Rear bag VS Front bag replacement
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Newbie
Joined: Apr 2018
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2010 GL450
Rear bag VS Front bag replacement
2010 GL450 66,000 miles. Both rear bags are leaking and from reading the directions it looks simple to replace the rear and a little more complicated to do the front. Question#1 is it possible to replace rear bags without a lift? Question #2 is it simply 2 nuts on the top and one bolt/nut on the bottom?? Question#3 It looks like I can buy from Arnott for $359 a piece which is roughly $800 in parts but I have a shop that will replace them for $1200, should I just pay them??
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2011
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GL450
Rear bags are quite easy to replace. Arnott has a video that shows you how to do it. Maybe 30 minutes per side. (I changed mine myself). Fronts are quite a job, unless you have done it before... Definitely need a lift for the front, but you can do the tears with decent jacks (plural) that can lift the vehicle high enough.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2015
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From: Allentown, PA
'08 GL 320 CDI
Both jobs are certainly doable at home. Fronts can be done with a simple floor jack and jack stand - you only need the tire off the ground - the car/tire doesn't care how you do it! As mentioned, the Arnott videos are great when you are learning. One tip that I learned... when removing/installing the assembly (front), compress the assembly a bit and tie it in place with wire or a ratchet strap.
Last edited by DennisG01; May 14, 2018 at 12:45 PM.
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Joined: Aug 2008
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997 Turbo GT Silver/Cocoa (sold) 2009 C63 White/Black (sold) 2012 GL350 Pall/Black
$1200 for both sounds like a good price... they say 1.5 hours per wheel (the shops I talked to say they want 3 hours per wheel)... so 3 hours total... at $100 per hour or $300 plus $800 to $1,100... with a warranty and everything id have them do it.. Youre getting a deal... everyone I have called says $1,300 per wheel... but are they installing Arnott bags, because they have a lifetime warranty... I am thinking of doing it myself to save a ton... make sure their price is for both tho...
And they say you dont need a lift... just a jack and dead jacks... the front I hear requires a ball joint separator tool and crow bars...
And they say you dont need a lift... just a jack and dead jacks... the front I hear requires a ball joint separator tool and crow bars...
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2018
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2010 GL450
I did the rear in about 45 minutes. I also bought the shocks but i did not put them on because I think the original are still good. Thanks for all the replies. No WAY should you pay someone to do this job.
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2014
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'11 GL450
I did the rear air springs myself, which were pretty easy as mentioned in this thread. One thing to keep in mind is that the front air springs are mounted on the struts themselves. You have to R&R the entire strut assembly to R&R the air spring. If the air springs are failing, the struts likely aren't far behind. MOST IMPORTANTLY--while you can buy the front air springs by themselves, the struts ONLY come with the air springs preinstalled. If you replace the air springs and a short time later the struts go out, you'll be rebuying the air springs when you buy the struts and redoing all of the labor. So, if the front air springs have failed, be sure to buy the whole strut assembly, not just the air springs.
Don't ask me how I figured this out.
Don't ask me how I figured this out.
