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GL suspension sinks in Sport mode but not Comfort!?
Right something weird is going on with our GLs air suspension. Sometimes in sport mode the car drops to the floor when left. If left in comfort mode it stays up.
I also noticed the back right seems to sag a little while in comfort mode (not a lot about 2-3”) compared to the back left, when parked on uneven ground (a hill).
If I set it to off road level 1 the car raises and holds height in comfort mode again with a slight difference on the rear right.
Everyone on this forum has had this happen before. Not to be facetious, but search airmatic failure threads and find the cure for your problems to be new air springs, because yours are leaking.
Because the way the bag folds, and that the bag sits at a different level In sport than it does in Comfort, Which covers or uncovers the tiny holes that you have in your rear bags. Same thing for raising the car up as well - you’re uncovering a hole which is an allowed to leak and sag down. For those of you who don’t have a EORP GL you can accomplish the same thing by parking it in a different spot. One day it will leak down and one day it won’t.
If your car will raise and lower level than your sensors should be fine.
The good news is is that it’s about 300 bucks or so and an hour to change both rear bags DIY.
From your comments, you have Advanced Damping System (ADS - sport/comfort button) and Expanded Off Road Package (EORP - level 1/2/3 raise).
in back the ads shocks are separated from the air bags so that is an easy install - YouTube
has several diy guides.
the front shocks have the airbags bolted onto them, so a bit more work to separate and install me airbags but also diy able. Don’t give up your OEM ADS front shocks for a rebuilt pair, unless they’re leaking.
I've had the same happen and thought I had documented it here, but perhaps not. The corner sagging more is the one leaking, most likely. Youtube has videos giving you visuals and the steps. WIS also gives you step by step the Mercedes way. Google "mercedes wis".
Important: remove the airmatic fuse before undoing any airlines.
Best to replace both sides of the axle, or you'll be doing the other side anyway in 6 months or less.
EORP is an optional off road package which came with locking center and rear diffs and 3 offroad heights for airmatic + metal undercover belly pans.
OP, you mentioned offroad height 1, do you not have EORP?
... Don’t give up your OEM ADS front shocks for a rebuilt pair, unless they’re leaking.
If you do decide to change the front ADS strut + airbag as a unit ... DO NOT throw the old one away.
Arnott will send you a shipping label and pay you $75 per ADS assembly (front or rear). The reason why is because Arnott will rebuild the Mercedes assembly. Arnott does not have access to new ADS assemblies.
The trick is finding a retailer who will sell you the Arnottt (or Bilstein) ADS assembly without a a core charge.
Op may have an x166 where EORP is more common. Hope I’m wrong about that.
airmatic system is still very very similar though.
I just realized that two replies made it on the board before I posted and covered what I intended to relay more or less. Slow fingers here 😆
On an x166, or 2013-2014 vintage, at least, there are no locking diffs. The effect of locked diffs is achieved with 4ETS, ABS and ESP working together. I discovered that when I researched those vintages along with the x164.
Bilstein bags are rated at 190 psi, Arnott are rated at 100. If towing, I would buy the Bilsteins, which I did but I don't tow. My Bilstein have lifetime warranty through the retailer, rockauto. I have no opinion on the ADS shocks, be it Bilstein new or Arnott reman.
New Arnott shocks for ADS equipped GLs are not true ADS, they just bypass the error with resistors.
Even if Arnott takes a used Original Equipment (ATE brand) ADS assembly and rebuilds it?
Arnott will tell you that if you speak to them. The description on their site describing the new shocks is somewhat vague, I think, but that's just my opinion.
I have ADS on my truck and made the semi-informed decision to order new Arnott rear shocks rather than their remanufactured ones. Their new ones are custom tuned, they say. The remanufactured ones are MB OEs, like you said, which retain the ADS as originally implemented by MB/ATE. On another thread here I had posted a pamphlet about how the ADS design works. The new Arnotts look like the OE shocks with the ADS solenoid housing attached to the body of the shock, but inside that housing there is a resistor defeating the error message on the cluster.
Arnott will tell you that if you speak to them. The description on their site describing the new shocks is somewhat vague, I think, but that's just my opinion.
I have ADS on my truck and made the semi-informed decision to order new Arnott rear shocks rather than their remanufactured ones. Their new ones are custom tuned, they say. The remanufactured ones are MB OEs, like you said, which retain the ADS as originally implemented by MB/ATE. On another thread here I had posted a pamphlet about how the ADS design works. The new Arnotts look like the OE shocks with the ADS solenoid housing attached to the body of the shock, but inside that housing there is a resistor defeating the error message on the cluster.
I ended up buying new Bilsteins for all 4 corners, including rear airbags.
I then sold my 4 OE M-B/ATE cores to Arnott for $75/ea.
I ended up buying new Bilsteins for all 4 corners, including rear airbags.
I then sold my 4 OE M-B/ATE cores to Arnott for $75/ea.
That's where I'm headed, but taking "the scenic route". I'll wait till the Arnotts fail, replace them under warranty and sell the new replacements, and install Bilsteins. IIRC the rear B3s were also lifetime warranty from rockauto. I don't recall the details about the front shock warranty.
They seem to get good reviews from the x166 folks.
Your knock may be coming from the torsion bar links. Sometimes it's hard to pin it, but I would start with those and look replace the torsion bar bushings as well, they are much cheaper and easier to deal with. I have a knock I'm living with. I have the parts on hand, but no motivation to spend an hr under the truck for that. I know, I'm optimistic. It will probably be two hrs min, knowing how working on older cars goes.
Also, no experience with aerosus here.
Last edited by expl0rer; Oct 27, 2021 at 08:19 AM.
A small rip in the air bag won't cause a noise going over bumps. However, a loose part on the inside (the mounting area up top) could... but then that won't cause a leak. I think you have two separate things there.
Put the vehicle in the mode where it's most likely to drop and then take some soapy water and spray all around the air bag looking for bubbles.
But, yes, leaking in different "heights" has been talked about almost to death. There's plenty more threads to read if you want, but that's the jist of it.
Disconnect your sway bar end links and go for a drive - it they're the issue, the noise will disappear.
I have no experience with the brand you mentioned.
Hey guys fwiw, my 2 cents about Arnot and ADS. I was specifically after having true ads when I was shopping and asked the question to Arnott. Their response is that their make airbags "with ads" just trick the computer and the sport/comfort button loses functionality. Their rebuilt ones, do retain full functionality of MB ADS. I can find the part number of rebuilt for you if you want.
In retrosight, I would have rather coughed up extra few hundred and bought MB struts from FCP euro (for lifetime warranty). According to forum posts I found after fact, the Arnott's are not rated for as much pressure as stock
The most cost effective DIY option for OP and anyone else in this situation is if; the front struts are not leaking, to reuse the OEM struts and put new bags on all four corners - which included disassembling and reassembling the front struts.
Bilstein or Arnott brand for the bags.
i am still rolling on factory ADS struts with third or fourth iteration airbags at 215k miles, currently Arnott.
knock noise could be anything - chassis ear the front end after you’ve swapped bags. In my case, the front bags needed an additional gronk with the impact gun after they had settled into the strut after a few miles of driving, which eliminated my knock. If you’re lucky it’s just your seat bar links.
if you diy the bag replacement up front you won’t have to trade four monkeys for two struts - just source some Bilstein bags and use the Arnott instructions for how to install them. They all go on the same way.
Last edited by Max Blast; Oct 29, 2021 at 11:43 PM.
Right, I finally got around to doing the rear airbags today pretty much a doddle needing only a 10mm spanner, a jack & axle stand, take the wheel off, an to pull the 40amp fuses in the engine bay. The bag compressed enough to pull it out from above, rather than some vids online doing it from below (requiring removal of the level sensor).
The “saggy bag” looked to have perished a bit (see pic). The other left side bag, which I also replaced, wasn’t even sat in true top alignment.
I did a few rough measurements and I’m not convinced the sensors are behaving. In Comfort mode I have approx gaps between the wheel and arch in centimetres of:Rear: Right 8cm & Left 9.5cm
Front: Right 9.5cm & Left 10cm
Anyone know if these height differences/variations are normal?
Old perished rear right airbag. Old rear left bag top mount not aligned. New Aerosus bag v old oem bag.
Front left is the one that sounds like it’s bouncing/knocking too much.
I’ve now ordered front complete shocks so will do them too.
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