mounts, driving the car a bit, then checking to see if it was level. Took me a few tries but eventually I got it to sit straight. Might be the issue with yours as well.
Hey thanks for replying man i did get a new level senor for the front also new shocks for the front the car still sits low i did hit the front of the car with the wheels locked to the left pulling in my garage(it was a brick wall) replaced the bumper and everything(shocks was replaced after hitting the garage) i brought it to the dealership multiple times for alignment one time they told me the driverside side was not letting the car alignment properly so i need a cast and camber kit bolt or something like that not sure took it back for another alignment and rhey didnt menrion anything about the suspension..when in park and i turn the steering wheel i do hear a clunk(coming from driverside)i do see the ball joint for the tie rod(Driverside)looks a little flat a indy(my mechanic) told me control arm is loose but dealer tell me its okay...other wise from a bent mount on the senor can bad tie rod or control arm throw off the level (for the front..... for the Rear can a bad strut cause the to car tilt also and have a wobble feeling the rear dont semm to have a leaking problem but the car jus a leaning stance to it( when check measurements at Fender it seems fine) but from a far when walking up the car you can notice it sitting funny(jus the driverside rear does this)
@@starentveveo hmmmm yeah a bent control arm could certainly make the front end sit wrong. The back end would likely be a level sensor or something if your bags are fine. Mine does squat a bit on the drivers side if it sits for awhile. Once I start the car it levels out fine. Make sure you are checking levels with the car running and after driving it a bit so it can calibrate the way it should.
@@bucksgarage ok thanks for thr font ill check rhe control arms but for the rear is it possible thr strut itself(not thr air bag can make it sit lean)?
@@starentveveo I don’t think the strut should be making the rear not sit level, the airbag is responsible for ride height. Is it level once it’s driven a bit then sitting idling?
Thanks for the Vid ! I’m in the market for a 2012 E550. I heard that the airmatic is an option in the 2012+ and standard in the 2011-10. I would prefer a non airmatic just to avoid potential repairs in the future.
I hear ya, the non-airmatic is definitely cheaper to fix and not as prone to failure. But the Airmatic really does make the car so much more versatile. I just took a drive up to the mountains this weekend, the road was completely clear, but the town we went to had tons of snow. The final road to the cabin we were staying in had not been cleared, was slushy and had really big ruts in it. I put the car in "off-road mode" and it went right up the hill without issue. I would have been plowing snow with the front bumper without the Airmatic adjustability.
@@bucksgarage Coming back after 2 years from originally posting this. I ended up buying a 2014 e550 4matic with Airmatic. Unfortunately, it has been a horrible experience over the last 2 years. the car only had 40K miles when I bought it. The car is fantastic overall but other than the suspension issue. I would recommend anyone in the market for an e550 to just get regular springs instead of airmatic especially if you have potholes and bad roads where you live.
I have this same vehicle a2010 E550 non 4 matic. When I bought the car the front passenger side would drop after several hours of sitting. Luckily the previous owner had already replaced the rears. After my research I found the best deal on rock auto. The air struts were $495 each. When I got them, I thought they was the wrong ones as the top didn’t have the same shape and the new ones were round. I was stuck with rock auto as they don’t have a customer service. Their answer is always send them back. So I contacted the Arnott manufacturer. The guy assured me they were right. They actually redesigned them to be better. Then the best part, he says hey don’t get rid of your old ones. Well give you $125 each if you send them to us! So it dropped my price to $370 each! It took me 45 minutes to replace both sides! So easy!
How did you diagnose that your shocks were bad? My car has those clunking noises too in the front but also I have a malfunction on the dash and the suspension drops in the front. I assume I’m going to have to change the whole front suspension anyway.
My bags stayed inflated just fine, but there was some really bad clunking and crunching in the front. I thought it was probably shocks based on the sound, but did try replacing the sway bar end links first to see if I would get lucky and that would fix it, it didn't. I checked all the bushings and ball joints, etc. and they were all fine and tight. The indy mechanic that looked at it actually confirmed it for sure. He put the Mercedes STAR diagnostic tool on it and took it for a drive. They can adjust ride height on the fly with the computer so they drove it with the height maxed out and it still made noise. Then they drove with the shocks bottomed out and the noise went away completely. With no shock movement, there was no noise, so they confirmed it was the shocks causing the problem. Noise was gone once I replaced them.
I'm considering buying an E350. I'm basing everything on whether I can do the work myself or not. I have the skill to do pretty much anything on my acura (from timing belts to head gaskets, to clutch replacement), do I need a crazy amount of expensive tools to work on Mercedes?
I haven’t had to buy any special tools so far. It does seem like a STAR scan tool would be really helpful, but I have seen some aftermarket versions of those for under $500. May pick one up depending on how much it can do, I need to do more research on them. But as far as mechanics tools, I haven’t needed anything out of the ordinary.
@@bucksgarage thanks for your input! I'm getting an Autel Maxisys scanner, hopefully that'll be enough. After test driving an E350 I fell in love with the ride comfort, hard to go back lol
How much would you pay in repairs for the versatility of the Airmatic suspension? I am at $2,650 so far...
I've got a 2011 e550 and am at around 8,500 so far at indy shops... When mine went out there were no aftermarket options available and front struts were around 1,500 each. I've replaced all air strugs and bags, the compressor, and manifold. The airmatic on the e550 is "rare" which makes it much more expensive. I previously had on 03 e350 and total replacement of that system was about half.
@@jackkennedy2587 Ouch! That is a lot of money on suspension. I’m surprised your front struts were so much money in parts, my OEM air struts were about $800 each. Hope all your suspension issues are solved after all that, sounds like a long process.
I’ve done 60,000 kms in mine so far no hint of a problem. I’m also under warranty for the next year or so. However I would pay what ever it is to fix it. Logically the only thing you can do as scrapping it would be the alternative
Try the Arnott Industries line of replacements for airmatic struts, springs, etc... Rear AirSpings=$377 (amazon) ea , front struts about $565 (Amazon) Lifetime warranty !
@@dbiker8902 I don’t think Arnott make anything for the front of the car. They can make the rear air bags however at the front there is air and also a shock with electrical connections they harden and lower as speed gets up
I enjoyed the tutorial on replacing the rear shocks. You mentioned in the vid that you would post the torque specs but I can't find them. If you still have them would you post then. tia
Excellent content and editing.
Very kind. Thanks for watching!
I have had all these issues but it’s never let me down I have changed one ! But they last for like 10-15 years just Maintain them nothing wrong with air matic .... an yes it is expensive!!! But he’s right it was easy to put inn!
On my 2014 cls 550 I don’t touch the suspension button at all ! Or the sport comfort one either causes I already know what can happen even though I have warranty !!
Thank you for the great advice and information, so should be about the same for a 2012 CLS550 right?
Thank you
Yes I believe the CLS is pretty similar. Good luck, hope your repair goes smoothly!
I paid 1300& for one new from Mercedes 1100 with a dealer discount there usually 1500$ with a warranty..... I paid 1300$ total with repair but when I seen how damn easy it was I was pissed 😤 !!!
Yeah the parts cost is killer, nice that the actual work is easy to do, good way to save a bit of money.
Can we use the e350 front suspension non airmatic 4matic on a e550 4matic.? I know both cars are just the same.
I have heard the computer gets really mad and it is hard to get around all the warnings and such that you will set off. I imagine mechanically it could be done, but the tech side of it could be tough. A year later I am still really glad I have the Airmatic. It snowed here recently and I had to go down a dirt road covered in snow. Raised up the suspension and it went through like a champ.
Can anyone else vouch for mercedes websites that all look the same but have a discounted price from the dealer , is it legit?
Best thing I have done to my s550 is get rid of the sit attic. Replaced it with StrutMasters and love it. Ride is good and passengers cannot tell the difference.
Will likely be working on a similar conversion on an S430 soon. Definitely a viable option, especially if the car isn't worth a $2-4k repair investment. Glad to hear you have good experience with the StrutMasters kit.
How much was it to convert?
Mine has not failed me either yet.
How do you replace the airmatic suspension bag on the left rear?
nice video. what is the torque specs didn’t see it in the description? Did you ever replace the sway stabilizer links? if so what is the torque for that? really appreciate it. thanks
Thanks for the info I’m looking for a e550 or cls550 between 2010-2012 do
I unfortunately don’t have any experience with the CLS, nice looking cars. As you can tell I definitely recommend the E550 if you can find one. Good luck, hope you find one you like!
Thanks, you didn't provide the torque specs though...
Is it possible to convert back to airmatic from adjustable springs?
I have 2011 E550 sedan with air suspension and rear of the car goes down after 10-14 days of sitting. Should i change both struts and airbags for Rear.? Or just the bags.? It has 120K on it and rear struts & bags were never replaced.
And do you think the part numbers would be same with a 4matic model.?
Some sagging is normal, especially if the car has sat for a long time. If you are only seeing sagging after 10-14 days, and it always pumps back up just fine, then I would leave it alone for now. Mine sags on the rear driver side after 2-3 days of sitting, pumps back up and holds just fine so I haven't messed with the bags. I will replace the bags if it gets worse. In the rear the bags and shocks are separate so you can do just the bags.
17:49 Peeking out from the back seat...
Your content is good but just be a guy talking in your garage about a car you love. It’s better than the acting being cut in and out
I'll find my groove here over time. Appreciate the feedback and thanks for watching!
silas bolsas estan ien keaike chekiar fusibles okemas
I have a 2011 E550 4matic.. and my front 2 air suspension went bad and they want 1800 for them and they said it’s only a matter of time before the back ones go out too... so I went on strutmasters and got the strut conversion kit. Is it hard to instal yourself?
Struts aren’t too bad to swap out, a torque wrench helps. Not sure about any of the computer side of it though. On the older Mercedes it is easy to fool the computer with a resistor. Not so much on the 2012, not sure about the 2011.
@@bucksgarage yeah I don’t blame on doing it myself.. I already order the strut conversion kit.. cause my car has been sitting on my drive for 5months. It’s completely undriveable do you know how much it would be to change the air suspension and change it to struts
@@christianberishaj5944 I tend to think shops overcharge for suspension work as it really isn’t that hard, but you do pay for the convenience of not doing it yourself. Not sure what else might be involved on a 2011 to make the computer happy. I know on the early 2000’s stuff it was pretty easy, not so sure about later years. Good luck, gotta get that sweet 550 back on the road!
@@bucksgarage mannnn I know and once I do the strut conversion kit on my air suspension the code on the dash won’t go away but then imma take it to Mercedes & have them work on the computing part I rather spend 1200 on a whole conversion kit then pay 1800+ on just the two front air suspension... just for the back to go out and spend another 1800+ for the bad.. I asked my mechanic should I just buy all 4 of them and he went on a rant on who I wouldn’t and then I said yeah I’m not spending a total of 3600+ on air suspension when I bought the strut conversion kit for 1200$ hopefully I can find someone experience enough to do the labor I’ll pay anything lmfao I just need my baby back on the road😂
1200 for the full kit front & back struts.
can you tell me where did you buy front strut with air spring and what is the parts number?
please tell me
Website and parts numbers is in the video description.
Thanx for the awesome article!
I got few questions, is normal when car is in idle for the few hours front to go lower than normal?
And i tryed to calibrate with xentry, but im like lost how much wheels should be height my E350 4matic should be, also i don't know the values of the Axle Inclination, any help?
Mine does not sink once it has been running and fully pumped up. It will sag a bit, especially in the rear, if it sits for awhile. But it pumps up right away and holds its height. Unfortunately I have not used Xentry on my car. I did adjust the sensors by hand to get the car to sit level in the front, that just involved bending the sensor arm a bit.
@@bucksgarage fair enough, Thanx for your answer man!
@@zelezo777 Good luck with it!
I went with the Dampmatic because of the Airmatic price horror stories. Then I learned that superior quality parts can be purchased for 30% of OEM. But I think that Europe has more choices than the USA too. For what you have spent, I could replace shocks, springs and all control arms front and rear and still have enough for a car wash. Brands would be Bilstein, Arnott, Sachs and Myle; all meet or exceed OEM quality and durability.
I am thinking of getting e550
2010 86k
Under 20k$ don’t know
How the situation is with maintenance car fax shows 44 service records no air suspension work done
Not sure
Does the 2010 come with air suspension? I haven't done much reading on the older version as I wanted to go with the BiTurbo M278. You might see if you cant try the M278 before you buy, it really is a great engine. I can get 28mpg on a road trip but then it is also really quick when you want it to be.
@@bucksgarage
Yes comes with air suspension
But 80k time to do the maintenance
@@BEUSA42 yeah, mine had just over 90k on it when I bought it and all four shocks were blown. If yours are original they probably need replaced. Good luck with her!
@@bucksgarage thanks
Your videos are amazing
Great job
I’ll take it car is too clean a time less design I have a 2010 134k miles 2k for front suspension I’ll pay it
if i only problems with the rear suspension can i replace only the rear and left the front using airmatic?
Great job
Great video! Anyone try the Arnott SK3059 strut? I need to replace mine, and these are half the price of Mercedes.
Some say good things about them, others have really bad experiences with Arnott. I read all the reviews and forum posts I could find about them and decided Arnott was not reliable enough for me. Been very happy with the OEM parts so far. About time to do the rear airbags now and will go OEM again.
@@bucksgarage Thanks for your reply. I am going to install the Arnott ones, and let you know how they go. I replaced the rear air bags, and front strut/air bags last year with Arnotts. So far so good...
@@jamiejenniferbastien8770 Would definitely be interested to hear how they go. I like how easy this W212 airmatic stuff is to work on, but the OEM part prices are pretty killer.
Hey love the channel man keep them videos coming..Got a quick question from your experience can a bad tierd or lose control on the front driver side case the car to lean a little.also i notice when sitting in the car with the car on but engine off using the radio until ithe car shut itslef down when i drive off the airmtic feels out of wack until i get it recalibrated again have you ever experience this
I haven't experienced what you are describing in your second question, but I can help with the first. When I first bought my car it would not sit level in the front no matter what setting I had it on or how long I drove it. I found out that the mount for the front leveling sensor was bent. So the car thought it was level, but it was not. I found that those mounts are very easy to bend with your hand. So then it was just a lot of trial and error, bending the mounts, driving the car a bit, then checking to see if it was level. Took me a few tries but eventually I got it to sit straight. Might be the issue with yours as well.
Hey thanks for replying man i did get a new level senor for the front also new shocks for the front the car still sits low i did hit the front of the car with the wheels locked to the left pulling in my garage(it was a brick wall) replaced the bumper and everything(shocks was replaced after hitting the garage) i brought it to the dealership multiple times for alignment one time they told me the driverside side was not letting the car alignment properly so i need a cast and camber kit bolt or something like that not sure took it back for another alignment and rhey didnt menrion anything about the suspension..when in park and i turn the steering wheel i do hear a clunk(coming from driverside)i do see the ball joint for the tie rod(Driverside)looks a little flat a indy(my mechanic) told me control arm is loose but dealer tell me its okay...other wise from a bent mount on the senor can bad tie rod or control arm throw off the level (for the front..... for the Rear can a bad strut cause the to car tilt also and have a wobble feeling the rear dont semm to have a leaking problem but the car jus a leaning stance to it( when check measurements at Fender it seems fine) but from a far when walking up the car you can notice it sitting funny(jus the driverside rear does this)
@@starentveveo hmmmm yeah a bent control arm could certainly make the front end sit wrong. The back end would likely be a level sensor or something if your bags are fine. Mine does squat a bit on the drivers side if it sits for awhile. Once I start the car it levels out fine. Make sure you are checking levels with the car running and after driving it a bit so it can calibrate the way it should.
@@bucksgarage ok thanks for thr font ill check rhe control arms but for the rear is it possible thr strut itself(not thr air bag can make it sit lean)?
@@starentveveo I don’t think the strut should be making the rear not sit level, the airbag is responsible for ride height. Is it level once it’s driven a bit then sitting idling?
Thanks for the Vid ! I’m in the market for a 2012 E550. I heard that the airmatic is an option in the 2012+ and standard in the 2011-10. I would prefer a non airmatic just to avoid potential repairs in the future.
I hear ya, the non-airmatic is definitely cheaper to fix and not as prone to failure. But the Airmatic really does make the car so much more versatile. I just took a drive up to the mountains this weekend, the road was completely clear, but the town we went to had tons of snow. The final road to the cabin we were staying in had not been cleared, was slushy and had really big ruts in it. I put the car in "off-road mode" and it went right up the hill without issue. I would have been plowing snow with the front bumper without the Airmatic adjustability.
It will make the car super fun!
@@bucksgarage Coming back after 2 years from originally posting this. I ended up buying a 2014 e550 4matic with Airmatic. Unfortunately, it has been a horrible experience over the last 2 years. the car only had 40K miles when I bought it. The car is fantastic overall but other than the suspension issue. I would recommend anyone in the market for an e550 to just get regular springs instead of airmatic especially if you have potholes and bad roads where you live.
Bucks 4x4 . Any relation?
Nope, no relation to those guys. There are a few groups of us Bucks around here, pretty big clan of them in the Emmett area.
Is 2011 and 2012 same as in air struts
Not sure on the 2011's. I use buymercedespartsnow.com for my OEM parts, they should have a diagram with part numbers for the 2011.
i love air suspensions bad rep it keeps prices low;)
Ain’t that the truth! I’m sure the questionable Airmatic on my car is why the dealer gave me a good deal on it.
I have this same vehicle a2010 E550 non 4 matic. When I bought the car the front passenger side would drop after several hours of sitting. Luckily the previous owner had already replaced the rears. After my research I found the best deal on rock auto. The air struts were $495 each. When I got them, I thought they was the wrong ones as the top didn’t have the same shape and the new ones were round. I was stuck with rock auto as they don’t have a customer service. Their answer is always send them back. So I contacted the Arnott manufacturer. The guy assured me they were right. They actually redesigned them to be better. Then the best part, he says hey don’t get rid of your old ones. Well give you $125 each if you send them to us! So it dropped my price to $370 each!
It took me 45 minutes to replace both sides! So easy!
How dose it drive ?
@@jweezywooden4378 drives like a luxury car in comfort and fo a sedan is an absolute beast in sport!
Brother I appreciate you!! I have questions though!
@@koolaidnosugar3293 ask away
are the airbags still holding up good ?
How did you diagnose that your shocks were bad? My car has those clunking noises too in the front but also I have a malfunction on the dash and the suspension drops in the front. I assume I’m going to have to change the whole front suspension anyway.
My bags stayed inflated just fine, but there was some really bad clunking and crunching in the front. I thought it was probably shocks based on the sound, but did try replacing the sway bar end links first to see if I would get lucky and that would fix it, it didn't. I checked all the bushings and ball joints, etc. and they were all fine and tight. The indy mechanic that looked at it actually confirmed it for sure. He put the Mercedes STAR diagnostic tool on it and took it for a drive. They can adjust ride height on the fly with the computer so they drove it with the height maxed out and it still made noise. Then they drove with the shocks bottomed out and the noise went away completely. With no shock movement, there was no noise, so they confirmed it was the shocks causing the problem. Noise was gone once I replaced them.
@@bucksgarage gotcha, good info!
Good luck diagnosing yours, hope you get it figured out and fixed without too much wallet pain!
@@bucksgarage thanks!! I hope so too 🤣😭
You should never change one strut on its own. Always do 2 at once.
Would you get one off Amazon?
Excellent video
Thanks for watching!
Yeah so where are those torque specs?
I'm considering buying an E350. I'm basing everything on whether I can do the work myself or not. I have the skill to do pretty much anything on my acura (from timing belts to head gaskets, to clutch replacement), do I need a crazy amount of expensive tools to work on Mercedes?
I haven’t had to buy any special tools so far. It does seem like a STAR scan tool would be really helpful, but I have seen some aftermarket versions of those for under $500. May pick one up depending on how much it can do, I need to do more research on them. But as far as mechanics tools, I haven’t needed anything out of the ordinary.
@@bucksgarage thanks for your input! I'm getting an Autel Maxisys scanner, hopefully that'll be enough. After test driving an E350 I fell in love with the ride comfort, hard to go back lol
@@supersabrosinho Should be a good start. Hold out for a 550 if you can, that biturbo V8 puts a smile on your face every time you drive!
Way too much talking, skip to the replacement!