rtbrjason

2007 E550 4matic. Front left strut is down, won’t raise at all, so I’m thinking that strut is bad. I did both rears last year with Arnott.

My understanding, is the front Arnott struts don’t retain the ADS, so no sport/comfort settings. If that’s the case, what does it default to?

I’ll plan on doing both fronts since they seem to be original and just hit 160k miles. The Bilstein are $800 each on Rockauto. The Arnott are $500 each. Is it worth the extra $600 plus to retain the ADS?

Anything else that should be swapped while I’m doing these? Are there separate strut mounts? I just did inner/outer tie rods a few months ago and had it aligned. Would there be any reason to have it aligned again after the strut install?

CastorTroy

arnott offers both new and rebuilt versions. the rebuilt versions retain ADS. however, they do not have the ability to rebuild the shock, just replace the airbag. eventually the shock will fail and you will need to warranty it and get another crapshoot rebuilt one.

the new ones are new obviously, but you are correct, they do not retain ADS. if retaining ADS is important to you, i would get the new bilsteins.

F1Fan

Get the rebuilt Arnotts and retain the ADS.

AlmostHappy

Retain ADS

rtbrjason

Even with the above comment about the rebuilds not having rebuilt shocks?

F1Fan

I purchased Arnott AS2245 and AS2246. I believe these are the reman ones. Both of them work perfectly in a 2005 W211 with Airmatic. But just fyi, the first time the front left strut Arnott was installed, it was dead. I had to exchange this with another Arnott. It was purchased from RockAuto. From Arnott's website describing AS2245 "Arnott's completely rebuilt OE left front air strut for Mercedes-Benz vehicles features a new ContiTech air spring bladder along with a new CNC-machined aluminum upper and lower piston, and wiring harness."

Another option you can consider is to buy the oem Bilsteins from FCPEuro and then use their lifetime warranty when they blow out again.

rtbrjason

I ordered AS2294 and AS2295 from Rockauto. Looking them up on Arnotts website, there’s no mention of a rebuilt shock. It just says new conti airbag.

Hoping these are the correct parts, and work out okay. I’m not sure what 2245/2246 are for.

F1Fan

It may be a different part number for 4Matic and non-4Matic cars. Hope it works out for you!

Also fyi, while you have the shock/air spring removed, it may be a great time to replace the upper wish bone and upper ball joint. Most new wishbones will have the upper ball joint attached to it, as opposed to being sold separately. With the shock removed, you will have easy access to the bolts that hold the wishbone.

Lastly, also inspect the lower spring control arm that attaches to the bottom of the strut. The rubber bushings do go bad or tear and if you have the shock removed, replacing the control arm will be easy.

Paul Formby III

Does anyone know how the ride is with the Arnotts that don’t have ADS? Mine just had the FR strut replaced at the dealer at 112k and the left is still the original. I was about to get a new Arnott but good thing I read this thread. I’ll definitely get the OEM from FCP euro but I’m interested if anyone has felt any ride difference with the armors that don’t have ADS.

rtbrjason

Thanks. I’d like to just replace upper/lower control arms while I’m in there I think.

No problems finding the uppers, but on Rockauto at least, most of the lowers (front/rearward) show as being for RWD or base models. Not having much like finding lowers for a 4matic. Anyone have any part numbers? I like to use Proforged when possible, but these all seem to be for RWD.

F1Fan

I'm not 100% sure but would it be something like 2113307607 and 2113307507?

rtbrjason

Thanks. Those are them. Fairly pricey but I’m worried I’ll damage the ones I have separating them.

rtbrjason

I replaced the driver front strut today. It lifted up, drove around for 30 minutes or so and it seemed to be fine. A couple hours later it’s sitting back on the ground on the same corner.

I opened the door and it raised back up, which it wasn’t doing before strut replacement. I assume is going to drop again though.

I sprayed some soapy water around the line on top of the strut, but didn’t see any sign of a leak there. That was the only place I touched the airline.

The old strut was clearly shot as it wouldn’t raise at all before. Does the new one have a slow leak? I went with the Arnott reman. It looked like new. Not looking forward to having to do this job again. 4matic makes it kind of a pain.

rtbrjason

This morning I checked things over again. Car raised up when I fired it up. Turned it off and I can hear a slight hiss now. It appears to be coming from the new strut. I did a warranty replacement from rock auto. Unfortunately I’ll have to remove and ship this one before they send out the new one.

Hopefully I just got a bad reman unit. I’m regretting not just going new Bilstein at this point. I don’t want to do this job over, and I haven’t even started the passenger side yet.

F1Fan

Had a similar situation. But I was able to purchase a replacement and then I sent back the defective one to RockAuto under a warranty claim. They refunded back the original Arnott I bought. So the car wasn't out of action for a few days.

rtbrjason

Finally got the driver side replacement yesterday, and installed today. That side seems good now. Will wait to see if it’s still raised tomorrow.

With the driver side done, I moved to the passenger side. A bit early to be sure but I believe I’m having the same problem with the passenger side. The reman strut didn’t look that great really so I wouldn’t be surprised.

Also, on the passenger side, I sheared the threads off the upper ball joint. Is it possible to replace just the upper ball joints without removing the upper control arms? Ugh.

charlesb2003

I've had really good luck with Arnott. The rear springs on my car are Arnott units that were on there when I got the car, and I replaced both front strut with Arnott rebuilt units to keep ADS. I did have to replace one of the front Arnott struts after only a few months but they took care of it under warranty no problem. This was back when they still sold direct to consumers. Of course getting them thru FCP Euro would also be a great option since they offer lifetime warranty on everything and they also have great customer service.

If at some point in the future Arnott no longer sells rebuilt units and mine happen to fail I'll go with the Bilsteins from FCP.

rtbrjason

The passenger side is definitely shot. After doing the driver side twice, I was extremely careful installing the new strut. I can’t believe I got two bad struts. I’m not 100% sure the driver side is good since the passenger side is all the way on the ground. The driver side is low, but not bottomed out.

I’m debating returning both of these struts and getting Bilstein. I had good luck with the Arnott rears, but I definitely wasn’t expecting to do both fronts twice right away.

rtbrjason

The remanufactured driver side replacement seems to be staying up. I put the original passenger side back in since it wasn’t dead yet and that seems to still be fine. I had to replace the upper control arm on that side. I couldn’t find just the ball joint for it.

The only issue now is the reman driver side is about an inch higher than the passenger side. I’m not sure what to do about that yet. I’m debating just going with two new Bilsteins since the passenger side is still the original and probably a ticking time bomb. If I go that route, I’ll do the driver side upper control arm, and both sway links.

I usually get Moog suspension parts for most of my vehicles. Does anyone recommend something else for the upper control arm and sway links?

F1Fan

I would stay away from Moog. You'll just be replacing the part again soon. Lemforder is an OEM supplier to various German car manufacturer. They make good quality parts. Hamburg-Tecnic is also another good supplier. Try FCPEuro or ECSTuning.

j-mo

My right front OEM strut blew out about a month ago and I went with th4e Bilstein OEMs from Rock Auto. $600 each and they are $900 each everywhere else. I wanted to maintain the factory ride and function. I will say that these feel noticeable firmer than the OEMs. I am not sure if that is because my originals were so mushy or if they are indeed stiffer. For me, I didn't like the idea of a rebuilt shock with who knows how many miles on it.

Good luck.

Bankroll

Are the Bilsteins from Rockauto actually 100% new? The part number, and description, indicates they are. Meaning the shock, housing etc., brand new. I just did my rear air springs, with RMT. With 136,000 miles, on my front struts, I'm nervous. Thinking of pre-emptively, changing the fronts out with Bilsteins, like you did. The firmer ride might be from new shock oil, and the air bladders being stiffer. My new,(rebuilt), rear air springs feel a bit stiffer, and my shocks are original.

j-mo

Yes, they are brand new. I wanted to retain the ADS and also have a new shock. I think they are slowly starting to soften up. I rarely drive the car so I think it could take a year or 2.

bobgodd

Is there any documentation or literature that shows that the Arnott struts don’t retain ADS functionality? It does not mention this on their website under the listing for the air struts.

rtbrjason

So when I swapped the driver side air strut with the Arnott reman, I inadvertently sent the strut/mount plate that came off the stock unit back with my core. It’s the plate that goes on top of the strut under the strut tower before you put the 3 bolts up top.

I haven’t noticed any drivability issues from this but that one corner seems to be about an inch higher. I’m wondering if it has to do with the missing plate causing the ride height sensor to be off.

That reman strut needs to be warranty replaced due to a torn boot, so I’m going to have it out again. Unfortunately I can’t find that mount/plate as a part I can buy. Can anyone else point me to one and/or have one laying around? If I buy a brand new Bilstein, does it come with that plate?