Teepizzle

Just replaced my front right strut and both rear airbags with Arnotts. Noticed that the ride is very bouncy and feels like I'm driving a big boat. Anyone experience the same thing? Is there some type of settle time? Even the wife complained lol.

konigstiger

Others should comment on personal experience. Just FYI Arnott should be replaced in pairs whether front or rear and offer both new & remanufactured parts not unheard of, although not common, for remanufactured to malfunction.

Left Coast Geek

bouncy is a function of the shock absorber aka damper.

Teepizzle

Obviously. But it's pretty extreme on the Arnott's compared to OEM. I know it won't be the same, but my car now feels like my first Honda Civic on cut springs.

Teepizzle

I was contemplating on replacing the front left strut too. Long story short, I bought the car January of this year. Based on the Carfax, both front struts were replaced in August of 2021. I called the Mercedes dealership where it was replaced and they confirmed it was replaced. I figured it was a faulty front right strut, but seeing on how they're in Miami and I'm in Texas, nothing they will do.

Left Coast Geek

I've not had to work on my air springs yet... Does the Arnott integrate the shock and the spring? I thought it was just the spring, and there was still a separate shock absorber.

konigstiger

What was the original problem that led you to replace strut & rear air bags? FYI MB parts are warranted for 24 months if dealer didn't replace them under warranty could have argued for MBUSA replacement.

Teepizzle

I looked for options on seeing if you can replace the front air spring on the strut itself or if anyone sells it. Apparently you can't buy it separate, and have to purchase a complete front air strut. I believe the R-class vans are the only Mercedes you can replace the air springs alone on the struts. I'm sure you probably can do it yourself, but I'm technically inept to try. Replacing the front strut and rear bags myself is as far as I'll go.

Another note which I didn't mention and failed to remember is that I opted for the new OE strut as I couldn't find a reman. Apparently Arnott's new OE strut disables the active dampening system but keeps the ride height adjustment from sport to comfort and vice versa. I think I might of answered my own question, but damn I didn't think the ride would be this bad.

Teepizzle

For the rear bags, sagging overnight initially, but then it would sag only after a few hours of parking recently. For the front right strut, that corner would sag if I parked in sport mode. I could clearly hear a hissing sound from the wheel. I checked the airline on top of the strut for any leaks, but there weren't any. If I had it in comfort mode, it would stay put. I drove around in comfort mode to test, and about 15 minutes of driving, I get the red flash from the dash saying "Stop, car too low". I pulled over and my front right was completely slammed, so I assumed it was the air spring on the strut.

I've been driving for a few days with the new strut and rear bags. No sagging whatsoever so I think it's fixed besides for the difference in ride quality. Also wanted to mention, I do have a lowering module, but the ride is pretty much the same on factory settings, low settings, and even a 1" drop on all corners.

Left Coast Geek

an E550, so this has the active dynamic suspension? sure you used the correct Arrnott bag and not the one for the rear-only self leveling suspension?

I'm looking at the parts catalog, and it does appear ADS has both a air spring (A2123203725 left, and A2123203825 right), and a shock absorber, (A2123201530 left, and A2123201630 right)

on my wagon, which just has SLS, its left air spring A2123203925, right A2123204025, with various shocks for comfort vs sport.

Teepizzle

There's only 1 set of choices based on Arnott's website. My rear bags are AS-2790/2791. Front right strut is an AS-3422 which should be a new OE strut without ADS.

https://www.arnottindustries.com/amf...ic-2010-233491

up_too_late

I replaced the rear air bags in my wagon this past July with the same part numbers (2790/2791) and I feel like the ride may be a little more supple, but certainly no dramatic change. My bet is that the difference you are feeling is the loss of adaptive damping.

Left Coast Geek

If you post your VIN, I can look up the correct options in part numbers for your car. I don't think arnett's sells the ADS struts, just the load leveling ones. If you have the ADS system, with a dynamic suspension control, then arnotts doesn't have the right parts

Teepizzle

That's what I'm thinking now after making this post haha. I'm just going to live with it until I need to replace the fronts again, which I'll try to find the Arnott remans or fork up the cash for Mercedes OEM.

Quattrodude

Wait - can someone correct me? I did not think the W212 came with ADS - its only settings were - raise\lower and then Comfort\sport setting ?

Am I wrong?

Who as ADS and can show me - how you turn it on and off - I have never seen one before...at least on 2010 - 2014 E class models...or maybe just Euro or something?

Left Coast Geek

ADS *is* that comfort/sport and raise/lower system, the other airbag system is what the 6 cyl wagons have, no controls at all, just rear automatic load leveling.

Quattrodude

Ah - Im getting ADS confused with ABC - It throws me that its call "Active" when really we manually set it...sorry - my bad.

Left Coast Geek

option code 489, AIRMATIC (air suspension with level adjustment and adaptive damping system (ADS))

looks like the Airmatic FRONT air spring+shock on a E550 is integrated, while on the rear, the air spring and shock are two separate pieces.. if you just replaced the air spring, your shock may not be working right.

KEY08

I’ve had to replace leaking rear shocks on an Airmatic equipped MB, when the air springs were just fine. I bet that is the problem as Geek said. Too much rebound. You go boing boing boing.