Wesley99

this has probably be covered before .... but I hear all these horror stories about the air suspension in the w211 but I’m looking at an 07 E550 it has 60k on the dash... is the air suspension really that horribly unreliable? or is it for the most part, an ok system?

gafitanu

As with all forums they deal with repairs, fixes, issues, etc. So there will be a majority of posts of Airmatic problems. However there were hundreds of thousands of Airmatic vehicles sold in US. And people happy with their cars will not rush to post their satisfaction, so there is a false perception if you read the forums. There are a couple of threads in these forums designed to attract posts from happy MB owners.
Air suspension has been offered for a long time on luxury vehicles, Cadillac, Lincoln, MB, Land Rover, etc. AIr bags are in no way "immortal" like coil springs and the fact that they require an air pump with valves and hoses reduces their reliability and introduces a new chapter of repairs.
Having said that it is hard to describe the "riding on a cloud" feel. I had my E class Airmatic for 13 years and the difference is felt when I drive a coil suspension car. Many people have changed the Airmatic system with coilovers either to avoid the repairs or to get a stiffer suspension and a sportier feel. I am not sure about the last reason since the AMG specialists decided to fit the E55's with Airmatic too.
I used to have a bumper sticker "I am not speeding, I am flying low" and the feeling is just that, flying on a effortless V8. Personally I will put up with any Airmatic repairs for that.
It's your choice, however you will not fully feel the difference by drive testing one with and one without 5 minutes at the dealership.

Strigoi

The Airmatic in my E63 is not smooth riding at all unless it's in comfort mode. Sport 2 is actually quite harsh/bumpy and you feel every bump in the road.

I'm not too worried about things going wrong with it as most of the components aren't horribly expensive to replace. I doubt I'd go with coil overs as I like being able to adjust things at the push of a button. Being able to raise the front is also nice so I don't scrape my lip all the time.

You also have to remember that most people come on here to post problems so you read more negative than good if just doing a search.

LexBrett2

I'd like to chime in here as well. I own a w219, which is essentially the same chassis a w211 and bought the car with 60K miles this year. Airmatic does not at all make the car feel like it is riding on a cloudy, even in comfort mode. I'm running Continental Extreme Contact tires, which are rated by Tirerack.com. The advantage of Airmatic IMHO is that it is adjustable, and automatically firms up when you drive aggressively.

My Airmatic strut collapsed a few months after I bought my car. It sounding like a balloon popping. I looked online and discovered that the DIY was not too bad, so I ended up changing out both front struts. Two struts cost me about $1000, which is far from cheap, and I cannot imagine how much the dealer would charge.

I'd buy another car with Airmatic since it is a solid performance suspension system. More importantly, now I know how to do the repairs if it happened on another car.

If you are NOT a DIYer, buying an older Mercedes with Airmatic could be quite an adventure. The struts on these cars fail all the time. I always wondered if it was some sort of design flaw?

The larger area to consider of a Mercedes of the generation are the brakes! Sensotronic Brakes are downright scary. I definitely would not buy another car with Sensotronic Brakes. They are prone to failure, complicated to repair, and sometimes result in lack of braking.

Flash Gordon

Someone posted below about his airmatic problem with 07 E550. All air suspension needs replacement depending on mileage and how long you own the car. Sold my old E500 in 2012 before SBC and Airmatic became an issue. Had it for almost 9 years with 70K miles.

Strigoi

OP is looking at a 2007 so he wouldn't have to worry about SBC. That's only on the 2003-2006 cars. There's no way I'd consider one of the earlier W211s unless it was an E55.

TSENIOR

yes. Hate to say it but its very unreliable. Only for the fact when it goes it can go without warning and leave you sitting. I have the w211 e500. Awesome car and even the airmatic when working properly is actually pretty cool. But very very expensive to fix. 1000+ per strut so ×4. And thats not labour... So if you do get if it does go bad just convert to spring. Ordering bc coilovers for mine. Problem solved and no more body roll. + +. But my opinion GET IT. Worry about all that stuff later.

mcleantmw

My 2003 E500 has 186000 miles on it and I've only replaced both front air shocks once. The left side failed in 2010 and the right side in 2015..........so in my case the reliability was pretty good.

kajtek1

Consider how many tires you changed in this period? And good set of tires is not cheap those days by any means.
It is the bottom feeders who buy the car for 10% of its sticker price that cry over maintenance expenses.
When somebody buys new car for $60k and 7 years later the car require $3000 suspension work - he will just pay it, unless he neglected other issues and that will become last straw.

TSENIOR

225k original miles on my car. Only one front has been replaced. The main issue is its Not a what if. It is A WHEN. All 4 need replaced. Rare, but i have 3 of 4 not holding at all so it does happen and if you cant fix yourself. Your looking at around 8 thousand dollars give or take a little to make sure no issues occur again. And that doesnt gurantee air lines or compressors. Like i said cool when its working but this thing handles like **** compared to a bmw even in sport 2 with decent tires. Stock for stock. They out corner me everytime but the straight away i eat them up in seconds. Coilovers and a tune can turn about any car to a daily monster. Im also a cut corner save money type of guy. But i see most people converting now a days. To each there own. Good luck to all!!!

Strigoi

So why'd you pay $1000 for a new shock then? You can get Arnotts for under $500 each.

TSENIOR

never said i spent a 1000 for a new strut. Thats what my local mercedes charges for oem front strut. I considered arnotts but i dont like the way the airmatic handles so im converting to bc coilovers. For what it is the airmatic is awesome and it really dont handle all that bad but i dont want the body roll and i want a little lower. Other than that when working properly as i said is pretty cool. Just my opinion others may prefer airmatic i just dont.