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Well I inspected the strut that I removed pretty closely. I cut away the boot at the top and looked at the bellows and I looked over the strut itself. My assumption since it’s a sealed struggle is that it doesn’t actually have to leak for it to stop being affective. I think what happens is the seals that make the strut work internally become worn so that there is not a proper resistance. Well I inspected the stripe that I removed pretty closely I cut away the boot at the top and looked at the Bellows and I looked over the strap itself. My Sumption since it’s a sealed strut is that it doesn’t actually have to leak for it to stop being affective. I think what happens is the seals that make the strut work internally become worn so that there is not proper resistance In my case my car has almost 80,000 miles on it so it’s reasonable that one or both of my struts would go bad in front, if the next strut starts making sounds I’ll definitely get the part from the Mercedes Benz Littleton location because they have the best price at $810 each and I’ll be able to confirm it’s the strut using the airpod technique
Originally Posted by Paulcomi
Well it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. I just installed and road tested my car after replacing the drivers left side aromatic strut with a factory remanufactured unit. The knocking sound is gone which confirms that even though the air strut held air the oil filled strut went bad.
If if this happens to your vehicle there’s no point in sending.your bad strut to a rebuilder. These struts are a sealed unit that can’t be rebuilt so all you’ll get for the $500+ is your bad strut back with a new air bellows.
I was really hesitant to begin this because other videos and DIY‘s on doing this on other models show having two separate bowl joints which I’m hesitant to do. I shot some video as I was doing the process of removing and reinstalling so if there’s any interest I will share what I learned in the process
My right front aromatic strut is not making any noise and has not leaked or given me any reason to replace it and at $1000 I’m just not willing to do it yet although The boot is trashed so I may remove it just to install a new boot. No one seems to have one in stock so looks like I’ll have to find one online
I'd like to see that video. I think mine need replacing too. Both of them make knocking noises when it's colder out. There's no oil seepage though. Did you see any of that on your bad strut?
heres some video clips I recorded today. I haven’t edited anything. 1st one shows how the air strut attaches to the suspension at the bottom of the strut
If you decide to do this yourself, you assume all risks with raising your car etc. and tightening all fasteners to the manufacturers specs. I’m just sharing my experience doing it for mine. Once installed, I brought my car to check the alignment and it’s recommended you do the same.
Well I woke up this morning and my car is holding level but now my passenger side front strut is making noise so just like others have said plan on replacing these in pairs. I’m getting my replacement through OEM the link is above and it’s saving me 200 bucks over what I paid for the last one At least I know what is involved this time And I’ll make an effort to do a better video of this time.
I’m looking forward to the drive the car will do with both new struts. Funny how the right wasn’t making noticeable sound until I replaced the left. Now I can hear the knocking of the strut and it’s less than the left was but still very obvious now that I know what a strut sounds like. Even if the strut does not leak oil my understanding after replacing one is that the seals inside the strut when worn lose the ability to dampen so as the strike goes up and down oil just goes right past them
the struts usually leak from dry rot of the rubber where they are affixed with the retaining collar. The rubber has to make an extreme bend there. If you live in mild climates, this rubber lasts about 8 years, +/- usage.
you can also check for this condition on the car. Jack the whole front up on jack stands (both sides at the same time because pressure will equalize), let all of the air out of the offending strut by removing the airline in the engine bay, take the wheel off, lift the strut boot and check for cracks at the base. Install in reverse.
Well it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. I just installed and road tested my car after replacing the drivers left side aromatic strut with a factory remanufactured unit. The knocking sound is gone which confirms that even though the air strut held air the oil filled strut went bad.
If if this happens to your vehicle there’s no point in sending.your bad strut to a rebuilder. These struts are a sealed unit that can’t be rebuilt so all you’ll get for the $500+ is your bad strut back with a new air bellows.
I was really hesitant to begin this because other videos and DIY‘s on doing this on other models show having two separate bowl joints which I’m hesitant to do. I shot some video as I was doing the process of removing and reinstalling so if there’s any interest I will share what I learned in the process
My right front aromatic strut is not making any noise and has not leaked or given me any reason to replace it and at $1000 I’m just not willing to do it yet although The boot is trashed so I may remove it just to install a new boot. No one seems to have one in stock so looks like I’ll have to find one online
the links I gave is for non-4Matic struts, if you have 4Matic it is a different part number
Well it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. I just installed and road tested my car after replacing the drivers left side aromatic strut with a factory remanufactured unit. The knocking sound is gone which confirms that even though the air strut held air the oil filled strut went bad.
If if this happens to your vehicle there’s no point in sending.your bad strut to a rebuilder. These struts are a sealed unit that can’t be rebuilt so all you’ll get for the $500+ is your bad strut back with a new air bellows.
I was really hesitant to begin this because other videos and DIY‘s on doing this on other models show having two separate bowl joints which I’m hesitant to do. I shot some video as I was doing the process of removing and reinstalling so if there’s any interest I will share what I learned in the process
My right front aromatic strut is not making any noise and has not leaked or given me any reason to replace it and at $1000 I’m just not willing to do it yet although The boot is trashed so I may remove it just to install a new boot. No one seems to have one in stock so looks like I’ll have to find one online
left side always goes first. Right side will follow within a month or 2 depending on how long your left was leaking. Since your left was lowering every day, it was putting unnecessary load on the right airbag, excellerating cracking and stress on the right bag. Even though the car will try and equalize pressure to both sides to prevent this, it still puts excess stress on the right side. I've seen 3 airmatic cars now where the left goes, and the right goes within 2 months max of the left, assuming they are both original struts.
Great information and you definitely know what you’re talking about so I appreciate the input. In my case the airbags were not leaking it’s just that the struts them solve for making noise I thought that I could get by replacing just the left because the car is not lowering but I am now hearing noise from the strut itself on the right so that’s why I’m changing mine. Great information and you definitely know what you’re talking about so I appreciate the input. In my case the airbags were not leaking it’s just that the struts them solve for making noise I thought that I could get by replacing just the left because the car is not lowering but I am now hearing noise from the strut itself on the right so that’s why I’m changing mine. But you’re correct about the age of the car too because in my case my car is eight years old and it’s due for airbags and when I do the front right I will have changed them all the way around
Originally Posted by Ungarisch
left side always goes first. Right side will follow within a month or 2 depending on how long your left was leaking. Since your left was lowering every day, it was putting unnecessary load on the right airbag, excellerating cracking and stress on the right bag. Even though the car will try and equalize pressure to both sides to prevent this, it still puts excess stress on the right side. I've seen 3 airmatic cars now where the left goes, and the right goes within 2 months max of the left, assuming they are both original struts.
My 2009 E550 now makes the same clunking sound as described here. It's coming from the right front, especially when cold.
On another forum someone posted that the sound came from the top mounts. He claimed that dismantling and lubricating the mounts eliminated the noise. Unfortunately, this member is not active anymore.
Is there a non-destructive way to separate the top mount from the strut?
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