DarrenK

Hello Everyone,

New member here. I am in the process of ordering a 2017 GLE 550e. The DOG says "Airmatic is recommended" for this trim. I am purchasing, not leasing, and plan to keep this car for quite a while (For me it is the equivalent of an electric only vehicle as I go three miles each way to work every day). I have read a lot about the problems the airmatic systems develop, and how expensive they are to fix. Ironically, as an add on option the system is fairly inexpensive ($1650 MSRP) but to fix it can be double that or more. My brother is a huge MB guy, and insists Airmatic is a must have. However, he leases and has never had to deal with an older system The salesman said since I am doing almost entirely city commuting, airmatic is probably not necessary. It sounds nice, and I occasionally do go on the highway (on weekends).

I would therefore love to hear opinions on airmatic (on the GLE or its predecessor the ML) good or bad, including ride comfort, handling and reliability long term.

I need to decide soon, as Merrcedes will freeze the build soon. Thanks for any input.

jtorrebl

I've had both of these suspensions with this chassis a 2012 ml 350 and a 2014 ml550 with air suspension. The air suspension was a much better ride and height and stiffness adjustable. The spring suspension was not that bad at all though just not as nice as air. I would never go with springs of aid was available on any car. It'll last you. I doubt your still have the car when they go out probably 7 years from now, especially with an all new GLE around the corner.

DarrenK

Actually I plan to keep this car quite a while. I usually buy used, but decided to get a car spec'd the way I want for the first time in 18 years. The last car I spec'd out was a 1998 Z3. I still have it if tht tells you anything about me . I hope to keep the GLE 550e it at least 7 years, (the new Mercedes Hybrid system and hybrid battery Warranty in my state is 15 years or 150000 miles) and hopefully more! Especially given my short work commute, I anticipate putting less than 10K miles a year on it.

If Mercedes had not forced all the goodies I wanted into packages for 2017 (instead of stand alone items like 2016) I might consider adding the airtmatic, but I am well above what I wanted to pay already. Plus when the airmatic does go, it can leave you stranded, so I am leaning against it. I finalized my build with the dealer, but the order has not been frozen by Mercedes yet but will be in a few days. I test drove a non-airmatic and was happy with the ride. In fact, interestingly enough, none of the 550e's in my area had airmatic added, not a single one.

OldMerc94

I have a 13 ML550 at 90k mi - I'd pick Airmatic every time. While the suspension costs more, it is also a much better ride. I've only replaced one air spring that was just a little wet (not leaking air, but fluid). And that was at 75k mi. The other 3 are still original.

You can replace one air spring / strut at a time without too much drama. Meaning the whole thing doesn't have to be changed at once ($$) unless you neglect the system and ignore the warning signs.

Where it gets expensive is when a technician starts replacing parts before figuring out exactly where a leak came from.

DarrenK

How much was the airspring to replace? Did you do it at the dealer? And it went out after 4 years? I agree the mileage was high, but 90K must have been mostly highway miles, no?

fletino

I'd worry more about the fact the replacement battery in 550e costs almost the half of the price of the new car (depending on your spec and build). It's nice that they provide long warranty on it but if you get into a minor accident you need to replace the battery. In eyes of an insurance company this means a total damage and you'll need to order a new car which is not that ''bad'' but you'll have to wait for a quite few months. So better check this, my info is from my EU market, it may differ overseas but I'd still be alert and probably reconsidering the lease. Just because the 550e will depreciate like crazy and in the end a gas engine with a higher consumption may be cheaper to own and run in a long term with higher residual value after those 7 years.

DarrenK

Actually, given the warranty, I am not worried about the Hybrid system or battery at all. And these cars are built here in the US, so the wait time is less, if I like it enough to replace it with the same vehicle.

As for leasing, the 550e has a ridiculous depreciation value to lease (49%) for a 3 year lease, so it makes a lease ridiculously expensive. I have a lot of equity in my current vehicle, so purchasing is a much better option for me given the sales tax break for trading in. Also, here in the US I get a $4000.00 tax credit for purchasing, plus a $1000.00 State sales tax rebate on the PHEV.

But we are way off the topic of the Airmatic suspension...lol

OldMerc94

Mostly highway miles and done at dealer, but it was under warranty. It was replaced along with a bunch of other components, so not sure of individual cost. I'll certainly be an anomaly at the upper limits of the unlimited mileage CPO warranty...

fletino

I see, my point in the beginning were the repair costs of an airmatic in a comparison with really expensive battery. But it seems like you've done the math right and I'm not able to see everything from the US market point of view. When I spoke to a importer about the 550e and he told me about the cost of the battery and about the fact when even a small crash means a total damage I was like ok, there is no way I'd sell it after 5-7 years but I may get a new one during those years but in the end it is more complicated. Insurance cost due to the expensive battery was higher than for a 63 AMG so I ended up in 450 AMG SUV. It's interesting how a different markets are set, guess we are not hybrid friendly in real life yet, not mentioning the gas costs which are almost a triple. Get the airmatic for sure, it will help a lot with masking the weight on the road. Driving should be a bit fun

DarrenK

I think the salesman just did not want to sell you the 550e. I doubt a "small crash" would cause the car to need a new battery. It would take a significant rear end collision or side impact to make a difference. I could see the charging port getting damaged, because for some ludicrous reason it is on the rear bumper. And the insurance increase was only about $600 a year over my 5 year old Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited.

I actually am satisfied with the vehicle without airmatic. I test drove it three times. None of them had airmatic and it was fine. It looks like a cool feature, but I won't miss it since i have never had it. It's an SUV, not a race car. And I found the ride much more luxurious than my Toyota.

E55 KEV

Curious - so your state requires Mercedes and other car makers to increase and honor the battery warranty to 15 year or 150,000 miles?

DarrenK

No, sorry I got a little bit of that wrong. The hybrid battery warranty is 10 years or 150000 miles. This is true when the vehicle is first placed in service in any of the following states:

"CA, CT, MA, MD, ME, NJ, NY, RI and VT Only."

The Hybrid and emissions systems are warranteed for 15 years/150000 miles.

The complete warranty (for 2016 anyway) can be found here: https://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/Digital...on_booklet.pdf

The listing of covered items (and it is extensive) can be found on pages 64 and 65. Pay particular attention to the footnotes.

What is even more interesting to me is that spark plugs appear to be covered. I would generally consider them to be a wear item, but according to the documents they are covered (page 64 under Item III).

Darren

E55 KEV

Thanks. I'm DC so not included in that one. I'm interested in the 550e because DC has no sales tax on Hybrids, otherwise the sales tax is 8% on cars over 5k pounds.

DarrenK

Actually, there are a ton of dealers in the DC suburbs of Maryland. The warranty according to the booklet is where the dealership which sold the car is located! It is on page 45 of my prior link:

This warranty is applicable to new
vehicles which are first sold by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center in
the States of California, Connecticut,
Delaware, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont
and Washington

the 550e is not actually sold in DC itself., it is only sold in Carb States. So you would be covered. I know at least recently that EuroMotorcars Bethesda had three 2016 550e's in stock. Contact Kumar Maloney there and he will give you a great deal on them. Tell him Darren referred you

E55 KEV

Orders are frozen already? Why do they close the order system for 2017 models so early?

Yes, it is strange that AirMatic is recommended but hard to find on any lots. My search pulled up 40 550e and only 2 had AirMatic?

E55 KEV

OK thanks for the clarification. This is strange, but I'm trying to decide on a GLE 63 (non S) or a GLE 550e. I also plan on keeping for long time. My E55 is 14 years old.

DarrenK

Actually, my understanding is the Mercedes freezes the order 30-45 days from the build date. So only my '17 was frozen (or may not be, but I put in my final choices so I am not really following up on it). If you got a slot for a later build, it would not be frozen.

I agree it is strange, but the recommendation was in the 2017 Dealer Order Guide, so I don't know if it was "recommended" in 2016, which may be why it is not on any of the 2016 ones I saw.

DarrenK

I think the extended warranty on the 550e emissions parts (and if you looked at the link it is a long list) really removes any worries for me, as I also keep cars a long time (I have a 98 BMW Z3). I am really thinking about adding the MB extended warranty to take the coverage to 7 years (not sure about mileage yet, there are two choices 75K and 100K) for total peace of mind about repairs.

E55 KEV

Maybe something to do with the CARB states but it looks like these are the few and only states to find the 550e. Nonexistent in the South, Southest, Southwest, Midwest etc.

DarrenK

Correct. The 550e is only sold in CARB (California Air Resources Board) states. I e. California, and those states which have opted in to the California Emissions rules and out of the Federal Rules.

E55 KEV

DarrenK, did you select the AirMatic? You posted this in other thread:

DarrenK

I did not. I spoke to the salesman, and looked at all the information I could find out there, and ultimately, decided against it. I test drove three non-airmatic GLE 550e's and I liked the way the drove just fine. I think it is a super cool feature, but in the end, it really came down to just something else that will break down the road. And when the airmatic goes, it can leave you stranded. I even looked at the cost of the Arnott replacements with a lifetime warranty. That does not mean the Arnotts won't break, just they will be replaced for free, but that does not include labor. Still a hassle. About 80% of my driving is urban, low speed (under 45 mph). In the end, I feel I can't miss what I don't have.

That being said, I was watching the video review of the Q7 e-tron (not available in the States yet) and they have their version of airmatic, which also allows you to lower the vehicle from the cargo hatch area to ease loading and unloading. I don't know if MB has that feature, but I think the build is frozen anyway, and I am happy with how I optioned it out.

Strafzettel

I ordered my 2014 ML with Airmatic and every time I had a ML loaner car I noticed how much harsher the ride was without Airmatic. However last time I brought my ML in for service, I had GLE loaner car and it felt like it had Airmatic and it had the knob for comfort/sport adjustments but they told me at the dealership that the loaner had steel springs. I guess the GLE has a much better suspension than the ML and the difference between Airmatic and steel springs has become less noticeable.

Yogujuhere

Airmatic just became available on mbusa.com's build website today as a stand alone option not bundled into the Active curve package.

Seriously considering getting this as a good middle ground. Just cant justify spending 4500 on a suspension pack :T

Nor Cal SL55

Darren,

I thought the same thing about my 2016 GLE 550e regarding the Battery warranty. However, I found a sticker in the operators manual that came with the car revising the battery warranty period in various states (including CA. where I reside) to 7 years, 75,000 miles. I need to check on this as the dealer told me 10 years, 150,000 miles...