markelia24

Just got my dad's 2003 E500, it has 157000 miles on it.

I took it on a canyon run pretty fast the other day, and afterwards the rear left side of the car was low and sagging below the wheel (has bagged suspension).

I drove home very slowly, my car didn't tell me that anything was wrong on the way there, got home and the rear left had returned to its normal position.

Today I was filling up at the gas station, and again the rear left side had decompressed lower than the wheel. Drove home, this time a picture appeared on my dash showing a car with an arrow pointing upward inside of it, with a caption reading, "see mechanic". When I pulled into the garage, though, the rear had lifted again to its regular height.

Does anyone know if this is an issue with the compressor, or my bags? What should I do? The car is old and I love to drift and drive fast, should I just invest in springs or look at getting new bags? I don't want to spend too much, I don't mind sacrificing some comfort in my ride so that I can drive a little more aggressively.

Thanks Benz forum, the help is much appreciated. First time posting, just joined.

shardul

iTrader: (1)

time for new rear airbag

06E5004ME

Airbags are shot. It sounds that there are pretty significant leaks if the system doesn't hold air for more than a couple hours. Don't wait too long to replace them because you will over stress your compressor and the rear will not rise at all. Check along the air lines too, there was a valve in the rear on mine that rusted through as well.

03'55AMG

You can go coil overs, but you would be better off just replacing the one rear air bellow.

markelia24

Thank you guys I appreciate all the feedback.

I like to drive fast, though. Instead of replacing the bag and risking the other bags that have 160000 miles on them, shouldn't I just spend the money for coil overs right now?

06E5004ME

If you go with coil overs, you will lose ride height adjustment as well as shock firmness. Your car will lose value without a doubt. I don't recommend replacing just one side because like you said, the other is not too far behind. Just have to live with knowing you might be stranded somewhere on the road. That is when AAA comes in play.

AMGAffalterbach

Why would you lose the functionality of adjustable suspension and the superb ride it offers? It's so much cheaper to go with Arnott rear air suspension parts than coil overs - because unless you spend thousands on coil overs you'll end up being super unhappy with the quality. You need to replace them in pairs it will be about $700 for the rear two with lifetime warranty Arnott parts, lifetime warranty is an unbeatable deal. Factor in a few hours of labor and you'll be back on the road soon.

I am kind of tired of this notion that Airmatic is an unreliable, failure-ridden system. It's SUSPENSION these are WEAR COMPONENTS that will go out and need to be replaced just like any strut or shock. So my advice, get the Arnott rear parts, you can send in your old cores for $50 rebate (shipping is prepaid) and then enjoy lifetime warranty. I go on a lot of canyon runs with Ferraris, Porsches, BMWs, and AMGs on the weekends and drive very spirited (and responsibly) and I've come to accept the reality that my car will be a little more to maintain because of it but I get every ounce of enjoyment out of it.

vettdvr

If you do coil overs you will have to deal with removal and program of the system.

markelia24

I wasn't aware that Arnott offers warranty for their bags. This is definitely what I'm going to do, the benz mechanic I'm going to wants to patch up the bags for 600 dollars.
My friend went to this guy before and he patched up his bag as well because it was leaking air, and it ended up blowing in less than a year. Thanks so much, looks like I'll be going with Arnott bags.

06E5004ME

You could "patch" the bags only if your leaks are in reservoir tanks not in the struts themselves. When my rear started dropping overnight I decided to take everything apart and see if I can salvage the parts. Thankfully the leaks were in the aluminum reservoirs right where the hose clamps to it. Now I know I'll probably get flamed for this but yes, you can disconnect the hoses and weld the corrosion on the reservoir tanks. You need a special welder and someone who can use it. When you weld the leaks you will also need to find a place where they can attach new clamps on the hose to the reservoir. Mine are good for 500psi which is an overkill but I decided to be safe rather than sorry. I can say that I have not had any leaks for over 2 years since I've done it and it cost me around $200 for both bellows. Thinking back at it, you can probably just get rid of the reservoir tank altogether as I don't see what role reservoir tanks play. Arnott's bellows come w/o them, so I guess the reservoirs are not vital to the operation.

AMGAffalterbach

The Arnott design is different you can't just eliminate them on the OEM setup... that's not very good advice at all. Plus patching the leaks isn't a very good idea safety wise, and definitely not recommended by any stretch of the imagination. It's a shame the shortcuts people take as these cars get cheaper. I hate to be an *** but seriously replace the damn part.

06E5004ME

Like I said, if the bellows have cracks and leaks then yes, replace them. If you search for it there are a few people who have done this or something similar. Other 211 owner simply swapped the reservoir tanks, clamped it good and was on his way. What I did actually was not a shortcut and putting in a new set would be easier than taking the bellows to the welding shop and clamping place. Safety wise, I don't see how it's an issue. Worst case scenario is that you will leak air, just at a slower pace. In addition, I didn't advise him to eliminate the reservoir tanks. I just said I see no purpose for them. To fix the corroded aluminum, the welder melts the aluminum filling in the holes. I'd say that 80% of people who leak air in the rear are as the result of corroded reservoir tanks.

Also, how do you know that eliminating reservoir tanks is not a good idea? Not trying to be an a-hole, just wondering if you know how the system works. I don't, that's why I kept them just to be safe.

arnottdoug

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S430LUCKDRAGON

Does nay body know where the hose that comes from the compressor to the filter goes ? mine is just hanging and i cant find where it clamps onto any pictures would be a huge help thanks

DanG2

See reply on thread you started.

arnottdoug

The Arnott compressor manual may have a picture and info: https://www.arnottindustries.com/par...34_gid525.html