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Hi there, lately, I've seen a bunch of Chinese made ABC struts for our cars listed on eBay. Just wondering if anyone had installed & have good luck with these struts. I intend to keep the ABC on mine & was thinking about going w/ Arnott re-manufactured struts when mine goes out but I've just found out Arnott has stopped making them due to part shortages & lack of demands. Please share your experiences. Thanks
No experience yet but I will purchase a full set relatively soon and report back. I will also have the OEMs remanufactured by RMT....so I guess we can compare.
Glad to hear there's a source that rebuild these hydraulic struts in the US. I did a quick search on RMT (Rebuild Master Tech). They are situated in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida & the price appears to be reasonable (around $500/per strut). Has anyone on here sent your strut(s) to them for rebuild & care to share your experience? Thanks in advance.
Glad to hear there's a source that rebuild these hydraulic struts in the US. I did a quick search on RMT (Rebuild Master Tech). They are situated in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida & the price appears to be reasonable (around $500/per strut). Has anyone on here sent your strut(s) to them for rebuild & care to share your experience? Thanks in advance.
I have read several reviews that all seemed positive regarding RMT, so I am not worried about them. As far as Chinese struts are concerned - longevity probably won't be on par with OEM but the price also reflects that.
I have read several reviews that all seemed positive regarding RMT, so I am not worried about them. As far as Chinese struts are concerned - longevity probably won't be on par with OEM but the price also reflects that.
I used RMT to rebuild the first rear strut I found that needed replacing due to a leak. They did a fine job. When wanting to replace, or rebuild the front of the s55, I opted for Chinese with a two year warranty. The ones I chose look to be a near exact replica whereas some of them are built slightly different. Ive been pleased so far with a few k miles. I could not justify the cost of Arnott rebuilds and not all the oem shocks are available new.
I used RMT to rebuild the first rear strut I found that needed replacing due to a leak. They did a fine job. When wanting to replace, or rebuild the front of the s55, I opted for Chinese with a two year warranty. The ones I chose look to be a near exact replica whereas some of them are built slightly different. Ive been pleased so far with a few k miles. I could not justify the cost of Arnott rebuilds and not all the oem shocks are available new.
So here's an opinion on Chinese made ABC struts . There are several models out there. I went with the ones that look like remanufactured OEM ones - which they are. So, I installed them without issues. Raised the car up and down etc etc. 0 issues. Let the car sit for a while and then decided to do the plunger travel calibration and that's when the left rear said its good byes. The top seal literally exploded and dumped millions of dollars of pentosin on the floor. Replacement incoming, also Chinese.
Now, do I think they are worth it? If you can get them for 400$ a piece and do your car work, yes. Anything close to 7-800 then no. In the end you have the same chances of failure if a Dutch guy is replacing a couple seals on your shock or a Chinese guy. I really think what messes them up is long periods of inactivity. The rubber seals can stick and when you try to adjust the car height, or the car travels, you get broken seals and leaks. Not rocket science just annoying.
I also posted over on Benzworld about making your own hydraulic hoses and updating the crappy quick connects/disconnects to something better. Will bring that info here once all the parts come in and can take some pics.
I ordered some on eBay last year. Long before the tariffs came in. After months of trying them to ship it, I gave up and asked for my money back. eBay had to step in and get my refund. I think it was two months, I don't quite remember, but it was not a very good experience.
I then bought from these guys. Its only been a few months, but so far its been fine.
More expensive than the Chinese ones, but at least I got the struts I paid for.
If you buy the ones from China, do it through eBay at least. If you do it through other sites and they don't ship anything, you are out of luck. I also don't think the warranty is worth much with the Chinese struts.
Last edited by waterzap99; Jun 3, 2025 at 11:46 AM.
I ordered some on eBay last year. Long before the tariffs came in. After months of trying them to ship it, I gave up and asked for my money back. eBay had to step in and get my refund. I think it was two months, I don't quite remember, but it was not a very good experience.
I then bought from these guys. Its only been a few months, but so far its been fine.
More expensive than the Chinese ones, but at least I got the struts I paid for.
If you buy the ones from China, do it through eBay at least. If you do it through other sites and they don't ship anything, you are out of luck. I also don't think the warranty is worth much with the Chinese struts.
Sounds like you ordered from a shady seller or they ran into issues getting the items from the factory. They honored the 2 year warranty on mine and sent out a replacemet. All that was required were some pictures of where the leak was and the sticker that was on the shock.
So now I have 2 including an extra one I purchased on my own, as I didn't know how the warranty claim would play out. I also had a chance to partly disassemble the shock that blew and it's definitely a remanufactured Mercedes piece. So again, I think your mileage will vary with the remanufactured ones if they are not straight from Mercedes. I still think the odds of getting a bad unit from a third party are about the same, and should not cost anywhere near $1000 a piece.
The one strut from abcspecialist is giving me issues. Gave me an error for the plunger. Also the values are much more than the other shocks.
Sent them email, but they are just ignoring me. So much for that. Ordered a Chinese one, so will see. Might take the defective one apart later on and post pics.
There are seal kits available for these shocks for around $100. Wont help for the defective plunger sensor, but might learn a few things.
The one strut from abcspecialist is giving me issues. Gave me an error for the plunger. Also the values are much more than the other shocks.
Sent them email, but they are just ignoring me. So much for that. Ordered a Chinese one, so will see. Might take the defective one apart later on and post pics.
There are seal kits available for these shocks for around $100. Wont help for the defective plunger sensor, but might learn a few things.
Interesting. Like I said before - unfortunately price does not equal quality or good customer service with some of these things. Where did you see the seal kits? I remember finding the boots at some point but never saw the seal kits.
Look for
Sealkit for rear left/right ABC Shock Strut Mercedes Benz S-Class W220 /C215
on ebay
I don't post links because they go away and then no one can find the stuff in the future.
Chinese shock arrived. Looks good, very good. Like new. Will test it out and see.
So installed the shock. Failed. Leaked all over garage. Ugh.....
At least they will take it back. The other shop wont guarantee anything. Its leaking from the top, not the connector. Will take it off again tomorrow and pack it up.
If it wasnt for this stupid ABC system , this car would be perfect.
Last edited by waterzap99; Jul 1, 2025 at 08:46 PM.
Look for
Sealkit for rear left/right ABC Shock Strut Mercedes Benz S-Class W220 /C215
on ebay
I don't post links because they go away and then no one can find the stuff in the future.
Chinese shock arrived. Looks good, very good. Like new. Will test it out and see.
When searching I dont see them (555) list anything for ABC seals. RSC Autotechnic the one that makes abc seal kits now advertises that they have kits for the front and rear of a 220/215 which is interesting because when I contacted them last year, they had nothing available. I reached out because a brand new in box Arnott shock was leaking and Arnott was no help...The eBay listing is from 2022 so maybe they were just out at the time. Rebuilding is fantastic as long as your top cushions are in good condition, which is another box of worms in itself. During a rebuild I see if you can fill the top of the cushion with urethane so it doesn't wear and create the space for the top bushing in the engine bay.
That sucks. Might have been part of the same lot I got.
Thinking back - all the shocks I got had clean hydraulic fluid in them. The one that blew did not. The seals may have dried out on it if it sat around for long.
The other shocks are all working great so far. If they blow I’ll update.
Refer to this on how to make your own hoses for the rear shocks or replace abc hoses with custom made ones in general:
It was the top pipe that was leaking. Managed to get it off and put new OEM one in there. Impact gun. Its not coming loose.
No leaks. I would buy the Chinese ones again. But replace the top hoses with new ones. At least they got back to me and told me what the issue could be and I could have returned it. abcspecialist just ignored me for double the price.
Remember to program the shock height stop sensor when you replace them.
Last edited by waterzap99; Jul 6, 2025 at 05:20 PM.
It was the top pipe that was leaking. Managed to get it off and put new OEM one in there. Impact gun. Its not coming loose.
No leaks. I would buy the Chinese ones again. But replace the top hoses with new ones. At least they got back to me and told me what the issue could be and I could have returned it. abcspecialist just ignored me for double the price.
Remember to program the shock height stop sensor when you replace them.
Nice got lucky. I believe the stock torque for those flared fittings is 50Nm - so don't go crazy on them as it can destroy the fitting. Some of these struts come with straight pipes in the back, so swapping the stock ones over is a good move.
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. There are several models out there. I went with the ones that look like remanufactured OEM ones - which they are. So, I installed them without issues. Raised the car up and down etc etc. 0 issues. Let the car sit for a while and then decided to do the plunger travel calibration and that's when the left rear said its good byes. The top seal literally exploded and dumped millions of dollars of pentosin on the floor. Replacement incoming, also Chinese.
