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Front shock replacement cost
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 44
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From: Central Washington
2011 S550 4Matic;2012 Suburban; '05 FLHTCSE;'06 S 4300 Tiara
Front shock replacement cost
I haven't been here for awhile. I bought my E550 4matic new in 2007 and haven't had many problems except blowing through a set of tires in a ridiculously short period of time. I was just pulling of the freeway a couple of hundred miles from home and got the "red screen of death" telling me to STOP as the vehicle was to low. The local dealer (not my regular dealer) claims I "blew" the front drivers side shock and wants $1500 to replace it and the part is back ordered and the car is not driveable. Does that sound right? I know the E550 has a tuneable suspension but really, $1500 for a shock. Can my local independent handle such a repair assuming I can get the car home?
Oh, can my car really be worth $21000. I was wandering around the lot and saw a 2011 S class and thought I might move up.They want $93k for their car. I checked the value of mine on line and was shocked. Not sure what I expected but it wasn't $20000.
thanks
Oh, can my car really be worth $21000. I was wandering around the lot and saw a 2011 S class and thought I might move up.They want $93k for their car. I checked the value of mine on line and was shocked. Not sure what I expected but it wasn't $20000.
thanks
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,084
Likes: 68
From: Athens, GA USA
2011 E63, 2011 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 v8, 2013 GMC Denali XL, 1965 Ford Mustang, 2005 Merc. E500
Get the airmatic shocks from Advance auto parts or Arnott. Cost will be about $900.00 U.S for a pair plus labor which should be about 150.00 to 200.00 U.S dollars.The Arnott air shock comes with lifetime warranty. I put two on my E500 about 6 weeks ago. At that time I got a special price through Advance Auto Parts for less than 850.00 for the front pair including shipping and tax.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,139
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Tesla Model S P100D
I haven't been here for awhile. I bought my E550 4matic new in 2007 and haven't had many problems except blowing through a set of tires in a ridiculously short period of time. I was just pulling of the freeway a couple of hundred miles from home and got the "red screen of death" telling me to STOP as the vehicle was to low. The local dealer (not my regular dealer) claims I "blew" the front drivers side shock and wants $1500 to replace it and the part is back ordered and the car is not driveable. Does that sound right? I know the E550 has a tuneable suspension but really, $1500 for a shock. Can my local independent handle such a repair assuming I can get the car home?
Oh, can my car really be worth $21000. I was wandering around the lot and saw a 2011 S class and thought I might move up.They want $93k for their car. I checked the value of mine on line and was shocked. Not sure what I expected but it wasn't $20000.
thanks
Oh, can my car really be worth $21000. I was wandering around the lot and saw a 2011 S class and thought I might move up.They want $93k for their car. I checked the value of mine on line and was shocked. Not sure what I expected but it wasn't $20000.
thanks
As for your car situation... I too have a 2007 E550 and I think your E550 is worth about $23-24 IF your car is in pristine condition, has low miles, and is very well equipped. Some might be going for less but the E550s are VERY rare so you are much better off trying to sell it privately and find someone who really wants the car.
As for the S class, I too am thinking about one for my next car purchase. Why pay the premium for a 2011 over a 2010? I'd go for a 2010 S550 as you get all the benefits of the facelift (sort of like how you got the benefits of the W211 facelift when you bought the 2007 E550). I really don;t see what you are getting extra in a 2011 if you an find a well equipped and low-mileage 2010 S550. You can buy a low mileage 2010 S550 CPO for mid to low 50s and that is such a great deal for that car. If you wait a year when the new generation S class comes out you can likely get an even better deal. If you do buy an S550 get it CPO and extend that warranty for as long as they will let you you. Anything going wrong in that car is not going to be cheap to fix...
Oh and your E550 (and mine) is still depreciating about $400-$450 a month
Last edited by WEBSRFR; Jul 21, 2012 at 02:47 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,254
Likes: 15
From: Louisiana
03 E500 and Corvette
Welcome to the airmatic world of poor reliability and very high repair cost. If you had conventional spring set up you would not have these issues. Rear air springs run about $4000, not to mention the air compressor. I have replaced both rear air springs, both rear ride control shocks, and one front shock , in addition to the air compressor. Wish it hqad come with coil over's I would have saved a bucket of $$$
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
From: Central Washington
2011 S550 4Matic;2012 Suburban; '05 FLHTCSE;'06 S 4300 Tiara
Thanks for the replies. I talked w/ the service manager and he suggested the Arnotts had some reliability problems. I told him to order 2 and get them on. Only problem is that he's saying $500 each for labor. Seems high to me. I'll talk w/Arnottt and figure out how much time is required for a remove and replace.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,084
Likes: 68
From: Athens, GA USA
2011 E63, 2011 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 v8, 2013 GMC Denali XL, 1965 Ford Mustang, 2005 Merc. E500
Thanks for the replies. I talked w/ the service manager and he suggested the Arnotts had some reliability problems. I told him to order 2 and get them on. Only problem is that he's saying $500 each for labor. Seems high to me. I'll talk w/Arnottt and figure out how much time is required for a remove and replace.
Last edited by homeofstone; Jul 23, 2012 at 11:19 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,254
Likes: 15
From: Louisiana
03 E500 and Corvette
Thanks for the replies. I talked w/ the service manager and he suggested the Arnotts had some reliability problems. I told him to order 2 and get them on. Only problem is that he's saying $500 each for labor. Seems high to me. I'll talk w/Arnottt and figure out how much time is required for a remove and replace.
So if ball joint labor is $200 at $75/hr you would pay about $300 for the strut in labor. Remember the guys doing the work have to pay health care, overhead and other expense not just they hourly pay.
The $500 + 400 for the shock is about $600 less than installing a new shock and still not a bad deal. The arnott is warranty for life, keep the invoice.
Remember this price is base on Fair ball joint price. You can determine that price and guestimate your fair price.
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Newbie
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
2007 e550 4matic
Please help
Get the airmatic shocks from Advance auto parts or Arnott. Cost will be about $900.00 U.S for a pair plus labor which should be about 150.00 to 200.00 U.S dollars.The Arnott air shock comes with lifetime warranty. I put two on my E500 about 6 weeks ago. At that time I got a special price through Advance Auto Parts for less than 850.00 for the front pair including shipping and tax.
i found this Forum through Google.
i was reading that you got the 2 air shocks replaced.
were they the front ones or the rear ones.
i have a 2007 E550 4Matic and the Drivers Side Air shock / strut is non functional and the car has dropped on the drivers side and it tries to come up but seems like something is leaking air as it comes up a little but i can hear air noise and it goes back down again.
what do you recommend ???
secondly i couldn't find any air strut / air shock on Advance auto parts site.
can you please point me to that.
i will really appreciate a quick response to this.
Thanks
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,254
Likes: 15
From: Louisiana
03 E500 and Corvette
Hello,
i found this Forum through Google.
i was reading that you got the 2 air shocks replaced.
were they the front ones or the rear ones.
i have a 2007 E550 4Matic and the Drivers Side Air shock / strut is non functional and the car has dropped on the drivers side and it tries to come up but seems like something is leaking air as it comes up a little but i can hear air noise and it goes back down again.
what do you recommend ???
secondly i couldn't find any air strut / air shock on Advance auto parts site.
can you please point me to that.
i will really appreciate a quick response to this.
Thanks
i found this Forum through Google.
i was reading that you got the 2 air shocks replaced.
were they the front ones or the rear ones.
i have a 2007 E550 4Matic and the Drivers Side Air shock / strut is non functional and the car has dropped on the drivers side and it tries to come up but seems like something is leaking air as it comes up a little but i can hear air noise and it goes back down again.
what do you recommend ???
secondly i couldn't find any air strut / air shock on Advance auto parts site.
can you please point me to that.
i will really appreciate a quick response to this.
Thanks
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
2007 e550 4matic
thanks a bunch for the reply.
i couldn't find any air strut / air shock on Advance auto parts site.
can you please point me to that.
lastly i also have 2004 E500 and when parrked overnight it drops really low but when i start it up it comes back up just fine and rides fine as well.
and its low from the back only on both sides.
what do you think could be wrong with that one.
Member
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco
School bus
Getting the bigger picture
I know a lot of peeps here have had issues with their air shocks but if one were to take some steps back and let's say I simply pick a number here, eg. 30,000 Mercedes Benz with air shocks manufactured in the last 5-7 years, how many will end up have air shock issues? What would you think that % is? 10%? 50%?
Just curious.
Just curious.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,084
Likes: 68
From: Athens, GA USA
2011 E63, 2011 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 v8, 2013 GMC Denali XL, 1965 Ford Mustang, 2005 Merc. E500
thanks a bunch for the reply.
i couldn't find any air strut / air shock on Advance auto parts site.
can you please point me to that.
lastly i also have 2004 E500 and when parrked overnight it drops really low but when i start it up it comes back up just fine and rides fine as well.
and its low from the back only on both sides.
what do you think could be wrong with that one.
i couldn't find any air strut / air shock on Advance auto parts site.
can you please point me to that.
lastly i also have 2004 E500 and when parrked overnight it drops really low but when i start it up it comes back up just fine and rides fine as well.
and its low from the back only on both sides.
what do you think could be wrong with that one.
Last edited by homeofstone; Jul 31, 2012 at 08:04 PM.
Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 244
Likes: 4
From: PA, USA
2004 E320 4matic Sedan
100% will have an issue
I know a lot of peeps here have had issues with their air shocks but if one were to take some steps back and let's say I simply pick a number here, eg. 30,000 Mercedes Benz with air shocks manufactured in the last 5-7 years, how many will end up have air shock issues? What would you think that % is? 10%? 50%?
Just curious.
Just curious.
Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 216
Likes: 2
From: Bristol, CT
06 S211 E500 4Matic
Actually, the problem is rarely the airbag itself. Main reason for rear bags' deflation is corrosion in aluminum reservoir tanks. I wasn't going to swallow $2000 for new airbags. What I did may not work for everyone but I took the hoses off, found the leaks (you can actually see the holes in the tanks), found a good welding shop. They welded it really nice, then, I took everything to a place where they do hoses/clamps for high pressure lines, they took care of it for around $50 and the clamps are good for 500PSI. So far, no leaks even after leaving the car sitting for 1 month. Cost me $300 fix both rear bag leak issues.
Last edited by 06E5004ME; Aug 3, 2012 at 11:18 AM.
Member
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco
School bus
Actually, the problem is rarely the airbag itself. Main reason for rear bags' deflation is corrosion in aluminum reservoir tanks. I wasn't going to swallow $2000 for new airbags. What I did may not work for everyone but I took the hoses off, found the leaks (you can actually see the holes in the tanks), found a good welding shop. They welded it really nice, then, I took everything to a place where they do hoses/clamps for high pressure lines, they took care of it for around $50 and the clamps are good for 500PSI. So far, no leaks even after leaving the car sitting for 1 month. Cost me $300 (most o to fix both rear bag leak issues.
Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 216
Likes: 2
From: Bristol, CT
06 S211 E500 4Matic
Not in the trunk. If you follow the hose coming out of the airbag, you'll see it. Tanks are visible if you get under te car, they are hard to miss. Although, I have a wagon, so I'm not sure what's the setup on the sedans.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,254
Likes: 15
From: Louisiana
03 E500 and Corvette
Ok it's your fault. After this message my right front strut airbag blew out. I have pulled the front down and waiting for the Arnott strut to show. I replaced the Left about 10,000 miles ago thinking do one, I"ll sell the car, but I bought an Airplane and now fly vs drive the MB. At least the Plane doesn't have "airmatic
" but it does ride as if it were riding on air. 
Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 244
Likes: 4
From: PA, USA
2004 E320 4matic Sedan
I apologise....
Ok it's your fault. After this message my right front strut airbag blew out. I have pulled the front down and waiting for the Arnott strut to show. I replaced the Left about 10,000 miles ago thinking do one, I"ll sell the car, but I bought an Airplane and now fly vs drive the MB. At least the Plane doesn't have "airmatic" but it does ride as if it were riding on air.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,254
Likes: 15
From: Louisiana
03 E500 and Corvette
UPS has parts at local in town shipper hopefully I will have the strut this evening. I have everything out except the old strut. The wires/airlines off 3 nuts hand tight on top and the bottom through bolt nut off ready to pull. The ball joint had to come apart as I DON'T have the 3 bolt attachment Upper arm. Hopefully this goes quick. I also have all the parts to do brake job front and rear to include new rotors. I had not planned this as summer work 95+ due to heat but the strut failure has forced this repair on.
Now in the last 20,000 miles this car will have the following new parts. You estimate the cost.
Rear air springs
Rear airmatic shocks, one was leaking oil
New air compressor for airmatic
New both front struts.
This doesn't include the history of SBC failure, Ignition key, a/c, and litney of other items.
The real question now is can I get 50,000 miles on it before airmatic or sbc failure again?
I planned to drive this car the 250,000 with MB reliability but the cost of parts will far exceed the replacement cost at the rate of failure I see. I bought the car new and exclusive of the 1st oil change have had some major breakdown between every oil change.
Newbie
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
2007 e550 4matic
changing 4 matic 2007e550
i also have just gotten the low car message. only the drivers side is low. first do i need to change both struts or does only the drivers side need it.
second, are there any special tools or tips needed. my dealer said that the computer would need to be reset after?
thanks for any help
second, are there any special tools or tips needed. my dealer said that the computer would need to be reset after?
thanks for any help
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,084
Likes: 68
From: Athens, GA USA
2011 E63, 2011 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 v8, 2013 GMC Denali XL, 1965 Ford Mustang, 2005 Merc. E500
Here is link to e550 4matic arnott at advance auto parts http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...rchTerm=arnott
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,084
Likes: 68
From: Athens, GA USA
2011 E63, 2011 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 v8, 2013 GMC Denali XL, 1965 Ford Mustang, 2005 Merc. E500
Computer is not needed. You will need good set of metric sockets and torx/star bits nothing real special.
The upper ball joint and sway bar (both sides) will need to be disconnected. Also I would replace both front strut shocks at same time. On the 4 matic I am not sure if axle will have to be removed.
The upper ball joint and sway bar (both sides) will need to be disconnected. Also I would replace both front strut shocks at same time. On the 4 matic I am not sure if axle will have to be removed.
